Braeden's fevers have been at their worst the past couple months. He has had at least 4 fevers, 2-3 ER visits, lots of emails back and forth from our nurse practitioner. We have seen the orthopaedic surgeon, the allergist and paediatrician. Pretty busy couple months for the little guy!
Since we have just gone through the gauntlet of doctors, we had to re-learn that our son is an anomaly. I mean all parents think that about their own child/children right?!
But mine really is :)
The orthopaedic surgeon reminded us that Braeden has atypical, atypical club feet and the fact that he was born without any ACLs in his legs also makes him atypical. The surgeon assured us the great news that Braeden's feet are not turning in. The bad news is that the ligaments at the back of his feet are extremely tight, which is likely related to his calf muscles being atrophied. This combination makes it more difficult for Braeden to run normally. Hopefully with some stretches and exercises we can help strengthen his legs and be able to make them function properly.
The paediatrician's take on Braeden's condition was "it is mysterious." The paediatrician was extremely thorough in her quest of finding out what is going on with Braeden's fevers, side pains and joint pains. She made us feel like she was thinking about all kinds of avenues on what is happening.
In the end, both the orthopaedic surgeon and paediatrician were on the same page and have referred Braeden to a paediatric rheumatologist. A rheumatologist specializes in evaluating and treating the pain in the joints, muscles, bones, and tendons. Things like arthritis, autoimmune disorders, prolonged fevers and unexplained symptoms such as rashes, joint swelling etc. are also what they specialize in.
As we wait for the next specialist appointment, we will continue to document everything related to the fevers. Braeden has been such a trooper through this entire ordeal and when the fevers are not taking his energy away he is still playing, climbing trees and making us laugh with his amazing imagination. We are hoping, wishing, praying for great outcomes and an amazing rheumatologist who can give us answers. So really we want Dr. House, but one with better bedside manners!
