December 12, 2023 "Back pain"

Rayden has been in so much pain lately. It has gotten worse since we saw Dr. Vergun in September. He specifically points to the bone in his lower, right back just above the hip. Although he is still able to go, he has to walk slowly and it often seems to give, and he stumbles. I emailed Dr. Vergun on Dec. 7 asking for an appointment. I just knew his hip was out of joint. Most of the people on our Spina Bifida Facebook page believe he has tethered cord again. We can handle ANYTHING but that! 

We were able to see her on Dec. 12.  The X-rays looked good, although they showed 60% acetabular coverage on both femoral heads. She examined his hips and concluded that he had Greater Trochanteric Bursitis and an irritated/inflamed growth plate. Bursitis is swelling in a small, fluid-filled sac called a bursa. These bursa are like bubble wrap. They cushion the bones and tissues around your joints. Bursitis happens when something irritates a bursa. She said it was very painful and all we can do is Motrin and ice. She mentioned that he will more than likely need more surgeries in the future, but his growth plates need to grow more before then. 

Even though we were giving Rayden Motrin and icing his hip twice a day, the pain just continued to get worse every day. He was in pure agony. His ability to walk had declined drastically. The more he walked, the more it hurt. When he stood his legs gave way. It broke my heart to see him in so much pain after school that he didn't feel like playing with his friends. 💔 He didn't even feel like going to the Shriner's Clowns Christmas Party! He even asked to ride in his wheelchair to school! He NEVER does that. He was crying in pain so bad one day that we even had to take him home from school before 10am. 

I was getting really worried. On Dec. 20, I emailed Dr. Vergun again explaining the situation. We had a virtual visit on Dec. 22. She was able to see Rayden's decline and he told her about how bad the pain had become. She wanted to rule out any infection in his hip, so she scheduled an MRI for Dec. 27.