If I were here longer.

There's quite a few phrases that could finish the title of this post. The one I am going to focus on relates to the little girl in the picture below. You can appreciate that she is not putting full weight on her left leg.

I almost hesitate to continue. The three previous attempted and subsequently deleted paragraphs explaining why she is protecting her left leg, came out more as an angry vent rather than impartial storytelling. I'll try once more, and just stick to facts.

In the three months I have been operating at Hospital of Hope, I have had 7 children, ages 2 to 9 with similar presentation. Five of them it was the thigh, one it was his arm and one it was his buttock. Their stories have all been the same. Symptoms started a few weeks prior to presentation after an injection in the leg/arm/butt cheek. The child complains of pain at the offending injection site, followed by swelling, redness, and then worsening pain limiting range of motion and weight bearing. By the time they present for evaluation their thigh/arm/buttock is stretched tight. Incision and Drainage releases an eruption of pus.

I wish that was the end of it. Due to their delayed presentation, I have yet to see a child hop back to their normal play after source control. Their joints continue to prove difficult to obtain full range of motion due to the length of time spent favoring their extremity. For example, the little girl in the above picture still walks with a limp and has minimal flexion of her left knee.

If I were here longer... I would investigate. What injections are they receiving and why are those injections causing inoculations in these otherwise completely healthy children? I can't imagine the source would be reused needles, but at the same time I wouldn't rule anything out. Could it simply be lack of cleanliness at the clinic where they received the injections? Was it all the same clinic?

It is so disappointing every time I see another child with this presentation. What simple easy step was missed in that injection process that has led them to me. To surgery and a long recovery road. They should be outside playing.

Much Love.