Quick update and input needed

[Guest guest]

Just got back the results of the MRI and my leg is definitely broken.

Something they call a tibial plateau fracture (just below the knee in the

bulging top part of the tibia) Need to be off my leg (no weight bearing) for

another three weeks and then we'll see how things are. I get to go back to

work the day after Labor Day ... yeah!!!! I am sooo bored.

Now ... a question for any of you. has been having some problems with

tremoring. His hands and arms - legs and even lower jaw have been shaking

for a week or so now. Sometimes when he has this his muscles seem to lock

up. It even happens when he is asleep. I have consulted both his MD doc

and his Meds doc and neither of them can find a reason for it happening.

The meds doc suggested checking into his calcium levels - citing that low

calcium can cause tremoring - so I had the MD check the levels on the blood

sample he took on Tuesday (for another reason - stomach problems - probably

an ulcer). The calcium levels were fine. It is bothering enough

that he is not getting a lot of sleep. Also he is having problems with his

perception of temperature. It has been in the high 80's here lately and we

do not have AC. The last couple of mornings I have found him covered in TWO

heavy acrylic " fuzzy " blankets and is still complaining that he is cold.

This is the child that gets overheated very easily and has already had heat

exhaustion twice this summer (a summer known for its mild temps - only one

or two days over 90.)

is currently on Zoloft (100 mg daily - down from 200) for anxiety -

Dexedrine 30 mg daily for ADHD - and Geodon 40 mg in the am and 80 in the pm

for his OCD. He is also taking Nexium for his stomach. He is 5'10 1/2 "

tall and 230 lbs at 15 (next Monday).

Have any of you had the same or similar problems with your child? Any and

all input would be appreciated. The tremors are really bothering him and I

will move heaven and earth to find a reason for them and a way to make them

less troublesome.

Also - something happened both yesterday and today that is concerning me.

Yesterday we went to Walmart and were buying groceries. was pushing

me in the wheelchair (even though I told him that I could maneuver just fine

by myself) He kept getting more and more agitated. I would ask him if he

wanted to go look at video games (he wants one for his birthday) or at

music- but he would not leave my side. By the time we got to the front of

the store he was loud and disruptive - they called one of the greeters to

help me get the groceries out of the store. Louis was wonderful - he talked

calmly to and consoled him when he burst into great heaving sobs

while exclaiming that everyone hated him. After about twenty minutes

was able to compose himself and we went home. Then today I went to the

orthopedist for my knee and he again started getting very loud and upset.

They took us back to an examining room where complained of being

exhausted and then again burst into heaving sobs and curled up on the

examining room floor. The staff was wonderfully supportive of him. I have

no clue why he is reacting like this though - any ideas?

Thanks for any ideas you may have.

Steph

[Guest guest]

Hi Steph,

I have never written to you before I don't think. Anyway I think that your son needs an intense physical exam to see what is wrong with him as soon as possible, because something is and he needs help. I would be suspicious of the medications he is on first thing. Even if the doctors say it could not be them causing him to shake, I have found that many medications I have taken in the past have caused extreme nervousness and shaking in me as you describe. For example, I was just on an antibiotic for a week and thought I would die from shaking and nervousness, and it was not listed on the sheet for "side effects."

And too I would wonder if he has an infection in his body somewhere, I get this thought from him feeling cold and needing blankets, it sounds like he has the chills. I'd have a urine sample taken to rule out UTI, and his symptoms also sounds like a low blood sugar problem. It can be tricky, and is hard to find sometimes. It is also something I deal with and the symptoms are shaking, mental anxiety, crying all of a sudden. Does he eat sweets or drink high sugar soft drinks? With me I cannot eat them at all, or else my blood sugar surges and then drops like a rock. I used to think I was going crazy, and now I just try to eat right, no highs no lows in my sugar.

And stress is a real issue. Is your son overly stressed lately, from school starting or something? Stress causes the body to release adrenalin, and this can cause the symptoms you describe. If you have too many triggers that release it, then you are always too full of adrenalin. The only thing you can do to get it down is try to avoid the triggers, and walk around the block a few times. Exercise will burn it off. He could very well be stressed due to his age etc., and how he is handling things.

Sounds like you say he is having these "attacks" in social settings and trying to help you, maybe he is worried about your broken leg, etc., I know kids can take an awful lot on themselves sometimes, things that they think they have to worry about, but don't.

Here is the list:

1. Be suspicious of his medications. Some work the opposite of what they are supposed to.

2. Infection in his body, could be a bacteria, or a virus. Both are hard to find. Does he have pain anywhere?

3. Does he have low blood sugar bouts? Medications can mess with the blood sugar. Have him stop eating a lot of sugar if he does.

4. Stress. It is very real. Can cause these symptoms.

Well that is about it. Sorry if I am sounding too bossy. I am in my "medical mode" because for this last week I have learned a very strange thing. You can kill your child by giving him too much water!

My son Marty had a very swollen leg, has had it all summer. When I took him in last year for it, the doc said, "Oh it is just that he sits in one spot all day, and fluid is pooling in his legs, he has seizures, he is brain damaged....da, da, da."

The other day I told him to search a little harder, so he took a blood test for a rare disease of Pituitary gland to see if it was producing the proper hormone that takes water out of your system. Well I looked up what he mentioned he might have, SIADH, and started reading, and all of a sudden I realized what was wrong with my son.

The doctor had said his sodium was low the last time he had blood tests, about 6 months ago. WELL GUESS WHAT! Sodium is important, and so is potassium and the other electrolytes. Marty is only supposed to be getting 64 oz. of water a day in addition to his liquid diet he gets through his food tube. Guess how much we were giving him, TWICE that much. You know why?

Because the glass we used was 16 oz, instead of 8 oz. AAAAAAAAAAAAA! Anyway the doctor had us go and have an ultrasound test on both of his legs to see if he had a blood clot, I stressful experience I did not really need to worry about, but he wanted to rule out the worst case scenario.

Well no blood clot, thank God. So since I have cut his water down to about half of what he was getting and have started giving part of it in the form of Gatorade, his leg is going down, and he is starting to feel better. I think. He cannot talk so I am not totally sure.

I am just so MAD at the doctor for not telling me this could be the problem! AAAAAAAAAAA! I mean last year when it first started he could have asked me how much water Marty gets. We thought we were doing a good thing to give him a lot, as he does take medication for the seizures and we wanted his kidneys and liver to be flushed out good. Also he was on antibiotics not long ago and the directions said, "DRINK LOTS OF WATER!"

I asked the doctor in the ER when we took him in why his leg was so swollen, just one leg, and she began to massage it and said he had contractures from he Cerebral Palsy, but the other doctor poo pood that idea altogether.

Sorry this is so long, just needed to vent. People die from have low electrolytes. Like marathon runners who drink too much water during a long run, they drop dead at the end. Also I found that little babies can have this and their mothers will not know what it is, if they give them too much water in their bottles during over time.

Who knew! Did any of you know too much water could kill a person! Well now you do! Only need 64 oz a day!

I am done, thank you for letting me rant here.

Peace to all, and goodwill to men.

Carolyn to Oregon

Quick update and input needed

Just got back the results of the MRI and my leg is definitely broken. Something they call a tibial plateau fracture (just below the knee in the bulging top part of the tibia) Need to be off my leg (no weight bearing) for another three weeks and then we'll see how things are. I get to go back to work the day after Labor Day ... yeah!!!! I am sooo bored.Now ... a question for any of you. has been having some problems with tremoring. His hands and arms - legs and even lower jaw have been shaking for a week or so now. Sometimes when he has this his muscles seem to lock up. It even happens when he is asleep. I have consulted both his MD doc and his Meds doc and neither of them can find a reason for it happening. The meds doc suggested checking into his calcium levels - citing that low calcium can cause tremoring - so I had the MD check the levels on the blood sample he took on Tuesday (for another reason - stomach problems - probably an ulcer). The calcium levels were fine. It is bothering enough that he is not getting a lot of sleep. Also he is having problems with his perception of temperature. It has been in the high 80's here lately and we do not have AC. The last couple of mornings I have found him covered in TWO heavy acrylic "fuzzy" blankets and is still complaining that he is cold. This is the child that gets overheated very easily and has already had heat exhaustion twice this summer (a summer known for its mild temps - only one or two days over 90.) is currently on Zoloft (100 mg daily - down from 200) for anxiety - Dexedrine 30 mg daily for ADHD - and Geodon 40 mg in the am and 80 in the pm for his OCD. He is also taking Nexium for his stomach. He is 5'10 1/2" tall and 230 lbs at 15 (next Monday).Have any of you had the same or similar problems with your child? Any and all input would be appreciated. The tremors are really bothering him and I will move heaven and earth to find a reason for them and a way to make them less troublesome.Also - something happened both yesterday and today that is concerning me. Yesterday we went to Walmart and were buying groceries. was pushing me in the wheelchair (even though I told him that I could maneuver just fine by myself) He kept getting more and more agitated. I would ask him if he wanted to go look at video games (he wants one for his birthday) or at music- but he would not leave my side. By the time we got to the front of the store he was loud and disruptive - they called one of the greeters to help me get the groceries out of the store. Louis was wonderful - he talked calmly to and consoled him when he burst into great heaving sobs while exclaiming that everyone hated him. After about twenty minutes was able to compose himself and we went home. Then today I went to the orthopedist for my knee and he again started getting very loud and upset. They took us back to an examining room where complained of being exhausted and then again burst into heaving sobs and curled up on the examining room floor. The staff was wonderfully supportive of him. I have no clue why he is reacting like this though - any ideas?Thanks for any ideas you may have.Steph

[Guest guest]

OH yes, just one or two more points, heat exhaustion is also a symptom of low electrolytes in the system. I remember reading that about the subject lately also. You should have a blood test to have them checked to be sure, and start giving him Gatorade, but not before the test. Sounds like he is a big kid and exercise probably makes him sweat. Has he been playing football or something, and does he drink a lot of water?

Anyway please have him checked out real good as soon as possible, and bang the doctor over the head until he or she fixes him. It is probably something simple, and they never help a person with the simple things, always want to go for brain surgery or powerful drugs or something.

One more note, my son's doctor hasn't called yet about the blood tests or anything, and his appointment was last Friday. I started given him less water from what I read on the Internet about electrolytes the next day, Saturday. But he didn't tell me a thing. I did talk to the nurse yesterday and asked her about the blood tests, and his sodium was 124, if you get under 120 you can go into a coma!

But it should be up now, from us not flushing it out with too much water. He gets all the electrolytes and vitamins and minerals in his liquid Ultracal so they should be building up in his body again, and whoopeee the swelling in his leg is going down.

Done.

Hope I helped you some , get him to the doctor please, pronto, and please let us know how it comes out. I care a lot.

Carolyn

Quick update and input needed

Just got back the results of the MRI and my leg is definitely broken. Something they call a tibial plateau fracture (just below the knee in the bulging top part of the tibia) Need to be off my leg (no weight bearing) for another three weeks and then we'll see how things are. I get to go back to work the day after Labor Day ... yeah!!!! I am sooo bored.Now ... a question for any of you. has been having some problems with tremoring. His hands and arms - legs and even lower jaw have been shaking for a week or so now. Sometimes when he has this his muscles seem to lock up. It even happens when he is asleep. I have consulted both his MD doc and his Meds doc and neither of them can find a reason for it happening.

[Guest guest]

OH yes, just one or two more points, heat exhaustion is also a symptom of low electrolytes in the system. I remember reading that about the subject lately also. You should have a blood test to have them checked to be sure, and start giving him Gatorade, but not before the test. Sounds like he is a big kid and exercise probably makes him sweat. Has he been playing football or something, and does he drink a lot of water?

Anyway please have him checked out real good as soon as possible, and bang the doctor over the head until he or she fixes him. It is probably something simple, and they never help a person with the simple things, always want to go for brain surgery or powerful drugs or something.

One more note, my son's doctor hasn't called yet about the blood tests or anything, and his appointment was last Friday. I started given him less water from what I read on the Internet about electrolytes the next day, Saturday. But he didn't tell me a thing. I did talk to the nurse yesterday and asked her about the blood tests, and his sodium was 124, if you get under 120 you can go into a coma!

But it should be up now, from us not flushing it out with too much water. He gets all the electrolytes and vitamins and minerals in his liquid Ultracal so they should be building up in his body again, and whoopeee the swelling in his leg is going down.

Done.

Hope I helped you some , get him to the doctor please, pronto, and please let us know how it comes out. I care a lot.

Carolyn

Quick update and input needed

Just got back the results of the MRI and my leg is definitely broken. Something they call a tibial plateau fracture (just below the knee in the bulging top part of the tibia) Need to be off my leg (no weight bearing) for another three weeks and then we'll see how things are. I get to go back to work the day after Labor Day ... yeah!!!! I am sooo bored.Now ... a question for any of you. has been having some problems with tremoring. His hands and arms - legs and even lower jaw have been shaking for a week or so now. Sometimes when he has this his muscles seem to lock up. It even happens when he is asleep. I have consulted both his MD doc and his Meds doc and neither of them can find a reason for it happening.