On Sunday while Nate was working, I gave Beck his morning Lovenox shot. As I did so, Beckham cried out in pain (not unusual), but this time it was a true pain filled cry. I picked him up and cuddled him, dressed him, and went along with our day. An hour later I went to change his diaper and found this:
I know that it's a little hard to see in the picture (it was taken with my phone...I have misplaced our camera), but it you cannot tell, his leg bruised badly and swelled with a golf ball sized lump underneath the skin. Beck was also limping and favoring his leg at this time. This freaked me out and I called Nate at work and sent him a picture of Beckham's leg. Luckily he works at and ER and was able to show the staff he works with. They all agreed that I probably just hit a vein and tried to comfort me, saying that he was going to be just fine. This did not comfort me. I felt like the worst mother ever!
Over the next couple of days his bruising continued all over his body. It got to the point where he would barely brush against something and a large, dark purple, bruise would appear. He was also covered head to toe in petechiae (a small red or purple spot on the body, caused by a minor hemorrhage - in Beck's case it was caused by thrombocytopenia or low platelet count). This freaked me out even more because right before Beckham's stroke he was covered in petechiae. I immediately took him to his pediatrician, who took one look at Beck and called his doctor in Iowa City. He was immediately taken off of his Lovenox shots, hoping that this was the source of his bruising. I probably would have freaked out more if it hadn't been for the fact that he had labs last week that showed his platelet count to be in the normal range.
Again, I am sorry for the clarity of the above photo, as it was also taken with my phone. It will at least give you an idea of his bruising.
For now, he will remain off of the blood thinners, and we will watch him closely. At least he is acting like his happy crazy self again.
5 comments:
Poor Becks. Will he ever catch a break? Those bruises look aweful!
Gosh Kim. Lately I've been frustrated by the neverending sickness in our house, but I feel like a big whiner whenever I read your blog! I hope he's okay.
Poor little fellow! My kids are learning how to say prayers for "baby beckham". We love ya!
Darn it! Poor Beck just can't get a break. It would be nice to see him have a "normal little boy life", no hospitals, no meds (other than the "good ones") just a happy little guy, at least for a few months in a row. You know the saying, "good things come to those that wait", it just seems like you have been waiting a long time. But he has so much strength, so much spirit. I have some kids in school that could learn from him! He looks so much better than he did a few blogs ago, when he was in the hospital. It is amazing how children bounce back, what a little trooper. And spring has to get here sometime soon, Kim! Then you can get the kids outside for some fresh air, something we all need right now!
Take care.
From our heart to yours,
Tom and Crystal
I've been following & reading your blog for a while, though I don't comment all that often.
I continue to pray for your son, and I can only imagine how painful it is to see him like this.
So just know----there's a Dallas blogger who's praying for you guys!
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