Mistakes can be harmful
This story is told by an HSPRF volunteer.
“The other day a lady rang about her son who had just being diagnosed with HSP. It took about 2yrs for her to finally get a diagnosis but she wasn’t 100% satisfied that it was accurate. She couldn’t find any family history so I mentioned that this can happen; it appears to pop up out of nowhere.
She explained her son’s symptoms to me and while I’m not a medical person, I have HSP and I told her that her son just didn’t sound like an HSPer. He was only 9 and would wake through the night screaming in pain. Because of his gait etc they put him in the complicated HSP basket.
She has just rung me to say that because I had some reservations about his diagnosis, she decided to keep looking and after a whole 2 weeks of test/x-rays/scans he has been diagnosed with Perthes Disease (affects the hip). I’m afraid because she was a very active mum and did all the things suggested when you have HSP, physio etc, that this might have damaged his hip joint. He will now have to be in plaster for about 2 yrs and probably a hip replacement after that.
She is just so happy now they have the right diagnosis and with the right treatment he can lead a normal life …Yahoooo! so pleased he didn’t have bloody HSP.