Jayden's leg x-rays

Jayden went in for a physical on Tuesday because he needed his last round of shots before Kindergarten.  The appointment took a good 1 1/2 hours by the time we got out of there.  Our new family doctor is very thorough and went through his entire medical history with me. 

If you recall, back in May of 2009, Jayden had his Mic-Key button removed.  While in surgery, the doctor measured the length of his legs because he had noticed quite the size difference.  I posted about that visit which you can read here and what the outcome and possibilities were.  You can also see a picture of his legs and the size difference along with the drawing from the doctor as he tried to explain what was happening.  We ended up being told to just watch his legs and make sure they stay the same length.

Over the last few years, Jayden has always had one leg that is wider or fatter than the other leg.  We've never noticed the length being different.  Until Tuesday.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing when our new family doctor pointed it out.  He had him laying on the exam table, shook him at the hips to loosen him up and pulled down on his legs. We got him as straight and relaxed as we could and then compared both legs.  It was clear that his kneecaps weren't lining up.  In fact, it looked like there was between 1/4 and 1/2 inch difference between the two.

Our doctor called down to Avera Children's and spoke with the surgeon who did the surgery.  Luckily he was actually there because he has retired, but happened to be on call that day.  He suggested we take x-rays of his legs to get the exact measurements of each leg from the hip down to the heel.  I asked if they had talked about how big of a difference would be concerning, but they didn't.  He said the surgeon suggested after the x-rays to consult him again if there is a difference and from there they would likely refer us on to Shriner's Hospital in Minneapolis. I guess there is a large team of providers that work together on this stuff.  Our doctor mentioned looking for a pediatric orthopedist in Sioux Falls and comparing options at that point.

So today we took Jayden in to the clinic and had the x-rays done.  We probably won't hear from the doctor until Monday sometime.  We're praying that there isn't a big difference in his legs.  However, we have noticed he shows a slight limp when he walks now that we hadn't really noticed in the past.