HSP

A few weeks ago I took Joe to urgent care because he said his leg really hurt him and he

wasn't putting pressure on it.  We had been at Katy's house and they were jumping on the

trampoline, so I thought he might have hurt it.  X-rays showed no fracture,

just soft tissue swelling.

The next day he developed a rash, mainly on the lower half of his body.  He also said he

didn't feel good at school that day and didn't want to have snack, which is unlike him.  I took

him into our pediatrician and based on the leg pain and what the rash looked like, she said

he most likely had HSP.  It's something she typically only sees once every year or two.

HSP is a blood disease that is normally self resolving within 4-6 weeks.  Basically there is

inflammation in the blood vessels which cause them to leak and therefore cause a rash,

bruising and swelling.  It also causes arthritic-like pain in the joints and can cause

stomach issues (upset stomach and even throwing up), because of inflammation in the GI

tract.  It is not contagious and there is really nothing you can do for it other than monitor

it and try to manage pain with Motrin.

The first couple of weeks were the worst.  I was giving him Motrin every 6 hours.  Even with

that he would be in so much pain as we neared the 6 hour mark.  He'd feel totally normal,

but then it was like he'd been hit by a truck and he just laid on the floor rolling around and

curling up in the fetal position.  It was awful to watch and not be able to to do anything.

There was one night that I almost took him to Lurie because he was laying on the kitchen

floor screaming out in pain and I couldn't help him.  I didn't know what to do.  I called the

doctor and was literally about to take him when he started calming down.  

Just to give you an idea of what the rash looked like, it was mostly red dots and a lot of

random bruising.  They would appear, then fade after a few days.

But then one night I was getting him ready for the bath and undressed him to find this...

You can imagine my shock.  I had never seen anything like this.  Thankfully it faded after a

few days just like the rest of them, but this endless cycle of new spots continued

for a few weeks.

Eventually the pain seemed to subside which made everything much more manageable.  It's

so hard having your child be in pain and not being able to do a thing.  I would lay in bed with

him at night when it was at its worst and he would just toss and turn because it hurt him so much.  I was so relieved to finally be past that section.

We went to the doctor for a few follow-ups to test his urine after our initial visit.  Another

thing it can affect is the kidneys, so they like to monitor it every few weeks.

Everything came back fine.  

I had never heard of HSP and hope I don't have to deal with it ever again.  I know there are

way worse things to deal with so I'm thankful this is something that resolved on its own,

but it was still a rough couple weeks that I wouldn't wish on anyone.

Good riddance HSP!