18m old with second broken leg in 5 months

[yagi79]

Hi everyone, first post on here so looking for some advise.  Our daughter is 18m old and broke her right leg last night and we are very concerned.  She also broke her left leg the exact same spot in Jan. when she was 14m old.  Both times they were inocent falls just standing up and falling backwards onto her bottom and she ended up breaking each fibia? I think. The larger of the two bones anyways, I always confuse them.  This seems to me to be way to easy for a toddler to break her legs and I am very concerned that there  is something elso going on here.  She is by all other accounts a very healthy, active normal baby with no other symptoms of anything except being prone to breaking her legs.  She wasn't walking quite yet both times she broke her legs but just standing up to things and walking along things.  Her first leg took almost 8 weeks until the cast came off and this one I am assuming will be the same amont of time.  Is this a normal amount of time for healing?  Just wanted to post on here and see if there is anyone else out there with the same problem and also we are very worried why our little angel is having these problems.

[laohaire]

That is indeed concerning. What did the doctor say about that?

[yagi79]

The ortho that casted has made a follow up appointment in two weeks to see how healing is going and then would like to refer her to a pediatric phys. to see if there is further problems with her bones.  Seems like way to much of a coincidence to myself that our little girl would break both legs in such a short period of time.  There has to be an explantion as to what is happening.  Hopefully it is nothing though and just a case of very bad luck but that seems a little nieve to me.

[laohaire]

That sounds scary. I hope whatever it is, you can figure it out, and that it's something that can be solved or at least mostly mitigated. Poor baby

[mbravebird]

Why not get the referral right away? That sounds serious to me.

[dairy2dogs]

I hope you get some answers.  Poor kid. 

[deditus]

I would get some bloodwork done immediately, including a celiac disease panel.

[bobandjess99]

I too would pursue this, it does not sound normal.  My 18 month old broke his leg, but it was from the big kids jumping on him on the trampoline(ya, that was addressed).  And it was a multiple fracture, and took 4 weeks to heal completely.    I hope the drs are able to figure out what is wrong. 

[CarrieMF]

sounds like it could be Brittle Bone Disease

[ameliabedelia]

That definitely is not normal and I would be pursuing further testing. Especially with a fall as you described.   If she had fallen from something high or something that would be different.  But, most kids probably fall backwards that way thousands of times without breaking any bones.

[SilverFish]

i would personally be concerned that abuse might be a factor. two broken limbs in a few months is going to be a red flag to many health care providers. did you witness both falls yourself? are there any other people in your home that she is around when you are not there? day care providers? any change in circumstances in the last few months? even if you are 100% positive that these injuries aren't abuse related, i'd encourage you to at least be aware that many health care providers are going to see it as a possibility. i definitely don't think that those breaks are within the realm of normal. my dd falls off and into things all the time, let alone tripping and falling backwards, and she's never had more than a light bruise. babies' bones are supposed to be very flexible. i would urge you to get a follow-up immediately and a second opinion too, if your dr doesn't seem to think this is a serious issue.

[SleeplessMommy]

Originally Posted by CarrieMF 

sounds like it could be Brittle Bone Disease

osteogenisis imperfecta. ask your doctor to pursue genetic testing.

http://www.oif.org

[yagi79]

Thanks for everyones concern, your suggestions are all very helpfull.  I have researched all of the suggestions that have been posted on here (most before they were posted), so far none of them have raised any red flags with my baby having any other symptoms.  However some of them may have no other symptoms other then the bone weakness. As for the sugestion of abuse, that is not the case. She was in our care both times and both were simple falls causing the reason for our concern. I understand that it would raise concerns with healthcare providers as it is their job to check stuff like this but it isn't the case.  We have an appointment next week with our family doctor.  He wants to see her and then go from there. 

She is feeling much better today with the soreness in the leg being very minimal. Almost back to normal playing and having a good appetite, just have that darn cast on her leg. I hope it keeps feeling better with each day and hope that next week can provide us with some answers to our questions.

[laohaire]

I hope so too. Will you keep us updated?

While I agree with the urgency of the issue, I think an appointment next week is reasonable. Will also give her a little chance to feel better before having to undergo an examination and any imagery or labs they may want to take.