Worsening osteomyelitis despite treatment in child

Posted by elen @elen, Feb 28, 2020

Hello, my 2 y.o. the child has been dealing with strep osteomyelitis of his right hip/femur since October 2019, and despite surgeries and antibiotics his osteomyelitis continues to progress. He is otherwise healthy. Has anyone had any experience similar to this or knowledge of such a situation? Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you.

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Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Feb 29, 2020

Hi @elen, this must be so worrying for you and your family. I'd tagging a few other members who have talked about osteomyelitis here on Connect, albeit different areas of the body. @tooyoung @k245888 @konniehoover, @carole1, @pmaze2663 have experience with osteomyelitis and may be able to share their experiences with treatment and management that can help.

In the meantime, here are some articles from reputable sources:
Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteomyelitis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20375917
NORD https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/osteomyelitis/

We his doctors able to determine, perhaps through bone biopsy or after the surgery, what type of germ is causing the infection so that your son was given an antibiotic that works well against that type of infection?

Ingegerd Enscoe, Alumni Mentor | @astaingegerdm | Feb 29, 2020

@elen - I'm just reading your post. It must be so frightening for you to see the infection continue. I do know that osteomyelitis is a tough illness. As you mention it involves a combination of surgery and powerful antibiotics. First, is your son being treated at a major children's hospital? The reason I am asking is that with these infections you need to be at a specialized hospital. When did you find out that the infection is still there? How is your child coping? And how are you coping? Please continue to contact us!