Hampshire girl struggles to walk due to arthritis in video

A mother has shared heartbreaking footage of her toddler daughter crying in agony. 

Two-year-old Sophie Lucas struggles to walk due to excruciating arthritis in her legs and is unable to pick up a spoon to feed herself as the condition has also paralysed her hands.  

In the clips released, Sophie is shown screaming ‘Mummy! Knees!’ as she tries to put weight on her painful, swollen joints.

The little girl was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) earlier this year, which has caused inflammation in several joints in her body and could even cause her to go blind. 

The video was filmed by Rebecca Lucas on April 8 as she battled to get answers for her daughter, after Sophie’s condition was allegedly missed by doctors. 

Following a four-hour struggle to get her pain-ridden child out of bed, she says she had to go against every instinct as a mother to take the video for evidence of her daughter’s suffering.

And, with Sophie, now two, finally receiving effective treatment, Rebecca is sharing the footage for the first time to help other parents spot the signs of the condition that is more commonly linked with adults. 

Rebecca Lucas took the video of her daughter back in April as she battled to get her daughter correctly diagnosed

Rebecca, 32, from Ewshot, Hampshire, said: ‘I just wanted to scoop her up, but it enabled us to be taken seriously.

‘When I listen back to the video now I can hear that stress in my voice. I was still a bit lost at that point.

‘Her hands had actually swollen as well. She couldn’t even pick up a spoon to eat her yoghurt.

‘It would take four hours in the morning to get her out of bed because she was in pain. She was refusing to take any pain relief.

‘I want to share the video to try and help people. So many people who may be suffering with this have no idea. We just didn’t know that children could get it this young.’

Doctors said it was just a bug 

Rebecca, who suffers with rheumatoid arthritis, says Sophie’s problems began in February this year after she seemed to pick up a bug.

On March 13 she says her daughter’s left foot swelled up, and she took her to Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey two days later when she began to limp.

After allegedly being told there were ‘no issues’ by doctors, worried Rebecca says she ‘waited it out’.

Sophie's condition left her mother struggling to get her  out of bed because of the pain

Sophie’s condition left her mother struggling to get her out of bed because of the pain

The two-year-old could be left wheelchair-bound

The condition could also cause vision problems

These images show the toddler’s inflamed joints from the arthritis in her knees

THE CHRONIC CONDITION THAT IS AGONISING FOR A CHILD 

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is a chronic form of arthritis that affects children under 16.  Idiopathic means that there is no known cause. 

In the UK, between 10,000 and 15,000 children are affected by juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

The most common symptoms for all types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis are swollen, painful and stiff joints that are usually worse in the morning. The joint areas may look red and feel hot to touch.

The exact cause of juvenile idiopathic arthritis isn’t known, but it’s thought to be an autoimmune disorder – which means that the immune system attacks the body instead of defending the body against infection and other harmful substances.

Source: BUPA 

But just over a week later she says Sophie’s left knee began to swell too, and they went back to the hospital following advice from her GP.

Part-time financial controller Rebecca said: ‘We were admitted to the hospital and we were admitted overnight. They wanted to rule out a bone infection that can be life threatening.

‘Her test results that look at inflammation in the body were really high. They said it could be transient synovitis [a post-viral inflammatory condition] and it should get better.

‘At that point I brought up my arthritis and that my auntie had it. But they didn’t pursue that.

‘They discharged her and I got a letter asking us to come back on August 18, but that was way too long to wait. When I complained they said it was a clerical error.

‘Was I supposed to sit and wait? She was getting worse.’

There’s no cure

Desperate for help and facing long waiting times on the NHS, Rebecca says she and accountant husband Russell, 37, went to a private paediatrician, when Sophie’s feet, fingers and ankles became swollen along with with her knees.

Rebecca said: ‘I just needed to do something, she was in pain. She didn’t want to go in the push chair. She wanted me to pick her up all the time, and that was a struggle as well with my joints.

‘It was always worse in the mornings, but as the day progressed she could be moving around on her leg.

The little girl was admitted to A&E in April and finally given the correct diagnosis

The little girl was admitted to A&E in April and finally given the correct diagnosis

The child now has her pain under control thanks to a weekly injection of Methotrexate

The child now has her pain under control thanks to a weekly injection of Methotrexate

‘She was sleeping more I think because she was so tired and exhausted from the pain.

‘She’s usually very active, always jumping around in puddles in wellie boots and things. But she was not herself. She spent all her time sat on the sofa.’

In April Sophie was admitted to A&E at University Hospital Southampton and finally given the correct diagnosis.  

Now, following a 12-week course of oral steroids, Sophie’s pain is kept at bay with a weekly injection of Methotrexate – a drug also used to treat cancer.

Rebecca said: ‘It was a relief to know I wasn’t going crazy and that my instinct was right, because she’d been prodded and prodded.

‘There’s no cure for it at all. She could grow out of it. It can be linked to uveitis that can cause blindness, so she has to have regular eye checks.

‘But if not treated then children with it can end up in a wheelchair.

‘Every Saturday we give her the injection. She knows when it’s Saturday, and she’ll say ‘jection’ and ‘ouchies’.

‘I’ll hold her and my husband will do it, and she can choose a Disney plaster – we make a big deal of that.’

‘I never want her to be held back’

And Rebecca is keen to raise awareness about JIA, which affects one in 1000 children, to help other parents and show it is possible for sufferers to lead normal lives with the right treatment.

Rebecca said: ‘I’m so happy she’s in medical remission now.

‘We have a lot of support from other families who have children with JIA. She’s back to being able to jump on bouncy castles and I’m looking to sign her up to a gymnastics club.

Rebecca, pictured here with Sophie and her accountant husband Russell, wants to raise awareness that children can get arthritis as well adults

Rebecca, pictured here with Sophie and her accountant husband Russell, wants to raise awareness that children can get arthritis as well adults

‘I never want her to be held back. I want her to be a normal toddler.

‘When people say they wouldn’t even know she had it to look at her, they have no idea that it took four hours to just get her up in the morning.

‘At first I’d thought she was just being difficult, not wanting to walk and go on things, but it’s just not that.

‘I want to raise awareness that children can get arthritis as well.

‘I was unsure about sharing the video but it takes something like that for people to take notice. I’ve had a lot of people contact me after seeing it.’

A Spokesperson for Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘We are sorry to hear that Sophie’s mother was not happy with the care Sophie was given at our hospital.

‘We would strongly encourage Mrs Lucas to contact our complaints department to give us the opportunity to investigate further and discover if there is anything we should be doing differently to improve care in future.’ 

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