well we are back from chloe's paed appointment and we have an answer for why she has walked late - she has hypermobility in her joints which has not been picked up to date despite all the doctors and consultants she has seen in the 19mths she has been alive

basically she is incredibly flexible - I've always known this cos she can pretty much put her foot behind her head!!! i did ask him so she should be a yoga teacher then??!!

as she is so flexible her muscles etc have had to work much harder than an average child in order to stand or walk, hence why she has litterally only been able to stand for more than about 10-30secs until last wednesday!!!

he seemed surprised with all the medical intervention she has had that it was not picked up and asked me if we had been referred for a hip scan and not attended etc but we never have!!

so the plan is now for a referral for some physio and also she needs a hip xray. he will review her in 6mths as with xmas etc we may be in for a wait.

so there we go. he said the normal spectrum for walking unaided is 12-18mths and anything outside of that was 'pushing the boundaries of normal' !!!!!

the waiting game begins now for the appointments and trying to fit them in will be fun cos daddy bless him is useless when it comes to these things but i work 50 miles away from home and so not easy to leave early for appointments etc!! thank god for flexi time!!

anyway sorry for the essay but wanted to update you!!

Lara xx

Hi Lara. Glad you've got to the bottom of things. Hypermobility is really nothing to worry about. I have it and also hayley l's daughter as it if you want to post on children with special needs you'll prob find her there.

As a child I was fine and despite my hypermobility I wasn't in any pain. A lot of things were harder like sports, walking long distances etc but it never held me back. As an adult it has been a bit different and I have had joint pain but nothing I can't handle and I'm not even taking regular painkillers or anything. The worst it has been was when I was pregnant and my ligaments were looser than normal and it took about 6 months to get back to normal after that. I've and a pretty good run in the last year with little to no pain so fingers crossed I'll be ok.

As I said, I'm sure Chloe will be fine and it isn't anything to worry about, it won't affect her much in the long run. Big hugs tho! I am still wondering if Lucas has it coz he was later doing things. He hasn't been walking that long really. More common in first born girls tho I think?

hi lara, im really plaesed that you have got to the bottom of things. i dont really know much about it but from what nic has said it sounds like she should be fine. xxxx

Good Lord....why has this never been picked up . I am raging on your behalf. Totally unacceptable. she could have been having treatment/physio all this time.

On the bright side it has at last been noticed and she can start to have the help she needs. She will be running circles around you before long.

BTW surely you are entitled to time off for hospital appnts???

d xxxx

Thanks for the update Lara. I guess 19 months is only just outside of the "normal range" (as your consultant so poetically put it) so in that sense, I hope Chloe's condition isn't going to make a big difference in the long run.

I heard a thing on the radio today that parents are more worried about takng time off work for their children at the moment because of the recession and concerns about job security. It's sad but probably true! My job is (touch wood) very safe, but I still worry about taking time off and getting "special treatment". Silly really as my colleagues are lovely.

I'm going off on a tangent anyway - hope Chloe's steps are getting better each day x

thanks ladies as always!!

great to know Nic someone who is an adult who had it. from reading up on it i think i may have had some degree of it as a child so have some idea of what to expect her to feel etc.

i'm hoping we have caught it in time to prevent it being as bad as it can be and with physio we will see an improvement. unfortunately chloe has come down with severe tonsilitis and so walking is the last thing on her mind!!

Dee, i do for me but not for her!! I can take so called 'carers leave' however i have to make the hours up!!! we get some perks working in Local Government but that isn't one of them! I've had yesterday and today off with chloe being ill so my holiday is rapidly dwindling. daddy would help but he just doesn't quite have the knack of comforting her when she is so ill.

What you said Jo doesn't surprise me at all as when things like redundancy are being considered, people will always assume those who take time off etc will be out first - may not be true but people will always think that!!

Just made complete sense now he has said what he said!!

will keep you updated!!

Lara xx

Oh Lara i can't believe that this has gone unnoticed for so long. As you know, we have the whole physio routine with Abigail and i must admit i was a little concerned when you first posted about Chloe's walking that she may have had the same thing - especially as you told me before that you had it as a child. At least the physio will hopefully make her more comfortable & i'm pleased that this is not the case.

Sending you both big hugs xxx

Oh no! Tonsillitus too! This time of year truly sucks. I hope we're not in for a season of germy winter diseaes over the next few months.

So peased youve finally got an answer but it is bad that it has not been picked up before. i hope that with physio, she improves.

m x