u/Early-Island9501

My 12 years old, very talented and super passionate goalkeeper has just had this second thumb fracture/injury in 8 months and is devastated.

End of November he fractured a growth plate on his right thumb (proximal phalanx) during a one handed save during a game - jumped for the ball and it made contact only with the thumb forcing it back. It ended up being 10 weeks before he was allowed to play again. Off season but he still had a program.

This week at training he was on goals and a ball made contact with his left thumb - this time it's the ucl (ligament) and I think some bruising/chipping (?) to where it attached to the bone. ER doc said 6 weeks off but haven't seen plastics or physio yet. The injury feels less painful and less severe than the last one. But we are heading into a pivotal point in the season (we are in Australia) and for his team.

And most of all it feels so dispiriting and also worries me - surely this isn't normal??

Weirdly he has amazing reflexes but is a clumsy person? He is a natural goalkeeper and it's the only position he has ever wanted to play.

Our context also makes this hard - this is his first ever properseason! He is one of the top 3 goalies his age in our city, plays a year up in the top league (NPL) and top division. Captains the school team too..

We were living overseas - he got into football later on and had only done after an school academy and trained with his Dad when we joined a top club in that country's league. Because it was mid season when he joined they couldn't assign him a team and have him compete but he joined as train on with he offer to be officially signed the next season.

Finished the season in June in our previous country and that summer we had an incredibly difficult family crisis and had to relocate very suddenly to Australia, only to arrive just as the season here was wrapping up. Kiddo trialled and was top 3 in our city and at that stage hadnt played a SINGLE proper match other than training matches. Joined a club.

Did as much off-season stuff as he could during which he got his first thumb fracture in November.
Resumed and then broke his big toe in April kicking the ground during a barefoot game of beach Australian Rules Football. Six weeks off for that.

Now we are at a super pivotal moment in the season and we are facing his second thumb injury. He is most upset at feeling he is letting the team down and also at the thought of missing a big chunk of the rest of the seson.

But I'm more worried about what this means for his future - surely this isn't normal?

And he can't keep getting injured at this rate - also if he couldn't play during trial season (September/October here) he could miss out on a spot at the top team and cost him the next season too.

The toe was sillyness - being clumsy and playing barefoot with an AFL ball that he had never played with before (not having grown up in Australian).

But two significant thumb injuries... And both one handed saves. Could it be bad technique? Something else?

This is long, anxious text but my son has been through incredible hardship - and football has been a saving grace. He has worked so hard and defeated every odd. He'd be devastated if he can't play and he is on the trajectory to play mens NPL league at a minimum but possibly A league or further.

Edit:typos

So we finally got an ADHD diagnosis for my 10 year old about 2 - 3 months ago and we started on vyvanse straight away moving to 30mg.

Immediate mood improvement although his teacher isn't finding him any better at school. He was just so emotionally dysregulated and blowing up over every little thing.

He was finding it hard to fall asleep, especially as we titrated up to 30mg, falling asleep later and later but in a happy, calm mood. After 3-4 weeks the late nights got less extreme.

Then all of sudden the meds seemed to stop working.. in hindsight theyd just stqrted wearing off earlier.

Doctor said to increase dose and/or add a dexie too up. Literally you see his mood pick up again when it takes affect and then crash out and become angry as it wears off.

I haven't yet regularly increased him to 40mg because I feel it's just going to make him crash harder.

I can't really tell if he is worse when the meds wear off or when he wasn't medicated at all. I think it was about the same.

I know it's individual to each person but I wonder if there would be any point switching to Rittalin (we'd have to do that for 3 months before he'd be allowed Concerta).

He doesn't seem to be having a bad reaction to the meds because he isn't angry ON them.. just when they wear off.

Wouldn't that be the same with any stimulant medication? (Ie it'll wear off and he will become dystergulated and volatile). Or could it be better on a different medicine?

It's terrible watching him transform into this angry, irritable, unstable boy. To be fair he had gotten pretty bad before medication too .. at least this way there is relief.

Its just so hard. It feels like I'm drugging him into a nice person.