Physical health and growth after child abuse.

I have an eight year old daughter who had been physically and sexually assaulted. There was even an attempt on her life resulting in a coma and on a life support. All this at the age of 4.
She has only spoken once to me about an incident where she had been thrown down stairs, the guy tried to make it look like an accident. She told me she wished he was dead and I agreed with her, I wish that too. He's serving a lifetime in prison with no hope of getting out.

However she seems to be doing fine now considering what happened but she has started her periods now and had been seen by a Paediatrician. A scan had been taken of her hand and the result is that her bones have aged 3 and a half years older than she is. This is to be followed up by an Endocrinologist.

I haven't been able to get back in touch with the doctor as I just keep getting put through to an assistants answering machine to leave a message. So can't get any answers there.

Has anyone experienced or know of this and what it means? Is she aging faster?

This has got me worried.

I have been here for 9 years and read so much it is ridiculous. What you have described as trauma is at the absolute pointy end. I think you know that. Every case is different and at that very narrow pointy end there are not many cases. Of course in most cases as bad as your daughter they are deceased.

Now how can I help and what do I know.

"Extreme" abuse is relatively rare. I know that in cases of long term extreme (not as extreme as hers but balanced by continual sadistic abuse over maybe a decade ) it can have significant effects on brain development and trigger a form of Cushings. It can literally change the shape of growing bones.

In light of that I can see it possible that she has been aged by it.

Another case I know of that is not abuse but very traumatic was a lad whose mother had a brain tumor and went through radiation etc when he was 8. She was given little chance, but she made it. For those years he: stopped growing, and stopped speaking. Doctors were preparing to put lifts in his shins to get him to a adult height of five foot. Later on with good nutrition and exercise he kept growing until he was the tallest in his family.

Be guided by your specialists, and you sound like a wonderful mum who has been through hell yourself.