To expect to see a doctor

[welshandproud]

My DD(12 on Thursday!)had an accident while breakdancing last night. She heard a click in her thumb which immediately started to swell. It didnt look quite right and she had very limited movement with quite considerable pain. I took her to A&E at 7.30pm. Understandably they were very busy.She was assessed by the triage team and quickly sent for an xray.Within 40 mins of our arrival we were called back into triage where a nurse showed us the xrays of her badly broken thumb. The bone at the base of the thumb had moved and rotated out of position.At this point the nurse explained that the orthopedic surgeon was too busy to come and look at the xrays but would call us tomoorow with an appt time for his hand clinic on fri morning. My DD was given calpol and they bandaged her thumb in a crepe bandage and put her arm in a sling and sent us home!
I must have been in shock to not put up more of a fuss! Last year she broke her little finger, she had a cast for a week as the bones knitted so fast. If we wait til fri then surely the bones will have started to set in the wrong position?
Am i being unresonable in these icy times to expect a doctor to at least look at the xrays and decide on the best treatment there and then?

[welshandproud]

bump

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

I don't think YABU, But, the consultant was possibly in theatre fixing someone else. He couldn't easily put his implements down and leave. It would have been better to see a registrar even, but, the weather will be making the bone people very busy.
Does this person have a clinic before Friday?

[HecTheHallsWithBoughsOfHolly]

I wouldn't have thought so.

If it sets funny, won't they have to break it again?

Have you called your gp for advice?

[welshandproud]

no clinic before fri, he does it every monday and friday morning. I have a telephone consult from gp this afternoon as couldnt get an appt to actually see anyone there either

[TheChewyToffeeMum]

Is it broken or dislocated? If it is dislocated then the delay will make little difference.

[welshandproud]

it's both broken and out of position, bone has rotated

[MrManager]

YABU hospitals have to prioritise patients and broken thumbs/fingers will have to come later. Doctors need sleep.

[welshandproud]

Consultant has phoned to call us back in later this afternoon. He plans to inject local anaesthetic into the thumb then with gas and air try to manipulate it back into position. He'll then xray again before putting a cast on. If he's not successful she'll be admitted and they'll need to do it under a general.
I do feel more than slightly agrieved that we've had to wait 24 hours for treatment.
Do you have children mrmanager? Would you be happy for your child to be left in pain for 24hours?

[Itsonme]

I think this is absolutely awful tbh! I once dislocated my knee and there is no way I could have been sent home to wait it out! My leg was totally deformed and no xray was even needed to see it. The consultant was in theatre and they called another who was a good few hours away to come and put my knee back in place. Waiting for him to arrive was horrendous! Your poor daughter, I really feel for her.

[welshandproud]

All's well in the end. The staff at UHW were fantastic. When they found out that DD was going to see her heroes, Diversity, tonight they pulled out all the stops.Her thumb was manipulated back into place very skillfully. When asked by the nurses what she wanted for her birthday she said 'Gas and air please!'

[classydiva]

Her thumb is going to have to be pulled back into position, letting the swelling go down a bit and settle first is the right thing to do.

They aren't stupid at hospitals and do things for a reason. Takes 3 weeks minimum for bones to heal other than in noses then it's two weeks.

[classydiva]

A knee is not a thumb.

[mumbar]

Glad all is well. I expect the orthopods look at x rays and call back the most serios cases first, and if it can wait then it will iyswim.

My dad hurt his thumb, had xray and had a 1/2 cast on. Given apt for 3 days later. Turned up and told ligament stretched and needing sown back tighter 4 days later under general. When they cut open his hand they discovered ligamnet was in 2 halves. .

[alicet]

This is totally standard practice. I am a surgeon and did 6 months orthopaedics as part of my training as well as 6 months in A&E. You couldn't possibly see everyone who had a fracture when they attended A&E as an orthopaedic surgeon - you would be absolutely swamped with the small stuff and therefore not have any time to spend with the people who were properly ill.

Anyone who comes in with a disolcation (where the joint is out of its socket not where the bone is twisted) gets it dealt with there and then usually by A&E staff. Most fractures (and dislocations that have been put back) are then seen in fracture clinic in the next couple of days. Patients are told to come in starved so that if their fracture needs surgery they get it done that afternoon (or at least that week if busy on that day). A few days makes no difference at all to the overwhelming number of cases seen.

There are a small proportion of cases that will need to be seen and dealt with there and then. If your dd had been one of these that would (probably - nowhere is perfect) have happened.

I understand why you are upset but this is the way the system works and it is like this so that the serious cases are prioritised which I am sure you would agree makes sense.

Glad however that your dd is fine and hopeshe enjoyed Diversity.