IMO a justified thread about a thread

[FabulousBakerGirl]

Why is it we are so nervous about calling an ambulance?

Should there be a campaign to tell us it is okay to do so when we feel we need it?

When my DD had a serious accident I went shouting to a neighbour and she called the ambulance. I wouldn't have thought to do it or even dared perhaps.

Maybe we hear too many stories about waste of time calls it makes us worried to call.

Not getting at, or making judgements on, anyone. I just think this is something that needs to change.

[Twims]

Totally agree - I think it's all drummed into us not to call if it's not an emergeny that actually we don't take a second to realise it is an emergency.

[Poppity]

I have to say that especially with children, no ambulance people I know would ever have a problem being called.
There are a lot of time wasting calls, these mostly are social problems, and are from people who don't think twice about calling an ambulance.
Unfortunately, the people who take notice of the whole 'don't call unless it's a real emergency' thing aren't the ones causing the problem. There is also a lot of strain put on the service by alcohol related problems.
Please don't worry about calling for your children

[Fimbo]

If dh wasn't here, I would have no other option as I don't drive.

My neighbours opposite though are both paramedics and I would go to them first if I knew they were home.

[QOD]

I know what you mean, my dd hasnt broken any bones, yet, but I have sort of wondered - what do you do? If they are crying in pain an ambulance can give pain relief etc - do you do that? or fling them in the car & bump them to hospital?

[Cosette]

I agree, my waters broke in Sainsbury's carpark when I was alone with my 18mth old DD, and a trolley full of shopping. It wasn't just water, there was a lot of blood too (sorry if TMI), but it didn't occur to me to call an ambulance. I called my Mum, and she called the ambulance. Everything was fine, but with hindsight, I should have just called the ambulance myself.

[SlightlyMadSwineFlu]

I think - as with anyone - irrespective of age - that there will be a time when an ambulance OBVIOUSLY needs to be called. There will always be a grey area though.

Going one step further there will be times when you obviously need to go to A&E (but whatever transport means) and grey areas.

Things aren't always black and white

[TitsalinaBumsquash]

Its a tough one isnt it? Im my experience i had my DS1 and DS2 by myself, DP was at work, myself and the kids had been up all night with sickness bug, i woke up in the morning to find DS1 covered in tiny non blanching spots, BUT he had only just come out of hospital for suspected Men C which turned out not to be Men C so i though this was the same virusy thing.
Anyway an hour later DS1 was really struggling to breath, i couldn't wake him up and he was purple and still i called my mum as i didn't want to disturb the ambulance 2 times in one week.

My mum took one look at him and said call ambulance urgently while she put him in the recovery position and striped him off, within minutes i was sitting in resus with hundreds of tubes into ds becuase both his lungs had collapsed due to sever infection, they asked me to call dp as they didn't think ds would make it. If anything had happened to him i would neer have forgiven myself for not callin for help sooner, but i honeslt assumed that he just had this on going virus.

Luckily i now know better and would call 999 if i was worried, this is also the reason i learnt to drive so i could get my kids to a hospital if need be.

[smudgethepuppydog]

Many years ago, when DD was 7, nearly 8, she was struck down by what I thought at the time was a classic case of pigging out on party food at her brother's party. The last thing she said to me was "Turn the light off. My head hurts" she then proceeded to throw up all night. She had a high temp and at one point was keeping nothing down. In the small hours we called out the GP who basically told us off for being overprotective parents and went on her way. At 8.30am the next day my DH went up to bed to sleep as he'd sat with her all night while I dozed. DD was on the sofa, sleeping. When I looked at her I realised that the twitch she'd just done wasn't a twitch at all, she was in a full blown seizure. I phoned the surgery who told me to bring her in...so like a bloody idiot I did. I shoved my seizuring child into the car and drove her to teh surgery like an absolute loon risking my life, her life and other peoples lives. I didn't phone an ambulance because I was too scared of being a 'time waster'. DD seizured for the next two hours despite the best efforts of the GP, the paramedics and the crash team at A&E. I really thought my child was going to die. She almost did in the ambulance when she bit down on the airway they were trying to get into her and swallowed her tongue. If I ever met 'white van man' who refused to concede to the ambulance on the roundabout to this very day I'd rip his fucking head off.

Two years later when DS seizured at a similar age I called 999 before you could say 'Boo' to the proverbial goose. The emergency response paramedic who came out to us said we did the right thing.

We have to call on the ambulance service quite a lot at school, they always say they'd rather come out and be sent away than miss out on a vital call especially where kids are concerned.

[FabulousBakerGirl]

smudge

Are you all okay now?

[greatwhiteshark]

OMG such scary calls some of you have had to make!

My DD2 flung herself backwards on our bed at bedtime once, and cracked the back of her head on one of those radiators with a 'sharp' edge. I picked her up and shouted for DH, who came upstairs. She was conscious, but crying, and then I realised she was bleeding too. I know about back of the head injuries being dangerous and worried about taking her to A&E in the car in case she passed out, started vomitting or fitting so called 999.

They were fantastic, took us in and she got her head glued back together and we came home. In the end she def. needed A&E, but not an ambulance, but I knew I couldn't take that risk - she might have hit it and really, really injured herself and there was no way I could know!

[smudgethepuppydog]

FBG-Yes, they are both fit and healthy teens now. It turned out DD had contracted Chickenpox whilst she was taking oral steroids and it affected her brain for a while.

DS had been on very high doses of inhaled steroids for years (double the safe adult dose) in a vain attempt to control his asthma and it switched off his adrenal glands so when he picked up a run-of-the-mill tummy bug his system couldn't cope. Luckily once we managed to control his asthma his adrenals switched back on again. It's an extremely rare side affect it happens in something like 0.02% of all children and his was one of teh first cases in the country so he made The Lancet.

[greatwhiteshark]

I think that, in an emergency, it's all to easy to think 'this can't be happening' but you have to admit to yourself that it really is in order to pick up the phone and dial those numbers you've known nearly all your life and hoped never to need.

[greatwhiteshark]

FUMOP - I remember feeling the same the first few times, as a nurse, I had to call the crash team (pulling a special bell by the bed) and initiate basic life support. A kind of feeling of 'no, surely this doesn't actually happen in real life - I'm overreacting!'.

[shavenhaven]

we had to call 999 when dd had a bad asthma attack but we did call the gp first who told us to call 999 right away.

looking back now i cant believe we did not just do that first.

the paramedics were fantastic though and told us where children are concerned you should never worry about calling them out.

[Peachy]

Whenn I was heavily PG with ds1 a MW called the ambulance for a blues and twos call as I was firtting with full blown eclampsia.

When I got to hospital the Obs told me I had been lying and wasted their time

I ahdnt been and ds1 needed delviering ASAP, and in act it wasnt even me that called 999 LOL, but I do still have that fear hangover for calling: I know I would risk a life with that and I almost ahd to have ds4 deleivered by DH rather than make that phone call.

AS if those of us with an OOT guilt complex would make hoax calls anyway. It's something I ahve to get over.

[Peachy]

Oh and the GP told me off for being overprotective when I took ds4 in after a virus was causing him to have difficulty breathing, yet it scared the life out of both DH and I, experienced aprents. He said no baby ever died through couhghing- erm no, but from pneumonia they did and how can wetell teh difference?

[Poppity]

It's such a shame that this is happening, we still get so many calls that are utter rubbish, really we do. The think before you call stuff has done nothing to lessen that as far as I can see, and I don't think it can, as the people who waste our time don't have the same sense of responsibility as those who have posted here(and of course many others).

It's not PC to say it, but the majority of time wasting calls come from one section of society. The same section where many social problems exist, the same section where the majority of police time also seems to be taken up. Many of these people are unable(some through no fault of their own) or unwilling to either take responsibility for their actions, or make simple decisions without help. I'm not saying that these people are bad, by the way, just that that's the way it is.
I'm sure that's going to offend people, and I'm sorry for that. I would like to add that I was very very liberal when I started the job, and I have tried my best to remain so, but it isn't easy when you are confronted with such disrespectful and selfish attitudes in such quantities.

Sadly this impacts our society in many ways, not only in pressure on those who really need an ambulance feeling guilty about calling.

I realise that I probably have a warped view as you do get to see lots of a side of life you didn't know actually existed(think Shameless and and then lots more and minus the humour), and I work in a comparatively wealthy area.

But please, what smudge says is absolutely true, we would rather be called for nothing especially when DCs are involved. Things can change so quickly with them, it's always worth the trip.

[SlightlyMadSwineFlu]

Good point Great white shark.

It can be all too easy to put yourself in denial which prevents you taking the right course of action.

Not quite the same - but I remember but making the decision to take DD3 to teh Drs for a review when I fully expected her to be admitted to hospital for iv rehydration was so hard to make even though in my heart I knew she needed to be assessed with the strong possibility of hospital admission. It still took me a couple of hours to let my brain make the decision to make the call IYSWIM.

[TheOldestCat]

That's really interesting, Poppity. Well done you, by the way, what a terrific job you do.

I felt guilty for ringing for an ambulance when I went into anaphylactic shock a few months ago (nut allergy) but I'd used my epipen and, although it helped a bit, my breathing was getting worse and my head more swollen. The paramedics were fantastic and said I'd done the right thing.

[handbagqueen]

We called 999 when our DD1 was having a febrile convulsion - she was fitting and her eyes had rolled back in her head, we didn't know what it was at the time. We were told to take her to A&E ourselves as the ambulance would be 1-2 hours (we're a 15 min drive from the hospital). So we put DD1 in the car - not in her car seat as she was fitting and my DH did his best F1 driver impersenation and got the hospital in 5 mins.

It was the worst experience of our lives as we thought she was dying and were horrified that and ambulance didn't come out for her as we did put her life and ours at risk - 2 very paniced PFB parents trying to get to the hospital - thank god it was 11 at night do the roads were quiet.

[pagwatch]

I was just going to post what you said GreatWhite ( although you phrased it better than I would have)

When my DD suddenly became floppy and very very hot I drove her to hospital ratherthan call for an ambulance ( it was only a mile away so not a problem) but I am very concious now that part of me was trying really hard not to make this thing real - which of course it was.

I got stuck trying to park in the hospital of all bloody things and it took me half an hour to get in. She was then on a drip had lumbar punctures etc etc and we very very nearly lost her. we were warned that she seemed unlikely to recover.
I remember thinking 'you sat in the queue for the car park while she was dying in the back of the car'

I would be happy to be an idiot and an over protective mum anyday now.

(BTW that is why I got a little strident on the other thread )

[Peachy]

Actually Poppity that was a very inoofesive way of describing it, i'd say well done there!

[EldonAve]

I have called a few (never for my kids though)

Only had one where we arrived at A&E in a taxi and they said we should have called one. In retrospect we should have also called the police (motorbike accident)

[smallorange]

I dialled 999 for Dd2 (18 months) when she fell over, banged her head and started fitting. It was terrifying.

Was sobbing down the phone to the operator, "please come quickly, please come," while DD1 watched DD2, horrified.

Was greeted by two calm, smiling paramedics, who gave DD2 a bit of calpol and took us to hospital. I have never been so pleased to see two people in my life.

I have to say it's frustrating when people post on this forum about a child who is clearly very unwell.

I feel like saying to them: "This is NOT NHS DIRECT. Get a medical opinion. We are just a bunch of numpties on a chat forum."