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Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Children's health

I feel awful - DS 4.10 has whiplash and I don't seem to be able to take the pain away. Any ideas?

49 replies

winestein · 21/10/2009 22:27

My son is currently screaming upstairs from the pain in his neck. I have been told to give him Calpol by the doctor but it doesn't really touch it.

It just seems to be getting worse (I took him to the Doctor a week ago) and whilst it got better for a couple of days it has taken a proper nose-dive recently.

What can I do? He refuses to have a wheatbag on his neck because "it makes it hot". Is he too young to take to a Chiropractor? I can't see him in this amount of pain... and if I did would they just suggest accupuncture, because I think my DS would just punch whoever came towards his neck with a handful of needles.

Help, please

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winestein · 21/10/2009 22:36

No one around tonight?

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FlamingoBingo · 21/10/2009 22:37

Has he had calprofen too? that might help.

Warm bath?

ronshar · 21/10/2009 22:41

I have taken all three of my children to Chiropractor. The youngest being 2 weeks.
They will help to realign his muscles etc.
Hardly any actual touching so DS should be ok.

Have you given Ibuprofen. It is designed to help reduce muscle pain. Your GP really should be able to give something appropriate for the pain. Also a physio referral would be a good idea. Demand one tomorrow.

Poor baby. Have you tried a little bit of relaxing touch, stroking etc. It may help to just soothe him enough for the muscle to relax a bit.

TimothyTigerTuppennyTail · 21/10/2009 22:45

Try an ibuprofen gel and rub in to his neck. It might treats the area affected better than tablets.

Hang on, I'll find mine and check age range.

TimothyTigerTuppennyTail · 21/10/2009 22:48

Feck. Sorry, no. He's too young.

winestein · 21/10/2009 22:50

Thanks guys (I was just having a moment over the father and son marathon link...).

He has had warm baths with olbas bath in (supposed to be good to relax muscles as well as cold) but it seems to make little difference.

He detects anything with ibuprofen in it at a thousand paces - I suspect he is sensitive to anything with artificial sweetners in (prob got that from me). I managed to hide ibuprofen in drinks last week but he has sensed it now and spits it out, so it is def not an easy option.

GP seemed to dismiss it once he was satisfied as muscular, but I have had neck problems myself and understand his pain! It is intense. Do you think the doc could have prescribed more?

And I take it you think chiro is a valid option? He didi go to a osteopath in his early months and I have every faith in chiros - I just have no faith in my son's reactions!

I feel like a crap mother in all honesty. I'm his mum. I should be able to make this better, right?

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winestein · 21/10/2009 22:51

Ahhh. thanks Timothy. Overdose potential I expect.

Bugger

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LovelyDear · 21/10/2009 22:51

i don't know if it's relevant by my dd fell and gave herself a kind of whiplash strain to the neck. the next day she was screaming in pain when she tried to move. we took her to a&e and they prescribed diazepam to relax the muscle and allow her to become comfortable. that seemed to stop the spasms and then it took another couple of days to recover fully.

Bumblingbovine · 21/10/2009 22:53

Poor thing, it's awful when they are in pain.

Did the doctor say how long it would take to get better? Whiplash is very painful and just fobbing you off with - give some calpol is pretty crap.

When my ds was in severe pain (the really shrieking kind) because of a urine infection my doctor explained exactly how much of which painkillers to give and how often. He told me a number of doses IN 24 hrs that was higher than on the bottle but said it was only for short term usee and was very specific on the instructions. The pain didn't completely go away but it seemed more bearable for ds who manged to get some sleep.

When pain is really bad it need to be proactively managed not just reacted to.

Have you tried giving neurofen as well? You can usually alternate neurofen and calpol and neurofen always works better on my ds than calpol. Call Nhs direct and check what the maxuimum dosage of each is and how many doses of each you can give in a day. What they say on the bottle is not always what a doctor will tell you to use in an emergency.

It does seem odd that it has got worse after improving a bit, I would defintely call nhs direct and see if you can speak to a doctor for more advice.

winestein · 21/10/2009 22:53

Really? How old is/was she, Lovelydear?

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KristinaM · 21/10/2009 22:56

yes to

ibuprofen tonight

chiroprator tomorrow

phone Gp tomorrow and get phone consulatation to explain how bad ds is

winestein · 21/10/2009 23:02

I understand the doses you are talking about Bumbling - DS had a febrile fit when he was younger so he was dosed to the nines on the "over"doses prescribed short term by doctors. Ibuprofen is generic Nurofen and he will run a mile from it, sadly.

What's infuriating, really, is that on understanding that such dosage is based on weight, my son, who is the size of an average 7-8 year old can not be given any more than an average 5 year old due to licensing issues. I understand why, I really do, but I find it infuriating. Anyway...

Sadly, I am away working tomorrow but I will try to get him back to the docs on Friday to see if they can think of something better than Calpol.. or should I get him straight to Chiro?

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winestein · 21/10/2009 23:11

Thanks Kristina - I will do that, but in slightly different order

I don't think I have ever felt this bad. During motherhood at least...

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Biobytes · 21/10/2009 23:14

If my child were in such kind of pain, I would be demanding a more active intervention from the GP than giving him fecking calpol. Do they do collarines for children? (or whatever the names for those foam things for the neck are)

If the GP is not helping take him to the chiro asap. You are not really meaning leaving him in such pain for another couple of days when the thing is getting worse than better?

LovelyDear · 21/10/2009 23:24

she was maybe 4 or early 5 when it happened. it's called wry neck too - i think there were a couple of threads about it. hang on...

winestein · 21/10/2009 23:24

Unfortunately I have no choice other to leave direct action until Friday Biobytes.

Westernised medicine tends to treat the symptoms rather than provide a cure, and as such I have little faith in doctors ability to prescribe more than Calpol (although I would love to be proved wrong!) and I am happy that I will be able to phone my chiro whilst on the road tomorrow and make an appointment for my son, hopefully Friday.

Collars are no longer given to those suffering whiplash type injuries as it was discovered recuperation time was increased with them.

I have to say though that your phraseology leaves a little to be desired, especially give the tenet of the whole thread previously. Of course I don't want to see him in unecessary pain. I think that's the whole point of it?

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Biobytes · 21/10/2009 23:27

You said that he was screaming in pain.... perhaps justified to cancel working tomorrow in order to take him to the doctor?

Kerrymumbles · 21/10/2009 23:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LatinDAISYcal · 21/10/2009 23:30

Oh the poor thing I had whiplash about 18months ago and like your DS it got better and then got worse again.

What about cranial osteopathy? much much gentler than chirproacter.

Mine was back to something like normal (or at least bearable) after a week.

how did he do it?

Booooooooooyhoo · 21/10/2009 23:36

i have to be honest and say that if it was my ds and he was screaming in pain i would be at A&E or out of hours doctor.

winestein · 21/10/2009 23:36

What a lovely idea, but not really possible with my work, unfortunately. Hence me trying to seek help in terms of alternative therapists before they open their doors tomorrow so I can book him an appointment at the earliest possible time. It won't be tomorrow, unless you know of anyone with a window of course.

Or, try and help him with something other than Calpol, (as recommended by my doctor who I think is unlikely to recommend anything on the NHS, certainly not quicker than I can get him into a Chiro).

Hey ho

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winestein · 21/10/2009 23:42

He's asleep now - gently massaged his neck and he's slumbering peacefully in my bed where I can rub his neck at any point in the night - I've screamed in pain with neck injuries before (really!) and other than the massive short dose of westernised painkillers and the sense to know I need to keep my head moving I know there is little I can do. I can't relay that to a near 5 year old - he just doesn't understand.

He simply threw his head (quite violently) back whilst sat on the sofa, Daisy. The look on his face registered, so I was able to recall it a day or so later when he couldn't move his head. Poor mite.

I'm in Gloucester tomorrow Kerry - I reckon I should be able to find a health store. Thanks for the tip

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Booooooooooyhoo · 21/10/2009 23:46

i hope he has a restfull night.

perhaps the sleep might ease things for him. i know it does wonders for my back pain.

winestein · 21/10/2009 23:50

I really hope so too Boooo

(Ps I am a huge fan of chiro's - I used to be in constant back pain and had knee braces and crutches at one point, all under the direction of NHS physios - in desperation with almost constant sciatica I went to a Chiro. 3 sessions (weeks) later (almost 8 years ago) I have only needed help (from said Chiro once for a bout of sciatica whilst pregnant. Back pain absolutely stinks. Pain absolutely stinks - it is exhausting.

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LatinDAISYcal · 22/10/2009 17:02

poor thing

How is he today? Is it getting any easier? It's such a horrible pain, whiplash as there is just no respite from it, unlike a back where you can get a bit of relief for a bit by changing positions.

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