Help! Should I wake DD and take her to A&E?

[RTchoke]

DD is 3. This afternoon she fell out of a tree (only cell about 4 foot but she's small). She cried a lot and said her leg hurt. Since then she has refused to weight bare but in between sad spells has been calm and happy. She can flex her foot, bend her knee etc. The pain only seems to come when she tries to weight bare. Wwhen I touch the back of get calf it hurts.

The nanny reported none of this until I got home and at 7pm. By then it was late to go to A&E & as she wasn't crying I gave her calpol and tucked her in bed. She is sleeping but if I press her calf she wakes and cries (only tried that once, I promise).

Should I take her for an x ray or is it safety leave and assess in the morn? If it might be broken I don't want to make it worse but I'm hoping the lack of swelling, bruising and non-weight baring pain mean it's ok to leave overnight.

[N0tinmylife]

If she is happy and sleeping I think I'd leave her and see how it is in the morning. That said I have absolutely no medical knowledge at all!

[hattifattner]

id leave her overnight and take her in the morning.

[Sirzy]

I would leave her to sleep

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

Let her sleep for now, but I think a trip to a&e or your local minor injuries unit should be in order in the morning.

Hope she's ok.

[Chubfuddler]

I really doubt she would be as mobile as she is if it was a fracture. She may have pulled a muscle or have bruising which is tender to the touch but not come out. I would wait and assess in the morning.

[Outofnappies]

Agree, take her in the morning... I don't think you will sleep much tonight though, i would be checking on her frequently, pull the covers back and have a look at the leg. You don't want it swelling or turning blue.

[Herbsmum]

Did she hit her head? If so then def A an E. if she didn't and is able to sleep peacefully then her leg isn't bothering her. Experience of broken bones tells me it s difficult to sleep through the pain. Is her foot nice and warm? I would be tempted to reassess in the morning.

[Tuttutitlookslikerain]

If she is still in pain take her in the morning.

DS2 broke his leg on holiday in Cyprus when he was younger. I didn't believe him when he said it hurt as much as it did. It was much more swollen and bruised in the morning so we took him to A&E. He was fine once it was in plaster and the doctor said leaving it overnight caused him no extra problems.

I hope you have a peaceful night and she is okay in the morning.

[spotofcheerfulness]

Would agree with all of these, RT. T frequently does this kind of stuff and after some Ibuprofen and a night's rest is a lot better. If not, at least you know you should def go and aren't wasting time.

[AndWhenYouGetThere]

I had a broken arm when I was older (9-10), I fell up the stairs after a long drawn out battle to stay up. Mum thought it was another delaying tactic! But I did sleep through that evening, and a broken bone, when still, isn't painful. If she sleeps soundly (and doesn't thrash/sleepwalk) I don't think there'll be any further damage through leaving it.
If it still hurts in the morning, time for an A & E trip.

[Surrealistrhinoceros]

I had a similar experience with my 3 yr old DD this summer - refusal to weight bear etc after a comparatively minor fall and no obvious bruising, swelling etc. she had a greenstick fracture of her lower leg.

So I'd do a and e tomorrow to check. However If asleep and comfy I don't see the value in waking her to go to A and E when everything will be running more slowly because it's night time.

Gear up to go in the morning when she will come out covered in stickers (my Dd got about 6 plus a teddy bear. She was dead keen to go back for more x rays!)

I hope whatever she has done she feels better very soon!

[Goonatic]

Oh poor you. My dd broke her leg hideously in May. She had no swelling, bruising or colouration at all. It happened at nursery on a Thursday, took her to the docs on fri because she wasn't weight bearing, they said take her to X-ray if she wasn't walking only by Monday, and tried to get her to stand on it for about five mins still feel sick to stomach when I think about this
Actually took her on the sat and she had an awful spiral fracture all the way from the top to the bottom of her tibia..........
Take her in the morning. My dd is 3. She whimpered a lot in the night that first night and she didn't eat any tea, also she was clammy and pale, hindsight is an amazing thing. If I were you and she had any of those symptoms I would take her as soon as you or she wake up.
Don't mean to be alarmist but having just gone through it thought I would share..... Finger crossed!!!!!!!

[Goonatic]

surreal we have a fridge full of sticker too, and two teddies!! Is your dd ok now? Mine had her full cast on for seven weeks then a little one for two more. Nightmare....

[butterfingerz]

Sounds like she's pulled a muscle, I would get it checked out via A+E in the morning. I agree with checking sporadically during the night for any new symptoms like coldness or blueness which would indicate loss of circulation and swelling too.

A pulled muscle or injured tendon should still be checked out though, as it may need treatment like physio or immobilisation etc.

[cutegorilla]

When my DH broke his foot I called NHS Direct to see if it was ok to leave until morning before going to A&E and was told in no uncertain terms he had to go in right away. It can be very easy to miss breaks in small children. I know a few people who have. I'm not sure I'd leave it tbh. Why not call NHS Direct and see what they say?

[RTchoke]

Thanks all. I'm liking all the stories of similar symptoms being fine by morning. I'll keep check temp and colour of her foot and leg. She's sleeping next to me and not whimpering. Fingers crossed for a peaceful night.

[JamInMyWellies]

Poor DD2 RT. see what's she's like in the morning then go to walk in. Fingers crossed its a sprain.

[Goonatic]

Hope she is ok x

[RTchoke]

Thanks Goonatic - I meant to say sorry to hear any yr DD.

And thanks thanks Jam. I'm trying not to do my usual rant abt the nanny but I seriously wish she'd called me!

[Startailoforangeandgold]

Check her toes are warm and pink and leave her to the morning.

DD2 managed to sleep, on a dose of calpol, having snapped both bones in her wrist clean through. She could wiggle her fingers too.
She was 8 and she knew it was broken (broke the other one the year before), but she didn't want it to be.
Delaying to the morning made no difference at all. Hospital were just happy we didn't give her breakfast.
They set it under GA just like they did the other.
I've known rural Welsh hospitals send tourists away on Saturdays to get broken arms xrayed in Birmingham on Monday.

Sending wishes for a peaceful night and pulled muscles. Broken bones heal very well in children, but avoiding plaster casts is still nicer.

[Viewofthehills]

Yes, don't give her breakfast, in case.
Fingers crossed it's not broken, but best if she hasn't eaten. Remember you can give junior nurofen as well as calpol if you need to. I hope you have a peaceful night.

[SummerRain]

Sounds just like my dd when she jumped off a low wall. No mark, could move the leg, cried if the shin was touched or she tried to weight bear.

She'd broken her tibia clean through.

Even the a&e doc was surprised as she seemed so cheerful and it looked fine.

[JamInMyWellies]

Hmm RT I can well imagine re nanny.

[nomadwantshome]

My ds aged 2 broke his collar bone jumping off the radiator. He was whining all evening apparently (I wasn't there). I gave him some clalpol and fed him to sleep. Slept right through. He was still grouchy in morning, no swelling though. Took him to a&e, they said it would have made no difference coming in the night before. He had a green sticks fracture. They obviously couldn't plaster it but he recovered soon enough.

[RTchoke]

She woke up screaming in pain. DH just taken her to A&E as we couldn't calm her :-(

I feel awful not going but someone has to stay with DD1 and I am also suffering with "morning" sickness.

Poor DH started impt new job today. Now will be up all night.