how to get to see a paediatrician?

[bagpussmice]

does anyone know the process to get to see one of these? do you have to be referred by the Dr or can you just go? Are there private paediatritians that you can just contact?

[Easy]

Generally speaking yes, it's referral by GP, even if you want to go privately.

Talk over your concerns with your Dr. and ask for a referral.

You will probably get an appointment more quickly if you go private

[piffle]

you can go private, you find the paed you want or one that's attached to your local hospital and ring his/her secretary and ask about private appointments.
WE now have an annual private appt with our old NHS referred paed consultant as he is so good and we want continuity for dd
(We moved)
Or ask HV or GP to highlight your concerns and refer you to a paed for further investigation
If you're happy to give a detail or two your dr should be happy to refer
Although some GP's do think some parents are paranoid and make it very hard...

[expatinscotland]

We were referred by our GP.

[ruty]

just to add that many paeds don't do private appts, depends where you are. The Portland in London has good private paeds. But if you stress to your GP you are worried about something in particualr they should refer you to the NHS without too long a wait.

[bagpussmice]

the reason for asking is as Piffle suggested, I anticipate that my Doctor will think I'm paranoid and talk me out of it.... I need to take dd to the doctors anyway, so I'll have a chat then.
Thanks for all your replies.

[bundle]

what kind of problem is it bagpussmice?

[SamN]

Just like to say I got an appt with a paediatric allergist at the Portland without a GP's referral. (It took months for our GPs to refer us to anyone about ds2's reflux and I didn't want to be waiting that long again.)

[bagpussmice]

bundle - all sorts of things which I think may be related. She's always been a bad sleeper and it's getting worse. Been to a sleep clinic - tried loads of things. She seems to get terrible wind at night. She also drinks loads of water at night (yes, I know drinks shouldn't be offered, but sometimes it's the only way she'll go back to sleep). She has also lost weight in 2 months- she has had an illness but despite her eating being back to normal (she doesn't eat much anyway), she doesn't seem to be gaining weight.
Do I sound like a paranoid/worrying mum???? I guess I am!!!

[KathH]

we only had to wait about 10 days when gp referred us to a peadiatrician for ds2's reflux but then gp admitted his was clueless about reflux which i'm not sure whether it was good that he admitted it or bad that he was clueless! He dictated the referral while i was in the room and he would like us to be seen quickly.

[bundle]

she may be feeling "full" after all that water, have you tried reducing it gradually? you may need to see a dietician (waiting times are probably shorter than a consultant) and once you get that sorted, the other things might clear up too

[muminlondon]

In our hospital the paediatric clinic is booked up solidly for 3-6 months - that's just if you're already under treatment and you need to book a follow-up appointment. If any other worrying symptoms develop (vomiting, listnessness, rash, etc.) you could try children's A&E because you will at least see a specialist doctor. Otherwise go back to your GP.

[foxinsocks]

definitely speak to your GP bagpuss mice. Even if they think you're paranoid mum, at least if you sound desperate then they will appreciate that this is a problem that bothers you and will hopefully take you seriously!

I would also second bundle's suggestion of a dietician. We saw a hospital paediatric dietician (your GP will probably know of one) when dd had loads of food allergies and I had no idea whether she was getting the nutrients she needed. We had to write down everything she ate and drank over a period of 2 weeks and then they type it into a computer and come up with whatever is lacking. They also gave me great tips as to how to increase her calorie intake etc.

[bagpussmice]

thanks everyone. Taken dd to Dr. this morning as she had massive high temperature last night - she has an ear infection - poor lamb. She's just been sleeping all day - not eating (again!), so I am even more worried now about her weight!
Didn't speak to the Dr about anything else as dd was screaming the whole time, and he wasn't my normal GP.... he was a bit of a grumpy old man tbh!!

[bundle]

bagpussmice, does she like fruit? would she drink a smoothie? if you have a hand blender they're easy peesy to make with lots of different kinds of fruit eg raspberries, banana and mango, plus milk/yoghurt and a scoop of ice cream (my girls call these kinds of treats a Mummy Special)