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Original poster

So disgusted with A&E about my son.

163 replies

Paranoidandroidmarvin · 27/09/2021 05:10

My son has a undiagnosed chronic painful condition.

Got to the point today that he was in so much agony. He could walk and Everytime he tried his legs went from underneath him. The doctors at the surgery have given him no painkillers for this condition.

So I took him to A&E. hoping that they would help him with the pain.

Nope. He sat there for over six hours. And they refused to help him as it was a pre condition. He crawled out of that hospital to the door.
When I got there I had to get him a wheel chair as he could walk.

They let a 17 year old unable to walk. Walk out of that hospital with no treatment and on his own as I had to wait in the car.

OP posts:

Pikamoo · 27/09/2021 06:21

I thought of this as I've got a condition at the moment that's related to pregnancy and it's sometimes so painful I can't walk. I can't walk long distances and I can't walk fast. Supposedly physiotherapist, chiropractor or osteopath are the best people to see as the pain is caused by joints being out of alignment.

Bowtie292 · 27/09/2021 06:27

Flufferty

I mean this gently, but it was totally inappropriate to take him to A&E

Of course it's not totally inappropriate. It's a child, in so much pain they can't walk, who can't access care at the weekend. Totally appropriate to get them seen. It is an emergency. Poor boy, God knows what's going on. What parent would tell their child there's nothing we can do, its a Sunday.

purplesequins · 27/09/2021 06:28

is it 'only' pain or does he have other symptoms?
has he seen a physio? ime they are much better than any dr at determining where the pain is coming from and can recommend what the gp should/could try further.

have a look at crmo or osgood slatter. both would be a bit unusual for a child his age though.

would a walking stick help? boots have funky collapsible ones.

I feel for you, I have a dc with a chronic pain condition and it's awful. luckily we have a diagnosis and the treatment works most of the time.

good luck!

Interested in this thread?

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Children's health General health

purplesequins · 27/09/2021 06:31

and btw we also went through a&e because the gp was fobbing us off with 'growing pains' and wouldn't further investigate.

Downthespidersweb · 27/09/2021 06:32

@tiredanddangerous

Of course a&e is the right place for someone who's in excruciating pain and can't walk ffs. Those if you saying it isn't would have just sat and watched your child in agony would you??

You are right. op has sought help from gp and got nothing. wtf is she meant to do?

Jossbow · 27/09/2021 06:33

if he is undiagnosed, why is that so?

Does he GP say he doesnt have the condition, or has the GP decided its something else?

What condition are you thinking it is ?
If he is only 17 and you describe it as 'Chronic' - are you using chronic to mean bad, or as ongoing? If its 'on going' then no A&E isnt the place

SofiaAmes · 27/09/2021 06:37

Does he have ehlers danos?

Have you tried high doses of ibuprofen. My ds has mitochondrial disease and has bouts of inflamed joints which are extremely painful and prevent him from walking, but high doses of ibuprofen help enormously. He had a bout around the age of 16 and I had to call an ambulance and take him to the ER for a high dose infusion of ibuprofen as I had no way of moving him otherwise. I am in the USA and ironically although we have troubles with our health care system, you can't be turned away from an ER without an assessment and treatment.

SofiaAmes · 27/09/2021 06:38

By the way, regular pain killers don't help with ds' condition. Only anti-inflammatories like Ibuprofen.

AnotherName456 · 27/09/2021 06:40

Really confused by all these comments. Surely if someone is in so much pain they cannot physically walk then it is an emergency?

AlphabetAerobics · 27/09/2021 06:40

I don’t blame you at all OP - if my child were in such pain, I’d move heaven and earth…

I’m very surprised by the responses you’re getting - as normally on MN people are advised to go to a&e and “refuse to leave until it’s dealt with” type thing.

I have a chronic pain condition and people with it do sometimes turn up to a&e because they can’t cope anymore. Although perhaps not ideal, that kind of pain is unbearable.

I think the idea of a walking stick is good. You can get nice, telescopic ones these days which he could hide in a bag/pocket until he’s desperate. It’s not just all “old lady” style.

Long-term, good luck getting him help. I’m sure he’s being ignored because he’s young (ergo should be strapping!) and pain isn’t quantifiable to most.

Megistotherium · 27/09/2021 06:42

He cannot walk for more than ten mins without being In agony.

Maybe you need to push GP to get referred to the specialist.
My dc once had condition he cannot walk. He couldn't put his feet on the floor without collapsing. He was sent strait to children's ward from A&E for testing etc.

standupsitdownturnaround · 27/09/2021 06:44

OP, what do you suspect is the underlying condition? And how much info were you able to give A&E about it?

And did they literally turn you away or did they assess him first for e.g. bowel and bladder control and neurological symptoms?

If they checked him over to make sure he didn't have any red flag signs and then sent him away, that does sound reasonable.

If they literally wouldn't assess him then I can see why you feel frustrated.

Handsoffstrikesagain · 27/09/2021 06:47

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Freshstart2014 · 27/09/2021 06:49

Keep taking him back , A&E is the right place . I was in a similar situation a few weeks ago with my son and am so glad I didn't give up !

You can go into A&E with him as he is under 18 get them to run bloods etc please don't let them fob you off !

Bowtie292 · 27/09/2021 06:50

For those of you saying that A&E isn't the right place to go for chronic/on going health complaints. That's simply not true. Sometimes it is. If your pain levels are so high you can't walk and it's out of hours then yes, A&E is the right place to go. Doesn't matter if its a diagnosed condition or not. As I said previously I have crohns. I often went to A&E pre diagnosis and have been sent to A&E many times post diagnosis due to acute pain out of hours.

Wiltshire90 · 27/09/2021 06:50

@Handsoffstrikesagain

A&E is absolutely the right bloody place for someone in so much pain they cannot walk. Honestly what are some of you on about? He could have anything wrong with him! Cracked vertebrae, broken bone, or god forbid something more serious. OP take him back down today and demand to see a doctor. Mention PALs if they refuse to treat him. This is outrageous.

Except OP said it is an ongoing undiagnosed pain condition so I think your suggestions can be ruled out. I don't think taking him back and "demanding to see a doctor" in A&E is going to help the situation.

www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-go-to-ae/

Pixxie7 · 27/09/2021 06:52

You say the pain killers didn’t work, in light of his age and the fact he was on his own, it’s possible that they thought he was after drugs. You need to sort it out with your go or get a new one.

Pikamoo · 27/09/2021 06:53

@Handsoffstrikesagain

The responses are because OP said it's chronic and undiagnosed. So presumably this has been going on for a while and the obvious causes have been ruled out. That's what I assumed anyway.

Handsoffstrikesagain · 27/09/2021 06:53

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Bowtie292 · 27/09/2021 06:53

Wiltshire90 it's not our place to diagnose him over the Internet. You have no idea if he has spinal damage. I work in the NHS and have had lots of personal.dealings with them and sometimes, unfortunately you absolutely do have to be demanding or you.dont get heard.

Handsoffstrikesagain · 27/09/2021 06:55

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Mybalconyiscracking · 27/09/2021 06:57

You can’t use A&E to jump the queue to receive treatment for chronic conditions. They do not have the expertise in those conditions for a start, this is why Doctors specialise. You need to return to your GP and press for a specialist appointment and then just be patient, The NHS is a mess at the moment, I am sorry that your DC is suffering because of this.

Wiltshire90 · 27/09/2021 06:57

@Handsoffstrikesagain if you read the guidelines it would suggest calling 111 and urgent care out of hours, who can assess and refer to A&E if necessary

@bowtie292 I'm not trying to diagnose anybody over the internet (unlike the post I was replying to!) - I was going off the information the OP had provided as that's all we can go on right now.

ReeseWitherfork · 27/09/2021 06:57

And they refused to help him as it was a pre condition
This is surely bollocks. Would they turn away someone having an asthma attack or an epileptic seizure? Plus it's not "pre-existing" if they've not diagnosed him.

purplesequins · 27/09/2021 06:58

if/when you see gp ask about pain relief.
ask about the correct dosage for his age and size.
you might not be prescribed anything but might be advised what to buy over the counter and how much to take.

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