How many times have you taken your DC to A&E?

[SurlejTiger]

DH think it's ridiculous the number of times we've been. I think it's pretty normal, we have active outdoorsy DC and have often thought we've been quite luck so far.
5 times with DS, now 12 and 3 times with DD (10).

DC now 19.

We’ve taken him twice, both times when under 5 years old.

11 times with my oldest, he's 3. All illnesses, twice blue lighted from urgent care. He's just that child that gets the worst of everything, he was admitted to hospital with chicken pox!

3 times with my 18m old, all injuries because he's been wild since the second he could walk but never gets ill, ever!

Ds now 23 probably about 15 times (ongoing health issue and was admitted for half of these)

dd1 20 5 times

dd2 15 once

dd3 12 twice (once in an ambulance)

DC1 (12) - 4 times, DC2 (10) twice. Reasons have been high temperature as a baby that wouldn't go down, bad mouth injury - that ended up with a second visit and admission a week later -, broken arm, toddler's finger trapped in door, being sent there by the GP who was concerned.

Ds 22 has been with broken fingers, toes, ankle, wrist and elbow. All separate occasions. Also with appendicitis. Ds 15 has been with appendicitis, broken finger, pneumonia and a bike accident. Honestly at one point I spent a lot of time in A and E!! All sports injuries

I don't know how many times is normal. But 12 seems like a lot. Too many. Agree with Dh.

Ds1=2. Febrile convulsion as baby. Broken hand as teen.
Ds2=2. Cut forehead requiring stitches, actually happened at the end of the day, on wooden climbing frame at primary school. Broken thumb from football at secondary school.

We go to a minor injuries clinic with Xray machines, 20 minutes drive away, I've never waited there more than 20 minutes to start assessments. People are told to drive there from half way across the county (!!)

Anyway, if I include the MIU as a type of A&E, I think it works out as 0-3 x each kid before age 5 (gashes on heads, suspected limb damage, 1x bead in nose, 1x episode of wheezing, those types of issues). Same types of problems after 5th birthday but much less frequently, so like 0-3x until age 20. Some of the head gashes I wouldn't see a doctor about today, those were the unnecessary visits. Some of the limbs weren't that damaged but the amount of fuss the kid had made, I couldn't tell...

It seems rare that any of us go to GP, though. I saw GP recently but before that couldn't have said for many years what the process was to even get an appointment.

Lost count of how many times (its a combined a&e and out of hours and urgent appointment kind of place though, not a pure a&e so I've taken them there for anything that can't wait until I can get a GP appointment) but the most ridiculous was for a splinter. DD absolutely refused to let me try and get it out and it was dirty so I was worried about infection, I called the number (can't just turn up there, you have to call and they triage over the phone first) asking for advice and the nurse said to bring her in and we didn't even wait, they just took her into the treatment room straight away and took the splinter out and said its not even that rare that they have to do this!

3 times for dd1 (12) suspected appendicitis, and a broken arm- literally snapped in the middle and a non blanching rash when she was a couple of months old.

dd2 has never been! (8)

Ds1 is almost 2 and has already been 3 times 🤦🏼‍♀️

non blanching rash, he ate a poisonous mushroom, horrendous croup where he stopped breathing (we went by ambulance that time)

Emergency admissions as adults: DS with poinsy, DH with a badly broken leg, me (for many days) with a mystery infection. Technically my wheezing preschooler was also 'admitted' but we were released 10 hours later, same day.

About 4 times with each of them. DH works in a&e and is very clear when and when not to go.
They are all very sporty and outdoorsy. That said 3 of the times involved falling downstairs/off a bunk bed!

We normally go to urgent care rather than A&E.

DD(7) has been 4 times. Hers have mostly been for illness, apart from the time DH clipped the top of her thumb off with nail clippers!!
DS (4) has been 3 times. His are more accident related, the most notable being when his sister hit him above the eye with a golf club.

DS10 - never
DS 7 - never

Eldest 7yrs - lost count to be honest but over 30 times...... all for asthma/croup no injuries

Middle 5yrs - never

Youngest 4yrs - once for croup

DS was riding without stabilisers at three, climbed everything, went to Scouts from 6 to 14. One A&E visit to have his lip glued, split it on a bookcase in his bedroom!

12 would be a lot, but I think that’s the age of the child, not number of trips.

We’ve had quite a few. Three actual broken limbs, maybe another three x-rays for non-broken bits, actual appendicitis, and a suspected appendicitis that wasn’t (two different kids).

4 times with ds(18)

Once we were sent by OOO doctor and he was admitted for a week with bronchilitis.
Once when he burst the bridge of his nose open to the bone and it needed glued.
Once for suspected broken wrist.
Once for broken elbow.

DD1 (15) - 1 x A&E (1 overseas), 3 x MIU, 1 x overseas emergency GP
Dd2 (14) - 2 x A&E (1 overseas) 1 x MIU, 1 x overseas emergency GP

So 5 and 4 times I would count as would have been A&E if the other options hadn't been there

DS1- 5 times. Three times he had broken a bone. His bones seem to break easily. One of the times he broke a bone in his foot while hurrying to catch up with us and he went over on his ankle. Another time his wrist was broken after a minor fall on a rope bridge.

DS2 - 7 times, mostly with breathing difficulties (before asthma diagnosis) and once with a plastic bead stuck up his nose! He is much more boisterous than his brother, but no broken bones so far!

Never. Don't think I've ever been to A&E for anyone in my life.

Dc1: battery, burn and a break. All before age 10. Did the classic 'stop making such a fuss' with the break- until it became clear they were actually in pain.
Dc2: suspected break. Dc2 is a v adventurous child.

Haven't been to the Dr with either of them for nearly 10 years. I def remember my mum taking us to the Dr more.

Twice, DS1 swallowed a coin at 18 months and DS2 with breathing difficulties at 5 months.

3 times

1. head injury at nursery that needed stitches
2. stopped breathing (blue lighted there)
3. had a sickness bug but hadn’t had a wet nappy for nearly 48 hours

DD1 (12) twice
DD2 (9) twice

DT1 (3) - 3 times all resulting in admission at least overnight - twice for respiratory issues/bronchiolitis and once for sepsis needing a week in on Ivabs at 9 weeks old

DT2 (3) - 4 times all resulting in admission for at least 3 nights - 3 times for respiratory issues including HDU; 1 time for gastroenteritis and severe dehydration

They were born at 34 weeks and were low birthweight but didn’t need any NICU treatment just feeding and temperature support.

I think I don’t necessarily take them early enough when they’re poorly hence ending up being admitted each time.