Need a handhold - son in hospital

[HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend]

Took him to A&E yesterday as he fell at the gym and we thought he had broken his wrist (thankfully just a sprain) however during their examinations they were worried about his circulation as his hands and lower arms were going blue and were cold to the touch, they advised we needed to make an appointment with his GP for further investigation.

Managed to get a GP appointment for 3pm today as the hospital suspect he could possibly have Raynaud's syndrome/disease

GP took his blood pressure and it was 177/127 , they thought the machine was faulty so got a another one and it was the same.

We had to take him straight to A&E, they’ve been trying to get bloods for the last 6 hrs but his veins keep collapsing and are unable to obtain his bloods, 2 doctors and 3 nurses have all tried with all sorts of needle sizes/cannulas etc… even with a vein scan machine, he’s been poked and prodded more times than we an count,

They’ve done a serious of tests, ECG, blood pressure cuffs on his arms and lower legs every 60 mins.

His only symptoms are some slight dizziness and some blurred vision, because of this they carried out a test where they turned the lights off and shown a torch in his eye… however the drs body language changed, she went and got her senior doctor to look and they redone the test.

We were then told to wait in the room as they needed to speak to a more senior doctor.

We were then put into a room, nurse came in about 45 mins later and advised he was being admitted, we asked why and she said has no one told you anything and we said no.

Doctor has come in and said DS is being transferred to another hospital, either tonight or tomorrow morning, he needs to see an specialist eye doctor , he also needs a urgent CT scan, possibly MRI and a heart scan as his ECG has shown some concerns and did we know he had a heart murmur.

They also need to get his bloods urgently somehow.

I’m not naive, I know what they are suspecting, I just need to be positive and hopefully the scans show nothing.

Ah gosh OP, sending you so much love xx

I don’t know about the blood pressure stuff but I just wanted to say I once went into the doctor with a headache and they looked in my eyes and immediately sent me to A&E as thought they could see bleeding behind my eyes. The doctor at the hospital saw the same thing and it was all very scary. They were talking about brain bleeds, transferring me to a London hospital. I had to have a lumbar puncture and a ct scan which showed no bleed.

It turned out it was something to do with the colour of my eyes made it look like a bleed.

Just wanted to point out that often it can feel like it’s going to be something really serious and it turns out it isn’t.

Sending you lots of love x we’re all waiting with you xx

Glad he’s being seen in a decent hospital and sending a hand hold x

And there is a need to imply untruthfulness and make that comment to a family absolutely stressed out with worry? It was unnecessary and unkind.

Sending virtual hugs and handholds.

Reading about your recent weeks, I'm struck by how many chances there were for some basic obs to have been done and perhaps have detected a raised blood pressure earlier.

I hope you get some answers and reassurance today. I had to take my 15 year old nephew briefly in to hospital and he looked comically out of place with his height, massive feet and whiskery face. He didn't find it quite so amusing so I do feel for your DS.

And if the nurse wanted a real answer, she shouldn't have asked in front of his mother. No child is going to admit to illegal drugs while mummy sits by their hospital bed.

I am very sorry for your niece but I don't think that's a helpful comment here.

Have they considered diabetes?

Is he doing his GCSE’s?

Hoping this is something that is easily fixed.

Does he drink energy drinks or drinks containing electrolytes? My child’s friend had a funny turn when he started drinking them and was hospitalised.

Sending love x

I'm glad the hospital are taking it seriously and really hope that whatever is the problem is easily resolved. It must be a terrible worry for you.

Honestly? It’s probably worth a try putting on a little bit of pressure because it will get the information that bit quicker than waiting for the lab results which might make a difference to treatment. Or it might get teens to describe supplements and things that they are taking that aren’t exactly steroids but might still be relevant (like creatine). Not a pleasant conversation though. Girls and women get the any chance you could be pregnant?’ question followed by a mandatory pregnancy test whatever your answer is in similar situations.

sending a virtual handhold. All the very best wishes for your son 💐

Everything will seem worse than it is right now as the Doctors have a steep learning curve while investigating and figuring out their plan.
Everything is new to them but in time they will have a plan and manage - that is their skill, science and experitise, to care and fix problems and that is what they do. You are in a country with nhs failings but also with access to some of the best research, technology and experts.

Your love, affection, calm and reassurance for your child is a medicine that is a powerful thing right now. Cross each bridge as it comes, do not get ahead or let your mind get away with you. The important thing is that you are with your son and loving him, all can be conquered with a Mother’s love. Get support and help at this time and eat and sleep and rest and get others to also help. You will need your reserves and this is a marathon not a sprint so conserve energy.

For what it might be worth I will say some prayers for your little boy and for you to God & be praying that you are given strength and that your little boy received the best care.

very sorry you are going through this ordeal and sending my care & best wishes from afar x

Pleased to hear your DS is at the QE. They are truly amazing 💐

Sending you the very best wishes. Also wanted to highlight that whilst this is scary & unsettling, he will be in the best place with the best Dr’s & he’s young, fit & has a good family & support network around him. Lots of positives.

How about saying "I have to ask this because it's important" and not following up with "well the bloods will tell us the answer". It's disrespectful and contradicts the pleas from health trusts to be unfailingly polite to staff. It works both ways. It reminds me if the midwife who asked if DS2 had the same father as DS1 in a matter of fact and very rude way. Unacceptable and inappropriate.

Nurses need to remember that patients are human beings with feelings and are largely honest.

I would have thought most people know that rugby players are huge. And a proportion of them will be using steroids to help them get there.

I think there are awkward questions that nurses and other health care professionals have to ask that will always be interpreted as rude by someone no matter how the healthcare professional chooses to ask them. Remember they really don’t know the answer before asking. So prefacing a question like ´do your children have the same father’ with anything designed to show it’s just a question and they don’t want you to feel offended, like ´ sorry to ask, but it’s important for X reason’ implies there is something embarrassing about having child with two different fathers. So although you would have preferred that the question be formulated that way, a woman who’s second born did have a different father may have felt insulted by that formulation.

How about you both start your own thread discusssing the bedside manner of healthcare professionals 🙄

Just a handhold from me, I hope you get some answers soon and that it’s something easily fixable. My husband was in hospital feeling awful several years ago and the doctors were looking very worried. After over a week of tests and sleepless nights it turned out to be something quite mundane that could be treated quite easily. He still has to see a doctor every six months, and it’s a lifelong thing, but he is on newer medication now and he leads a totally normal life. They had to rule out the worst possibilities (which would have needed more urgent treatment) before they could go looking other causes. Hoping for a similar or better outcome for your son. 🥰

I'm sorry you are going through this. I really hope you both get some answers quickly. Specifically with regard to the blood pressure, reynaulds and getting blood - I have had this. Blood pressure up, poor circulation in hands due to anxiety and trouble getting blood due to mild dehydration. Although I had drunk plenty of water they said it was still not enough and I had to come back.

I'm not at all saying that this is the case here but it can cloud the issue.

@TaggieO I agree that the nurse needed to ask the question. We wouldn’t be judgemental, we just need to know the truth. Hope he recovers soon.

What that’s awful. She is 15? Hope your family are ok.

It sounds like the wrist sprain was a blessing in disguise. This happened to a friend’s albeit much younger child. She was sitting on a table and felt backwards off it and hit her head. They took her to A&E and she had x-ray and CT scan as a precaution to check for a brain injury. There was none, but they did find a tumour that had until then caused no symptoms whatsoever. She’s gone through treatment now and is healthy and thriving.

It sounds like there was a lot going on for him and no one was really taking you seriously when there were concerns about how he was feeling. It’s scary and exhausting, but you are in the right place, and from my own experience, when things need to happen quickly, they do. Hope you get some answers soon. Please do rest and take care of yourself. If you can switch off with someone to have a shower and a hot meal, do that.

💐