This is too long for results for sick child.

[Whenisitmysleepytime]

I am sleep deprived and stressed so probably BU.

Dd is 10mo and has had diahrea for a week now. Took to dr yesterday who said if no improvement today send in a stool sample.
Still bad nappies so collect sample and drop off at gp.

10 days later we will get the results! 10 days!

I love the NHS and think everyone who works in it is fab BUT 10 days is a long time to wait to find out what is wrong with a sick child who im guessing will be very dehydrated if this continues for another 10 days!

10 days is too long!!!

As I understand it, results are sent back quicker if something is amiss. They will have tested them probably same day as they got them but not sent the results out for a fair while.

What were the results, out of interest?

If she is showing signs of dehydration then that will be treated, regardless of the results of the sample.

I don't know. Only dropped off today- assuming it'd be 4-5 days max.
Dd's been sick for a week and isn't improving yet. :(

Belgo - she wasn't dehydrated yesterday but I'm guessing another 10 days of this will do no good at all.

My ds had gastroenteritis that lasted for a fortnight when he was about 12 months. A stool sample can't tell you everything - they test for the major causes like salmonella, ecoli, norovirus, rotavirus etc but it will come back inconclusive if it's none of the big things. This is what happened to my ds. Even for some of these diagnoses, there is no particular treatment, they just need to know for public health reasons.

Don't focus on the diagnosis while you wait, just make sure your dd is taking on the right kind of fluids (e.g. dioralyte sachets). How is she in herself? Fever? Pain? Blood in the stool? If she is significantly dehydrated a skin pinch test will tell you.

My ds got terribly thin on his bug, but the one time I did take him to hospital to check for dehydration, they almost laughed us out of there because when the doctor came in he was busy rooting through the toys in the waiting room like any healthy child.

10 days is pretty outrageous. I had salmonella 20 years ago and the results came back within a day. It might be a good thing that you haven't heard. It was something highly contagious, I'm sure they'd be on the phone to you.

Wish your little one better.

She doesn't have a temp and no blood in stools.
She does seem to have tummy ache as she squirms a lot and is more tired and cuddly than usual.
She has ups and downs- screaming inconsolably and haring round the room in the same 60 min period.

So far I don't think she's dehydrated but I know that can change quickly.

10 days still seems like a v long time!

The problem is that they can't just test for bacteria, they need to try and grow them from your sample in different conditions which can take quite a few days, and they might have to try again. So ten days isn't unreasonable.

Dehydration isn't cumulative either - if she is hydrated each day, then she'll stay fine

Always go with your gut instinct (no pun intended) when it comes to your children. if you think she is Ok and well enough then no worries but if you dont think she is then go straight back to your gp. they will be worried about treating her until they are certain as to what it is. dehydration is the big thing so keep on top of this as best you can but if at any point you arent happy then please go back. 10 days does seem a long time but i have no idea what they are testing her for. could be physical rather than a bug so you have to keep an eye on it.

Wouldn't you take them to hospital or back to the gp if it continued all that time regardless of whether or not the results are back??

I am monitoring her dehydration etc and will take her back in a flash if I'm worried.
But gp seemed to imply they couldn't treat till they knew what it was. Which is fine. But waiting so long is incredibly frustrating!
And I'm sure the longer it goes on the less chance of dd fighting it off on her own.

They mean up to 10 days. Some things take a long time to test (bacteria have to grow and stuff). However if they get a positive result in the meantime for something that comes back quicker, then they will let you know. So basically no news is good news.

It takes 2 days max for the hospital to turn these around. Your GP can ring the hospital lab for results rather than wait for them to be posted back. 7 days isn't long for diarrhoea following gastroenteritis at that age. Providing your child is eating and drinking and keeping hydrated and no blood in stools or recurrence of vomiting they normally just recover without intervention. although the weight loss is upsetting it goes back on quickly. Nothing you can give for a virus (which it's most likely to be) anyway.