to go to A&e with my dd3 *pictures*

[littlemaemae]

My DD who is 3 has been having stomach/bowel problems for the last year. Diagnose as constipation. She can not pass a stool for weeks despite fantastic diet and laxatives and weeks is in severe pain most days. She is very petite and skinny but her stomach has swollen to look 9 months pregnant. Getting no where with doctors/hospital etc.
Aibu to think this is not how a heathy child's stomach should look.

These threads worry me

Me too. So many armchair doctors saying that little girl's abdomen looked normal (it didn't) and accusing the OP being unreasonable for even considering A&E when "it's a GP problem". Endless people saying this isn't an emergency situation

I worry that threads like these might cause some parents to put off seeking medical help, which is dangerous.

I was hoping you would be along U2,I've seen you post that you work in A&E on other posts & you've given great advice.

Agree Vague, it's awful.

Glad you're going to A&E OP - that's exactly what I'd be doing too.

You are doing the right thing. Be strong and keep in mind that this is not for you but for your daughter ie don't get fobbed off. Let us know how you get on, and good luck. 21 days is not normal and shouldn't be dismissed as mere constipation.

You are doing the right thing op. I cannot believe some people think that looks like a normal abdomen?? Don't forget to update late

Good luck in A+E, your poor girl, constipation is horrible. Sending you strength.

hang in there stand your ground and play it up if you have to.

My mum once took my dad to a & e got a wheel chair and refused to leave until he was seen by a specialist there and then. She was right to do so his spinal column was getting pinched by a tiny piece of bone he was lucky to walk again.

And she was a ward sister so knew her onions

Good Luck we're rooting for you and your dd X

YY good luck. It can be hard when you feel small and vulnerable to be assertive, but hopefully if you need to be (hopefully you won't), you will find the strength. I'm also small and mild mannered but when my Mum was desperately ill in hospital, I turned into a fierce tiger! I didn't have to think about it either - it was sheer desperation and anger that things were permanently 'stuck in the system' and she was suffering. and hope they work hard to sort out whatever is causing dd's problems.

I may be completely the wrong person to comment but I'll have a stab. I suffer from completely the opposite from your lovely daughter (colitis which results in minutes after I eat I have horrid stomach upsets). I'm on a diet that limits food that is hard to digest eg no onion, garlic, mushrooms. It's called low fodmap so if you do the opposite and cook with the eliminated foods (it's extensive, it may promote bm with your little one.

I'm sorry if that makes no sense but some foods induce bm's but ones you maybe wouldn't have thought of.

Often, on these threads, I think people rush to A&E too easily but your daughter really needs to be seen. It may be a chronic condition but it's escalating. I hope you're able to be firm and get this sorted for her. Poor little love.

Just realised how insensitive that sounded - I meant going forward as something to try as a solution for tonight.

I'm really sorry I worded it how I did.

I haven't got time to read all the posts and your updates but just get to a &e. Be a pushy mum! From everything you have written here, your dd needs help. If you find it hard to push for things my advice is write down all your points and say to doc ' I need to tell you how bad it is - do you mind if I read my list of points - and then go through it all'. Keep saying - ' it's really bad. She is in huge pain,' etc. Sometimes it takes being really blunt to get a result. Have you an a&e near with a paediatric department?
I agree with all posters who say a&e IS for this situation - sometimes things are only diagnosed in a&e. My son is under a consultant paed- great guy - but it took going to a&e to get a serious medical problem diagnosed. The consultant paed just didn't have this issue on his radar. Sometimes different eyes etc is needed.

Well done Op. Think big and strong. Things turned round for my dd when I thought to myself 'i am not leaving this surgery until I get the referral dd needed'

Be strong, be a bit stroppy if you have to (or cry if desperate). Fight for your dd. Your love for her shines through your posts.

You have all these posters standing shoulder to shoulder with you and dd.

You can do it

If they haven't tested her for coeliac disease ask that they do so, ASAP.

I've been to A&E with teen DD who hadn't pooed for 3 months, she had over flow gushing from her. A&E had no idea what to do, and couldn't really help other than to refer her to a consultant. An enema did nothing. She ended up being admitted for 2 weeks, and had her bowel manually excavated under general anaesthetic. This happened every 2 days, to allow the impacted faeces to move downwards after each excavation. She needed 6 operations to remove the bowel contents.

No underlying disease, just an ineffective bowel which had become extremely stretched.

Good luck!

Hope you and dd are ok. Ime a and e are great -I hope they listen to you.

A and e was packed out the door I have never seen it so busy. It had 6 ambulances waiting. Truly shocking, it really made me worry about how our health care system is going to cope going forward.
I made the decision to not put her through it. It would have been an all night wait and she would have probably fallen asleep by the time she was seen. OOH doctor has agreed to see us at 9. I will beg him to refer to pead ward.
I will go back to a&e at 6am if we get no help as I think that may be quieter time?

Going to read through the nice guidelines now. That is a strong too as they can not argue with them.

Do is very assertive and good at pushing for what we need. I might need to take a step back and let him have a go with it. I just want to be there every step for her. We have another DD who is 6 to juggle care for too.

hell - no offence taken I think looking at her diet is logical and should be done.

Once again thank you for the fantastic support you are all giving me.

Scoffasdyke (so?) that sounds horrendous your poor DD. How traumatic especially as a teenage girl. Poo is such a taboo.
I hope she is ok now.

I think you should go to a and too. I think a child who hasn't had a poo for 21 days, has a stomach like that and is in pain definitely needs urgent medical attention. Tonight. Good luck. I can't believe her specialist has let her go on like that for so long!

(Sp?) sorry my posting has been erratic I'm feeling really nervous and don't make much sense when I'm like this

What a nightmare. And yes, scary that our A&E services are so overstretched.

Hopefully OOH GP will be helpful. Be assertive and if you're not happy with the advice and you feel you're being fobbed off, then say so. Insist that your DD needs something beyond oral medication. Oral medication isn't going to offer immediate help with a 21 day backlog to shift.

Good luck again

Well done Op and good luck.

Why can't you go to an a and e at the next nearest hospital?

I hope the ooh doc takes you seriously. It might help to jot some notes down, I always find it help me get my point across to have something to refer to when stressed.

Because she may as well wait 45 minutes to see the OOH GP, InSpace.