A&e or calpol??

[destinywidow]

Ok I've posted in Child health but posting here for traffic.

My 9 year old Ds has a stabbing pain in his hips, we saw two gp's yesterday, first had no clue, second thinks pulled muscle and to give him calpol.

He's woken up in agony, he's had calpol and still in pain, we avoid nurofen due to asthma but may give that a go once the chemist opens and I can get some.

He is a drama llama, low pain threshold but he's my baby and I hate hearing him crying in pain.

Would I be unreasonable to take him to a&e? We don't have a minor injuries unit where we live. Or should I continue with the calpol/nurofen and hope it works??

I'd take him to A&E. Not bearing any weight after unexplained pain definitely warrants more detailed attention, especially if two GPs are none the wiser about the cause. I know of two different children with sudden unexplained hip pain that required hospital treatment to help sort the problem.

If a child can't weight bear,is crying with pain and it's not getting better with pain killers then A and E is totally appropriate.

Definitely take him to gp or a&e. I had the same symptoms as a child, I had repeated trips to gp and sent away with no diagnosis, I was eventually blue lighted to a&e when very unwell and diagnosed with septic arthritis.

lijkk it's pretty standard to remove the appendix at the same time as any operation on the bowel of an infant. The appendix is useless so removing it when the body is already open stops the possibility of a medical emergency later. Ds had intussuception so his appendix was removed at the same time too.

Jesus just take the poor kid either to the GP or a walk in or A & E! He can't weight bear for goodness sake, just get him seen. Sorry to be harsh but there are loads of potential things this could be - neither you or any of us can diagnose this. NHS website says hip pain in children should be assessed urgently and there has been at least one GP on this thread telling you to get him seen. If your GP is not going to refer on then you need to get him seen elsewhere ASAP.

Did the GP rule out Perthes disease?

Hmm I think he definitely needs to go to a&he. You've given pain killers and it's not touched it. Probably needs an X ray.

Having read the thread I'd do what Glasgowgin said. Urgent GP appt this am, ask for referral to paeds. If GP won't play ball then A&E.

So Ds had a hot bath and calpol and the pain became tolerable and was able to walk on it. Calpol wore off and he was in agony again. We haven't gone to a&e as it's not an emergency and the pain is being controlled. Will see if it's improved tomorrow and if not I'll ring gp and insist on a referral.

aw bless your boy,
get on the phone tomorrow if in doubt and dont take No for an answer op

Perthes or slipped epiphysis need prompt diagnosis and treatment . I think he should have an X-ray today , he fit the diagnosis and age range . Please go to A and E today .

But User (sorry don't know how to tag/quote) the calpol is working and he's not in so much pain. He is his normal self as long as he's sitting. I will definitely call tomorrow, but he's kind of happy and I don't want to make him wait around a&e all night.

DS woke in agony and had to be carried into the GP who sent home with painkillers. He was a little Bette for a day then got bad again. Went and saw different GP who was incredibly cross the other had sent a non weight bearing child home as there is a condition that needs ruling out quickly in these circumstances.

He rang the hospital and we went to A and E, he had X-rays then Orthopaedics came down as they were on standby. He was admitted but they let him sleep at home but we were back in early to see the Consultant on the ward round and it was decided it was just irritable hip.

hello, is Op MirabelleTree and Destinywidow, or just the same issue with sons

x

When my uncle as a child he woke up one morning unable to walk and in pain in his hips. It turned out that the fluid has disappeared from the hip joints and he had to spend some time in hospital until it regenerated. I hope your ds is feeling a little better now and the dr is getting to the bottom of it.

Sorry I would have taken him to hospital, he is not his normal self! he's taking meds to control the pain and even them it's only good if he's sitting still.

Sorry to be unclear, I'm not the OP.

PLEASE get him seen today. There are some conditions that can cause permanent problems if not treated early. Not wanting to scare you but PLEASE phone your GP.

A hot bath and a hot water bottle to lie on. If it doesn't ease ring 111 hopefully they will advise further.

Well he's woken up and the pains still there. But he's walking on it and can bear weight. We have a gp appointment tomorrow afternoon but should I still get him seen today?

I think if he has it proved overnight I wouldn't bother with the dr today.

Make sure he continues to rest today, keep up with the pain relief and hopefully it will improve some more.

Please take him today. I was ill and struggling to walk for a week before a septic hip nearly killed me. I am also now disabled as a result of this. It may well be nothing to worry about but is it worth the risk

I'd go today. The last thing he needs is to wake up at 3am in agony and have to wait in A & E. Take him while he is relatively comfortable.

Please listen to Glasgowgin - she's the doctor. She says get him seen today as there are some conditions it could be which require urgent treatment.

I am not sure overnight improvement changes this - it could just be better because he's not used it for a bit - may get worse again later. I think you would definitely be justified in taking him to A&E given the risk of a condition that needs urgent treatment. Or ask the GP if they can see him today, and if they can, ask to be referred straight away to paeds.

A and e don't make you wait to teach you a lesson. Everyone is trIaged and categorised, and then seen in time order. If you're waiting a long time it's because you're a very low priority (or even don't need to be there).
You won't get an xray unless they think you have a broken bone. Soft tissue injuries don't show up on them. Sprains and pulled muscles are very painful and do take quite a long time to heal. (2 gp's have already told you that you didn't need a and e, because they'd have sent you if they had concerns)
Gp's are quite capable of diagnosing these things, they've all worked in a and e departments for months on end as part of their medical training. Keep giving the regular pain relief and I'm sure he'll improve soon.