To go to A&E

[Chipperton]

I'm really in two minds about this. I know A&E is crazy at the moment, but I am really quite worried about 3 year old DS.

He's been complaining of leg pain for the last few weeks, I decided to 'wait and see' thinking it was just growing pains. Over the last week the leg pain has got worse, he's been holding his leg and crying, calpol/ibuprofen not having much effect (although the pain comes and goes). He's also lost weight, is generally fatigued, has a poor appetite and for the last 3 days, a fever.

I suspect the fever is just viral but I'm quite worried about the leg and the general malaise. His childminder (goes 3 days a week) and nursery (goes 1 day a week) have both commented that he doesn't seem to be himself.

We saw Out of Hours Nurse yesterday who had a look at him and declared that she 'couldn't really do anything' and to see the GP on Monday. So no point going back there.

What he needs (I think) is a blood test. AIBU to go to A&E with him today - he's never been to A&E before (we're not overly anxious parents but we are really worried about this)

I think I would take him to a&e now too. As NE14T said gp will only refer to hospital anyway. The staff will be fine with you going.

Hopefully not too busy at the moment but make sure you take food and activities for both of you.

They normally put numbing cream on about 45 minutes beforehand. You sit him sideways on your knee with his arm out behind you. A kind nurse distracts him by blowing bubbles etc. Meanwhile, another nurse or doctor quickly inserts a very small needle with a long thin tube into a vein in the hand and draws the blood off. Then he gets to choose a lovely sticker.

It's hard. DS2 had to have several. In our case, they numbed the area with the local anasthetic cream, then put a huge collage of superhero pics between his face and the crook of his arm to distract him and so he couldn't see them do it. I had to hold him down. It still hurt, he still cried.

I'm not sure how it's done elsewhere though.

My son finds the trauma of having a plaster removed far worse than the blood test itself!

I would go and I'd go now (before it gets too busy). Go!

And yes, the stickers were huge, top notch and very high status. Gold and batman with some sort of hologram if I recall rightly. Ours went on his head board at home afterwards.

Yes we will go today. His leg is hurting again and I've given calpol and ibuprofen.

A&E is for life threatening injuries such as severe bleeding that can't be stopped, persistent and serious chest pain etc. Unless you think he's imminently going to die, don't take him.

I hope they get to the bottom of it soon OP.

Good luck op

Listen to the medical professionals on this thread use got 2 nurses who specialise in DC telling you to go to A&E.

Take him, you are not wasting anyone's time.

X posted, glad you're going.

Glad you're taking him Chipperton.

Sugarlightly imminent death is not the only reason to go to A and E (though it is a good reason to go).

I'd be ringing 111 again at the very least but then A&E. It might well be an emerg NYC, just no one knows that yet as no one knows what is wrong with him.

Good luck. I hope it's nothing.

Here you go - NHS advice

I would get him see today OP, either A&E or another OOH appointment. You feel he's not himself, he's in pain and listless and not moving/walking around much.

My DD1 had septic arthritis as a toddler and she had very similar symptoms. I wouldn't have thought it was that, because your son has had leg pain for a while, whereas I thought septic arthritis comes on suddenly. But people with medical knowledge on here have said it needs ruling out. When we went in with DD, they took us very seriously.

Sugarlightly that is right but is not all encompassing what about broken bones?

Sugarlightly no A/E is also for emergencies. A young child with pain in leg not resolving after analgesia 45-60 mins and avoiding walking or limping looking unwell falls into the emergency category so either A/E or OOH today (to get onward referral to paeds).
OP does lo have any bruising?

Sugarlightly no, it's for accidents and emergencies. This is an emergency because you have a little boy who is in badly controlled pain, losing weight, with malaise and fever. There are at least two conditions that are possible causes for those symptoms, both serious, neither treatable by a GP. If the OP goes to the GP, the GP will have to refer to the hospital. The GP will not be able to treat or investigate the OP's DS. The OP's DS needs to be seen today. If the OP takes him to a walk in centre, she will be redirected to A&E.

I'm a Paediatric nurse and I absolutely would take him. Weight loss, fever, bone pain can be very serious for a whole host of reasons.

He needs bloods and an X-ray.

Just take him and ignore the therapeutic blood test comment - that was a really stupid and ignorant thing to have been said.

Ps) the team will be well used to taking bloods on a toddler.

Glad your taking him, early Sunday morn is probably one of the better times to visit in my A&E, hopefully your local one will be the same. They will be well used to distracting wriggling toddlers to get a blood test! Hope all goes ok.

Does your local hospital have a separate children's A&E to the adult's A&E?

Another one saying take him in. My son had irritable hip and the GP pressed upon me that if it didn't clear after a week he would need to be seen by paediatrics to rule out serious conditions like septic arthritis. He couldn't bear weight but it cleared up after a few days, and Ibuprofen helped him lots, so to me your son's condition sounds a lot more serious.

Sugar someone has already pointed out that symptoms for septic arthritis = A&E.
If the op takes her poorly child to A&E, she is doing the right thing, she's not taking the piss and going in with a broken nail!

Hope he's on the mend soon