To take him to a&e

[anxiousmotherof1]

My 1 year old is having fever for the last 10 days ! I have taken him to the gp 2 times and they insist is viral and it will go away on its own . I cant help but be concerned . I have always known that if a fever lasts longer than 5 days it ahould be investigated .
I am thinking of taking him to a&e to be seem by a pedestrian ! Am i overacting ??

You really should be following the advice of the professionals on here.
Ignore the unqualified people advising you about A&E wait times because that does not matter.
A GP won't do extensive tests that I feel you need in this case with the temperature variations.
NOT ONE person in A&E will be annoyed you brought a sick child with concerning symtoms to get checked out. It's better safe than sorry. Always, I can assure you that.

Who is discouraging her from going to see a dr? She has an appointment this morning. You can see Dr’s outside of A&E

See this is where I hate the internet. You wouldn’t ask random strangers in the street for medical advice and follow it. Nurses and doctors have posted the correct and safest advice here. For the Op and anyone else looking for advice in the future please take it and don’t listen to randomers with no medical qualifications.

Drs outside A&E won't do extensive tests including blood work and don't always get it right. Hospital Drs have commented on here and said as much.
The GP can only refer to the hospital for the tests he cannot do.
But hey what do medical professionals know eh?

@crunchymum it seems to vary from trust to trust and time to time. But I'm also a bit surprised the crew didn't take him in even if it was just a back-covering exercise.

Better to hang around in A&E with a healthy child than be at home asleep when your child becomes dangerously ill.

Op i really hope you are getting appropriate care for your LO.
6hrs in A&E for drunks, 10mins to see nurse who can and will prioritise a very ill baby.

A&E isn't a gateway to 'extensive tests'

The child has now been seen twice by GP's and then by paramedics. None of these people felt 'extensive tests' were necessary after doing observations. It is entirely possible that an A&E doctor would say exactly the same.

I know things can be missed and I know children can decline rapidly, so it is reassuring that the child is to be seen again today. However I am a bit baffled by so many people suggesting the child will get bloods and X-ray's if they present at A&E.

It's not a magical place where they do every test just in case. Often they will observe, find no reason to test further, and send home.

I took my son to a&e as a baby, various symptoms. He was fine, I felt bad and apologized. The doctors really didn't mind and said babies are their bread and butter. Never feel like a time waster if all is well (with babies).

Don't bother with the GP just go to hospital.

How is he this morning ?

My son was ill and GP told me it was just a virus. We saw the GP 6 times before I eventually took him to A&E as he wasn't getting any better. He turned out to have meningitis. Mums don't know better than doctors by any means but they know when something isn't right.

He may have a bacterial infection and that's why the temperature has been lasting for so long. I guess he needs a course of antibiotics.

@busbottom are you a medical professional???

Actually the nice guidelines for fever in under 5s recommend bloods (for kawasaki) in a child that’s had a fever for this long. Gps won’t be aware of those guidelines because they work in primary care. However a decent accident and emergency doctor would be. Again, another seemingly unqualified poster dishing out medical advice

Oh and for anyone who isn’t a medical professional but likes to give out medical advice can I suggest you read these guidelines and use the traffic light system to assess the OPs child - you’ll certainly agree that he needs A and E after doing so!

What I don’t understand is that you came in here for advice, a doctor came on the thread early on and said go to A and E and yet you still didn’t and continued to listen to people who are not experts. IMO I would have just gone to A and E before even posting on here, in fact I did do this when my DD was 2 and they were lovely and took my concerns very seriously.

are you a medical professional???

No. And I stayed so way back when I said call 111.

Again, another seemingly unqualified poster dishing out medical advice

If you read my post again you may see there is no medical advice being dished out. Merely some pondering regarding people's expectations of A&E.

There was no suggestion in that post about what OP should do. In fact I actually said...

I know things can be missed and I know children can decline rapidly, so it is reassuring that the child is to be seen again today.

Hope your baby is OK, good luck

You’re making an assumption that the child doesn’t need ‘extensive tests’ - reassuring that he will be seen by a GP who isn’t able to do them?? If you read my post you will see that this child DOES need those tests, there is no two ways about it - so it was really rather wrong of you to say ‘a medical professional will feel the same way’. The OP needs to be seen by a doctor who is used to dealing with acutely unwell children and aware of the guidelines, not a GP who is used to dealing with primary care illnesses!

actually you said a medical professional MiGHT feel the same way - I don’t think that’s a possibility if they’re aware of those guidelines

Lots of people have said go to a and e, including a doctor. Why won't you listen? Take your baby to a and e and get him checked over

You’re making an assumption that the child doesn’t need ‘extensive tests’

I really wasn't. I was just pointing out that A&E isn't a magical gateway to certain things. They often send you home without any further tests or intervention.

What I did not say was that in this case I thought the child did not need any more test.

I was talking about how people assume it is an automatic thing when you present at A&E. It isn't.

actually you said a medical professional MiGHT feel the same way

Well they might?

But what I categorically did not say was that A&E was the wrong thing to do.

I really was just talking about people's assumptions regarding A&E as a gateway.

I was just pointing out that A&E isn't a magical gateway to certain things. They often send you home without any further tests or intervention.

It’s vanishingly unlikely that a baby in A&E with 10 days of fever and a low of 34, would be given no tests busbottom. So that ‘advice’ was odd and inaccurate.

If the medical professional is following the published nice guidelines for treatment of fever in under 5s, they will completely disagree and do the investigations this child should have been offered already.

Ok. I wasn't talking about THIS baby only.

I wasn't suggesting this child should not have tests.

I was just pointing out that so many people assume these things will be done, when often, they are not an automatic.

That is all.