To refuse to take DS to hospital for a sprained ankle

[Paurie]

He twisted it badly enough that it can’t weight bear. I’m confident it’s not broken. Strapped it up, iced, elevated - & picked up a crutch so he can be mobile without stepping on it while it heals.

School say the crutch can’t come to
school unless it’s signed off as necessary by a doctor and is fitted by a professional.

AIBU to refuse & just keep him home?

It seems really not sensible in this climate to burden doctors with signing off on a self-limiting problem that I’m confident I’ve treated correctly - and batshit crazy to take a healthy child to sit being sneezed on in minor injuries unit for however many hours it takes to be seen.

What would the hospital ‘do’ different to what I’m doing over the next day or two while I see how it pans out?

This isn’t a headache.

I wouldn't hesitate for a second to take him to the doctors. Unless you are a doctor yourself, you can't be sure of what's broken and what isn't. I would suggest even a doctor without an X-ray may not be that sure.
My son tripped on the stairs once. I didn't think anything of it as he said he was ok. Next day he complained that his hand was hurting. I took him to the doctor and it was found that it was fractured. The doctor had to do an X ray to find that out.

I don't class that as bothering doctors for trivial issues. If your son is hurt, what is trivial about that?

What would the hospital ‘do’ different to what I’m doing over the next day or two while I see how it pans out?

They would X ray it.

My mum did this with me many moons ago with my wrist. Convinced it was just sprained so refused to seek help.
This resulted in days of pain for me as a young child and when she finally relented and we eventually got medical attention (to try prove a point to me that it was not broke) it was most definitely broke. subsequently required multiple operations to correct and a life time of a weak wrist.
For the sake of a few hours at best, I’d get him checked out.

You don't need to wait for 111, who would tell you to take him to your nearest minor injuries or A&E for an X-ray anyway. Just take him.

I was told in A&E by two nurses that my ankle was definitely just a sprain. They xrayed it anyway (it was very swollen, so they don't need to wait for it to go down) and it was very broken.

Well - it hurts to stand on it - so he can’t walk unsupported

Gosh thats shocking to read. Your poor child. Taje him to nearest minor injuries. Why in earth wouldn't you!?!? Do uou resent caring for them in other eays?

And there are no rules about not xraying within 48 hours of injury in the A&E I work at.

Do you have x ray eyes? If not, take him to hospital!!!

Get a grip and take him to Minor Injuries / UTC / A&E.

WTF?! You’d leave your son in agony & untreated by a medical professional as you think staff are busy?! Get a grip! I once injured myself and whole family insisted it was fine & just a sprain. It was broken. Months of treatment. Why are you wasting time on the phone to 111??? Take him to A&E you loon!

You can't be sure it isn't broken, so call 111 to find out which (if any) of your nearby walk-in centres have an X ray machine and then take him there. I badly sprained my ankle last summer and it was a month before I would walk properly (ie without needing to rest and elevate it every couple of hours) and you can't feasibly keep him off school for that long.

Everyone is saying ‘take him to A&E’ and yet you’re still arguing with them. Better to take him today than end up having to take him because it isn’t getting better in a fortnight when things will really have kicked off with covid-19.

Why would you say I resent caring for him - it’s strapped up & elevated & he’s happy as a little clam on the sofa.

But given how I couldn’t get through on 111 - I presumed that the balance of ‘just in case’ getting checked out for things that seem minor is going to work a bit different over the next few weeks.

He’s 14.

I spend half of my practice treating adults who had neglected sprained ankles as a child.

A severe sprain needs as much, if not more input than a simple fracture. If they've completely ruptured their lateral ligaments and it isn't treated appropriately, you may be setting them up for teenage years of recurrent sprains, adolescence of painful instability, and early arthritis and an ankle fusion in their mid twenties.

Why are you wasting time on the phone to 111??? Take him to A&E you loon!

Waiting time in A&E for a sprained ankle could be absolutely ages. If there is a nearby walk-in centre with an X ray machine the wait tends to be much shorter - so by being directed to the correct facility her son may actually be treated much quicker. Nothing loony about that!

I’m on hold to 111!

Taken straight to A&E would involve an UBER - & really not a small decision if they don’t want to see me (& they might not - coronavirus fatality in the hospital).

Definitely take him to A&E - it won't be wasting anyones time. His foot could be broken or fractured. They would definitely x-ray it within the first 48hours - I've never heard this rule before, but the few times we've had possible breaks and sprains they've xray'd straight away.

IME they wouldn’t Xray in the first 48 hours anyway - I expect it will settle after a day or two being rested - the swelling is already much less overnight.

Which is the complete opposite of my experience, which is why anecdote doesn’t not equal data.

It’s almost coming across as though you don’t want to be inconvenienced with the potential time required for medical professionals to treat this.

Stop lingering on this thread making excuses, take care of your child properly by taking him to hospital for examination and treatment ffs.

Neglectful not to get him assessed. Good grief

God forbid you have to take an Uber to get your child the medical attention they need

How can 111 help? They can’t know, surely it needs a visual check and possibly an X-ray!

Get it checked at hospital.

You can’t see a scenario where a hospital won’t want people turning up on spec at A&E...?

What are you expecting 111 to do? You tell them you have a child who has injured his ankle and can’t weightbare. They no more have psychic powers than you.

He needs to be seen somewhere with x ray. If you don’t have a walk in offering that then pack up some snacks and books and get to a and e!