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.

It's good you are checking it out at A&E. They're also not so busy (yet) as people are avoiding going unless they have to, as fearful of C-19.

In a previous life I did wilderness first aid. We were taught you can never tell an ankle sprain from a break without an x-ray. You have to assume it's a break.

I've also had a number of doctor friends who haven't been able to diagnose their own children's broken bones and were horribly embarrassed after their children were in pain for days and finally got an x-ray. And actually a friend recently whose child couldn't weight bear, said she thought it was just a sprain, I advised sending to A&E and it was indeed a break.

You say you followed the advice for sprains and strains but you don't know that is what happened without it being xrayed, don't be unreasonable. You can't possibly know it is just a sprain, surely you can see that.

I made the mistake of calling 111 when my son shut his hand in the door. From what I described they said they didn't think it was broken and to treat it home. I got a call from his school the next day telling me they didn't think his hand seemed right. I picked him and took him to A&E. They x-rayed his hand and he had a broken thumb. Lo and behold the hospital contacted SS because I had neglected to seek medical treatment for my son in a timely manner and our family had to be investigated.
That was a few years ago and I'm still angry and ashamed at myself for not taking him to A&E straight away.
So I will always advise a trip to A&E in these circumstances even if you've convinced yourself it's not that serious.

I am glad you're getting medical help for him. I hurt my ankle many years ago, not broken but just a bad sprain, it later turned out I'd torn all the ligaments on the outer side of my ankle. Due to the delay in full diagnosis (and despite having been seen at the time, and physiotherapy when it was properly diagnosed, a year later) it has never healed properly, and is stiffer & slightly thicker than the other ankle, and I have ongoing pain & weakness.

You are doing the right thing

And yet the NHS also says....

You don't know whether it's a break or a sprain - only a medical person can know that.

I walked on my ankle for a week. It was sore, not changed shape or colour and no obvious crack or injury
I had multiple breaks in both my ankle and foot

Glad you have gone. FWIW they are expecting the peak of CV and the resulting pressures in 10-14 days so much better to take him now. I wouldn't say just a sprain either, my friend has lifelong ankle problems after hers.

I sprained my thumb badly in January. Went a&e and had it strapped up. It's still not 100% and is painful to bend.

You can't win either way, you go to A&E your '' that parent'' for caring, you don't go to A&E you the worst parent in the world.
The amount of judgment is unreal op didn't leave her kid at the side of the road and tell him to hop home alone, she cared for him.. And now she's gone to A&E now! And if he's fine and catches corna virus it'll be a whole new thread about how she was in the wrong taking him! Lose lose!

Just take him, you haven't got x-ray vision and he'll need to get back to school with a crutch and even if it's 'just' a sprain he could be using one for a week or so .

@Paurie sorry missed your latest update. Glad you are finally getting him seen.

Oh hooray,he's being seen!

Op I think you need to read what I wrote again it isn’t that I disagree with you nor have I said you aren’t following advice. I was agreeing with you in that you followed the advice you read and felt you had done the right thing. I merely wanted to make sure you had read all available advice having seen something different myself. I would have wanted someone to point this out to me had the roles been reversed. I read the screenshots you posted so am very aware of the advice you followed and if that had been the only bit the nhs had posted I would have agreed with you 100% but as it stood their advice contradicts themselves which is not very helpful to people in your position when you’re a parent who is unsure if you’re doing the right thing or not. As I said I’m so glad you’ve sought advice from a face to face interaction which is the most sensible thing given they given differing advice on two of their platforms. As parents we often feel we can’t do right for doing wrong especially with things like this.

My daughter hurt her wrist clapping her hands (completely outing). I thought the school were hugely over reacting calling me but her dad took her to a and e and they said it was broken. It actually turned out not to be but her ligaments were so badly damaged she was in a cast up to her shoulder for 6 weeks. It didn't heal correctly and she ended up with a complex pain disorder which still causes problems 4 years later. She has also so badly sprained both her ankles that they needed to be in a cast.

I didn’t take my similar aged child for the first 24 hours after he injured his foot as he was able to weight bear but it got worse and when I took him (not in the UK) he ended up in a cast for 5 days non weight bearing with a possible fracture and is now in a supportive cast (but weight bearing) for 4-6 weeks. Better to get these things checked out

YABU. Reminds me of my mum, I broke my wrist at school, mum was convinced I was ok as well, refused to take me to the hospital because she didn't think it was broken and I was being dramatic.

After a week I couldn't take it anymore and walked to my grandparents house, they took me to the hospital, Broken wrist, broken thumb and two broken fingers. I'm almost 40 now, and still have problems with my wrist.

OP I get why you tried to avoid A&E but you aren't an xray machine, you can't possibly know it's not broken and it's better to get a definite answer and treatment at A&E. I know sitting in A&E is a ball ache but sometimes it has to be done and this is one of those times.

I hope your DS is ok and you get seen to quickly.

My mum did what you were going to do when I twisted my knee at school. The pain was so bad when I did it that I blacked out, still couldn't walk on it 3days later and had massive swelling.

She "knew" that it was just a sprain, put a poultice on it(!!!) and cold wet bandages.

Finally, 3 days later she took me to the GP, basically so he could tell me to stop being a baby, except he sent me straight to. And E. I had dislocated my knee and ruptured all of the ligaments. 41 years later, 2 major operations, multiple dislocations I'm in severe pain with severe three compartment arthritis and need a knee replacement. That's what happens when you don't get fast, appropriate treatment.

They can Xray swollen body parts, OP - why would you think they wouldn't?

What do the doctors say, OP?

Wow. this is probably your ignorance. I am not saying stupid but pure ignorance.

In our local area we have specific minor injury unit. and none are coughing sick there because it is "minor injury" unit.

If you call your GP they can straightaway ask for the Xray in A&E for children (possible)

Guessing its just sprain - NoGo (probably 120 years ago it was the best advice)

Friends kept telling another pal not to take her dc to hospital for X-ray, cause kid after turning grey for around an hour and a half unable to speak with pain, dc started acting normally. Apparently mum should have rested it. Mum took her dc to hospital immediately and it was broken.

Different friend, kept having to take her dc for X-ray because she was convinced that it was more than just the break that had been put in cast. Got to a point where she wouldn’t leave until someone senior saw the kid.
Fuck knows how many drs around the screen and the senior one immediately tells friend she was right to keep fighting for the kid, arm was dislocated. It had been cast making it more painful for the dc, ended up in theatre a day or so later having pins and the arm manipulated back into place.

I say all this cos it might not seem like much to you, and swelling may not be all that but in both cases I’ve mentioned, barely any swelling. Both broken pretty badly though.

www.nhs.uk/service-search/other-services/Minor%20injuries%20unit/LocationSearch/551

A&E/ Minor Injuries are the only places where fractures/sprains can be investigated appropriately so is appropriate and responsible to use those services. It's not like you're turning up demanding antibiotics for a cold when you could have made the pharmacy the first port of call.

DS came out of school when he was 5, casually commenting that he'd fallen and hurt his wrist. Nothing more was said and no obvious sign of injury/ pain. The next morning, he vaguely mentioned again that it hurt. He mentioned it again when he came out of school so went to minor injuries. Swelling was becoming more apparent and he found it hard to put weight on in PE. They thought they picked up a hairline fracture, so splinted him and referred to paediatrics at the main hospital. The consultant concluded that it wasn't a fracture and was a sprain after all. It dragged out over a few days of palaver, but it was worth knowing that it was properly investigated.