to be really pissed off with doctor’s response

[Blackcelebration12]

My 12 year old DS is a bit allergic to things & has asthma. He’s quite sneezy etc. But recently he’s also been complaining of an itchy throat when he eats certain things like walnuts & yesterday his lips swelled up when he ate a cake from a cafe.

So I am obviously concerned and wanted some reassurance from the doctor and their response was essentially ‘what do you want me to do about it’ and ‘carry some piriton’. Eventually after me asking, they agreed to refer DS for some allergy testing but only because I pushed for it.

Aibu? I came off the phone and cried because they were so rude and dismissive. All I want to know is whether swollen lips is a sign of an allergy getting worse/ whether son is at risk of anaphylaxis.

It just made me feel stupid and like I was wasting NHS time

YANBU. The NHS is a shit model to be using today with much higher population rates, we should already have switched over to a french or German style model. They are so stretched for cash they'll do everything in their power to not investigate things.

I got prescribed codeine for a bad back and was told to consider seeing an osteopath, it wasn't until I moved abroad that they actually bothered to x ray me and discovered scoliosis.

@GoldfishParade

YANBU. The NHS is a shit model to be using today with much higher population rates, we should already have switched over to a french or German style model. They are so stretched for cash they'll do everything in their power to not investigate things.

I got prescribed codeine for a bad back and was told to consider seeing an osteopath, it wasn't until I moved abroad that they actually bothered to x ray me and discovered scoliosis.

I agree with you completely. It’s really not fit for purpose now.

You're not over-reacting. That is an alarming reaction. If you think it is triggered by nuts, make sure you / your D's checks all good labels religiously until he is tested. He could be allergic to only a few nuts. My dd is allergic to peanuts and we (the whole family and dd) eats food labelled "may contain traces peanuts" but we avoid those labelled "may contain peanuts". I agree that your D's should carry piriton around as well.

It was the doctors shitty attitude that didn’t help to be honest- like I am wrong/irritating to ask the questions

YANBU

Well done for pushing it. You did the right thing.

YANBU. I recently went to have a lump in my breast investigated. The doctor who examined me said tbh I don't understand your story, why are you prodding at a lump anyway. I can't find anything, if you find lumps you must not prod them.
Along with stern face. Felt like an idiot.

At no point did I even mention prodding a lump, only that I felt something strange left it a while due to covid then felt it again so booked an appointment.
Too scared to go back now for any future telling off even though I'm so sure there's something there but I feel like I'm making it up now!

Your DS sounds like me. I am allergic to nuts and I read all food labels carefully. I also find things like foreign chocolate can often be bad for having traces of nut without really mentioning it so I just avoid all these. Carrying priton is a good idea. When I was younger I was given an Epi pen but I have no real evidence that it was needed and haven't bothered to replace after it went out of date.

Chucklebubble that is shocking from your GP. I would make an appointment to see a different one and don't be put off.

@chucklebubble please go back! Take someone with you if possible and ask for a different doctor.

You need to push this.

@Ukholidaysaregreat are you allergic to other stuff too? I think that’s what’s worried me with DS - we don’t really know what he’s allergic too - cats, dust, pollen etc but also nuts it seems. Might keep a diary to try and get to the bottom of it

@chucklebubble

Please don’t ignore the lump. If the doctor is dismissive, insist on seeing another one or stand your ground for a referral. Breast cancer is very real, and very treatable if found early. Your lump could be nothing, but that needs to be determined by an expert.

@chucklebubble and yes, please go back or change doctors surgeries so you get taken seriously I am thinking of changing doctors

@chucklebubble please go back to your doctor and demand a referral.
All breast clinics have been in full service during this time.

I'd report him with that attitude.

All GP’s have a practice Manager who you can make a complaint to. This is totally unacceptable...they have a duty of care towards their patients and this is total lack of care. Please report them and then ask to be seen by a different doctor for a second opinion.

My son had a bad reaction to sesame. We ended up being sent by ambulance to a big hospital from a minor one. We are seen by the allergy clinic yearly, he gets tested yearly and we get advised from there. We only get advised to carry antihistamines. My husband was really worried and so the GP did give us an epipen but the allergy clinic really don't think that we need one. Our GP is absolutely fantastic and listens and so my advice is based on that but I would make another appointment and asked to be referred to the allergy clinic or a dietitian (we've seen both and both were great). Be warned, the waiting list for the allergy clinic is VERY long (well ours is). Good luck.

@chucklebubble please please go back. Even if the GP can’t feel the lump you should be urgently referred to a breast clinic. Please have a read of the NICE guidelines and ask to see a different doctor.

OP I think your GP was unfair and dismissive and you are right to ask for allergy testing.

To those saying NHS is not fit for purpose I don’t think these examples indicate that. You are going to get out of date / dismissive doctors However you run your service. Even if the NHS is profit owed it will still be employing the same doctors.

My friend had a reaction completely out of the blue to something unknown. Itchy throat and swollen lips. Happened on a Saturday, she went to docs on Monday as was still a bit itchy and swollen. GP read her the riot act that she should have called an ambulance and prescribed her an epi pen. Said that the reaction being in her throat and mouth was very dangerous. See a different doctor ASAP, and then put in a complaint about the original one.

YANBU

A lot of drs don't really take allergies seriously.

And swollen lips does mean there is risk of anaphylaxis. Allergies can get worse with repeat exposure, so itchy throat and swollen lips this time could potentially turn into anaphylaxis next time. I'm not saying that to scare you, and it may never turn into anaphylaxis, but you should be aware of that. I would list any foods that have caused any type of reaction and the reaction they caused and I would be looking to immediately cut them from the diet.

The type if reaction you describe sounds like an IGE reaction, and they can usually be picked up with skin prick test or blood tests. Skin prick tests are handy when there's multiple allergies suspected. You will of course need a referral for this.

I'm not a health professional, I'm just a mum that has been through multiple food allergies with a young child.

Yanbu. My DD had similar age 5. GP referred us to allergy clinic at hospital and they did blood and skin prick testing. It confirmed mild to moderate allergy to 2 tree nuts so we’ve avoided all nuts since and she carries antihistamine. They didn’t feel she needed an epipen. She’s now 17 and not had another reaction. I’d like to get her retested before uni etc but with Covid etc I think we’ll have a long wait.

Dd is allergic to some nuts. We researched and they came in pairs as in she is also allergic to the other one in the pair of related nuts.

Avoid them if at all possible.

Do carry piriton or cetrizine possibly. Piriton helped with DD when lips and throat swelled due to a new reaction, before we had EpiPens.

Definitely sounds like an allergic reaction. I get very similar symptoms if I eat Quorn (I’m pretty bad with mould in general and Quorn -mycoprotien - is technically a mould).

Itchy tongue which is odd because it’s not a normal place to feel itchy and you cants scratch it, throat swells and also feels itchy on the inside. Also feels like my lymph nodes are swollen, like when you have a really bad cold of viral infection. I also get bumpy rash on my chest and my face goes all red and blotchy. Symptoms are usually within a few minutes of eating the food.

I haven’t had any allergy tests done and it’s generally quite easy to avoid as it’s not found in lots of food (unlike a nut allergy which I imagine is much trickier to navigate). I suspect if I did have continued exposure to the food it could develop into a more serious reaction- if it was a common food like nuts I would 100% be pushing for testing.

I think doctors are under a huge amount of pressure at the moment with COVID and reduced services but allergies that could potentially be life threatening should be taken seriously. You are definitely not wrong for pushing to get your DS tested.

Definitly complain, awful treatment.
Ds went by ambulance with blue lights the lot when his whole face swelled up, lips, eyes the lot. His tongue was starting to go when he got to A&E He has an epi pen now, and high doses of antihystamines daily, even with allergy testing and visits with the consultant he has no idea what causes his allergy, he still can feel it starting on occasion and takes an extra pill. It not something to mess with.

@Blackcelebration12

It was the doctors shitty attitude that didn’t help to be honest- like I am wrong/irritating to ask the questions

You were right to ask. Try not to take the doctor's response personally. They have bad days like everyone else and you don't know what her last conversation was. It's not ok, but try to draw a line under it - you were right to ask, they were wrong to respond rudely.

If you suspect nuts be very careful with continental chocolate as it often has hazelnut paste in it but is not marketed as nutty. Read labels.