Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

ExH ignoring medical advice, nothing I can do, so I’m going to rant

29 replies

ChocolateFudgeBrownieDonut · 23/08/2021 09:03

DD is 7 and has a condition in her joints and muscles. Because of this she can’t always feel when she needs to go to the toilet.

She’s only just (in the last 6 months) completely trained in the daytime, it’s taken a lot of work and there’s been hundreds of accidents but we’re finally there. She’s still not 100% reliable with letting us know and has the occasional accident because she hasn’t told me (or whoever she’s with – school, mum etc) that she needs to go until the last minute, but I’d say accidents because she can’t feel she needs to go have stopped – she tells me when it’s a “I know I needed to go but didn’t say anything” rather than a “I didn’t feel it at all and don’t know when I actually wet/soiled myself”.

Because she struggled to be completely daytime trained until recently I was told not to tackle nighttime without the help of the nurses (I can’t remember their department but they’re the ones who deal with nighttime wetting). DDs a deep sleeper and has never even as a newborn woken up when wet or soiled probably due to her condition. Also I wake her in the night to change pull ups (as I’ve been advised to do) and she often is still wet in the morning.

She tends not to soil at all now at night, unless ill so we’re moving in the right direction but no-one thinks she’s ready for nighttime training just yet. They think it’s likely she’ll need medication for a short while until she gets the hang of it.

ExH has her for 1 overnight a fortnight, that’s it. There’s a CAO in place as we split due to his violence and control including towards DD (Don’t get me started I tried to stop him seeing her but the courts still awarded him unsupervised contact he passed checks apparently).. And because he sees her for those 24 hours a fortnight he thinks he’s an expert on her and knows best. He never comes to any medical appointments or meetings with school so he actually has no idea.

He has started not putting her in nappies/pull ups at night insisting she’s ready, says she’s not a baby anymore and needs to learn. She wakes up wet at his and is getting sore because he doesn’t check her in the night – he never changed her pull up/nappy in the night anyway but that was up to him.

This is a child there’s concerns for her overall development – she’s physically much much smaller than her school friends (as much as 15cms difference in some cases but generally between 8 and 12cm difference), she forgets what she’s saying half way through saying it and this happens a lot, she’s struggling with reading and writing etc.

School have said she is not behaving badly with either the accidents or her forgetting etc but it’s her and are really supportive.

There’s absolutely nothing I can do. My solicitor says not to stop contact over it because if he takes me back to court he can claim it’s medical advice only and he doesn’t have to follow advice and wants to parent differently to me. The only time I can is if he doesn’t give her life saving medications like her inhalers which he gives her (I know because it’s one of those with a counter on the inhaler that tells you how many doses have been used and I make a note of the number before I send her to his). He’s allowed to want to “teach” her this way to use the toilet at night.

He also refuses to give her her antihistamines saying he doesn’t think she needs them. Again his choice (she’s got hayfever and a skin allergy triggered by pollen and certain fibres).

I’ve had my solicitor send him a letter and he wrote back saying that he’s finally escaped me and won’t be controlled or dictated to by me (yeah he’s one of those that tried to accuse me of abusing him in court – all his evidence about it was thrown out but he still tries that line occasionally), DDs consultants and physio have sent him letters he either ignores them or hands them over to me unopened saying medical stuff is my problem. He will also tell people I’ve made up DDs medical conditions to control him and cut contact which is why I suspect he was given some unsupervised contact by the court.

There’s nothing I can do so here I am ranting on the internet about it.

OP posts:
2beesornot2beesthatisthehoney · 23/08/2021 11:07

I would be looking for a new solicitor who takes all the medical issues seriously, not just the inhalers.

iloverock · 23/08/2021 11:30

You need a new solicitor!
These things are absolutely relevant.

Merryoldgoat · 23/08/2021 11:43

As above - your solicitor sounds terrible.

billy1966 · 23/08/2021 11:49

What about her GP?
Could your GP contact child services as he is ignoring medical advice.

Your solicitor sounds useless.
Flowers

itsgettingwierd · 23/08/2021 11:53

How to train her at night maybe advice.

But leaving a child who has a known medical condition and is incontinent through the night without any protection and without cleaning them up (and knowingly doing this to her) is neglect.

Are the antihistamines prescribed? Because if so not giving them is also an issue of neglect.

tiredanddangerous · 23/08/2021 11:58

Yy to a new solicitor op.

In the meantime is dd able to put a pull up on herself at bed time?

everythingthelighttouches · 23/08/2021 11:59

Get a new solicitor.

DysmalRadius · 23/08/2021 12:05

I echo others - failing to perform basic care is neglect and willfully allowing her to suffer physical discomfort is not a 'parenting choice', it's abuse.

ChocolateFudgeBrownieDonut · 23/08/2021 12:08

Thank you everyone, unfortunately antihistamines are not prescribed anymore as she’s over 6 so can take the adult over counter ones.

I raised the not changing her at night in court last time and was told it’s a choice he’s made so I’m not hopeful of getting anywhere anyway.

OP posts:
SantaIsReal · 23/08/2021 12:09

My thoughts would be along the lines of some sort of neglect on his part surely! Your child is waking up sore because he is ignoring medical advice! I'd look for a new solicitor and speak to social work for advice. My worry would be that your daughter regresses due to his way of doing things.

I'm sorry you're in this position with what sounds like a very ignorant man. Flowers

Yummymummy2020 · 23/08/2021 12:17

Hmm I think a doctors letter stating what care is best for the child’s well-being will stand up here in this case, especially if she is getting sore ect, that is quite clearly neglectful. He is saying she is not a baby but it’s clearly not in her best interests to go against the medical advice, I think you need a new solicitor yours sounds crap and lazy!

PermanentTemporary · 23/08/2021 12:22

Just a salute of respect and disbelief at the sheer number of people who will make their children suffer just to 'win' some tiny point in a battle with another adult. And for the amount of mental space his fuckwittery is requiring you to use.

Well done to your dd and you for reaching a real milestone of improvement.

Mantlemoose · 23/08/2021 12:23

Because of the medication issue I would stop contact and find a new solicitor.

The toilet issue - I would say she's getting sore by combined wetness, not by one overnight in a fortnight. You get her up once to change her but you say she's often wet again so you need to be changing her twice a night. I appreciate that must be exhausting however I don't think you can fully attribute 'blame' to him even though he is a total dick!

You sound like a lovely mum OP - you'll get there!

RandomMess · 23/08/2021 12:33

Have you spoken to your GP and explained about the neglect and asked him to prescribe antihistamines on that basis?

randomlyLostInWales · 23/08/2021 12:36

I'd ignore all the advice to stop contact and follow advice of your solitor.

If you can afford it try another solitors see if they have a simlar view to chances of success of getting situation improved.

antihistamines are not prescribed anymore as she’s over 6 so can take the adult over counter ones.

I'd explain situation to GP and consultant and see if one can get it on percsription so he has to adminsitor them.

ineedaholidaynow · 23/08/2021 12:41

I’m sure adults can sometimes get prescriptions for antihistamines, it probably just doesn’t work out cheaper now you can buy tablets so cheaply. So I would ask your doctor. Also helps if going to school, residentials etc as might refuse to give medication unless prescribed

thingsarelookingup · 23/08/2021 12:47

Just a side note. My son had really similar issues and I found as soon as he was better in the day (when he was 8) the night training came easily. We used an alarm and there was improvement in a week. Just thought I'd offer the perspective because I was expecting night time to take ages to crack.

LunaAndHerMoonDragons · 23/08/2021 12:51

Using cream like a nappy or barrier cream regularly with both overnight nappies might help to reduce the effect of being left wet overnight by Ex. Could do cream before Ex picks her up too.

I don't know about normal antihistamines, most are OTC here, but their are stronger adult ones available on script

RandomMess · 23/08/2021 12:59

He could actually write the prescription for them to be given once per day Etc and then for that box to live at his so will last AGES

Marove · 23/08/2021 13:12

@ChocolateFudgeBrownieDonut I know you said your DD was small so you might need to get your seeing machine out but you can get period and pee pants these days that look like normal knickers. That won't stop your ex being a prick but if your DD and the ex think they are just normal knickers it might protect her from being sore just a little

Marove · 23/08/2021 13:12

Sewing machine

Jossbow · 23/08/2021 13:14

I'd have thought ll he was doing was making himself a lot of work- laundry etc. as long as he gives her a wash/shower/bath in the morning i'd leave him to it.
a wet nappy/wet bedding make her sore overnight? I'd have thoughtno nappy would have made her less sore.

Dont rise to the bait, let him get on with it.

KimDeals · 23/08/2021 13:38

Totally feel your pain OP. We had a similar situation BUT it was life threatening so considered medical neglect which falls under child protection and we did indeed have a route to court. However the hospital flagged it first and got social services involved who investigated both of us, figured out the which parent wasn’t giving the meds (him) and took action.

The solicitor was very clear about medical neglect and to be honest I’m not convicted “find a new solicitor” is the right advice as you unfortunately need it to be very serious, life threatening. Eg a diabetic not being giving insulin, parent in denial the child is diabetic.

It’s a very very tough one to navigate though OP, having been there I really do sympathise with the stress and frustration of having to deal with it.

ChocolateFudgeBrownieDonut · 23/08/2021 17:24

@LunaAndHerMoonDragons

Using cream like a nappy or barrier cream regularly with both overnight nappies might help to reduce the effect of being left wet overnight by Ex. Could do cream before Ex picks her up too.

I don't know about normal antihistamines, most are OTC here, but their are stronger adult ones available on script

I do this, put a barrier cream on when I change her at night, will try putting it on before she goes to ExHs thank you.

I can get them on script if I want to but it seems a waste of money when I can buy a big bottle of the liquid which costs me £5 or give her half of a tablet from the £1 pack I buy in Morrisons.

OP posts:
ChocolateFudgeBrownieDonut · 23/08/2021 17:29

[quote Marove]@ChocolateFudgeBrownieDonut I know you said your DD was small so you might need to get your seeing machine out but you can get period and pee pants these days that look like normal knickers. That won't stop your ex being a prick but if your DD and the ex think they are just normal knickers it might protect her from being sore just a little[/quote]
Ohh never thought of this, I can't sew for toffee but I know someone who'd happily do this. I've seen the training pants with like flannel inside to absorb wee, would they work?

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread