Page 9 | To take 16mo to A&E? In need of a hand hold …

SingSweetNightingale · 2022-01-21T21:48:58+00:00

Evening all, I’m all over the place so forgive me for the the rush of information. My 16mo has been ill since September, ever since beginning nursery. Virus after virus which I know is normal due to picking up lots of bugs from other children. She always has swollen glands which I’ve brought to the GPs attention each visit and have always been told they’re normal, not too big etc. Last time DD was ill was beginning of December. Usual swollen glands and I was told to bring her back after Christmas if they don’t go down. She was given antibiotics for the first time at this appointment. Fast forward to today and I realise the gland on the left side of her neck is visibly protruding. I’m an anxious person so I immediately called the doctor who asked me to go down this afternoon. I honestly thought I would be told that yet again it was all normal but no… the GP seemed very concerned as the gland is about 1cm over what is regarded ‘normal’. DD is very small for her age so it appears huge to even look at. Other than the gland, DD has very few other symptoms other than appearing tired and pale some of the time. I was told by the GP that she needed an urgent referral and leukaemia and lymphoma can present in this way. Cue me having an absolute emotional breakdown in the doctors surgery. I asked if anything can be done sooner than 2 weeks but apparently not unless she begins to show more symptoms. AIBU to take her to A&E? I want a paediatrician to look at her NOW and tell me if anything is concerning. I don’t want to wait 2 weeks in absolute turmoil over the possibility something could be seriously wrong. Any insights would be amazing or similar experiences. I’m an absolute wreck

Kroot · 03/02/2022 10:43

Good luck for today

Inthesameboatatmo · 03/02/2022 10:51

Good luck today op

BatFird · 03/02/2022 11:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BatFird · 03/02/2022 11:23

I apologise. I got confused with another poster and have reported my post and asked for it to be deleted!

I hope today goes well.

PabloSlow · 03/02/2022 16:19

Also thinking of you today. Hope you've had reassuring news.

redo18 · 03/02/2022 21:29

How did the appointment go?

Original poster

SingSweetNightingale · 03/02/2022 22:36

Hi all,

Thanks so much for all your good luck messages.
DD’s appointment was this morning. Both myself and DP went, geared up for whatever the consultant was going to say.
He was so lovely and great with DD who is awful with doctors or hospitals (screams the place down).
The first thing he actually said to me was “I got a letter from your GP saying she thinks she made a mistake and has worried you unduly”.
He then went on to give DD a check over but already disregarded a lot of what the GP had told me about the size of her glands as rubbish. He said he used to work in a childrens cancer hospital and in the 20 years of practice has seen a LOT of swollen glands. He also said it isn’t unusual for glands to stay enlarged for months after an illness in young children.
To cut a long story short, he isn’t concerned in the slightest about DD. Her glands are all absolutely fine and had actually shrunk a little since seeing the GP. She shows no other markers for cancers and he assured me she isn’t “pale” in a worrying sense.

I’m so so relieved and over the moon everything is normal and it’s just childhood illnesses causing this.
I will however be thinking of complaining to my practice about the unnecessary worry caused by the GP who obviously realised her own mistake but failed to inform me of that.

OP posts:

lollipopsandrainbows · 03/02/2022 22:41

I'm so pleased you got the reassurances that you needed. If it's any consolation, I can usually spot when my DD is under the weather now simply by looking at her, as her glands are always the first indication. I joke with her that there's no way she would ever be able to pull a sickie from school as I'd be able to tell if she's pulling my leg or not!

DomesticatedZombie · 03/02/2022 22:44

So glad your DD is well, OP.

aalaosj · 03/02/2022 23:18

@SingSweetNightingale

Hi all,

Thanks so much for all your good luck messages.
DD’s appointment was this morning. Both myself and DP went, geared up for whatever the consultant was going to say.
He was so lovely and great with DD who is awful with doctors or hospitals (screams the place down).
The first thing he actually said to me was “I got a letter from your GP saying she thinks she made a mistake and has worried you unduly”.
He then went on to give DD a check over but already disregarded a lot of what the GP had told me about the size of her glands as rubbish. He said he used to work in a childrens cancer hospital and in the 20 years of practice has seen a LOT of swollen glands. He also said it isn’t unusual for glands to stay enlarged for months after an illness in young children.
To cut a long story short, he isn’t concerned in the slightest about DD. Her glands are all absolutely fine and had actually shrunk a little since seeing the GP. She shows no other markers for cancers and he assured me she isn’t “pale” in a worrying sense.

I’m so so relieved and over the moon everything is normal and it’s just childhood illnesses causing this.
I will however be thinking of complaining to my practice about the unnecessary worry caused by the GP who obviously realised her own mistake but failed to inform me of that.

Glad to hear your child is fine.

I wouldn't complain, surely it's better your daughter was checked over by an expert than the GP not being sure. I'd rather be referred a million times for something unnecessary than not be referred due to a GP worrying about upsetting a parent. If the GP let you know they might have been a bit over cautious maybe they were concerned you wouldn't still go and get it double checked.

Eightiesfan · 03/02/2022 23:27

Like you I was always second guessing myself whether to take DS to A&E, when he was a baby. Even though he was too young to diagnose with asthma, if it sounds like a duck and walks like a duck, chances it is a duck. The nurse in paediatrics told me that if I was worried, I should not hesitate to bring him in. It was a huge reassurance for her to tell me this.

Goldi321 · 03/02/2022 23:37

Please don’t complain about your GP. We are only human and not specialists. Each complaint takes time away from patient care and changes the way we act with the next patients that we see presenting with similar- in that case it could be a child with a serious illness not being referred because of fear of complaint.

NormanStangerson · 03/02/2022 23:40

OP, I’ve been following this and worrying on your behalf. It’s amazing how everything can slot into place for a worst case scenario when you’re worried.

The GP was obviously aware of your understandable concerns when you called a few times and has backtracked slightly. GPs are not infallible, they’re essentially triaging a lot of the time.

I’d write a letter to the practice manager to advise of your concerns rather than a direct complaint but remember that at the end of the day, your GP did refer you urgently, you were seen inside two weeks and the consultant has said your child is not ill. That is good news.

Mo1911 · 03/02/2022 23:48

@Goldi321

Please don’t complain about your GP. We are only human and not specialists. Each complaint takes time away from patient care and changes the way we act with the next patients that we see presenting with similar- in that case it could be a child with a serious illness not being referred because of fear of complaint.

Agree with this completely. It wasn't done deliberately and going down that route did get you see more quickly so I'd be thanking the GP for erring on the side of caution, definitely not complaining about them.

WorriedGiraffe · 03/02/2022 23:52

I wouldn’t complain, maybe provide feedback that you wish you’d have been sent the same letter as the consultant. But complaining may make that doctor second guess next time they are in that position and they may make the wrong choice. Living with making life and death choices is huge and I wouldn’t want to try and damage the confidence of that person seen as they didn’t cause any medical harm. Really glad your little one is ok though, that’s amazing news!

sausageandchamp · 03/02/2022 23:57

@Goldi321

Please don’t complain about your GP. We are only human and not specialists. Each complaint takes time away from patient care and changes the way we act with the next patients that we see presenting with similar- in that case it could be a child with a serious illness not being referred because of fear of complaint.

This.

So glad your child is well

DaffodilBear · 04/02/2022 00:06

I'm glad your child is okay. Please don't complain to your GP. Maybe they were overly cautious but it would have been much worse had there been something seriously wrong with your child and they had not referred you on. I believe you said at the time that they said it was unlikely to be cancer but better safe than sorry. It is natural that you have had a worrying time but I don't think it is fair to blame the GP.

Lennon80 · 04/02/2022 00:24

So glad your little one is okay- I would say don’t complain though - that GP being extra cautious could save a child’s life! It’s when they don’t play it safe things get missed and people die. It may stop them from being so vigilant next time.

BellatrixOnABadDay · 04/02/2022 01:02

I'm so glad your child is well, and I'm so sorry for the stress you have been through 💐

Please don't complain about the GP. I would honestly just be great full that they took this seriously and ensured she was checked out as lymphoma can indeed present in this way.

I went through similar with my DD- my mum actually spotted a lump on her neck and her blood ran cold. My aunty died of lymphoma in her 30s when I was a baby.

GP referred us to ENT and I will never forget the lovely registrar we saw, who treated it as a matter of urgency as she knew how worried I was, because of what happened to my aunt. Ultrasound scan was fine, blood tests were a little out of the norm but we were were referred to paediatrics who confirmed once and for all that she was fine and her results were completely normal for a child- ENT were basing it on the norm for adults.

5 years down the line and DD is fine. I well remember how utterly sick with fear I was though.

icklekid · 04/02/2022 01:11

If your gp had sent the same letter you might have worried the consultant at the hospital was not going to be thorough and ended up feeling how you did at the start of this thread wanting to take her to a&e… I also wouldn’t complain, I’d be relieved that I’d got a specialist to check her over and quickly so I could relax and know dd is fine!

TheWaterNokk · 04/02/2022 01:11

Hm I wouldn’t complain but I’d probably find a new GP.

Who tells someone they think their child could have cancer and get it wrong and make them wait for two weeks? I get that mistakes and errors happen and we are all human but isn’t not alarming people like…basic GPing?

Anyway I’m really glad your child is ok

Iwannabewherethepeopleare · 04/02/2022 01:58

I don’t think I’d complain as she got you seen quickly and seemed to acknowledge to the doctor she’d panicked you by mistake. I feel like a hypocrite saying don’t complain as I did with a gp but that’s because they missed cancer.

AlwaysLatte · 04/02/2022 02:11

🥰

Keeva2017 · 04/02/2022 03:46

There are other children whose lives have been, and will be saved, by thorough Gp’s making that exact same referral.

Check yourself.

CaMePlaitPas · 04/02/2022 05:57

I wouldn't complain about a general practitioner laying every option out for me and then referring me to a specialist. Imagine if the GP had said "there's nothing to worry about" and you went to the specialist and the outcome was very, very different.

I'm sorry you've been stressed out hope you find peace.