To think I'm right and the doctors are wrong?

[Rabbitpoop]

DD is 13yo and has had really bad nausea and stomach ache for 10 days. Shes been off school the whole time and very little appetite. GP thought it was appendix related so sent us to hospital. First surgeon admitted us and said seems like appendix as she only has pain in the exact area of the appendix. Put us on the list for surgery.

Saw another surgeon who said he wanted an ultrasound first. Fair enough. They couldn't see her appendix during the scan but no obvious signs of anything else wrong so surgeon passed us to paeds.

Paediatrician came in and said it is constipation before he even examined her. She isn't constipated at all and the pain is only on the bottom right side in a specific area. I questioned him and pushed back quite a lot as I'm 100% sure this is not constipation. She's had no change in her bowel movements. Paeds said there's no sign of appendicitis in her blood tests so it's unlikely to be appendicitis.

I looked up the NICE guidelines and it says that you can't rule out appendicitis by blood test or ultrasound and that it can present differently in different people. It seems the only real way of telling is laparoscopy/surgery but the surgeons won't do it as she's not writhing in pain.

I don't know what to do. I'm sure it's not constipation and that it's something to do with her appendix. They said they wouldn't give antibiotics either as there's no sign of infection.

I'm worried they're just going to tell us to go home and she'll continue to be off school, feeling sick, barely eating and with a stomach ache.

Any advice?

Definitely complain. The next child in your DDs position may not be so fortunate. Well done on being such a strong advocate for your DD and pressing with your concerns.

We complained to PALS about how DH bloods were dealt with. They lost or delivered bloods too late on 5 occasions, one after the after! By the time they got them sorted his cancer levels were high and they had missed he had developed resistance to his chemo.
After that they changed the whole way it was done and they call the courier as soon as he turns up. That was 10 years ago and they still do it that way (his cancer isn't curable and he has regular bloods)

The idea that doctors should listen more to patients is dear to my heart.

I had a dreadfully painful foot fracture - an avulsion fracture where you sprain your ankle so badly that the tendons rip the bones apart - not great. Was in plaster for 12 weeks and when it came off I was in great pain and could not weight bear - I told them this and they just said it was uncomfortable where the -plaster had been.

Having had fractures before I said I was sure it was not that. They fobbed me off and sent me home - I still could not weight bear. At follow up they still did not believe me.

I went private and the consultant gazed at the x-ray and said "Well, I am not surprised you cannot weight bear, you have another unhealed fracture that has been missed." So back in plaster for another 12 weeks; or complicated surgery - I chose the former. I have never walked normally since and use a stick.

Now I know mistakes happen and everyone is human. I have no problem with that. But if they had just listened .........

This happened to me.
They did a laparoscopy to explore and my appendix looked normal but removed it anyway. They found free fluid around it though.
The pain was gone straight away and I had suffered for months.
The surgeon called it a grumbling appendix. Normal bloods and scans but I did have a temperature.

The idea that doctors should listen more to patients is dear to my heart

I think that if doctors did actually listen to their patients it would save the NHS huge amounts of money. But unfortunately most doctors won’t listen and fanny around testing you for 1 thing then another thing, then another until they have tested you for everything under the sun apart from what you know you actually have wrong with you.
Then they begrudgingly test you for what you know you have wrong with you and only then they start treatment.

I kept telling my doctor from age 11-14 that I thought I had a stomach ulcer.
I was treated for anorexia. Told not to be a silly girl. Eventually allowed to go for a test where they found I had several stomach ulcers and could have died.

My grandfather went to the doctor on a Friday evening to ask about sudden vomiting and nausea and pins and needles in his left arm
He thought he was going to have a heart attack. But the doctor dismissed him and prescribed him Renee’s for his nausea.
He had a heart attack less than 6 hours later.

Dh had all the symptoms of bowel cancer. His dad had died of it. after 6 months of going back and forth to the doctors multiple times, being tested or diagnosed with a variety of issues

He was eventually diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer in A&E. I had almost had to carry him in as he had got so ill he could barely stand.

The costs for listening is negligible compared to the amount of time off work and the impact on people’s lives from the pain or physical restriction

I know I cost the NHS probably in the region of at least £250,000 over one issue I had.
I couldn’t work, I couldn’t sleep (the pain was constant and excruciating) i was off work for 7 years.
All because they wanted to save £300 for an mri.

And the consultant refused to listen to me.

I saw @LookItsMeAgain thanks. I felt stupid enough the first time.

@picklespark

Just read this thread and OP, I think you’re incredibly brave and a brilliant advocate for your DD. So glad she is on the mend and thank God you pushed for her to get the right care.

Appendicitis nearly killed me when I was 5. I was sick and had stomach pain at school, my mum took me to the GP in the morning who said it was nothing. My mum was still concerned and I was getting feverish so she took me back to another GP in the evening. They realised what it was right away and called the children’s ward to have me admitted immediately. My appendix turned out to have ruptured and I had severe peritonitis which would have shortly led to sepsis and death. I was operated on that night and recovered well thankfully. I think my poor mum is still traumatised by it 28 years later.

It’s admittedly harder to diagnose in very young children but shocking that at her age, your DD’s symptoms weren’t taken seriously.

Exact same thing happened with a sibling, years ago, as a child, around that age too. It was a close thing, appendix had burst. Doctor had dismissed all concerns.

OP, I hope that both of you are taking it easy. I agree with pp, about writing things down in a clear and crisp timeline when the dust has settled and sending it to the relevant areas. Lessons might be learned, hopefully.

Glad shes feeling a lot better!

It is not unheard of to have normal bloods with appendicitis. It happens and that is why you treat the patient and not the test results. Your child had clear symptoms of appenciditis her operation was delayed and if delayed further may have been a serious problem. I am glad she is better but I would definitely complain so no other family has to push so hard to be heard.