To take DD to A&E?

[Flyinghighinthestars]

Just to show her nothing is wrong? DD is 16 and has autism and adhd. She came back from college today and said one of her ‘friends’ told her to use a vape that they saw on the pavement as they we’re walking home, DD picked it up and used it and then told me when she got home. Apparently it had no vape left in it so didn’t work properly but DD tried it around 5-6 times as her friends we’re telling her to. Anyway now she’s home she’s overthinking (she does this because of her autism) and really worrying saying ‘what if it had dirt or soil on/in it from being on the floor and I accidentally breathed it in’ ‘what it vaping it (the battery was still working apparently) with nothing in has done me harm’ and so on. She’s saying her “voice sounds different” (it sounds the same to me) and saying her throat feels like it’s burning and her chest feels “weird” (DD can’t explain why it feels weird) and “hurts a little”. Me and DH have reassured her nothing is wrong but she’s overthinking still and having a full on autistic meltdown right now. Should I just take her to A&E and get her checked out just to show her she is fine? DD has never used a vape before this incident

Sorry this is happening to you. As pp have suggested distract with some reassurance or cough medicine etc. If you don't think she'll believe that you've googled the right answer and If you're a good actor ask her to try to be quiet because you are phoning a Dr., let her overhear: "Hello, I need some advice about whether using an empty vape would cause any problems...yes it's my teen dd just a few puffs, it was a bit dirty...uh huh a little wheezy...OK, cough syrup, brush teeth, rinse well, relax, fine in a couple of hours, no lasting damage...did you want us to see a nurse? No...Well that's great, thank you, I'll get started on that."
Depends on her level of understanding trust with you but I can calm my anxious asd dd right down with a bit of Google knowledge and bravado/confidence.
P.S. those friends are twits! Gaah!

I think that’s a level of use of resources that would be ok. She does have acute medical needs right now, they just have nothing to do with the vape. And you seem 95% sure that the vape hasn’t done any harm, but not 100%.

Sympathy because I know exactly what this is like! Do whatever you need to do to make things better. I do agree though that going to A&E might set up a precedent. I'd try to avoid it if you can

I don’t think she would go through it with me as still lay on the floor having a meltdown and as soon as she tells them her chest hurts they’ll say go to A&E as that’s what they say for chest pain? After thinking about it I don’t fancy spending 9 hours in A&E just to reassure her

No harm can happen from an empty vape, esp only puffing 6 times.

She’s also coughing loads but she does that when nervous/overthinking so not sure if it’s related?

In no way an A&E situation. Give her some paracetamol and tell her it will make her chest feel better. She won't have come to any harm at all from a vape.

Even a disposable one with a battery still working?

Absolutely no harm at all.

Could you maybe offer her some cough medicine to soothe her throat as a bit of a placebo ? Or an antacid, my dd (hypochondriac) jokes that I always tell her to take a rennie, but she does get some acid sometimes and then she feels she has chest pains and gets panicky, and taking an antacid helps, but also calms the anxiety as she feels I have given her something for it.
do you think this could be overstimulation and tiredness from school and come out as a meltdown over this, so maybe turning lights off and giving her a heavy blanket might calm her enough to reassure her ?

I'm not sure if you can still follow the 111 process online but if not, maybe you can pretend you are?

Even with a battery in

I would suspect she would be sent home after triage, so probably not the full wait. 111 might also send you to urgent care. But perhaps chest pain in a young person won’t lead to that anyway.

Your tone, which can obviously be misunderstood with writing, is that you would be happy to take her. You're justifying it with but her chest does hurt, maybe she did do something, would it be alright....simply, no. She's not having a heart attack from a dirty vape. Her friend was an arse to dare her, and there is no point sitting in A&E all night. Tell her you'll make a GP appt if she still feels yuck in the morning.

Will try this in a minute, i didn’t think of this, thank you so much honestly xx and yes I know the friends are twits but that’s a problem for when she’s calm I guess

A and E isn't the right place and you know it op.

Those “friends” are not her friends.

Encourage her that A&E stands for accident and emergency. This situation is neither.

She will be fine. Give her some water, some treats and try to distract her as best you can. Some kids eat full on dirt and bugs they find on the floor and they are absolutely fine.

Will check this now xx

I’m not going to take her to A&E. I guess she’s saying she’s worried that she’s breathed some of the dirt/soil etc into her lungs. That being said, I do think she’s fine (90%sure she’s fine) but will try and calm her again but she’s still having a meltdown

Definitely won’t have done her harm. Think about it rationally- they wouldn’t be allowed to make a vape that causes you harm if you continue to try to puff it when it’s empty!

This is exactly like my autistic niece so no judgement. She throws a fit if she can’t have her sleeping tablet each night. It’s totally impossible for her to sleep. The tablet is a vitamin (I can’t remember how she got it into her head that it helps her sleep).

I think the idea of telling her you’ve consulted 101 and the doctor says she needs to take a honey based cough medicine (or anything else you have). I’m sure she does have a pain in her chest….. she is throwing a total panic fit, would give me a pain doing that!!

It really does hurt when you’re having an anxiety attack, it’s okay to acknowledge that it hurts and reassure her that it’s the panicking and it will get better. In the meantime try and do whatever sensory things help her calm down, whether that’s turning off the lights, adding some coloured lights, turning off any noises, playing her favourite music, giving her a favourite blanket, whatever it is that can help her calm down. Make a drink and snack available nearby for when she’s ready for them, a special interest, whatever and mainly just give her space to work through it. There’s absolutely no point trying to “use this as a learning lesson” today, wait a couple of days before doing that. Meltdowns are absolutely exhausting so she may be totally wiped out tomorrow too.

If she didn't actually vape tell her how much worse it would be had she done so!

No I’m not going to take her now, but do need to try and calm/reassure her somehow which is very very hard

Her throat is burning and her chest is hurting as she has made herself anxious. Anxiety has physical symptoms. From what you have described it cant be anything serious. I would use delay tactics with mine habits ASD and 21 now. Give it an hour couple of hours ect then we will see how it is and try to distract her bring her anxiety down get her off Google if she is on that. Could you take the dog a walk go to the shop for something anything to distract her. Worst case ring 111 but definitely not A&E you would be hours and hours for no good reason.

Honestly she won't have hurt herself.. If shes never vaped or smoked before she wouldn't know how to inhale in to her chest properly anyway and the fact that it was dry would mean the most erm avid vaper would struggle to have anything actually reach their lungs from a dry vape. That's pretty impossible. Like I said you just get a burnt taste, if she actually did toke on it 6 times yeah that wouldn't have been a pleasant sensation or taste at all and may have taken a bit longer to wear off but if this was on the way home from school would be long gone by now. Has she drank anything? Cold milk might make her feel a bit soothed if she will have it. Just thinking of something to counteract the taste she's had in her mind if that makes sense.