To think I wouldn't be overreacting if I took DS to A&E?

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DS is 17, he struggles a lot every winter with illnesses etc, he has ARFID which makes getting vitamins etc into him harder, he's supposed to take a vitamin supplement but I've tried everything dietician has suggested to give it to him but he knows and it makes him vomit.

He's been unwell since Monday although he seems to have gotten worse the past few days, on Wednesday night I was working and he refused to have any dinner and was in bed for about 6:30/7 DP says, I woke him up when I got home and gave him calpol as he had a temp and he threw it up not long after and went back to bed until 10am yesterday when he got up took his meds and went back to sleep and was asleep on and off all day, I tried to give him some toast last night, he took 1 bite and was nearly sick again. He was asleep early again last night and woke up today at about 12 and hes not had much to drink today apart from a bottle of water and a can of fanta (not ideal but I use this as a bribe for his meds) he seems very lethargic and is complaining he feels sick as he has what seems to be a chesty cough and he just looks poorly in his eyes etc.

DP has said I'm overreacting and to let him sleep as much as he wants as he'll sleep it off etc.

AIBU?

How is he OP? I would be worried too. Trust your instincts I say. And ignore those who don't understand about ARFID

I would also say trust your instincts - even the walk in centers are better than nothing.

Those blaming OP for ‘clogging up’ A&E should be ashamed of themselves. You can’t get to see a doctor - that’s the main reason for A&E being full - nothing to do with accidents or emergencies.

My autistic DS gets like this, I imagine his blood sugar is probably low. That's what happens with my DS, once it gets too low they just vomit everything you try to give them back up. Sounds like your DS needs anti emetic medication and electrolyte rebalancing. Hospitals can help with that. Take him.

Unfortunately posting on here you’ll get all the uneducated twats harping on about ‘it’s not an accident or emergency yabu’.. majority are probably nurses which is concerning!

my daughter has ARFID, she’s underweight and we have been told by paediatricians, dieticians etc if she goes more then a couple days with no food, has vomiting, lethargic etc it is an emergency and to take her straight in. In ARFID blood sugars can drop dangerously, I would take him in and get him seen.

There is a lot of supposition going on on this thread.
He has been sick ONCE.
The OP says he is underweight not 'severely malnourished '.

Doesn’t matter if he’s been sick once - if you feel your child needs intervention you should make it a priority.

He’s not eating and lethargic constant headache etc

Last time the NHS was over whelmed there were an awful lot of children dying because of this mentality.

If you feel they need a doctor then take them - better safe than sorry.

I'd call the out of hours GP or 111, but not withold calpol as he's obviously ill. I think the don't use for more than 3 days is a combination of a reminder that you may need to see a GP if some thing is ongoing for that long and that for headaches using paracetamol for more than 2-3 days a week can cause angesic headaches.

Though this doesn’t mean A&E. 111 and OOH would be more appropriate.

Maybe - but that’s not always an easy option in some areas, there are alway these types of facilities readily available.

Such a helpful comment

"Last time the NHS was over whelmed there were an awful lot of children dying because of this mentality."

Really? An "awful lot" of children died because of the "mentality" that you should call 111 for something that is neither accident nor emergency before heading straight to A&E? I don't think so.

The lad sounds like he's got the latest bout of covid and also had his paracetamol stopped because of guidance meant for a 6 year old

Does he have any safe foods that are easily digestible? We usually go for chocolate puddings and milk during illness and avoid the beige foods that are the usual daily foods.
I f it's any consolation I totally get it.

Not taking Calpol for more than three days is obviously precaution for babies and toddlers. Have you researched paracetamol intake for adults, or those with the same body weight as your son? Going to A&E because you are worried about giving a (nearly) grown man Calpol over 3 days is not going to endear your situation to many doctors there.

Despite all the issues presented with ARFID, there needs to be an element of common sense. After parenting for 17 years, there are surely options you can try to increase liquid & glucose intake, including bribery. More Fanta? Coke? Ice cream? Ice Lollies? Mixing liquid Nurofen/Paracetamol with a beverage or crushed ice to hide the taste? Surely he's old enough to take adult medications as well? OTC anti-nausea tablets tend to be tiny and easily crushed up and hidden. Have you been to a pharmacy and explained your situation so the staff there can advise what medications or methods of administration would help?

There are also paracetamol rectal suppositories against pain & fever. It takes one second to administer and works even better than oral medicine because it gets absorbed instantly into the bloodstream. There are adult dosages for people with digestive issues/migraines who aren't able to keep medication down. Pediatric suppositories are even easier to get and you just need to scale up the dose based on body weight.

All these are options that A&E will probably assume (or hope) you have tried before showing up with a potentially life-threatening situation.

Massively over reacting. Call 111 to see an out of hours GP, and in future just see a normal GP earlier on in his illness. A&E is for life threatening emergencies; as pp said, will sitting for hours in a cold waiting room help?

you can see a doctor ooh at the weekend.
that sounds like the best course of action if you cannot wait until monday

Absolutely this. He’s 17, he can take much stronger over the counter medicine than calpol..! If you haven’t even tried basic home remedies it’s ridiculous to go from calpol for a (basically) grown adult immediately up to a&e with no steps in between.

I think this sort of message should be banned as is potentially dangerous. This lad could have meningitis for any of us knows. Medical advice should not be sort from unqualified people. Ring 111.

Most people are saying exactly that though; ring 111 for actual sensible advice rather than leaping from a child’s medicine to A&E with nothing in between

I gave him more calpol last night but he threw it up again and went to bed as he usually does after he's just threw up. He won't take tablets even crushed up as he knows and we were told not to put liquid medicine in his drinks as that'll make him refuse to drink.

He still is unwell and has had his meds with a couple of sips of fanta but then he tipped it away and is still saying he doesn't want anything to eat so I am thinking of taking him to A&E when DP gets back.

Which of his symptoms indicate an accident or emergency? Those words obviously mean different things to different people. We have to be responsible in our use of the NHS otherwise it won’t be around much longer. Call 111 and get some proper advice.

Why are you calling 111 as so many people have suggested? It’s an obvious first step.

*not calling!

Which of his symptoms indicate an accident or emergency?

Its been a week and no signs of improvement.

Calpol won't have any affect on him at 17. You can get soluble paracetamol I get it for my kids. Can have 1 from age 12 and two from 16.

Calpol won't have any affect on him at 17

What rubbish it’s paracetamol in liquid form NO different to the tablets.

I’ve used it on toothache and headache it works fine