To go to the GP for my son who I think has mumps

[stopbeeping]

I can't get through to them

My son is well in himself he has a sore throat and he is tired but he's eating drinking etc all the same as he was
He has a runny nose

His cheeks went rosey this afternoon and now they are really swollen
He still isn't fussing but I'm worried. My children were never sick until basically October last year and now it's every god damn week one of them is sick

I am so tired

I am in Margate where it would be quicker to drive to Heathrow and catch a plane to fucking Durban in South Africa to have treatment. GP will say go to hospital but I don't understand at what point the illness becomes one you want extra help with and when it's fine at home.

I'm worried about meningitis if I am going to be the most honest with my (irrational, over the top) self

Send love or advice but please don't say I'm wasting time, I'm trying to work out if I would know clearly when to get help

Am so tired and have three kids so I'm hoping to get advice from others with experience if this is ok to stay at home for

Thank you

I went to hospital with mine as he had a 2 day (ended up 5 day) 40+ degree fever.

They went through mumps and mealies etc but ended up being Roseola.

I wouldn't go to hospital unless it's an emergency. What's his temperature, what's his signs of illness apart from flushed cheeks?

Hey sorry for not coming back sooner

I haven't read all the replies yet
However I wanted to let you know that he has swollen glands and he does have the typical mumps face and glands hurt

He isn't that poorly but he's off food.

I live in Margate and my surgery just send all kids to a&e and it's a drain

I appreciate its contagious hence me asking what I could do

It's easy for the thoughts to run away with you with the amount of scaremongering we saw in the press

My other two had scarlet fever a few months ago and my 3 year old was very very very unwell with it

I normally give my kids a kiss for them to feel better. I don't feel competitive about me being relaxed with them or uptight. I know I'm relaxed and they hadn't even been to a doctor before except for injections
The baby is a bit sickly and I have been very unwell in the past 3 months so I have been shaken up

I guess what I'm true to say is I feel a bit judged for wondering if I'm making the right decision re the kids health. I wish I was as relaxed as some claim to be

Mumps can cause meningitis if the virus goes into the top membrane or layer of the brain I can't remember specifically

I would always want to waste my time in order to know I did everything I could to make my child better. If they died, because I was being a martyr like the crowds of posters here who think you only go to a&e if you lost a limb or stopped breathing.
It's a bit exhausting for a place designed to be supportive

So thank you for post because it resonated with me a lot z

Yes my son too 🥹🥹 i know what slapped cheek and scarlet fever look like but he looks like bugs bunny and his glands under his face are sooo big
He has the runniest nose and is off food so he is not well as he just carries on usually no matter what

Because I live in Margate a seriously deprived area
Because the GP at my surgery assigned to my family has never met any of us!! And they are never there either, they are always always at the hospital working in a&e which I know for a fact as I had about 30 admissions there during my pregnancy

I wish they were better and had a more simple service with continuity of care

He isn't roasting at all but he's worse then he was earlier today
He was 39 degrees but only did I catch that once and other then that he's not been too hot

I dont think he is terribly I'll well at least not yet but also that he is most likely ASD and can't always articulate to us how it really feels in his body

I love him so much I don't want him to be sick again
The reason why I was wondering about how serious it was is because I see it's a notifiable disease

Same with the fertility bit of it. I don't want to risk his future happiness by not having something seen to more quickly for him, because I basically couldn't be bothered to sit in a&e for 10 hours to be checked since the GP can't see them either (or so they say)

It really worries me

Just to reassure you, my DS had mumps when he was about 3, and although poorly for a week or so was fine. Obviously keep a close eye on your DC though. When I was a child, everyone got mumps ( except me weirdly even though I mixed with kids who had it). I never heard of anyone being seriously ill with it.

Of course if you have any concerns though at all I'd say ring 111 for advice. Hope he feels better soon.

The main reason that patients are advised to see a GP with possible mumps is to confirm the diagnosis. There is no specific treatment for mumps.

I'm still a bit confused as to how poorly your DS is at the moment. If you are concerned about how he is at the moment, you need to ring 111 for advice.

If your main worry is about the possible future side-effects of mumps, including meningitis, unfortunately no treatment exists that can prevent complications, but mumps meningitis is very rare.

Mumps is a viral infection, which means that antibiotics do not help with it. There is nothing that either A&E or your GP can do to cure mumps or to prevent the tiny risk of it turning into meningitis.

If you are worried your DS has meningitis now, definitely get medical help immediately. If you are worried about meningitis in the future, try not to worry too much - as it is so rare - but seek help if your DS deteriorates.

Ok, well it is extremely different looking from anything else so if he looks like online photos of kids with mumps and you are thinking ..... omfg my kid looks deformed why is his neck so weirdly and hugely swollen with an absolutely massive lump .... then it probably is mumps ..... so definitely don't be taking him out to GP without letting them know first. 111 are good for advice.

To even start worrying about meningitis when he seems well in himself is a bit of a stretch, but there's nothing you can do anyway to prevent that from happening.

It's more serious in adults, especially males, so if he's been in contact with anyone let them know.

Absolutely do not let him leave the house and spread it to anyone! (unless of course you spoke to 111)

Call 111.

Mumps is a notifiable disease.

The treatment is keep home, lots of fluids just like any virus.

Strangely during lockdown I had swelling and feeling 'fluey', I thought mumps. I was sent to a health centre, met by someone in full PPPE who thought I had tonsillitis.

I didn't have tonsillitis, I have had that several times. Strangely the medic couldn't see my tonsils which are the size of a small planet.