Child in hospital they want to discharge her but I feel uncomfortable

[Scaredmumsickchild]

7 year old tested positive for
covid last Wednesday, has been really unwell since then with high temp, sore throat and general unwellness

Admitted to hospital last night with non blanching rash and given first dose of antibiotic for meningitis intramuscular

Loads of attempts to get blood it was barbaric and eventually managed it in the early hours lt was so upsetting and she was in agony and terrified

Most bloods back ok but cultures will take up to 48 hours

They are encouraging me to take her home whilst we wait, but that will mean her having to be recanulated if we have to come back

in the mean time she’s spiking 39 temp again, so poorly and not eaten more than tiny amounts in a week and only having sips of fluids. She vomited again overnight also

Aibu to want to stay? I feel uncomfortable taking her home this unwell but they are saying they are convinced it’s only viral (Covid) and haven’t even checked the rash today! (It has faded but still not blanching)

My 4 year old daughter caught covid in school in September and it took her down for 2 whole weeks her temperature was up and down and not eating being sick, her legs was hurting the only thing I managed to keep her hydrated was ice lollies and ice cream with some warm lemonade and honey and plenty of rest, I hope your daughter is ok it's horrible to see them so poorly

@j81 poor thing. I think because it seems so bad 1 week on I’m thinking it must be something else as I haven’t heard of any kids anecdotally being this ill

Unacceptable intrusive question. But I would guess they wouldn't be in hospital in the first place.

@Scaredmumsickchild
It's not necessarily anything worse just because it's been going on a while. Kids can look very very sick without actually being very very sick iyswim. That's why I asked about her blood pressure etc as these reflect what's actually going on. The hospital will have "scored" her against a chart and if her numbers are ok then that's a good thing. As I said, it does feel really scary though, especially if it's not your area of expertise.

If you're uncomfortable caring for her and are able to stay with her, I'd tell them you don't want her discharged today. You have a right to an opinion, I've been allowed to keep mine in an extra, day when recovering from an op because I just didn't feel ready. Obv pressure on beds and staffing numbers override parents wishes but have the conversation ime

Sorry, I missed that you’d said she had antibiotics IM. If she’s not on antibiotics, she’s not on IV fluids, and they’re giving no other treatment then there really is no reason for her to stay in hospital. You took her into hospital for the non-blanching rash, if the rash hadn’t have presented she’d still be at home with you now. You did the right thing getting the rash checked out by the way, but now it has been and her condition hasn’t worsened, they are probably right to say the best place for her is home.
I am only saying this for reassurance. If you really do believe she can’t be cared for at home then by all means say so to the doctors. Mothers really do know their children best. I hope she’s well soon.

Nonsense. They can leave the cannula in and bandaged - common practice. But if you're not comfortable then say you're not prepared for her to be discharged until you've spoken to the consultant.

How long has the cannula been in? I just mention as they have to re-site after a few days anyway. I’m hard to cannulate and was in hospital for 6 weeks with a cannula and it was brutal so I sympathise. They can use an ultrasound machine and I was anaesthetist only due to being so tricky. They gave me a local anaesthetic too via injection but might not be available for kids.

so much good luck and best wishes to your daughter op!!! Hopefully the doctor will be along soon. Trust your gut!

They don’t discharge adults with cannulas here either (south west city), even for day release. No idea why, it’s daft.

Such a high temperature and high heart rate are concerning. Ask about Sepsis. Trust your instincts.

@OuiLaLa
Cannulas are infection risks. Hospitals are worried that people will forget to have them taken out and end up with septicaemia. That, and drug abuse. A cannula is direct access to a vein. There’s a real concern that drug users will get themselves admitted for fluids and then abscond with an open cannula.

They just been back and said they are convinced her cultures will be negative and we don’t need to be here. Her CRP was 30? So waiting to have cannula out.

CRP of 30 is high (normally under 5) but when my dd been really unwell shes hit 200 so at 30 does suggest its not sepsis/really bad infection. CRP level shows how bad infection is.

She would be better at home resting than being in a strange environment and having obs done every 4 hours even at night.

@sotired2 so is 30 not too bad? I’m looking on google and can’t make sense 😭

CRP of 30 is elevated but not dangerously so. It’s what would be expected with a viral infection. Although it can’t be used to rule out sepsis/ bacterial infection you would generally expect to see much higher numbers, 200 or more. If the rest of her numbers are normal she’s better off at home.

Push for a sepsis test. Don’t trust any of them. Trust your gut. And start writing down each of their names and exactly what they say in a notebook when they come and talk to you. If you have a man in your life get him to come as well to speak to them as unfortunately the NHS is misogynist to its core (even the women in it).

We had a death in the family of a 14 year old with undiagnosed sepsis until it was too late - it was utter negligence and misogyny on the part of the doctors who didn’t listen to the mother when she bloody told them to look for sepsis. I hope no one ever has to go through what her parents went through again.

@missmydad76 im sorry for what happened to your family but there is no “sepsis test”, sepsis is an abnormal response to an infection which OPs daughter has already been screened for.

@missmydad76
Her numbers will have screened. That plus CRP, lactate and blood cultures is the only test we have for sepsis. Her lactate will have been fine (otherwise it would have been mentioned) and her CRP is only slightly raised. Blood cultures will take a few days.

@JennieTheZebra not helpful.

Some kids (mine) can appear to have nothing worse than a cold while being extremely, life threateningly ill.

If it was bacterial meningitis, your child would have deteriorated significantly in the time you've been in hospital. The fact that they haven't indicated that it's viral. My daughter was in a&e with meningitis symptoms on Thursday and this was explained to me. CRP of 30 isn't classed as severely elevated, it's just a moderate increase. My youngest repeatedly gets non blanching rashes with viral infections. To the point where we've been told not to take her in unless she has other specific symptoms alongside the rash.

It is scary, when my daughter was 4 weeks old she was admitted overnight with an unknown bacterial infection and we were sent home with the cannula still in (had to come back every day for a week) but they wouldn't be discharging her if they didn't think you could manage. I hope she starts to feel better very soon!

@starfishmummy
Yes, but that will have shown in the sats. No child is “dangerously, life threateningly ill” (at least not imminently) with normal blood pressure, heart rate, o2 etc. Sure, there may be something else nasty going on but that will show in the bloods. It’s far far more unhelpful to imply that a child (which will have been scored against local PEWS) is sicker than the hospital thinks they are. HCPs do know what they’re doing, honest.

When DD was born we had only been home one night when we became concerned something wasn't right - she was too sleepy and wasn't feeding properly. We went back to the maternity unit who glanced at her, said she was a bit jaundiced, and told us to go home. I refused and they reluctantly readmitted us back on to the ward where they largely ignored us. They just assumed she would perk up and we would admit we were over anxious parents. But I just knew that something was wrong.

12 hours later she turned blue and stopped breathing, which I only knew about because thank Christ I was holding her in my arms at the time. They were able to resuscitate her and rushed her to NICU. The senior midwife who had patronisingly dismissed me was absolutely ashen faced when she told me she was critically ill.

It was touch and go for several more days while she battled a presumed infection, despite not having clear infection markers. Thankfully she pulled through.

Don't let anyone fob you off.

I can't understand why they would discharge a child who is clearly still so unwell.

I'm with you. My child wouldnt be going anywhere until all results are in. Having to recannulate is horrific when it has already been so hard. Stand your ground.