Another A&E thread

[MyOtherCarIsAPorsche]

AIBU to take granddaughter to hospital this evening or will it wait?

She's been having headaches regularly this year. She describes pounding and pain in eye. GP said eye test - optician immediately said that she could see a large prescription. DG had glasses then three months later had another checkup and a stronger pair prescribed. She's due back in December. So I'm assuming that they're increasing the strength of the glasses in increments.

Her headaches have persisted. This current one she's had since last Friday. I picked her up from school on Monday and could tell that each footstep was making her wince with pain. She couldn't sleep Monday night because of pain and feeling sick. We've been alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen for pain relief. Saw GP on Tuesday who said it was nothing sinister but was referring her to paediatrician. This evening she was complaining of eye and nose pain and appeared to be light sensitive. She's woken in pain a couple of hours after she went to bed and her eyelid is drooping.

Is this worth a trip to A&E?

We're very worried.

What a nasty, mean spirited, ignorant post.

@amusedbush

The thinking in colour thing is synesthesia and I have that too. DH asks me if I like his new aftershave and I tell him what colour it smells like. In my brain, Thursdays, November and the number 47 are all the same, and they're dark purple

My daughter used to fascinate the chap (optician) who did her glasses, talking about the words she could see in colour. If I remember rightly I'm light purple. This began 15 yrs ago - we used to travel to Leeds for assessment but now available closer.

She also used to say things like 'letter b is full of energy and dashes around the page - he likes to jump off the edge. S doesn't like to be next to Y. Such strange statements.

She still comes out with odd statements about this - I forget that this happens daily.

Is it tiring? Or do you just accept it and not have to think about it? I would overthink it and it would drive me berserk.

I remember France being navy blue!

Honestly, any sort of mental processing is exhausting. I can only focus in short bursts and I need a lot of down time to do absolutely nothing.

I don't have kids and I'm a burnt-out shell just getting myself through each day, so your daughter has my utmost respect!

I have synaesthesia. I don’t really like talking about it because people treat me like I’m a druggie and men automatically assume it makes sex even moooooore fascinating.

@amusedbush

That explains a lot!

Obviously she didn't know it wasn't 'normal'. She assumed people just didn't talk about it. Her signals/signifiers are so different.

It blows my mind just trying to empathise.

I support my daughter a lot. I often buy her her favourite treat which is a strawberry and custard tart. I see her/the children probably 6 days a week. I'm ashamed that I don't think of this more often. I'm going to double down on the support. I've only been trying to encourage her to exercise more (she bought an exercise bike recently) and do more of her hobby (she makes the most amazing clothes for her children and she gets bombarded with requests to make clothes from lots of school mums because the clothes she makes are striking). I've been telling her to do more! Something every evening!

She works, her home is OCD clean/immaculate and her youngest son doesn't sleep.

She probably thinks I'm a nag.

😳

I can also relate her experience to this.

The 'thing', which was her partner, was using sex workers without her knowledge. Then we found out other stuff he'd also omitted to reveal - bad stuff.

She's on her own. Has beautiful children. A beautiful home. I'm even more proud of her - she has more than enough on her plate.

When I started school I could already read and described the number 8 as “yellow” even though it was written with white chalk. I drew dogs and cats in shades of pink because this is how I “felt” the world. I really do see this, but kids and teachers made me feel crazy. I find when I am emotional it’s worse and hard to “filter” through. If I am trying to have a constructive “discussion” with DH, depending on the level of fury, I get tongue-tied and confused by the extra colours, sounds, tastes and smells.

You sound like an amazing woman - mother and grandmother 🥰

DD2 has dark red lenses for light sensitivity. She has ASD and sensory processing difficulties.

@NeunundneunzigHorseBallonz

It's a fascinating subject but must be incredibly frustrating to wrestle with.

I haven't got a clue as to why I've not been considering this lately - my daughter must think I'm awful. It's like it was part of the past and I've assumed it's worn off.

She used to love describing how words and letters moved on a page and how she saw colours to interested people. It was her world.

She has the most acute sense of smell - she can be distressed in crowded places because it overwhelms her. She was obsessed with sniffing shoes and feet as a child which was very embarrassing (funny now).

She can't wear certain styles of clothes because they strangle her or bother her in an unthought of way. She has a restricted wardrobe.

She was elective mute until late teens.

She restricted her food intake due to texture.

She can't stand to be barefoot on any surface - showers in flip flops.

She faints if she eats a large meal - possibly related to POTS - some sort of autonomic dysautomnia.

The driving examiner had to point in the direction of travel - she's never understood left or right but she's always been good at map reading/finding places/sense of direction/never gets lost. She looks a destination on a map and doesn't need sat nav.

When she has to explain things she also gets tongue tied to the point she dries up and just ends with 'yeah'.

She has a very high pain threshold - which has led to many emergencies.

She's hypo sensitive and hyper sensitive to certain things.

She appears to cope - but every day must be a struggle.

@MyOtherCarIsAPorsche just wanted to say that you sound absolutely amazing. As a mother, a grandmother and generally as a person. Don’t forget to take care of yourself.

Synesthesia is fascinating. I don't see colors for numbers or sounds as colors, but certain numbers I associate with family members. The number 4 is me, the number 7 is my sister, mom is 6. I can't quite explain it, other than the numbers one through nine have different personalities? And I associate those personalities/numbers with childhood family members.

You sound like such a lovely family, I’m glad you all have each other x

So granddaughter still has headache and pain in right eye is more severe and lid continues to droop for hours at a time. She has been sick twice today (was not at school yesterday).

She's been to the optician today - her eyes look healthy. Optician said to wait for paediatrician appointment, they will probably order scans. Wonder what for?

Her first ever appointment at the optician was in June this year - her prescription was +1.25 and +1.75. In September it was +2.25 and +2.5. Today +3 and +3.5. She goes back in January for her next appointment. When asked how the prescription can change so much in a short time, they said the eye is still growing 🤔

The optician says that it could be her eyes causing the pain but it also could be something else.

This headache is taking some shifting.

Her new glasses are usually ready mid week - hopefully they will relieve the pain.

That’s very extreme for a migraine in a kid (I say this as migraine veteran). Personally I wouldn’t wait for the paed appt I’d pay for a private scan to be on the safe side.

Definitely take her to A&E - sounds more serious to me than just eye sight problems. Hope she’s ok 🤞🤞

If you are concerned then do call 111
They can assess if a&e or out of hours doctor is the right route.

You don't say how hold she is OP?
Is she old enough to be of menstruating age? Sounds like could be cluster headaches/migraines
I'm currently suffering with one. Get them around my period. Starts with a stiff neck, pressure band pain and sensitive to light.
If they are, helps to avoid sugar, keep fluids up, avoid caffeine. Try sleeping in a dark room with a cooling product on forehead and a heatpack on feet (sounds weird but it works.
White tiger balm to the temples often helps a little.
Hope you get some answers as to what is causing it but if you are worried get medical advice

Yes I would go to A&E and I would expect them to CT scan her x

My migraines are mostly triggered by the weather. At its worst whenever it rains. I don't know if they still do but the electronics dept at York uni has a weather page. I was doing my degree at York when I noticed the connection as they started within minutes of the rain.

My worst months are sept-oct and may-june
My sisters and mum are the same and it's not unheard of for us to all have migraines on the same day

Agree that it needs urgently checking out by a neurologist.

It could be migraine, which can present with very serious symptoms, but urgent things need to be ruled out first.

If she does have primary migraine (i.e., nothing underlying causing it), she'll need a good specialist to help manage it.

FWIW I have chronic migraine and it does seem to impact how I do in eye tests - just came back from an appointment where I was told my glasses were massively overcorrecting. I can only assume I had some level of aura in my last checkup which made me do worse!

Does she have any other symptoms that don't necessarily seem related? Weight loss for example?
My friend's son was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and one of his symptoms was a rapid deterioration in sight and very frequent headaches.

I guess it isn't massively helpful to have us all suggesting diagnoses, but I wanted you to know it's definitely something I'd be taking seriously, and another hospital visit may be in order

Maybe ask if the optician would consider a referral to neurology/opthalmology. Does she experience tinnitus, whooshing in ears in time with pulse?

I'm only speaking from my own experience here, so could be completely off. But her symptoms sounds similar to a neurological condition I have called Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. Often it shows up at an opticions exam due to papilloedema (swelling of the optic discs), but IIH without papilloedema is possible and the only way to diagnose is via Lumbar Puncture, CT & MRI scan. Just throwing my thoughts out there. Hopefully not this, but maybe worth looking into. Best wishes.

Hello, optometrist here; I haven’t read all the post but if they’ve ruled out Horner’s syndrome, then she needs an MRI ASAP. The eyelid shouldn’t droop and the pupil shouldn’t be smaller. Prescriptions change, or we prescribe lower to help adaptation etc, ignore this for the time being; wrong prescriptions don’t cause the physical symptoms you describe.

Would an optometrist pick up/look for uveitis/ iritis?