Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

To have taken DS2 to A and E

16 replies

glasslightly · 30/10/2023 02:38

Just back from 4 hours on A and E with DS2 (5). I have three primary aged DC and have never before taken a DC to A and E for an illness.

Took DS2 because he had a 40 degree temp that didn’t go down with medication, and was screaming in agony from the light. DS2 had also had a fall in the day and had an egg and a black eye (with sensitivity to light also being a symptom of concussion so the NHS website tells me). So off we go.

DC2 spends first two hours on me, listless and then massively perks up. I speak with nurse but all she can say is ‘you shouldn’t leave without seeing a Dr’ (I get why she would say that and I of course would now feel too guilty to leave). So another two hours, see Dr. It’s 1 am by now and we are last patients in A and E. Dr checks him out. DS2 on particularly fine / charming form at this point . Diagnose a virus but nothing else. Then get given a ‘chat’ about what websites to look up for symptoms, ask if I am being told I shouldn’t have come in, get a ‘well if you’re concerned you should always come in’ brush off, but was made to feel very much like I had wasted their time - when I thought initial symptoms were pretty big flags, but also couldn’t find a way to leave earlier being against advice. Did I make the wrong choice ?

OP posts:

HoppingPavlova · 30/10/2023 02:58

No, you did what you were meant to. A child with a temp, who is light phobic needs to be in A&E.

Wishiwasatailor · 30/10/2023 02:58

No at the time with those symptoms I would have advised getting checked out. I always signpost parents/carers to first aid/health websites for future use as it can be useful in future.
Did this happen tonight? The doctor is probably on their 3rd night shift and that can wreck havoc on your bedside manner. They wouldn’t have seen you DC when they came in and seen him improve over your time there.

Nearly 20 years as a paeds ED nurse truely believe in the magical healing doors of the hospital 😉

Somewhereovertherainbowweighapie · 30/10/2023 02:59

You absolutely did the right thing.

AgaMM · 30/10/2023 03:06

Nearly 20 years as a paeds ED nurse truely believe in the magical healing doors of the hospital

This.

We go to A&E regularly as DS has a recurring health issue. Several times we’ve hit the trigger at home for having to go to A&E and once we’re there, he starts to turn around so that by the time he’s triaged and then seen by the doctor, he’s ok. It’s very common!

babysoupdragon2 · 30/10/2023 03:07

No you absolutely did the right thing- and I say that as an a&e nurse.

We would rather see 1000 children who bounce back to normal from a sit down in an ED waiting room than see a child who came to late as their parents felt they might be wasting our time

PeloMom · 30/10/2023 03:20

@babysoupdragon2 i don’t know what magic is in the A&E air but the couple of times I’ve had to bring LO, by the time we were seen he was all laughing and joking with the doctors/ nurses. While I was happy for him to bounce back, was also very embarrassing

Ihateslugs · 30/10/2023 03:31

Had I not asked the doctor for a home visit for my 6 month old baby after a night spent nursing him as he screamed and turned away from the light he would have died from meningitis!

He was my third child, I’d never asked for a home visit but I knew I could not drive with him and my other toddler to the surgery. He spent two weeks in isolation intensive care, in a coma for six days being pumped full of antibiotics. It really was touch and go.

I don’t regret making that call just as you should not regret going to A and E when you knew your baby was ill, it could have been something more serious and I’m sure the doctors and nurses see many more patients with less reason to be there.

rwalker · 30/10/2023 05:09

The doctor had the benefit of hindsight you didn’t
decision at the time was right

Thehonestbadger · 30/10/2023 05:22

Honestly my husband is a very specialist doctor (the type they call down to A&E when shit hits the fan) and we’ve been in A&E with our 3.5 & 2.5 yo about 5 times in their lives so far.

NO GUILT

Hubby always says ‘kids can be so volatile. One minute they seem ok the next they’re ventilated. We never mind checking out a child. Better safe than sorry’

With the symptoms you describe I’d definitely have taken ours x

WiddlinDiddlin · 30/10/2023 05:27

Spot on..

The symptoms suggested you seek help at A&E. Once there, and triaged, giving up and going home could look like you're avoiding your kid being checked out should anyone want to look. See the Dr and its all fine, great, thats the result you actually want...

I've been ambulanced in and by the time i am seen, im well on the way to being better (inoperable gallstones). I do feel like a twat but I cannot tell from the pain if its 'just' something thats going to go away in time or if its a blockage, somethings about to burst... If I can't control the pain at home, I have to go in (usually its because I can no longer keep oral meds down, even with Cyclazine or Ondansetron).

I have been treated like a time waster in the past (by A&E staff who haven't seen my notes, don't have the full story and have formed a hurried and incorrect opinion that they've allowed to affect their treatment of me). On the other hand I have had brilliant treatment too!

You've had a good outcome, if someone was a bit of a stroppy twat with you, brush it off as best you can, there will always be grumpy late night A&E Drs out there.

Mumof2teens79 · 30/10/2023 05:45

I have never had that chat from a doctor or nurse in A&E and I have been for less than that!
With minor head injuries in young kids in my experience they tend to (deliberately) keep you waiting 4 hrs before you see the doctor so doctor can then send you home. Guessing they expect anything serious show up in 4 hrs.

Sensitive to light is a massive read flag, and head/facial injuries can cause meningitis.

Zanatdy · 30/10/2023 06:01

No not at all. Children can perk up, but perk down very quickly. When DS was around 1 he was unwell and we took him to out of hours which was based at local hospital. They took one look at him and said they were very concerned and he needed to go down to A&E immediately. His lips were a grey colour (high temp, he had tonsillitis I think). Within an hour he had perked up massively. But Doc could see notes the out of hours GP wrote and said to us it’s never the wrong thing bringing them in when they are like that, whilst they perk up quickly, it goes the other way quickly too

LeCirqueFouFurieux · 30/10/2023 06:17

Please don't worry OP - it happens a lot with kids, I am in hospital now from advice on here to go; I'm so glad I asked rather than just trying to get through it until a GP appointment today.

The doctor shouldn't have given you that chat, particularly as it came across to you like you did the wrong thing. One issue we have now is that a lot of parents take children in exaggerating symptoms because they can't get a GP appointment and don't want to take time off work int he COL crisis. This is significantly more evident over weekends when people are trying to get into work on Monday and don't want to take the time to let their child just rest and get better. I'm absolutely not saying this is the case in your case because you did the right thing; just that A and E are seeing this a lot; there's a lot of unnecessary trips happening in Peads A and E at the moment.

Autiebibliophile · 30/10/2023 06:20

I've gone a couple of times with ds with head wounds . Usually by the time you have waited 6 hours the wound has stopped bleeding and started to heal but they also want to check fir concussion so best to stick around.

Ewanismydreamsheep · 30/10/2023 06:29

Last year my DD was screaming uncontrollably and was sucking in as she breathed. I called 111 and they sent an ambulance. The paramedics walked in to a peaceful sleeping baby. They were still concerned so took us to A and E in the ambulance. We waited 9 hours overnight to see a doctor by which point she was absolutely fine and definitely didn’t need to be seen by a doctor. The doctor was very understanding and said kids can go either way quickly.

The doctor said never feel bad about bringing them in because they’d rather see 10 kids that are ok than miss the 1 that’s not.

Beseen22 · 30/10/2023 07:33

I look after very sick people at work without stressing but the minute one of my kids even have a cold I'm on edge. Have only taken one to ED once and of course the minute we got there he was quite sprightly but children are usually fairly well so compensate for a long time. Also I would never take the risk with the kids. I think you were justified completely in taking your child.

Flip