To take 16 month old to A&E or wait for doctors tomorrow

[Pinkhats]

16 month old DS has had diarrhoea for 12 days now. There’s a sickness bug going around nursery so assume he’s picked that up but he’s had no sickness only diarrhoea. I kept thinking it would go on its own but it is getting worse in terms of frequency not better and he’s been up several times in the night crying in pain and holding his tummy (up until now it’s not really bothered him).
Would I be overreacting to take him to A&E today I know it’s not an emergency but I’m getting quite concerned especially now he seems in pain. Or I guess just wait one more day and try to get him into doctors tomorrow.

Call 111 if in uk, they can advise best option including out of ours gp and make the appointment

Call 111 and ask for advice, they might just send you to A&E anyway but I've called before on a sunday and recieved an out of hours drs appointment x

Given dcs age and the length of time symptoms have continued as well as the new presentation of abdominal pain I’d take them to an and e.

Agree, ring 111. 12 days is a long time, especially as it's getting worse now.

I can’t believe I forgot about 111 , he’s never been poorly before so never used them but will give them a call, thanks.

I doubt the gp can do much for diarrhea. I'd take him to A&E now ,(7am Sunday morning A&E should be quietish) he might well be dehydrated, lacking in salts to absorb food. He might need a drip to get his system going again.

Have you given him juice? Because that can help his sugar levels too.

I would take him in now, and I’ve got a pretty high threshold for recommending a and e! It should be relatively quiet at this time, and the wee toot might need to be put on fluids and electrolytes (could be in pain due to cramping because of electrolyte imbalance). Hope everything is ok xx

I would take him to a&e

As it's a Sunday, I would be tempted to call 111. 99% sure they will advise you to go to A&E. You could just get yourselves down there now. Things can quickly take a turn for the worse with little ones. Always better to be safe than sorry.

If it were a weekday I'd be contacting the GP to get a same day appointment.

12 days is neither an accident or an emergency

Call the out of hours GP on the number supplied on your normal GP number answerphone ( which maybe 111 or another number)

I really wouldn’t take him to a/e.

my toddler had diarrhoea for almost a month (went to the go after 2 weeks) and then back at 3 and 4 weeks. They weren’t that fused as long as he was ‘alright within himself’ they finally did a poo sample after a month (just before it stopped) and it showed nothing was up eg ecoli or salmonella. They just wrote it off as a bug.

anyway I would go to go not A&E, it’s not serious enough for a and e

Actually an 16 month old with stomach pain and diarrhea could very well be an emergency who is in danger of being dehydrated.

Op should probably have seen the GP after a week but hey ho its 12 days and really shouldn't wait any longer.

He probably needs a drip to get his essential salts and electrolytes back in balance.
Nothing someone can do over the phone and I wouldn't wait any longer to see a GP who probably can't do much.

His sugar levels could also be very low and his butt must be sore.

A and e - need to check he’s not dehydrated, plus check his potassium levels etc are ok.

111 is best option - if it needs a and e they will direct you there and you may well be fast tracked.
in my experience minor injuries or out of hours gp have much shorter wait times too

Please ignore those saying it’s not an A&E job, if your gut tells you that your child isn’t right then take them to the help.
TRUST YOUR GUT on this.
That is all you should know about this situation.

This. He isn't lethargic or listless. It's not pleasant to deal with as a parent, but it isn't an emergency.

I'd work on keeping him hydrated.

111 will talk you thru a checklist of what is 'normal ill child' and what isn't.
If you can't get him to a calm but still interactive state then I understand taking him somewhere to be seen.

111

A&E it should be quite in the morning and given his symptoms he should be seen quite quickly. All the best I hope your DS starts to feel better soon xx

@Pinkhats where are you at with him now?

My son has been to a&e a couple of times for vomiting bugs, apparently some kids get stuck in a cycle and can't stop vomiting by themselves. Both times he's been on an iv drip and had anti emetics after 5 days of vomiting every 30-60 minutes.

I'd take to a&e if there's pain and he's not right.

A+e definitely

Have you tried cutting out milk for a few days? A bug strips enzymes from the bowels so makes it harder to tolerate lactulose after illness. My son had a 5 day bug and after he recovered kept having explosive nappies even though he was well in himself again. Not giving him milk for a few days gave his body a chance to reset. You can get colief but HV told me easier and cheaper to just cut the milk out for a few days and it wouldn’t cause any harm.

How does he seem in himself? Is he sleepy? Floppy? Does he seem ‘dry’ eg. Dry lips, skin, sunken eyes?

I don’t think you’d be unreasonable to take him to a&e seeing as it’s getting worse and he now seems in pain, which is new. The poor boy might be quite dehydrated. The cause of diarrhoea obviously needs investigating and whilst the GP could send a stool sample, it’s possible he needs bloods anyway.

As a HCP I am reiterating a&e/urgent treatment centre.