Concerned about daughter *in A&E*

[Unsure1899]

Really worried about daughter.

She’s 15 for context. Woke me up about 2am- excruciating pain in middle of chest- really tearful saying her chest hurts more when she lays down or tries to take a deep breath. Gave OTC painkillers- tried distraction etc. Sat downstairs to see if painkillers helped. They didn’t. At 4am I brought her to A&E as she was beside herself in pain.
Triaged in Peads V quickly, ECG fine. Obs normal. Awaiting X-ray but I’ve asked if this could be linked to starting contraceptive pill a month ago (progesterone only). Doctor has pulled a face and he’s said it’s unlikely. No blood tests at this point, I’m worried that she potentially has a blood clot due to pain and where it is. I’m not great at being strong and firm but feel like this X-ray will come back clear and we will be sent home with muscular pain!l

Should I push further?

Thank you all again for the replies and support! It’s comforting to see that different people have had similar experiences with different outcomes.

The good news is that bloods are back and the d-dimer is negative. Interestingly the bloods aren’t great but we actually have full bloods done on Friday (routine) due to the lack of eating- so I’m not surprised.

Children’s A&E have been fab with DD, I explained quietly that she’s ND and they’ve explained things thoroughly to both of us, they’ve also been understanding that DD has been pacing around with her headphones on listening to music. The only time I’ve had to push if for the bloods but they then agreed it was the right desicion.
Like a PP has mentioned, A&E with a ND child is not fun, but it had to be done!

Just being sent home with a follow up with GP, stronger painkillers and just got to keep an eye on what’s going on. Welcome to go back but the pain has definitely eased.

Thank you for helping me remember to trust your gut instincts!

We’ve tried, however due to the Afrid and her displeasure of textures and taste, she just has a complete meltdown and refused both at home and hospital. I’m seeing the GP to see what else we can get help with if it’s tablets we need etc…

You don't go to A&E to make friends, you're trying to keep yourself/your loved one alive 🤔

This sounds like a thorough and safe rule out of emergent conditions by A+E and GP follow up is a great idea. Hope your daughter manages to get some symptom relief X

If it's agonising chest pain when breathing, coughing and lying down it could be costochondritis. It's an inflammation of the chest lining. It's completely harmless other than very painful but it won't damage you or kill you!
It can last upto a month though.

The only thing to do is take strong pain relief. I used to get it several times a year. Strangely it stopped when I stopped wearing a bra! I have small boobs and I guess the bra was ill fitting and the wire was digging in?

I hope she feels better soon. X

I'm glad all was clear OP. I too was wondering if an antacid had been tried, but I see she wasn't keen.

If gaviscon and the regular indigestion meds aren't appealing, you could try remegel.
They are chewing and minty. They are the only indigestion tablet I've found that taste more like a minty chew than a medication.

I hope she's feeling better this morning and you both have some answers.

Like PPs have said, costochondritis can manifest like this. For me it felt like a knitting needle being pushed into my sternum. I had it in and off throughout my late teens and early 20's, the day it was diagnosed and a doctor acknowledged how painful it is, I literally cried with relief.

It was improved by osteopathy.

Heartburn is a real possibility, it can be very painful. Omeprazole is generally suggested as a treatment, though if very sporadic try the orange rennies (actually supermarket own brand taste better) as they are more palatable than gaviscon

Tums are also much nicer than Gaviscon. They are fruity flavoured and similar in texture/ consistency to love hearts.

Have you considered H Pylori? I’ve had it, the pain can be excruciating and I honestly thought I was having a heart attack. It’s central to the chest and can go right through to the back. Diagnosis isn’t as brutal as when I had it, and treatment is a long spell of antibiotics.

You can get Pepto Busmol in tablet firm that you don't have to chew

Thank you for saying it on my behalf.

I had a massive bilateral pulmonary embolism!

mine was pain in my back and went to a and e and whilst there I suddenly could t breathe and went blue. The dr told me to leave because I was having a panic attack and no matter what I said he refused to listen

so I left and collapsed in a corridor. Some consultant had come to find me furious that I had been told to leave.

he was right. I would have died. Blood tests is how I was diagnosed. Then I had an arterial blood test…confirmed blood coot

had a radioactive breathing in test which they said was clear. I left the hospital. On my way home I had 32 missed calls

apparently a trainee had looked at my results and said it was clear. But when a consultant saw it he confirmed

please please please keep pushing.

She’s had a d dimer which was negative. Sorry to hear about your experience, it is bad how they seem to miss so many PEs.

It may ‘simply’ be anxiety.

If heartburn/acid (and it can really give you massive pain and worse when lying down) try nexium tablets. One a day just like a paracetamol type of tablet not chewy or anything. They are basically like the ones doctors prescribe. I would only suggest having those until she is back on an even keel though and then getting the gp to look into if they do help x

I had pleurisy once, and it was pretty much like what your DD was describing.

I didn't have a fever, but when I tried to sit up, lay down or take a deep breath, it hurt like hades. Tx. was painkillers and rest, since it was viral for me. It did not hurt all the time, either. I would have periods where it was better and then it would start.

If the first diagnosis and tx. doesn't help, don't hesitate to return to the A&E.

If it feels internal, like stomach based then I guess it's not costo. Ibuprofen gel on the sore area might help?

@Unsure1899 my DD was diagnosed with ADHD and arfid around the age of 17 but was struggling from age 15. She also had debilitating tummy pain with no known cause except undereating. She eventually developed anorexia and it has been a long slow road to recovery. Can you get specialist eating disorder help for her. Look for someone with specialism in ND. GPs do not have enough knowledge of ARFID or EDs and our ED unit did not treat ARFID

Glad to hear the scarier things have been ruled out. Chest pain is a horrible thing to be in A&E with

Read the unbearably sad story of Martha Mills, who died aged 13 in hospital, and then decide whether you are bothered what people think of you in A&E. I'm not. I am concerned with my loved one getting properly treated and that staff will listen to our concerns. As a pp said, you're advocating for them.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/sep/03/13-year-old-daughter-dead-in-five-weeks-hospital-mistakes

@Shakethedisease Creating an oppositional relationship with staff won't necessarily help you advocate, though. (And I am fully aware of what happened to Martha; an awful tragedy.)

With endo and adenomyosis they tend to give mini pill regardless as estrogen exacerbates the conditions.

I see this seems to have eased a bit and you've been given lots of other advice, but I want to share my experience on the mini pill. 11 days into started it for the first time I suddenly developed chest pain and difficulty breathing in. I attributed it to taking the pull and immediately stopped taking them. Over the next few weeks I got heart palpitations and would break out in sweats for no reason. It wore off after around a month-month and a half. It is hard to see this as a coincidence as I haven't had anything like that before or since then. It was Desogesterel 75mg fyi.

Has she recently been prescribed antibiotics for acne? A friend's daughter had similar symptoms after taking them, but not being made aware to keep upright after taking them. It took the Drs a while to figure that was the cause.