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Just been to hospital with DD.

160 replies

FourFortyFour · 21/03/2011 12:25

Following on from this thread

She has had a chest x-ray but the doctor just said to rule things out. What are they looking for? He said her chest was clear when he listened to her.

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
caughtinanet · 27/03/2011 11:39

I have no medical training so don't know the proper protocol on going to A&E in your specific situation but recently a friend suffered weeks of unexplained pain and being passed from piller to post until she was finally diagnosed with appendicitus. Based on her (not very confidence inspiring) experience with the NHS I'd be kicking up a fuss by now.

Hope things improve.

FourFortyFour · 27/03/2011 11:45

How long do I have to keep her on calpol and nurofen for before we go? She says it helps a bit but doesn't take the pain away.

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Becaroooo · 27/03/2011 11:50

So sorry to hear your dd is feeling no better.

With my (rather jaundiced view admittedly) of the nhs, I am afraid its the people who make the most noise who get the best treatment....you know your dd...they dont.

A&E depts can be very dismissive of people in pain if the x ray and bloods dont show anything BUT the pain is still there isnt it?

I would say that, as she was able to take part in a show, she cant be in so much pain that she cant stand it IYSWIM??

Take her back to the GP tomorrow and kick up a fuss. 2 week wait for an x ray result??? That is ridiculous!

Hope things improve.

Becaroooo · 27/03/2011 11:51

Keep staggering the pain meds til you go back....it wont do any harm and the GP and hospital have advised you to use it x

moosemama · 27/03/2011 11:59

I was actually thinking about suggesting appendicitis the other day, but thought the pain was too high up.

I think you have to use your judgement on whether or not to take her in today or tomorrow. If the pain is getting worse or has changed in any way, its not worse risking it with appendicitis, but if things are much the same, then its not an emergency, so seeing the GP tomorrow would be ok, but insist on an emergency appointment if there's no appoinments available. Don't worry about her missing school, her health is more important.

If they concur that it is most likely subacute appendicitis, I don't think they'd wait for an outpatients appointment to become available, they are more likely to tell you to take her straight to the paediatric day ward at the hospital for further investigations, that's what they've done with my ds twice with his chest.

If they do, make sure you pack a few bits, as you can be hanging around for literally hours. I once spent 9 hours in the day ward waiting room with an extremely poorly 2 and a half year old boy on my knee. You'll need plenty of drinks (its always far too hot in these places) something to eat, something for dd to do to keep her occupied and distracted and it might be sensible to pack some pjs and slippers as well just in case.

Good luck, I hope it all gets sorted really soon. Smile

moosemama · 27/03/2011 12:01

Cross posted. Yes, keep alternating the calpol and nurofen until she's seen by someone.

FourFortyFour · 27/03/2011 12:03

She had a new pain when the doctor pressed on her yesterday that she hadn't had on Friday. She has a very high pain threshold that makes things tricky. I am worried. DH thinks it is the first thing so should go in a week.

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herbietea · 27/03/2011 12:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

moosemama · 27/03/2011 12:11

With appendicitis it hurts more when the pressure is released than it does when they press down. Was the new pain near her tummy button? All I know about appendicitis is that if it hurts if you are pressed then released, particularly near your tummy button, its not good. (We had an appendicitis scare with ds2 last November - his turned out to be bowel impaction though.)

Don't get what your dh means by going in a week - or was that a typo?

If she has rebound pain, it makes it more important to go sooner.

stealthcat · 27/03/2011 12:12

The reason that I wouldnt go to A+E is because they are more set up to deal with emergency presentations. It may vary from area to area, but where I live they would simply exclude anything very serious, and then advise you to go back to your GP, so if things seem no worse then when you were seen by the OOH doctor then that would probably be the outcome. In the area that I live in if the OOH doctor wanted a child to see a paediatrician then they would arrange that directly.

If you feel that your DD is getting worse though that would, IMO, be different to if you feel that she is the same as before.

FourFortyFour · 27/03/2011 12:53

It was near her tummy button.

Dh said if it is the first thing it clears itself up in 2 weeks so she has a week to go.

My dd is getting bothered by missing school, part of the reason I wanted her seen today.

Our OOH don't arrange hospital appointments but he would have sent us if she hadn't had the show and that is what concerns me.

DH is annoyed with me and said a few days ago i thought it was pneumonia or pleurisy. I was considering all options. I am only trying to help my daughter.

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FourFortyFour · 27/03/2011 12:58

I am annoyed with dh as he hasn't given her calpol as well as the nurofen and dd doesn't feel she needs to go to hospital so she isn''t going.

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moosemama · 27/03/2011 13:09

Honestly, I do understand your concern, we all worry about our dcs and whether or not we're doing the right thing by them, particularly relating to their health, but if she's no worse she really doesn't need to be seen in A&E. If the OOH GP had been at all worried about her, he would have told you to forget the show and take her to hospital there and then, he obviously thought - as do I, that if she's well enough to perform in a show, no matter how stoic she is in nature, the situation is obviously not an emergency.

Being worried about missing school isn't a good reason for using emergency care services, she only needs to be seen by them if she's getting worse or has new worrying symptoms that have arisen since the last time she saw a doctor.

In some ways, I think your dh has a point, the first of the two diagnoses is a benign illness that will get better on its own. Yes, she will be in pain until she's better, but its not dangerous or life-threatening in any way. He is however, being pretty insensitive. Obviously you didn't know what was wrong a few days ago and were doing your best to work it out - you're not a doctor and could only speculate based on her symptoms while the medics weren't listening to you. The very fact that this doctor has listened, taken you seriously and come up with a potential diagnosis is vindication of your feelings and actions.

Take her back to the GP tomorrow, talk it all through, explain what the other doctor said and ask for him to arrange for her to be seen at the hospital to rule out appendicitis.

heliumballoons · 27/03/2011 13:27

FFF. How are your dD's bowels?

I ask because I had all this pain, had blood test for appendicitis, discovered I was aneamic, got tested for everything under the sun for 10 years (found traces of blood in stools). Finally got a diagnoses of IBS. This started when I was 10 years old so can be in children quite young.

Oh and IBS isn't always a 'stress' related condition which is how it can be prevelent in children. For me its my stomach has a slow digestion rate and my bowels are overactive. So basically my stomach feeds my bowels too slowly and they don't have enough to work on iyswim. Its flipping painful at times. Pain is mainly lower right side, by belly button and sometimes round to my back (lower mainly) but can spread right up both sides.

I hope you get DD sorted soon.

moosemama · 27/03/2011 13:34

Helium, that's how my ds presented. He had right side pain which was worse when you pressed near his tummy button, plus upper abdo bloating and was literally screaming in pain. The OOH docs were convinced it was appendicitis over the telephone, but after examining, taking his temp etch it turned out to be an impaction. He was recently tested for coeliacs as he now suffers from IBS with regular painful bloating as well as alternating constipation and diarrhoea.

His isn't stress related, they think its most likely inherited as there's a lot of similar IBS on both sides of the family, including dh.

FourFortyFour · 27/03/2011 13:37

I just asked her how it was when she does a poo and she said she hasn't done one for ages as it never comes. She had been saying pooing was normal.

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heliumballoons · 27/03/2011 13:43

FFF - it could be constipation causing this pain. As with mossemammas DS my bowels alternate between constipation and very loose. When I'm 'bunged' I get this pain and can be literally crying with the pain Blush. Sometimes I then go which is like rabbit droppings (sorry if TMI) and then when cleared can go normally. Its these rabbit droppings that cause facial impaction. Its just how my bowels act I can eventually pass them by myself iyswim?

Even now if anyone even pokes my stomach here or near my belly button it hurts.

You do learn to live with it though.

FourFortyFour · 27/03/2011 13:44

I feel I don't know what to do any more as it seems there is only me worrying so maybe I should just give up as I am wrong.

[useless at this parenting lark emoticon].

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Becaroooo · 27/03/2011 13:50

maybe go to pharmacy and get some lactulose for her bowels.....comstipation/impaction can be very very painful.

FannyFifer · 27/03/2011 14:33

Does she complain of being sore without prompting?
A&e is for an emergency, not something ongoing that GP is aware of. So unless her symptoms escalate then not really appropriate.

If she is able to attend ballet and school then it surely can't be that painful?

If the GP has felt her stomach they were prob checking for constipation. But if she not been for a few days try some lactulose.

heliumballoons · 27/03/2011 14:33

No don't stop. If shes constipated ignoring it is the worst thing you can do. She needs plenty of fluids (plain water the best), something to soften her stools, lactulose is great as becaroooo said, and does need to see the GP. If she has other health problems as you mentioned above (headaches etc) it may all be related. Constipation could be due to dehydration as could headaches, or the heaches could be dehydaration as shes constipated or any combination of things, including unrelated. But its not worth ignoring them for the sake of feeling over protective.

FWI

Am36butfeel66 · 27/03/2011 14:36

Are not useless at parenting at all..you ar just worried about your dd and haven't been supported in it. You have to look at it practically now. She probably is constipated at the moment and that will need to be fixed...it may actually help with some of her symptoms. Do you know when she last did a poo? You I am sure know that trying to increase her intake of fruit and veg and lots of water would help her to go, but if she has been unable to go for a while she may need a mild laxative to help. Ask your local pharmacist for advice on this as what she can take varies with her age. In the meantime stewed apple is great.

Am36butfeel66 · 27/03/2011 14:37

I meant to write, you are not useless at parenting..-stupid autocorrect!

FourFortyFour · 27/03/2011 14:38

The pain started before she stopped pooing though Confused.

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thumbwitch · 27/03/2011 14:47

Coming late to this but if she is constipated I would give her lots of orange juice. It used to work very well on me, although it might take a day or so. If DS is having troubles I feed him mandarins - that works a treat.

If she continues to have odd back pain, I would also try taking her to an osteopath. I see that has already been suggested and ignored - I don't know if you have problems with the idea or you missed it. But it could be well worth a trip - growing pains are the muscles and ligaments being stretched by the bones growing in spurts - sometimes this won't happen evenly, and an osteopath will be able to even things up and ease any discomfort coming from the musculature/structure.

If your DD does a lot of ballet, then she may be putting more stress on her skeletal structure than the average 7yo as well, so an osteopath would be able to make sure that everything is still straight as it should be.

If you get no satisfactory answers from the medics, please consider it.

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