Am I being fobbed off with stomach bug for 3 year old ?!

[cherry1012]

Dd is 3.5 years old Sunday night woke up vomiting everything all night every half hour, stomach pain sometimes then vomit. No diarrhoea! Phoned nhs direct on the Monday morning 5am they said didn't really warrant a doctor. All day ate hardly anything or drank anything then woke up this morning 430 am with stomach pain screaming crying and then very lethargic then vomited squash called 999 and went in where did blood sugar snd was very low as didn't have anything in her body day prior. They give her sugar gel toast blood sugar went back up they discharged us was eating and drinking today and just very tired weeing and no.2 ok then complained of back pain so took her back checked her obs and urine normal but because she had been eating and dinking normal and after touching her tummy found no pain when it was touched! Consultant put it down to stomach bug but my poor child just sat there Crying in pain sayin her tummy hurts they seemed like sharp every now n again. I didn't think this was normal of stomach bug and to last more than 48 hours ? Be fine one minute and be bending over in Pain the next so I said I wasn't happy to go home so they let us stay in a bed where she had calpol n slept we left after 2 hours as she had settled n went to sleep ! I wanted them to test more but they didn't can anyone help ??

Hi, first of all I'm sorry for the pain your child is going through and hope it's improved. It does sound like a stomach bug to be honest but if she's still having pains days after the last episode of vomiting I would definitely get a GP appointment.

Thankyou for your reply. We came home at 12 last night n she slept til 6 but I have been to worried to sleep. I think I will go to the gp today x

It does just sound like a standard tummy bug to me from what you've said. The extreme vomiting only lasted one night and there's been no diarrhea so it doesn't sound as though she's at serious risk of dehydrating.

It often takes children several days to recover completely and it is normal for them to be sick again during this time - her tummy will be very sensitive. The 48 hours you're thinking of doesn't relate to how long the illness lasts - the 48 hour rule is that you should stay at home for at least 48 hours after the last episode of v or d. The reason for this being that further episodes of v and d are extremely likely until 48 hours have passed without event.

The severe tummy pain is the only part that could raise concern. Some cramps and discomfort could be expected, but if she's screaming in pain it would be worth getting her checked out again.

Hope she feels better very soon :)

Thanks since comin Home from hospital, she had calpol only complained once of tummy pain n it was her just sayin it no cryin etc
She has been a lot more brighter singing songs Playin keeping food n water down not complained about her tummy praying this is the End of This xx

My DD aged 1 had a tummy bug that last a week, with intermittent vomiting, she ended up in hospital due to low blood sugars and she passed out and we couldn't wake her. I think stomach bugs just take longer to recover from when they are little. Hopefully she's on the mend now

Yes tummy bugs can last a few days. My eldest recently had vomiting for over a week. No diarrhoea at all, just pain and vomiting. It’s usually termed gastritis, which basically means stomach inflammation. Not pleasant, but will hopefully pass soon!

Sounds like a tummy bug to me. Tbh I think you over reacted calling 999.

Some bugs do take longer to get over than others. Hope she is feeling better soon

Hope everything is continuing to go in the right direction.
Assuming so, I do think this story might persuade people to avoid referring to being "fobbed off" for quite so many situations. Vomiting with or without diarrhoea is a common situation for children's assessment units to deal with. This child was seen by a consultant as well as being observed for an extended period of time because there was ongoing parental concern. There aren't really any "tests" that would add info and paediatric staff aren't keen to upset children when it's not indicated - it's traumatic enough for all concerned on the occasions that they are needed!
For so many acute illnesses, a good initial assessment followed by watchful waiting is the right approach, preferably at home where the child can be comfortable and happy. Even the occasions when a child has to come back are much more likely to reflect the inherent uncertainty of childhood illness rather than some failure by parents or professionals. As long as re-attending happens safely and appropriately it is not a disaster.
I don't mean to single out the original poster - it sounds as if the medical team didn't manage your expectations or explain their reasoning well enough if you are feeling this way.
There exist occasions when doctors and other healthcare professionals make mistakes, of course! But offline and online you encounter lots of people saying "fobbed off" when they mean "got an accurate diagnosis of an illness that will eventually get better on its own, and a plan to come back if it doesn't, because that wouldn't fit the usual profile of this illness". As if they want medics to take some other course of action which might be harmful, or at best pointless.

Thanks for your replies
We were an amber alert for the 999 call so I don't think I was overreacting one tiny bit n I would do it again in a heartbeat if I had to. I think yes the consultant did give me his reasons I just felt he just wanted us gone home as they were busy she was even crying in pain when he's sayin this he didn't give me much reassurance thats all. Thanks again she's doin a lot better x

My DD had similar symptoms , like a tummy bug that lasted more than 24 hours but only vomiting, no diarrhoea, and intermittent severe tummy pain. Everything was coming back up as it went down, like squash still looked like squash nothing looked digested. She turned out to have intussusception, which is rare in over 2 year olds. Its where the intestines telescope in on each other. They look for it in babies but not much in older kids (DD was 6). They kept telling me it was gastritis and I knew it wasn't. Not until day 3 when her belly was all swollen because she couldn't pass gas, did they investigate any further. Because of the delay she had to have part of her intestines removed and she was very close to perforated intestines by the time they opened her up. It can be intermittent so watch her. If she starts with intermittent pain, vomiting but not breaking wind over the day, ask about intussusception. It's easily identified by a scan of the belly.