Fed up and in need of reassurance

[Summertimeflowers]

Hi all,

really fed up and looking for some reassurance, my DS is 5 weeks and I am a FTM and this morning we booked an appointment in with our GP as recently DS has been bringing up more after his feeds. He has always brought something up but would usually be 2/3 times a week and now it’s at least twice after each feeding. GP checked him and advised us to go to A&E to rule out Pyloric Stenosis. Whilst GP said he was 90% sure it wasn’t this, he said we needed to have it ruled out and explained that this could only be done via scan.

So off to A&E we go and explain to them that our visit is on the recommendation of our GP. 1.5 hours later an A&E dr exams him (the same examination as GP) and says to basically come back if/when my DS start’s vomiting blood or experiences constipation and refused to refer DS for a scan. I completely appreciate that’s the NHS are extremely busy atm but to basically tell us to come back only when he potentially worsens seems ridiculous to me, especially as he is only 5 weeks. Myself and my partner did try to push back on this and even called our GP back afterwards to see if there was anything he could do but to no avail. I’m not overly worried that DS has pyloric stenosis but I guess I just don’t understand why they refused to rule it out especially when our GP advised us to go and request that.

Wondering if anyone else experienced this with pyloric stenosis at all? Realise the above is just me venting but it’s so frustrating and really upset me tbh lol

??

On the whole pyloric stenosis is not a condition where detection in the very early and subtle stages makes a difference to the eventual outcome. The important factor is whether a child seems well vs dry and dehydrated and worrying, and ED are usually good at weighing this up. Discharge with this kind of "safety net" is usual and appropriate in Paediatrics for lots of presentations. It's understandable that a GP would want to send up to the hospital for assessment as they only get a very short snapshot in their consultation, but not helpful to set an expectation that a scan will definitely be needed. The clinical evolution over time is actually the key investigation. It can seem like needless gatekeeping but paediatric ultrasound scanning is under huge pressure because only people with specific skills do it.

@Unseenentity thanks for your response! Yeah I completely understand their reasonings behind it and the pressures the NHS are currently under will only magnify those reasonings, I’m just worried at the thought of potentially watching him get worse before any action is taken. I’m a worrier at the best of times so the thought of having to let it “ride out” so to speak doesn’t sit well with me or my anxiety but I guess I will just have to wait and hope he doesn’t get any worse and we can maybe look at putting it down to reflux or something.

out of curiosity, do you know how it may effect my DS’s bowel movements? They said constipation in A&E but my GP specifically asked if he was having loose mucousy stools which as of this morning he wasn’t but I have just changed him and there was definitely mucous in this one. He was only going once a day since about two days ago as well whereas now he is going 2/3 times. Is this a symptom at all?