8 year old with persistent cough, losing weight

[Kialla]

8 year old DD suddenly developed a strong cough 4 weeks ago. She wasn't ill in any way, no cold, temperature or other virus symptoms.

She's typically very healthy, rarely gets a sniffle.

We gave calpol, cough medicine and throat sweeties. It very quickly affected her sleep and she hasn't been able to get to sleep before 10pm since it started and then is awake throughout the night coughing before being up for the day at around 6am. She's completely exhausted, pale and losing weight, her appetite has reduced and she picks at even her favourite food. She's always been slim but I can clearly see her ribs now. I just gave her a bowl of custard for lunch in the hope of getting some calories into her and she ate about 3 spoonfuls.

We saw a nurse last week (an appointment given very grudgingly) who said her chest was clear with no crackles or wheeze. She had no signs of infection and the nurse suspected seasonal allergies, she was prescribed an anti histamine.

She's got worse in the last week, has lost another half kilogram and asked not to go to school today. She would go to school with her leg hanging off so we know she must be feeling pretty rubbish. In the last few days she has said that some food tastes funny.

I'm getting really concerned. I'm waiting for a callback from the doctor which I had to really push for as the receptionist said it was an ongoing issue and therefore not urgent. I wouldn't be surprised if I've been put on the list for the nurse again instead of the GP.

How hard should I be pushing for her to be seen again? The NHS website says that any child with a cough for 3 weeks should be seen by a GP. Our doctors are fantastic but meeting the criteria to be seen seems to be impossible.

Oh what a lovely thing to do

Where I live there's a lady who offers a private service to come to you for bloods which are then dropped to the local NHS service. Perhaps there's something like that near you?

I would say take your daughter to A&E ASAP for a proper check up including X_ray of her lungs. What you are describing are extremely worrying to me (I am a midwife, not a Dr. As well as a mother of 2). I wonder what her oxygen saturation levels are like. Children can compensate for a very long time before they suddenly decompensate. I still remember the shock of taking my child to what I thought was a precaution A&E visit. Only to see him being put on oxygen and all sorts of medication straight away.

Oh my goodness OP what an awful experience for you both. It sounds completely traumatic and obviously should never have happened. I had a very different experience with my 6 yr old having a blood test- it can be done so much more sensitively.

on a practical note, I guess you only have two options to have the blood test done, which is essential. Try another surgery / hospital or ask about a sedative perhaps. Whatever allows you and your daughter to get the information you need without more trauma. Sending you both a big hug- how horrible 💐

Terrible from your GP.

“the receptionist said it was an ongoing issue and therefore not urgent”

Moron alert 🙄 that is maddening. As if they have the knowledge to decide!
Push hard to be seen by GP - not nurse. - and for some imaging.

https://www.jpaget.nhs.uk/media/440932/CH-71-Sedation-for-your-child%E2%80%99s-test-or-treatment-v1-web.pdf

this is just an example of the NHS doing this for anxiety reasons.

What an absolute disgrace!! I am amazed that your surgery do bloods for 8 year old anyway ! Both my GP surgery and blood test clinics in local hospitals are strictly over 16 only.
My oldest dd has a hypothyroidism and so requires regular blood tests. Up until the age of 16 she always had to have it done in paediatric outpatients in their blood clinic. The nurses are fab and there is always a play specialist on hand to distract a child. Also they draw blood so fast - much quicker than when I have my done in the main department. A routine blood test can take 2-3 weeks before attending but I'm sure they must do more urgent ones. Not sure where you are but maybe worth finding out if this is possible? I am so sorry for you and your daughter what an appalling way to be treated particularly at such an anxious time. I hope you get answers soon x

This is dreadful @Kialla

Could you afford a private consultation? I’ve done this before and my dc was then referred back into the nhs for treatment, but it was £150 well spent

That's awful behaviour from the people taking bloods. I would be putting a complaint in to PALS.

I know that children's hospitals or children's departments are much better trained in taking bloods from (frightened) children. I took my 8 year old granddaughter and they had a play therapist in there distracting her and the nurses/phlebotomists were very caring and kind. She hadn't even realised they had taken bloods. Surely you can request this service?

In the meantime, I hope you manage to get somewhere with finding out what is causing the cough 💐

Do they check her SATS when she’s in, pulse, etc?

Oh OP I’m so upset & angry thinking about those nurses - why the hell do some people enter the caring profession?!!

Yes, she's had 4 appointments so far with nurses and doctors. They've all checked her pulse, oxygen, temperature, ears, throat and listened to her chest.

The doctors have also weighed her.

They all say that everything is fine. But it seems really abnormal that the cough would be getting worse.

I've videoed a coughing fit to show the doctor today. (Well practiced in this after 2 children who regularly got croup!)

What the actual FUCK?! That is horrific. Complain and then complain some more. And report it to the CQC, NMC and health obudsman. Abusive behaviour is NEVER acceptable, and grabbing your daughter when you’ve both explicitly said no is assault.

And I say this as an NHS worker.

As a grown adult I would have been traumatised by that blood test. Your poor daughter

An another angle to consider would be acid reflux. It is worse at night, it gives my daughter a dry cough all night when bad and it puts you at risk of chest infection if you breathe in refluxed liquids. It might explain the loss of appetite and thus reflux

I find weight loss in girls often ignored and put down to emotions. My sister had gallstones as a teenager and dropped to a BMI of 16. She was in a &e every 1-3 weeks for morphine due to abdominal pain because of it but it took 3y for the diagnosis which came after an admission for pancreatitis and sepsis which only had 50% survival rate for. It was 3 days into this admission that they diagnosed the gallstones during which time they accused her of being an alcoholic and it was only when my dad backed up my mum about spending so much time bed bound that they let up the badgering her to confess.

Keep a diary, complain about all poor practice and if it helps to have the back up of dad take him with you

I’m so sorry, how harrowing :(

Two things: my little one had a terrible persistent cough for months - turned out it was allergic asthma from our new cat (it was probably going in her bed making it worse at night). She’s on brown twice daily asthma pump and it sorted it.

The needles: look up the magic glove technique. That may well be your best option. How utterly awful of those nurses!

Good luck

Just to say I am so sorry that your DD had that experience, please complain formally as that is absolutely disgraceful - that nurse should never be allowed to treat another child.

And in future, please feel allowed to say 'Do not speak to my child like that, I intend to complain'. Furious on your behalf.