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Children's health

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Original poster

My Grandaughter

40 replies

chrissie2 · 28/02/2009 08:40

I have an 18 month old Grandaughter who has been having very high temperatures (40c) for the past 3 days, she is very quiet, wont eat and although is drinking not as much as usual.She will perk up after some calpol but once it wears off goes back to being ill. She has been waking in the night so hot her hair is sticking to her face, and crying.

My daughter took her to our local hospital as it was after surgery hours and the receptionist wouldnt even take her name, and refused to put her down to be seen, she said get the doctor out. My daughter then phoned the surgery and a doctor spoke to her and said it sounds like a virus and to just give her calpol.

Yesterday she was really bad again, wouldnt move, her hands and feet turned purple, very high temperature, and refused food. She was taken to the surgery and the doctor said there was nothing wrong with her.

My daughter, as we are, is very worried about her, she is still getting very high temperatures, not eating and very very lethargic. Have any Mums had the same experience and if so do they know what it could be. I am just so worried she will get so hot she will have a fit.

OP posts:

littleboysblue · 28/02/2009 08:44

Hi chrissie, I don't have any experience of anything that sounds quite that bad, but if your daughter is worried, I'd tell her to get herself back to the hospital and tell that stuck up receptionist that unless she has received any medical training, she could give a flying one what she says and to get her daughter seen or she will speak to the supewrvisor and then refuse to leave until your daughter feels she has received appropriate care.

littleboysblue · 28/02/2009 08:46

Couldn't give a flying one is what that was supposed to say. If the receptionist isn't medically qualified, then it is not for her to say baby can't get seen.

stroppyknickers · 28/02/2009 08:47

ring out of hours, and ask to be seen.

bamboostalks · 28/02/2009 08:48

My advice is to take her to A and E asap. Follow your instincts. Are her hands and feet still purple? That sounds very worrying.

oopsagain · 28/02/2009 08:51

Go to a and e
sit in a and e until somebody professional looks at the child.
Doesn't matter how long it takes, be polite but firm.
get the little one looked at-
I'm worried about the purple hands and feet, really.

I think your daughter needs to be strong, polite and firm.
good luck

littleboysblue · 28/02/2009 08:54

FWIW, I've done it, my ds has a strawberry birthmark on his forehead that kept bursting and leaving his whole face and head in blood, a&e kept sending me home so the third time it happened I took all my bottles and some spare clothes, a bedtime story etc and went back and told them I was not leaving until they sorted it. Once they saw I was serious, they admitted him.

benfmsmum · 28/02/2009 08:54

Try NHS direct, they can sometimes get u an emergency appointment with a doctor or fast track at A&E

lou031205 · 28/02/2009 08:56

My daughter, also 18mo has had this bug (or what sounds very much like it) two weeks ago. My neice (21mo) has it at the moment.

All A&E did was check for a rash that doesn't blanch, and give calpol. It is just a nasty nasty virus.

oopsagain · 28/02/2009 08:59

lou- please don't- the child needs looking at by a doctor.
what if you are wrong- and the little one is ill with something else?

she needs to go to a and e and get a proper exam, not advice over the net.

i know you are trying to be reassuring but you really don't know that is waht this little one has...

twinmam · 28/02/2009 09:12

Am with the go to A & E school of thought - this needs checking and it's terrible that nothing has been done so far. Always trust your instincts and quite clearly you all feel that she needs to be checked out. Yes it probably is 'just' a virus but please let another dr be the judge of that. So what if they do just send you away again? At least someone will have ruled out anything nasty and will be able to tell you what to do if the temperature continues or the purple feet return. Let us know how she is.

lou031205 · 28/02/2009 10:01

Oops, A&E is Accident and Emergency, not a drop in centre for concerned parents. There is the out of hours service for that, or GP surgery, or NHS direct.

The OP's grandaughter has been seen, by a doctor yesterday, and has been given advice.

"Yesterday she was really bad again, wouldnt move, her hands and feet turned purple, very high temperature, and refused food. She was taken to the surgery and the doctor said there was nothing wrong with her."

I stated "All A&E did was check for a rash that doesn't blanch, and give calpol. It is just a nasty nasty virus." about my recent experience of very similar symptoms, and reported the action A&E took.

I at no time suggested the OP should not have their child re-examined, or diagnosed over the internet.

I do however think that A&E is too often advised on MN, when it is not intended for this purpose. It is intended for acute and life threatening illness and injury. Not a drop in clinic.

lou031205 · 28/02/2009 10:02

And the OP stated that the child improves with calpol, and is drinking. Both good signs.

benfmsmum · 28/02/2009 10:03

How do you know that high temperature, purple hands and feet in a young child isn't life threatening??

cocolepew · 28/02/2009 10:09

I would go to A & E, trust your instincts. I

herbietea · 28/02/2009 10:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

lou031205 · 28/02/2009 10:29

benfmsmum, I don't. I do know that a doctor has examined the child, and declared her not in need of emergency treatment. Also, that the OP implies nothing has changed. A fever does result in peripheral shut down.

If the OP is concerned she needs to contact an appropriate source of professional advice. A&E is not that source.

A child who is responding well to calpol and taking fluids is not a child in crisis. A&E is a gateway service. The GP can refer the child to the paediatric services just as effectively as A&E can.

benfmsmum · 28/02/2009 10:40

Sorry lou I read the op wrong and thought the purple feet etc came after seeing the doctor. I agree with A&E is not a drop in centre and is for people with exactly that - an accident or emergency. But I also think that even after seeing a doctor, if you are still worried you should get more advice. My ds had a temperature etc, we saw a doctor who prescribed nurofen which we gave, my ds had a reaction to the nurofen and ended up in hospital. I know that the original doctor wasn't to know that my ds would have that reaction but if we didn't seek further advice who knows what could have happened?? All I am saying is that if symptoms persist or change you should continue seeking help, especially in young children.

kaylasmum · 28/02/2009 10:41

hi, my 2 yo ds has just got over the same thing, it started off last Friday night with him having a high temperature and being sick once. Since then he has had a really high temp, a terrible cough, lethargic and not wanting to eat. He has only just started to improve over the past 2 days. I did'nt take him to the GP as i felt sure that it was a virus. My grandson had exactly the same thing the week before.

I think if you are still worried then your daughter should take the lo back to the GP and demand that she is examined properly instead of being fobbed off again. I think GP's are too quick to blame everything on a virus.

benfmsmum · 28/02/2009 10:44

Not sure I made that post very clear!! After the nurofen prescription my ds did seem better but then we noticed a rash and took him to A&E as we were by then at my parents 300 miles away from home and her doctor refused to see him as we didn't live there. The rash was actually nothing to do with the nurofen but they picked up on something else in the hospital, did further tests and realised that his stomach was bleeding. Hence the overnight stay in hopsital.

duchesse · 28/02/2009 10:48

To be honest, even not eating for three days is worrisome in such a little child. If she's not improving after 3 days of such a high fever, it is definitely worth getting her checked over again. My sister had a similar receptionist experience last year with her 4 yr old and a really nasty cough. She took her to A&E from whence she was taken to intensive care with pneumonia. Receptionist had refused to even let her see a doctor.

lou031205 · 28/02/2009 10:48

I agree completely with your last post benfmsmum . I took DD to A&E because I had phoned the Out of Hours service and they didn't want her to wait until clinic was open, and asked me to.

I am not against a trip to A&E in an emergency, of course not. But to go to A&E just because your normal surgery times are over is not appropriate. It just means that either patients with real emergencies have delays in their treatment, or your child gets left too long.

I really feel for the OP. We were desperately worried about DD when her temp went UP after calpol, to 40.8, and her hands and feet were purple and cold. But some viruses are truly viscious, and unfortunately themselves cannot be treated. Only the symptoms.

I would never diagnose over the net. I recently had a 20 minute argument with my sister over the phone because she was offended that I didn't diagnose her son's illness over the phone (I am a nurse) as I didn't want to risk his life to make hers easier. I told her that nobody could make that sort of decision about a child without seeing them. Besides, I am a nurse, not a doctor.

I hope the OP's grandaughter recovers quickly. It took DD about 2 weeks with a day or so OK, then back to high temp then OK, then temp and so on.

duchesse · 28/02/2009 10:52

Oh and our experiences with out of hours GP service (the only one time we've ever had to use them) was less than satisfactory- our then 3 month old third child had croup in the middle of the night. We didn't realise it was croup then, just that she was making a really alarming noise every time she breathed. Out of hours arsey patronising cover GP told us over the phone it was a bit of catarrh in her throat and we shouldn't worry. I took her to A&E, and am very glad I did.

benfmsmum · 28/02/2009 10:54

Lou after a bit of a dodgy start, I think we are both in agreement now!!

Chrissie, hope your grandaughter is much better soon!

Original poster

chrissie2 · 28/02/2009 12:06

Thanks for all your replies, the hospital she was taken too is actualy a drop in center place that operates when its out of hours for the surgery.

The thing that worries me more is that the calpol is just masking the problem. Like I have a bad knee, painkillers makes the pain go away but once they wear off its back again as I need an op.

My daughter will take her back to the docs on monday if she is still the same. Thanks again for the advice

OP posts:

oopsagain · 28/02/2009 16:30

purple hands and feet are a sign of peripheral circulation shutting down.
This could be a sign of quite a serious problem.
I would go before monday TBH.

And little kids should get proirity.

I honestly think you'd be better off going.
i took m,y 3yr old for the same stuff- high temp, off food, 3 days problem.
They kept him in and did various tests and we all felt much more reassured.
I don't think anyone else sufferred because my ds1 was getting observed and treated.

Good luck

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