Has anyone taken their teen to a&e because of their ED?

[Eden1990]

Hi, my daughter is 14 and I suspect she has an eating disorder possible anorexia (going by researching online)
we have been to the GP and they advised a referral to cahms which we did and we have an appointment next week.

She keeps feeling faint and told me yesterday her period stopped after 1 day which was ringing alarm bells. She then opened up to me and broke down saying that she wants to starve herself and it’s much worse than she had been letting on to me.

I’ve taken her to a&e today, we have not long got here and I have no idea if I’m doing the right thing, I don’t know if they will think I’m overreacting bringing her here but I’m just so worried 😢

thank you for any advice

Sorry you're going through this OP. A&E won't be able to help at all, unless she is so malnourished or dehydrated that she needs emergency level care.

Going to A&E won't speed up or expedite any CAMHS referral.

An eating disorder advice line or the GP for general advice would be a better use of your time unless you feel she needs emergency care because of her health.

A&E is for mental health support as well as physical so I think if you are concerned for her then yes, be in A&E. They will be able to do an assessment today and the outcome may be to wait for your appt but they may have something helpful to get you through the next few days.

On a recent hospital stay there was a child admitted to the children's ward with a heart problem brought on by her eating disorder. If your daughter is fainting I think its right to be seen.

A&e will most likely send her home unless it's on deaths door sadly it won't speed up Camhs.

She’s definitely malnourished and when she stands up she almost passes out which is why I felt very concerned.

we already have an appointment with cahms on Monday but she’s not eating anything at all, I didn’t know what else to do in the meantime before she has her appointment with cahms

You’re right to take her in. She keeps fainting, it’s possible her vitamin k is low and it’s effecting her heart, they should check this. If her heart rhythm is affected they may keep her in, if not, at least you know that that side of things is ok and you can wait for your cahms apt

If she's not eating at all then you've done the right thing taking her in. If she is 'in crisis' they will have to respond to that in some way and offer support. Good luck x

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. They will take this seriously

@Eden1990 I hope your daughter was seen swiftly and you're both doing ok now.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this.

I had to take my daughter to A&E for an overdose so I know how terrifying and out of your control it feels.

It’s not vitamin K that’s affected, it’s potassium, which is written as the chemical symbol “K”. It’s potassium that gets affected with not eating and affects the heart. Just incase the OP or anyone else reads this and tries to ask about vitamin K (which affects clotting and vit D absorption) and finds they get strange looks.

@Eden1990 if she’s passing out on standing then you’ve done the right thing taking her in, and if not Monday will come round quickly hopefully.

I think if she's eating nothing at all you're right to take her to be checked over.

I don't know what the right thing to do would be but I'd have called 111 first.

Yes take her to a&e, they can do a full medical check including ecg and bloods.

Please join us on the teens with ED thread for more advice and support.

If she is not eating anything her potassium and sodium levels will be a concern. I cannot eat when I am anxious and passed out (at the top of the stairs!) after 5/6 days of nothing - could drink fluid but food was like chewing loft insulation so gave up. I'm a hefty sort and thought it wouldn't do me any harm to not eat for a bit.
I was lucky DH sort of caught me but I had a nasty bang on the head and was talking gibberish so went to A&E in an ambulance as I couldn't stand/walk properly. So sorry for your poor DD and you it sounds hellish but at least she has opened up to you and you will both hopefully get some support x

Make sure they check her heart and her kidneys.

Absolutely the right thing to take her to A and E, happened recently to a friend of mine and her child ended up in ICU.

If she had gone in a day or two later her daughter would be dead they said (and she wasn't fainting!)

I’ve done this 3 times to date and DD has been admitted each time.
My heart goes out to you, we’re 2 and a half years into this awful nightmare and I’ve spent the whole afternoon and evening on and off crying as I don’t know if DD will ever be free of this illness. It absolutely tears your life apart.

I have done this - it’s the right thing to do. I suspect you are still there and, depending on her weight, you may be there for 5-7 days. Lots of love. You have done the right thing x

@TentChristmas
yes, my bad, thanks for correcting

Thank you for the replies everyone, thankfully her tests came back normal, which did surprise me considering her physical symptoms, the a&e dr was absolutely clueless and advised my daughter to ‘just go to the gym and then you can burn off the calories’ and ‘why can’t you just eat something’
anyway glad we have an appointment on Monday with cahms holding out some hope they can help her.

Bloody hell eden that is a shocking response from the Dr.

Please do join the teens with ED thread, there's lots of us at various stages of caring for a teen with an ED and we're a supportive group.

Have you started looking at FBT? It's the main treatment for kids with anorexia and is v hard but does work.

I’m so glad her bloods were all normal, but so sorry that your doctor was clueless. Good luck with camhs on Monday.

Absolutely!

Many times I did when she was a teen (now almost 21) only one time I think we fast tracked an admission through the GP.