OK - Quick survey: A&E/ambulance use

[roisin]

Q1: How old are your kids?
Q2a: How many times have you called an ambulance for them?
Q2b: What was the diagnosis?
Q3a: How many times have you been to A&E with kids?
Q3b: What was the diagnosis?

Q1: 3
Q2a:never
Q2b: n/a
Q3a:about 8
Q3b: mainly v and d as a tiny baby, but when she was 15 months she wouldn't put weight on her leg... she had just started walking. was sent home being told it was a sprain in the ankle. went back a few days later to be told, after proper examination that she had broken her leg . to this day we have no idea how she did it.

Q1: How old are your kids?

22,21,18
Q2a: How many times have you called an ambulance for them?
once when dd2 was born unexpectedly diagnosis hypothermia, exactly 18 years to the day later she had an ambulance called after collapsing in a night club diagnosis date rape drug
also called on for friend of ds who choked on a piece of lego age 3 very frightening experience all round...he recovered

Q3a: How many times have you been to A&E with kids?

lots too many to mention...conker stuck up nose, fall off chair, head injury when I fell in the snow carrying dd1 and very pregnant with dd2, ds broken collar bone,ds broken nose, most serious was post mmr admission for ds hospitalised for 4 days critically ill

1- 8,4 and 13 weeks
2- never (touch wood!!)
2b- n/a
3-twice
3a- head split and needed gluing, and twisted ankle (way ds1 was rolling on the floor thought he had broken it, playing football)

Q1. 11 and 6
Q2. Never
Q3a. Once
Q3b. Ds (age 2) had massive egg on forehead after tripping and hitting it on a metal foot scraper. They were very nice to us and suggested I spelt in his room and woke him up every few hours. Ds was fine - I didn't sleep a wink.

Q1. 13 and 10
Q2. Never
Q2b. N/A
Q3. DD1-6 dd2-1
Q3b. Broken finger, shut in front door, nail needed a hole to let blood out. Suspected broken ankle, sprained ankle (same 1), sprained same ankle again, twisted knee doing gym, twisted knee doing netball, Awaiting surgery now to repair the knee! Admitted for a suspected appendicitus.
DD2 sprained wrist. Admitted with a virus which dehydrated her.

Q1: How old are your kids? 3 and 0
Q2a: How many times have you called an ambulance for them? Never
Q2b: What was the diagnosis? N/A
Q3a: How many times have you been to A&E with kids? once
Q3b: What was the diagnosis? Scalded leg :( But it's fine now.

Q1: How old are your kids? 2
Q2a: How many times have you called an ambulance for them? Never
Q2b: What was the diagnosis? N/A
Q3a: How many times have you been to A&E with kids? Once
Q3b: What was the diagnosis? Chest infection / bronchiolitis. Took to A+E as had been to GP / Emergency GP three times in previous 5 days to be told it was just a cold. DS was admitted for IV a/b's.

Q1: 9, 8, 6 and 2

Q2a: Twice.
Q2b: DD1 couldn't breathe- diagnosis: swollen tonsils obstructing her throat, DS1 knocked over by transit van- diagnosis: Run over by truck! Required 8 day stay in hospital, skin grafting, nerve repair, stitching etc.

Q3a: 6!
Q3b: DD1: Cotton wool lodged up nostrils(she was 2!)

 DD2: Febrile convulsion aged 18 months, broken wrist last year

 DS1: Fell in garden aged 3 and had a bad bump to the head.

 DS2: Bronchiolitis aged 9 weeks admitted for obs overnight, referred by GP at 9 months with suspected pneumonia turned out to be problems related to having had bronchiolitis.

I would just like to add something about nosebleeds. Someone said that some timewasters would call an ambulance for a nosedbleed.

About 4 years ago my husband had a nosebleed that started while he was at work, it wasn't heavy, it stopped and started all day. When he was driving home that afternoon his nose exploded with blood (his words!)It was literally gushing out, he managed to pull over and a passer by called an ambulance and he had to stay in for a couple of days! The doctor that we saw told me that you should always be careful with nosebleeds because it is possible to exsanguinate (bleed out) through the nose and it can only take 6 minutes.

So everyone take care of your noses!

17, 14, & 12
Never
N/A
Too many times to remember
Has included; minor head injuries/cuts needing stitches, Eye injury x2, loss of top of finger, bead up nose, broken toe, suspected appendicitis (wasn't) breathing difficulties, repassing of NG tube xnumerous.......

Roisin, my friend works for the ambulance service and she tells some great stories, one that sticks in my mind is the family who wanted an ambulance to come around to take the grandmother home after Christmas dinner because the rest of the adults had been drinking and were unable to drive!

q1) 7,5,1
q2) never
q3a) 3
q3b) no bleach in lungs or stomach after all, glass in foot needed surgery and AB's (both DD1 at ages 1 and 3), bust nose after falling out of buggy (DD3 a couple months ago).

Four and a half
Once
No diagnosis in the end - she was 6 weeks old and was breathing only intermittently. They 'thought' swallowed reflux or ....
Never (other than the ambulance occasion)

What does "exsangiunate" (sp?) mean? DP and DD have a lot of nosebleeds.

Q1: How old are your kids?
5, 3, 4mths

Q2a: How many times have you called an ambulance for them?
Never

Q2b: What was the diagnosis?
N/A

Q3a: How many times have you been to A&E with kids?
Once

Q3b: What was the diagnosis?
Broken arm

8,6,5 never, n/a, 3, br0ken finger, greenstcik fracture, hip infection
BUT my childmninder caller an ambulance of herself BH monday because the doctors surgery was closed for a wound dressing!

Q1: How old are your kids?
23 months

Q2a: How many times have you called an ambulance for them?
Never

Q2b: What was the diagnosis?
N/A

Q3a: How many times have you been to A&E with kids?
Once

Q3b: What was the diagnosis?
She had d&v, a temperature of 40+, rash, was floppy and unresponsive. The rash disappeared under a glass though. She was diagnosed with nonspecific viral gastroenteritis and was admitted for two days for IV fluids.

Q1: How old are your kids? Ds is 5

Q2a: How many times have you called an ambulance for them? Never

Q2b: What was the diagnosis? n/a

Q3a: How many times have you been to A&E with kids? Never - but ds has been 3 times: twice with his aunt and once with his after school club

Q3b: What was the diagnosis? ALl three occasions were cuts to his forehead: first two on the edge of tables (once at his cousin's football training, the ther at his aunt's house while she was baby sitting) and the third on the edge of a stone step on an outing with his after school club. Stitches only on the third occasion - but they also x-rayed him three times, which my dad (a paediaitric radiologist) says is extremely bad practice as he hadn't lost consciousness and therefroe shouldn't have been exposed unnecessarily to the X-rays . Really should get my act together and write to them, not to complain per se, but ask them to look at their protocols.

I am no stranger to A+E

Q1: How old are your kids? ds12 and dd3
Q2a: How many times have you called an ambulance for them? 1 for ds convulsions
Q2b: What was the diagnosis? convulsions after vaccinations causing spiral temp spike
Q3a: How many times have you been to A&E with kids? about 20 -25
Q3b: What was the diagnosis? convulsions, anaphylactic shock following mmr, severe tonsilitis x3, respiratory distress, suspected heart failure, broken arm, broken nose, broken toe, concussion x2 , split lip and broken tooth, snapped finger tendon and sprained ankle. Unexplained limp in dd (4 times under review)
severe tonsilitis again dd and ds one time each.

Q1: How old are your kids? 3 and 2
Q2a: How many times have you called an ambulance for them? once
Q2b: What was the diagnosis? severe dehydration
Q3a: How many times have you been to A&E with kids? about 4
Q3b: What was the diagnosis?
stitches to cut on face
stitches to squashed finger
no further action required (bang on head after fall) x 2

Q1: How old are your kids? 19, 16, 15, 13, 11, 9, 8, 6, 2 Q2a: How many times have you called an ambulance for them? Never Q2b: What was the diagnosis?

Q3a: How many times have you been to A&E with kids?
Less than 10.
Q3b: What was the diagnosis?
For different children:

a)Baby not breathing. (Unknown cause. Possible meningitis/ near-miss cot-death). IV antibiotics. W/E stay.
b)Child run into wall and split forehead. Needed stitching.
c)Strange rash that remained under glass pressure + extreme urticaria. suspected meningitis. Needed several days iv antibiotics.
d)Suspected meningitis in older child. Kept in overnight for observation.
e)Broken leg during football game.

Can't recall anything else.

Just remembered:-

f) Bead up nose incident.
g) Bang to the head of 2yo.

Think that's it....maybe a couple more..hmmm....can't think of them at the moment though.

Q1: How old are your kids? 24, 21, 17, 13
Q2a: How many times have you called an ambulance for them? Never
Q2b: What was the diagnosis?
Q3a: How many times have you been to A&E with kids? Can't remember - mostly with DS1 - 3 times? DD2 had suspected apppendicitis aged about 8 but was admitted directly (it wasn't though)
Q3b: What was the diagnosis? Bad cut on head which became infected and swelled up, aged 4 - admitted for IV ABs; was trodden on by a horse, aged about 7 - no damage except a hoofmark-bruise on his back; greenstick fracture to wrist, aged about 13 - forget how he did that.

Q1: 9yrs 7yrs 3mths
Q2: 5/6 times
Q3: Chicken Pox led to semi coma, Broken arm, concussion twice, bad croup with blue lips every November, brochilitis 3 times, infant apnoeas, swallowing scented felt pen ink, febrile convulsions (at least 4 i think)
Most were referred by GP.
I could tell you some very funny ones that we didnt have to go to A & E with... my kids have eaten Oriental Pot Pourri, Boric acid from specimen bottle that made them cry blue tears.. you name it they've done it !

Q1: 9, 2 and 11 weeks
Q2a: Never
Q2b: N/a
Q3a: twice (with eldest child)
Q3b: Trapped fingers in door (age 11 mths). They were not broken but had to be strapped together.
Fell off the bed and hurt her neck (age 22 mths). Nothing showed on the x-ray but had to wear a collar.