Vomiting and probable dehydration - when to seek treatment

[LimitIsUp]

18 year old dd started vomiting last night. Was sick two or three times before bed. Since waking this morning she must have vomited x15 or more. She is bringing up bile. She has also had diarrhoea. I wouldn't be unduly worried except that she can't even keep down a single sip of water. She has not passed urine since last night

When she staggers to the bathroom to vomit she feels shaky and weak

Everything I have checked online seems to suggest she seek medical attention due to risk of dehydration. I phoned for a same day telephone appointment this afternoon and the GP was not unduly concerned.

So a couple of hours later I phoned 111. They also seemed not overly worried.

It his NHS gatekeeping. I can't help feeling that in non Covid times she would have been seen

I would have thought that not having urinated for 19 hours and not being able to keep sips of water down is a serious risk for dehydration?

Maybe not

If dd could hold down some water and was able to urinate and wasn’t confused I would t take her in. In op’s position bloody right I would.

We're booked in and in waiting room

Confusion, completely unable to keep down water, not having urinated is different to a vomiting bug, adult or child. The only reason you have to go in quicker with young kids is they get dehydrated quicker as less blood volume.

We rang A&E from the car park, told them the situation and they said come in

@EdwardCullensBiteOnTheSide of course the sickness bug in itself does not need a hospital but no urine in 24hrs and other symptoms may need checking out -

there is no right call with an online description but most people that have driven to hospital as they are worried are usually right -

I think especially in current times - under use of medical help in current times is a real concern & how people feel they can't access the right help -

I'm glad you're in A&E, I had this just prior to lockdown. A friend took me to hospital in his car and had to help me into A&E as I couldn't walk. Within 10 minutes I was being rushed into Resus as my bloods were "fucking appalling and I'm worried you might be about to have a heart attack" according to the nurse. I had fluids, approximately 6 litres over 24 hours and two lots of anti-emetics. It was horrible and genuinely scary. I hope your daughter is better soon.

I hope your DD gets the treatment she needs and feels better soon 🌸

DKA or diabetic ketoacidosis. Is a very serios symptom most likely to happen if you're insulin dependant. It can put you into a coma and kill if not treated. It happens when blood sugars are extremely high ( glucose metre might fail to read). There may also be a build up of ketones. Ketones are caused by rapid breakdown of fats.

Common signs of dka are

Excessive thirst.
Frequent urination.
Nausea and vomiting.
Abdominal pain.
Weakness or fatigue.
Shortness of breath.
Fruity-scented breath.
Confusion.

So its not what a lot of ppl were saying.

Fruit scented breath or acetone breath , their breath smells strongly of pear drops. Ive smelled it once its non forgettable.

So basically being dehydrated ( when not diabetic) is not a DKA risk.

Stuff like this is why i think everyone should take first aid classes if pissible.

I'm not sure why you think 'a lot of people were saying' DKA Torvean? I asked a few question to see if it could be that. That's all. Then when OP said about fruity breath said that that can be caused by starvation ketones.

Thanks everyone - she is doing a little better now and is back at home

Glad to hear it, op. What did A&E say?

@LimitIsUp

This happened to me a couple of weeks ago.

Ended up in A&E (ambulance called via 111) and I was kept in.

I was passing urine, but couldn't keep even a sip of water down and was vomiting what appeared to be coffee grounds. Lasted 3 days. Had similar a few weeks before and GP said then if I had round 2, straight to A&E.

DH couldn't drive me because I was so weak I couldn't physically walk from the car park to the hospital and we have a DD who would have been with us.

2 full bags of anti sickness drip, bloods taken 2 hourly and 2 bags of rehydration drip. Plus a load of vitamins (can't remember what they were).

It wasn't pretty. Hope you'e in and being seen. Dehydration is very serious.