8 year old has headache and sore neck and doesn'g like light - NHS direct says fine - come reassure me <<needy>>

[NormaStanleyFletcher]

That's it really

I am a bad mum and sent him to school this morning. He got up and said he had a headache but was happy otherwise. By 10.30 he was in tears and I left work to collect him.

He has been floppy and hot and his head and neck hurt, and he doesn't like light (though he still wanted the telly on )

He is asleep but unhappy

It has been really hard coping with him and his teething sister

Just come and pat me on the back please??

wot I would do now is wake him up and see if he still has the same symptoms. Ask him to extend his head forward and back. Ask him to look directly at the light. See how you feel when doing so. Does he seem normal or does he seem poorly. IMHO if he still has the neck light symptoms AND he is not able to be persuaded to come to full conscious communication however tired when you wake him I'd be worried.

And like everyone else, if I heard those symptoms I'd also be taking him in, either to the out of hours clinic or to A&E.

Ill kids often want the telly on, it is no indication of how serious it is and NHS direct shouldn't be making this kind of statement

can you blitz-text friends or ask neighbour to come and sit with kids and go?

you will only worry unduly if you don't

I seriously would go I must say (although it might be a migraine or some virus)

Phone local on call doc, ask them to come out because of sleeping little one. My dd1 had meningitis symptomes when she was three, we were taken very seriously. Who needs a thermometer? You've felt his temp with your hand every day for 8 bleedin years, you know if he's hot!

They did the neck to chest test over the phone and he moaned and grabbed the back of his neck

I told them that - they thought that was fine

I will go and get him to do it again

I'd go with your gut and get him check out this evening. Our friend's eight month old had the dreaded M and he had no rash, was just listless and sleepy.

How are his hands and feet? Are they cold?

Really, honestly better to have the faff of ambulance/A&E and be reassured than not go and... well.

x post.

Neck test - I really don't like the sound of his reaction.

at this thread. He will be fine??? Go with your instincts???

Norma. What are you doing at the computer? Dress kids up. Drive them to hospital. Now.

When my girl had symptoms, I went to out of hours docs at some middle of the night time, and when the docs took me seriously I nearly died of fright. I'd expected to be sent away as a mad mother. I wasn't. He's your boy. You know best.

Message withdrawn

Norma, please do what Monkeybird suggested. This could be very serious. I hope not, obv. but if it is meningitis it gets very bad very fast. You need to do the checks Monkeybird suggested.

Meningitis can be such an aggressive disease,if that's what he has you really cannot wait till morning.

Please take him

I would rather wake a sleeping child to take him to a doctor than run the risk of never being able to wake him again. With menigitus you don't have time to wait and see. Children are to precious to risk, yes they are sleeping, yes it is late and cold out and yes he could just have the flu but is it a chance you want to take. I know where i would be right now.

Will check in tomorrow Norma. I hope everything is okay! Good luck. x

neck thing sounds worrying....see if doc can come out

look it is most probably a migraine .. but honestly I wouldn't take the risk

get the ambulance there

get a neighbour / friend there to watch younger children

Message withdrawn

Is there no-one who can come and sit with your younger child? I'm not normally scaremongery but I would take him - OK, it's a pain, and he doesn't want to go - but I would rather be reassured. What's the worst that can happen if you go to A&E? He doesn't have meningitis and they send you home again? That's also the best that can happen.

It probably feels like we're all nagging but I think (along with pretty much everyone else) that it's best to play it safe.

sorry I have to go

but I'll be wishing the best for you

and I hope you get him checked out at hospital

I too would take him - along with sleeping baby if needs be.

I had similar once with dd - headache, neck ache, temperature, floppy, falling asleep in the middle of the day. as soon as the penny dropped re what these could be I took her to a and e. doctor said - in his best voice "you haven't mentioned that she also appears to have a cold" well, thought I, of course I bloody haven;t because I;m not worried about the cold. he clearly thought I was paranoid and over-protective but, tbh, I didn;t give a shit what he thought about me. she had worrying symptoms - all I cared about was that i had had my dd checked by a professional. and no matter how rude or patronising he was I still think I did the right thing - and I would do it again - in your situtation too.

NSF, I hope you've taken him.

All the best.

I'd get him checked out asap. My dd has this cold virus thing,which started on sat night.She was boiling hot and quite distressed,we had her in our bed (which we never do!) to keep an eye on her. She didn't have headache and was fine with light. This sounds different to me.

You have to wake the younger child and take him to hospital too. His/her discomfort is unimportant right now..

yeah hope you've made the decision to just go to hossy Norma. You'll just feel better having gone one way or the other now.

And if, please, we're all worrying unduly and they send you home with a cold diagnosis then at least you can share the flak with all of us afterwards...

Just go if you haven't already.

hope alls ok.let us know.ive got to go but will be thinking of you.