Gp made me cry

[tralalalalalalalal]

I have told my dp and had a good cry to him as well but I need to get over this quickly because I need to look after my children.

It's easy to make me cry atm, I'm poorly, tired and awaiting an adhd assessment.

My son is 2yr 7m and not walking, only able to do a few steps. Have been trying to get some help since he was 22 months, but none has come. Waiting to see paediatrician through a child development centre- waiting list is 1 year. Saw the gp today, told her I'm concerned that not one person has physically examined my son for issues with his legs. She said it can't be a medical issue, the only medical issue she would be concerned about is if he had started walking then began to have trouble with it and stopped walking altogether, and even then you wouldn't see issues until around 8. She said it must be a developmental issue as he is delayed in other areas too (he's not saying sentences yet, but he says over 100 words).

I asked her what will happen if he starts school and can't walk (I know it's miles away but it feels like it's a possibility). She said 'well what would you want us to do?'. I said I'm not sure, I'm asking what would be the usual procedure. She said 'we take direction from the parents'. I felt like saying 'the parent is not the one that's medically trained'.

I said 'is there no conditions that would prevent a child walking from birth?' She said 'like what?' I said 'I don't know...was hoping you could tell me'.

Just at my wits end. Why was this doctor asking me as if I'm the one in the room with the medical training?

Anyone had a child not able to all on their own and it be due to a medical problem?

The health visiting service has a mobile number you can text with any concerns and they will organise an appointment for you. They are trained in development milestones so I imagine they'd be helpful!

That sounds like a very frustrating appointment!

And surely a GP must know that there can be medical conditions that can mean a child won’t be walking at the usual time? Or at all?

I have a couple of acquaintances with children who’ve had limited mobility, or who’ve never walked, because of medical conditions they’ve had since they were very young. I know these things are rare, but they can happen and I’d expect a GP to be aware that sometimes late walking is because the child has a medical condition.

I suppose that the GP may not have the expertise needed to rule things out, but you’d have thought that she’d be able to do some more referrals to the appropriate experts.

But it probably isn’t this OP. The point is that checking is important.

What is rest of his development like ?

Hello, I am so sorry you are going through this. I am a paediatric physio and a GP in my area would refer straight to us and community paediatrician for a child who is not walking after 2 years old.

I would ask your GP directly for a referral to your local paediatric physio team ( there will be one). Their waiting lists will be less than a year (ours is 5 weeks for urgent which this would be classed as). We cannot diagnose everything but we can look at hyper mobility, cerebral palsy markers and refer to community Paeds as urgent if we suspect genetic issues.

Just to echo a couple of previous posters, have his hips been checked? There are a couple of hip conditions which if missed as a baby can delay walking. Was he a normal delivery or breech?

I would ask gp and health visitor what they can refer directly to. Physio , ot or salt to get early help and on waiting lists. Look up your local authority's local offer for sen. Lots have special home visiting teams, play therapy , playgroups, all great for making friends and signposting, and support.

God I almost did. I just kept thinking 'no be polite, keep composed' but I wish I unleashed hell 😂 hindsight is wonderful thing

So he walks around everywhere on his knees, when you put him down he's really reluctant to stand in his feet. He can stand on his feet (without holding in to anything) for a few seconds and he can walk 2/3 steps towards something he wants. We do quite a lot of physical stuff with him , trying to get him to walk. He's just not interested poor thing

Thank you , going to see a diff gp and ask for this

No his hips haven't been checked since he was tiny. When he was newborn he had uneven leg rolls which I asked the go to look at and he told me not to worry. I was sceptical about this at the time

I agree with previous posters that you need to see a physio. In Scotland we can self refer to paedeatric physio. With a non crawling 1 year old i was seen within 2 months. Also is your HV aware your little one cannot walk yet ? We had HV over 2 months ago to check my 15 month old. She must have been alarmed he couldn't walk yet at the time. I got a call from her this week asking if my son can walk now. I think your HV would be very interested that your little one cannot walk yet if they are half decent at their job. It is a very difficult situation OP, i hope you find some answers soon.

Can he walk with someone holding his hands? My dnephew didn't walk till he was over 2 1/2. He would walk if you held his hands (which meant they were slightly above his head), but as soon as you let go he would just drop down onto his bottom. He had his hips scanned by the hospital and saw a peadiatrician who said they couldn't find a physical reason for why he wouldn't walk unaided. Eventually one day he just started. And once he started he was fine walking alone in days, not like my kids who took weeks before they were steady on their feet, but did it younger.

So I do think everything might still be absolutely fine with him and he just is a late walker, but it would be a good idea to go back and ask for another more urgent referral either to physiotherapy or peadiatrics.

You need to see another gp, you've been treated horrendously.

One of mine had hip dysplasia- this could certainly stop a child from walking if severe. Sounds like she's clueless about children.

Does your local hospital have a paediatric assessment unit? Iv been referred to ours before from the gp and they'll be able to rule out anything obvious and set up other relevant tests.

Also yes to physio, they refer at 18 months in England. We were under a paediatrician and that's the age she said they'd start investigating.

I am so sorry OP. This is absolutely shit 'care'. It is most likely to be low muscle tone / hypermobility and he needs physio, as others have said. I am shocked at the wait time, it's a disgrace! I agree HVs are often better with this stuff; my DD was referred to both the orthoptist and the pediatric physio as a toddler. I'd speak to them asap. Can you afford private?

That sounds very positive, despite he being late to walk he is gaining the right skills and strength, he may just not be destined to be an olympic athlete.
Definitely see a different GP to have his hips checked again and check if you can self refer, or get Health Visitor to refer you to paediatric physio, referral pathways can be different in different countys

@Richard1985 well your “experience” might qualify you to produce 3 kids (wow, how amazing) but you clearly know nothing about GPs. It’s attitudes like yours that are making doctors leave the profession.

Will he walk on his feet holding on to your fingers? I think he needs referring to a paedeatrician/physiotherapist so go back and see a different GP. She sounds dreadful but I have to say I worry for the state of the NHS at the moment. People are falling through the cracks and to get anywhere you have to be persistent. Do you suspect autism as he may have hypermobility which is more common in ASD individuals. My DGD is ASD with hypermobility and although she walks she complains of pain if she walks too far so sometimes uses a buggy even though she is 5. Maybe it hurts him to stand on his feet?

This charity are a mine of information and might offer advice

Contact a Family g.co/kgs/qExwQPS

My attitude isn’t based on the production of 3 kids. Most of the healthcare professionals who helped with that were excellent

my comments are based on numerous visits with or without the kids to see the GP. Examples include:

”what do you think is wrong?”

telling my wife a 5 year old was overweight despite the visibility of his ribs even when breathing out

“it’s viral so we can’t give anything for your child’s cough which they’ve had for 3 weeks and is making them miserable and unable to sleep” - only to take them to A&E a few days later to be told it’s an infection and given the necessary antibiotics to clear it up in a few days

Other examples that I can’t be bothered regurgitating along with the shocking treatment the OP has apparently received for her child