3 year old unwell and lethargic - Husband thinks a trip to A&E is needed but I feel staying at home is best. Please help and advise

[Biosblbay]

Our 3 year old has been very unwell since Saturday late night/ early hours Sunday. He hasn’t eaten since Saturday late afternoon, refuses everything, won’t eat yogurt, toast, ice cream, no fruit, nothing, but he is drinking plenty of water. His temperature is very up and down, currently it’s 37.5. He won’t take calpol, as per my previous post it is impossible and tried every single method and way possible! He hasn’t moved in 2 days, when he tries to get up he just lays straight back down, hardly talking, sleeping lots, but still watching TV/ films and able to focus on that (not sure if this is classed as lethargic). My husband is really concerned he isn’t eating, I am not as concerned as he is drinking water still and we are only on day 2, tomorrow will be day 3. I would rather avoid A&E if it is not necessary, I don’t want to spread whatever our son has and do not want to make him feel worse.

Can I have some others input please on what is best. A little unsure what to do. Thank you

This thread has been a real eye opener for me. And not in a good way.

That there are genuinely people who don't know that children not having nourishment for days is a medical emergency.

I think OP will have helped others reading the thread @NutButterOnToast.
We can all learn from mistakes. Hope he’s feeling better soon OP.

Hi, Well done for getting him seen.

In case it helps at all, this happened to my friend's toddler. He was on a drip for a while until he suddenly got up and crawled into a cupboard. Then he was discharged. Went home and perked right up and was right as rain again very soon.

Take care there and well done for asking and getting him seen.

Thinking of you all

I’m not sure how old your baby is op or if they are EBF but could someone come and stay With them so you can go to the hospital?

Hope your DS bounces back soon

Its 'if the fever last over 5 days'
Any of the other symptoms listed before them its honestly a judgement call, and bot to wait until they have been showing any/all of them for at least 5 days.
I can't imagine how I'd feel right now if I'd last eaten on Saturday.
It's nearly Wednesday.

Google had alot to answer for. Even if its info on the nhs pages.
It shouldn't mean it prevents people from seeing GP in hours for a poorly 3 year old.
They would always rather see a poorly child than not
I hope he gets seen quickly in a&e and it's something easily treatable.

If it is a sore throat, it might respond better to infant ibuprofen which can reduce the inflammation. I found this with my DC.
I hope he’s home and tucked up in bed soon.

The one thing that medics have always said to me is that they never mind seeing kids. It is always said with our GP and the same when we have attended OOH. So if ever in doubt, get them seen.

Kindly, OP please don't take any notice of Google or mumsnet in future. 111 if unsure first.

Hope your dc is better soon.

Seen your update OP.
Hopefully they will have the fluids running by now and soon have blood results and things to be able to get on with a treatment plan for whatever is behind him being ill.
Hope you have an okay night with baby.
It must be tough not all being together.

111 is brilliant for these situations, if they refer you to A&E or send an ambulance for you then there's no need to worry about wasting NHS resources unnecessarily.

@Biosblbayi hope your son is feeling better soon.

If he hasn’t got enough salt/electrolytes in him then his body can’t hold on to the water and he will wee it straight out. You can be drinking and weeing tonnes and still not have enough water where it is needed in your body. This is why things like diaoralyte and lucozade with electrolytes are so helpful when kids are ill.

Big hugs, OP 🌻.

Being a parent is hard sometimes. As much as we strive to do our best, we all inevitably make mistakes along the way. None of us are perfect.

I hope your son feels better soon.

I hope your son makes a speedy recovery.

Please don’t rely on Google for medical advice only click on the actual NHS pages.

There is a difference between eating very little and eating nothing. There is a percentage of water content to food. If he won’t eat due to a sore throat you can try things like refrigerating and mashing up a banana or making fruit and milk ice lollies.

I get that you don’t want to bother anyone and go to A&E unnecessarily but there is definitely a middle ground. If you are unsure enough about your son’s condition to Google then you need to contact a GP or even a pharmacist for advice. A pharmacist may have recommended the suppository for example and removing the pain may have helped DS to try some food.

GP can do phone or online consultations if you are worried about spreading germs.

These things happen but please ask for help next time x

Oh bless him, I'm so glad your DH took him to A&E.

Op must be stressed as it is being away from her ill son...so stop the bashing and show some sympathy instead.
Op you did the right thing.. and he is in good care .... hopefully he recovers quickly and is back home soon ❤️

Water on it's own without food can be dehydrating when poorly because it doesn't replenish electrolytes and water is lost through urine, sweat and loose bowels faster than when feeling well.

I hope he perks up soon, but never feel like a burden for getting help sooner in future even from a GP before symptoms get so bad.

OP, I'm really sorry your son is so poorly. I can see how you got caught out by looking at the guidelines and thinking you were doing the right thing. Hopefully you have learned a lesson here about dehydration and electrolytes (I mean that in a nice way, it sounds snarky written down) so you will know for next time. Hopefully someone reading this will learn something too.

I hope your son is on the mend soon. Must be a stressful night for you alone with the baby as well while DS and DH are at hospital.

Take care. He's in the right place now and I'm sure he will be right as rain soon.

P.S. We have a rule in our house - if one parent is concerned enough, we always take the kids for medical attention. Might be worth employing that rule as your DH was right this time.

I’m glad he’s been seen, I’d have recommended it too. A sick child is stressful, I think you should get on the front foot with your husband and say I’m sorry I didnt go along with your suggestion earlier.

I hope he's on the mend soon.

For future reference, little ones can become dehydrated when just drinking water if they aren't eating because it throws out their glucose and electrolytes. If they're off their food children's rehydration drinks are good, or if they won't touch them 50/50 apple juice and water also does a good job. Ice lollies are also a good option for getting sugar into them when poorly.

Also for Calpol try getting the sugar version rather than the sugar free. It is harder to get hold of but tastes far better.

They won’t be concerned about not eating, as long as keeping fluids down.

My DC (admittedly older) had similar symptoms and barely ate for a few days recently. I didn't call the Dr or anything. So don't beat yourself up OP. In their case it was a flu type virus.

I always give them diluted apple juice to drink when ill as they won't tolerate dioralyte. Not sure if that helps with stopping dehydration.

They are concerned, he's on a drip for dehydration. Read the thread. Turns out just having water isn't the right thing and he seems to have an electrolyte imbalance.

Goodness me RTFT won't you? 🙄

Yep, good old 50/50 'apple water' - we always do that too. And milk if they can keep it down (not at the same time of course!).