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

I'm glad your sons okay and has been diagnosed. Poor thing.

Every child is different and things can go down hill rapidly when they are ill. I personally believe it's always worth getting checked out with a child. Adults wasting A&E time is one thing but with children I think it's always worth checking.

I'm really sorry to hear that. My daughter had to have 20cm of intestine removed (hers was intussusception) but we avoided sepsis. She saw 7 doctors before they identified intussusception. Like you we were told gastritis (I kept saying I didn't think so, as she wasn't pooping at all or even passing wind).

It beggars belief tbh.

Intussusception for my son too. He was 8 at the time and it's incredibly rare for older children to have that type of obstruction so it wasn't considered until hours and hours later with a surgical registrar still insisting it was gastro and that he wasn't surgical. It was infuriating.

He ended up with a stoma for 9 months but was able to have it reversed which was a year ago in November. 5 surgeries in total including his reversal.

I'd have been like you OP, nothing screamed emergency to me. 'Very unwell' or just 'unwell' are subjective and nothing suggested 'very unwell' to me. Not eating for a couple of days I'd have just thought sore throat and not feeling well.

Almost all tonsillitis cases are viral and antibiotics won't do anything. You just get over it at home.

No wonder A and E is such a disaster if everyone takes their kids there for a sore throat.

My daughter was 6. Also incredibly rare!

Somewhere between 15-30% are bacterial so whilst a minority it is a substantial one and given how much he has perked up on them

thise symptoms and age he could have been treated as a pharmacy it is a great resource and indeed the last times DS and DD were they were treated by them and DS got antibiotics

either that or a doctors appt

tje fact he stayed overnight is a sign of how ill he was presenting so yes some form of medical appointment yesterday would have been appropriate

@Tiswa But everyone seems to be overlooking that if OP had taken him to a GP sooner, they’d no doubt have sent him him with “Cuddles and Calpol. It’s just a virus”. It only became serious once he was dehydrated. At which point OP did get him looked at.

Hope your little one is home with you soon and back to his normal self.

@Biosblbaypleased he is improving. They made our dd drink small amounts of apple juice using a syringe at the hospital to boost sugar levels whilst being on the drip. Now when she is sick I get her to have juice at home (we only drink water otherwise). It's so hard to know how unwell they really feel when they are so little. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in soon.

OP you still sound a bit blase about the whole thing. If he has strep throat he really needs those antibiotics to prevent the risk of getting rheumatic fever. That’s not something you can just treat at home without any medical input. Tonsillitis can be really nasty and serious if not treated. GPs will generally see a child quickly especially a 3 year old.

Sometimes there can be a stoicism with healthcare that can be just as much a problem as over-utilising it.

When my 2 year old needed penicillin (for an ear infection) which she refused my pharmacist recommended mixing it with yoghurt which worked. Hope your little one is on the mend. Also remember you can give dioralyte to children to help with dehydration.

Have they done a test for diabetes? My 2 year old was diagnosed with diabetes last year, main sign was drinking and weeing a lot. Its a very simple and quick test for glucose and ketones in urine so worth asking for while you are in hospital to rule it out if they haven't done it already.

She sounds rather sensible to me. In hindsight, going to the GP on Monday or Tuesday would have been better, but they weren't concerned enough to give him IV antibiotics, or to cannulate (and if they really feel they need to, they will, even if it's hard, been there many times...) Antibiotics and making sure he drinks regularly is their plan, nothing a GP wouldn't have been able to do. Waiting a few days to see if a fever subsides is pretty normal surely, as is being tired and off food when ill. I can totally see why the OP was relaxed about it.

He was clearly poorly and needed some medical attention, but I think people are laying it on thick with 'he was very seriously unwell'. No, he has tonsillitis and has been prescribed oral antibiotics.

Hope he gets well soon OP. In the meantime, apple juice is really useful! Super cold from the fridge will be soothing on his throat as well.

I can’t believe that your take home from this was it was just tonsillitis and it could of been treated at home.

You weren’t treating it at home though, you weren’t doing anything and the poor lad was in pain.

I agree that some times and A&E trip feels really dramatic. But he was lethargic and in pain. A GP call on the Monday would have been at the minimum a parental responsibly and to find a way to help him feel a bit better.

I know I sound brutal right now and some MN don’t like that, but Op please learn from this. He is 3 those were red flag signs.

Well the GP might have suggested electrolyte drinks, ice lollies, juice etc and OP’s son may not have become dangerously dehydrated. Though in my experience GPs are very cautious with children.

Do you really not get that not eating for three days is dangerous for a three year old?

Well done for getting him to A&E and getting the necessary treatment.

Having been similar to you in the past and then seeing my (then) seven year old being rushed to hospital with pneumonia I am definitely now NOT a watch and wait parent. I have a nebuliser at home and an oximeter which has the advantage of giving pulse rate as well. I have found 111 to be excellent as they will organise an appointment with OOH GP if late at night or pre-organise walk-in clinic appointment or an urgent care appointment.

Honestly the peace of mind that comes with that service! 🙏. Fingers crossed a quick recovery 💐

Ermmm..do you understand the difference between viral and bacterial tonsilitis and the causes/risks in young children? He would not have just magically recovered from bacterial tonsilitis at home with what you were doing (or not doing), OP.

Wow this thread 😖😖
A very small child had not moved for 2 days .. let that sink in first. Hardly talking .. let that sink in. How can anyone think this is normal/acceptable/not worrying for a small child?! He turned out to be so dehydrated they couldn’t insert a cannula after 7 attempts .. and many of you still think this child would have been fine at home?! 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

Not much to add from a health perspective but it's good to see you not panicking, op. This can sometimes be counter-productive. You DID take your son to hospital, and you haven't ignored the issue. I hope he gets well very soon.