On another week, another hospital visit

This time we managed about six weeks between hospital visits – some kind of record for us! It’s always the small things that get us here, which I think is why The Fear is so big.

This time Kai was grumpy. Proper unhappy, which is so unlike him. I put it down to teething. Except then he was off his feed… and then he was warm. Low-grade temp, nothing too major. We’re in the middle of summer, everyone is warm right now…. right? No one’s keen on drinking warm milk in this weather…. right? I keep trying to explain it all away, silently hoping that this isn’t a thing. Please don’t be a thing.

Except, then there was this rash. It blanched okay, so in my eyes not any of the big scary things (oh hey meningitis). I mentioned it to a doctor friend, who suggested I call our community team just in case. And then our CCN suggested a gp visit. Who suggested an A&E visit. And now we’re here. In the A&E, with all the fears of everything that came before.

Here’s the thing though – I don’t think we need to be A&E. I don’t think we’re even close to needing to be in A&E. But because Kai has Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia – he’s considered ‘complex’. And with the complexity, our medical support always wants to cover ‘all the bases’ – so they shove off responsibility onto the next escalation point. Our CCN’s point to our GP, our GP points to A&E.  It’s always “just in case” – not because Kai genuinely needs to see the GP or be in the A&E. What bothers me is this kind of mentality is not best for Kai.  Having Kai sit in a waiting room full of sick people, or sit in A&E – we open ourselves up to more colds and coughs and illnesses. Taking care of the “just in case” benefit does not weigh up against the risk of Kai getting something worse.

So. We’re in A&E unnecessarily.

Right now we’re waiting for blood results to prove Kai doesn’t need to be here. I’ve insisted on numbing cream (because apparently using pain relief is not common in under ones. Mums, if they need to take blood from you wee one, INISIT on numbing cream). We waited for the cream, we waited for it to take effect, and now we’re waiting for results. We wait. We wonder. This isn’t anything we need to worry about (……right?). We’re taking bloods, and they’ll be fine and then we can go home. We don’t need to be here….. right?

Cross your fingers we’ll be going home. (Please please please please let us be going home!)

Update:

Bloods took four hours to come back, and they don’t think it’s meningitis or encephalitis (thank goodness!!). In saying that it’s clearly some viral infection of some kind. Poor baby.

Bloods took four hours to come back, and it’s not meningitis or encephalitis (thank goodness!!). In saying that it’s clearly some viral infection of some kind. My poor baby. New question – where is he getting weird viral infections from?!

So, they offered us an observational night at the hospital. But because they know us (we’ve seen this particular paediatric registrar several times before, and our emergency paediatric nurse we’ve had several times before too… I guess knowing the medical team is the silver lining of being a regular at the A&E?) they also said they were okay for us to go home if we were comfortable with that.

It was no contest for us, we go home. We knew what to watch for, we had O2 if Kai needs it, and having Kai at home he’s less likely to catch anything that wafts through the hospital. So home we went. I feel like we’ve dodged a bullet.  I’m so so so grateful we didn’t stay overnight. Hurrah!! Kai is still not himself, but fingers crossed he recovers soon.