Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Not wishing to worry you or anything, but did you see in the papers over the weekend about the little girl that was sent home from A & E with a high temperature ? Her parents were told to give her Calpol.

She died from meningitis a day later !!!

They don't ALWAYS get it right !

I won't even tell you about the cock-up that Epsom General made which resulted in me contracting MRSA !

I didn't read about that.

Am hoping that the swelling is normal - hasn't got any bigger since yesterday and she is able to move her hand OK. Am waiting for an outpatients appointment for early next week so will also mention it then.

Vonny wrote: I didn't read about that.

Am hoping that the swelling is normal - hasn't got any bigger since yesterday and she is able to move her hand OK. Am waiting for an outpatients appointment for early next week so will also mention it then.

If the wound is heavilly strapped, dressed or bound, can I please advise you to sniff the dressing at least twice a day if there has been an open wound. You are testing for the smell of rotting meat, which is the first sign of MRSA setting in ! Believe you me, you'll know it if you smell it !! It happens very quickly.

J.R. wrote:If the wound is heavilly strapped, dressed or bound, can I please advise you to sniff the dressing at least twice a day if there has been an open wound. You are testing for the smell of rotting meat, which is the first sign of MRSA setting in ! Believe you me, you'll know it if you smell it !! It happens very quickly.

Well as the arm is in plaster (hard on one side but not on the other due to her being young & still growing) the wound from the op is hidden. There's no smell but I will be checking - probably more so now you've mentioned it!

J.R. wrote:Not wishing to worry you or anything, but did you see in the papers over the weekend about the little girl that was sent home from A & E with a high temperature ? Her parents were told to give her Calpol.

My local A & E / hospital had (?has) a policy that they will not do anything for sports related injuries even, in the case of my daughter, when the patient is paralysed as a result of school gym lessons. Take aspirin and go to a private hospital!

Blimey, take aspirin and bleed to death eh? and no under-19 should take aspirin.
http://www.reyessyndrome.org/aspirin.htm

The swelling is normal Vonny, it's just that she is not moving her hand very much (and gravity too of course, what do you think a sling is for?). Also the 'backslab plaster'is quite normal, nothing to do with her being a child, that is to allow for the swelling as well. She will probably have a complete plaster put on at the clinic next week.

Thanks Mary.

The appointment came through yesterday for tomorrow at 11am. The appointment is to see a staff nurse. I was wondering if they will re xray her elbow?
The swelling on her hand has gone down considerably now - a couple of days ago it was very puffy which was why we were so worried.

I don't know if they will re-x-ray, that probably depends on how happy they were with the original op.

Tomorrows appointment is probably just to check that the pulses are all there and the swelling is subsiding.

I broke my foot 3 years ago, the outside metatarsal which has no support from any others and had a backslab on. When I went back 10 days later and was re x-rayed the doctor said, "did you only do this 2 weeks ago?", because I was healing so fast.

I could have then had a tubigrip but I thought that if I did that the children would think I could drive, so I opted for a POP and rested for 4 weeks.

I haven't bothered to have an osteoporosis check.

englishangel wrote:Blimey, take aspirin and bleed to death eh? and no under-19 should take aspirin.
http://www.reyessyndrome.org/aspirin.htm

The 8 year old had no feeling or movement below the hips (so why should she need it?); there are far better and safer means of dealing with pain for the average intelligent person. I didn't know about this particular horror - I simply avoid medicines wherever possible.

One totally irresponsible doctor even had the temerity to recommend (when I was in my 40's) that I take a mini-aspirin a day depite my notes saying that I can have long term bleeding sessions!

englishangel wrote:I don't know if they will re-x-ray, that probably depends on how happy they were with the original op.

Tomorrows appointment is probably just to check that the pulses are all there and the swelling is subsiding.

I'm hoping they will xray. The surgeon said the op had gone very well so we shall have to see. Her hand is now back to normal with no visible swelling at all.

Excellent.

Children do that, scare the life out of you then forget all about it.

englishangel wrote:Children do that, scare the life out of you then forget all about it.

Tell me about it She has now announced that her favourite place to go is the hospital She can't wait to go back tomorrow. She had a bit of a whinge on Sunday when the nurse said she was going home! Another thing she is fascinated with is the pencil display thing (see here http://www.cscneonatal.nhs.uk/up/dorsetpix.html ) - must admit it is quite clever as the pencils rotate due to the balance of the sculpture.

How sweet, your daughter and the baby, not the sculpture.

englishangel wrote:not the sculpture.

The sculpture looks a lot better in real life I was watching it on Saturday whilst waiting for the pager to go off - not for the whole 2.5 hours though

I can see it might be mesmerising, like those things you buy in Globe and Gadget Shop etc.