Mother knows best!!

There are times when I do my own head in with worrying about stuff. Life in general, kids, husband, finances.... the list is endless. But when it comes to your kids health, that's where you should listen to your inner voice! If you feel that something isn't quite right? But you can't put your finger on it. Your worried that you've already been to see the GP twice with Timmy's reoccurring ear infection, you're sure you're getting on the Doctors nerves! It doesn't matter! When it comes to you child's health, it doesn't matter how many times you go back to see the Doctor as long as you feel that you are getting somewhere and that you have answers. I experienced this first hand the other week with my youngest. He's only two, so can't really say what's bothering him. He'd had a fever for just under two days but I was starting to worry as no matter what medicine I gave him, Calpol, Ibuprofen it would not bring his temperature down. At this point though I was still confident that I was doing the right thing, keeping him cool the best way I knew how, plenty of fluids, but when he started struggling with his breathing I knew then that I was out of my depth and needed a healthcare professional's opinion. It was mid afternoon and knew then that I would struggle to get an appointment with my GP. The emergency appointments tend to get filled up quickly so there would be a very slim chance that they had any available. However, I think the urgency in my voice prompted the receptionist to ask the GP to call me back and within half an hour, he'd called me asking to bring my son down to the surgery. 

As soon as we got there I felt as though I was being judged. We went in and I could tell that the GP wasn't really listening to me. I explained that he'd had a fever for over 24 hours with no sign of it breaking but what I was really concerned about was his breathing! He did a very poor attempt to examine my two year old who up until that day had never visited the GP before in his life!! He'd always been fit and well. So to suddenly thrust him in front of this total stranger and expect him to accept the fact that he's going to look in your ears and down your throat, that was pushing it. He told me that his chest was clear and that I should stop worrying, carry on giving the paracetamol as I was doing and sent us on our way. I felt completely deflated and alone. I felt like I had asked for the unimaginable in asking for my child to be seen as an emergency. I came from there feeling like I had completely wasted the doctors time and that I was being stupid. I felt like I couldn't take care of my own child!!

By 10:30pm that night, I was wishing that I'd hadn't given in so easily. My sons breathing was getting worse and he was now in a lot of distress. I called the A&E department and told them that we were on our way. Five hours later he'd been admitted onto the children's ward with viral induced croup. Although croup is common in children under the age of 3, it is still worrying when your child cannot breath. He ended up staying in hospital having a course of steroids to open up his airway and was placed on oxygen. He's completely fine now having made a full recovery but I can't help but wonder what would have happened if I had continued to listen to my GP and believed that I was worrying about nothing. When we arrived in A&E his oxygen levels were in the low 80s. I'm no medical professional but even I know that that is not right. So I guess that what I'm trying to say is, go with your gut! No matter what it is, if it's bugging you, if you feel that something isn't quite right, don't be afraid to voice your worries. It does not matter whatsoever that you might be getting on their nerves, this is the health of our children and if something 'isn't quite right', say so! I'll definitely be taking on this way of thinking from now on, we are their parents. We know them best and if you feel that there is something that isn't quite right, don't be afraid to get a second opinion. 

I hope this helps.

Night luvs xx