View Full Version : Advice needed - Teenager, loss of appetite, abdominal pain and absolutely no energy
Hello Everybody,
I need some advice regarding NHS services and navigating with a sick child.
My daughter (14) developed the symptoms described in my title about three weeks ago. She got better but a week ago it returned and then more severe. We moved to the UK recently and I am unsure how to deal with this and the NHS. She has not seen a doctor since she lives in the UK. Her symptoms are abdominal pain, loss of apetite, extremely low energy and fatigue, she is incredibly pale. It is an effort for her to move around in the house. Of course, there can be numerous reasons for these symptoms. So I took her to our local medical centre, where she was adviced to wait it out. We saw a very friendly and competent nurse, this was a week ago. She has improved a bit, but it seems as she is having another relapse.
I intend to call the medical centre tomorrow again. Shall I simply ask for blood tests to be done, or shall we first try to see a GP? I am not sure what a GP will be able to do, as it is obviously not viral/bacterial as she has no fever/vomiting etc.
Bottomline: can I ask for bloodtests without seeing a GP?
My Anxiety is of course skyrocketing but I hope to keep it in check in order to support her.
Any advice will be highly appriated.
I think if you took her to the hospital they may run blood tests, but I think you need to register for a gp too. Because of her age, I’m sure if you ring your local dr office or 111 they will give you some good advice.
Hi Scass :),
fortunately we are registered with the local medical centre, but it seems quite tricky to get to see a dr :mellow:. I had her at the hospital last week, but they send us home saying we should just take paracetamol. I understand with the heatwave many hospitals were overwhelmed with people needing urgent help :emot-questioned:. Ill ring tomorrow and sketch the situation.
Thank you for the answer.
Hi Again,
somehow posting here makes me feel better. My daughter is not doing better...we had to postpone our holiday as she is not well enough to travel. I got to speak to a doctor over the phone on Thursday and we had blood tests done on Friday. I hope to have the results on Monday - plus the doctor wants to see us on Tuesday. My husband and I are of course very concerned and yesterday I went down the dr google route. Big mistake. Freaking out for half an hour, hyperventilating and then spoke to my mom for support for half an hour on the phone. Fortunately the child was not in my vicinity. One can literally feel oneself spiralling and it really does not help anyone but as you start you know stopping it again is going to be challenging.
I want to make better choices today. I will try.
The bloods are back but we have to repeat it in 1-2 weeks. We only got an appointment in 3 weeks. I will call and discuss it with the DR if that's OK.
Really freaking Out but applying my skills and by the Grace of God, we will all be OK.
Sending love and positive vibes to you and your family.
The bloods are back but we have to repeat it in 1-2 weeks. We only got an appointment in 3 weeks. I will call and discuss it with the DR if that's OK.
Really freaking Out but applying my skills and by the Grace of God, we will all be OK.
Did they say why it needed to be repeated?
Hello LeRi_81, Just thinking abou you. Hope you have had a good response from the tests for your daughter. x
Hi Everyone,
The results were not good due to the WBC counts. We will repeat it in 2 weeks on 15/08. In the mean time I took the children to visit our Family in Germany. It is doing my daughter good although she is visibly suffering and at times so tired she mumbles instead of speaking normal.
When the Medical centre called me to make the follow up appointment, I did not ask the receptionist too many details about the provisional results as it will send me spiralling. In my Situation I try to be courageous for my daughter as she is tuned into me and if I panic she will be very scared.
So that makes me strong but there are times when you see the storm and you feel $H#& scared and lost, but I focus on the good times and love we have and then I feel ok again.
Thank you for the support.
LeFi
So tempting to go down dr. Google Road. I even know what the diagnosis will be as it's always the same....
I’m sorry you and your family are going through this. I wonder if her symptoms could be related to a recent tick bite? Sometimes that can cause similar symptoms. Please don’t jump to any conclusions; at this point it could be many other things (allergies, virals). Wishing your daughter the very best of health. Keep us updated if you can 💜
Hi Again,
the next blood results were all in normal ranges and she is doing better. She is though still very pale and exhausted and she often complains of brain fog and dizziness. It might be interesting to check into some allergies as she has a recent onset of what the Dr called Dermatographia. I do not want to google this too intensively in case I go overboard. So I am very happy the recent full blood count was good, but still quite concerned that she is not her usual self. I dont know, perhaps it is all just due to stress :unsure: - she had a school change last year and she admits it was really tough but she did really well. Can stress catch up to teenagers like this? I already contacted the school twice about support for her emotional wellbeing, but there is just nothing available as they have to deal with some severe cases.
I think stress can catch up with anyone. Is there any local resources other than the school?
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