advice on children??

[missy76]

Hi, i was wondering if anyone could advise me.

My 10 year old son recently had major surgery on his hip and since then has suffered really badly with health anxiety. Hes been referred to the psychologist which is gonna take 11 months for an appointment.

Anyone know where else i can turn? im at a loss :(

[Groundhog]

11 months?:ohmy: are you sure? that seems an awful long time! Young children normally jump the queue when it comes to anything medical and 11 months would be a long time for an adult to wait. Sorry don’t mean to doubt you but if it was me I think I would check there hasn’t been a mistake.

[racdun]

Hi ya, my 10 year old has perthes disease in his left hip and unfortunately is a bad case. He was diagnosed at age 6. Because of it being a bad case anytime we went for check up his consultant would be on about surgery. Anyway between listening to him and dealing with pain every day he became quite anxious. He would wake up with night terrors most nights and was generally worried every day. I turned to homeopathy and he is doing great now. He feels a lot happier, not as anxious looking and best of all the pain has decreased a lot. His consultant is happy to leave him as he is and wait and watch. The homeopath I bring him to is brilliant and is trying to get the bone to regrow so that when he has his next check up in July we will see a big difference in his tests.
So to cut it short maybe if you check or ask around and see is there a recommended homeopath in your area you could bring him. It really has worked for my lad.
Rachael

[westofengland]

I have three kids so while I am no expert, i would say that
a) he's bound to feel anxious about going into hospital, that is quite normal and it's probably a different kind of health anxiety than adults get
b) speaking as the son of a hyper worrying mum, the last thing you want to do is pass on your anxiety and 'issues' about health, so the best thing to do is maybe keep calm and act like it's not a big deal. My mum used to drag me off to the drs at the drop of the hat, which probably explains a lot. I stammered too and she made a big deal out of that, which made everything a million times worse!

[missy76]

the letter says 11 months before they can consider him for an appointment. i took the letter to the gp who referred him and she called the psychologist but was told theres a long waiting list.

he was up all last night again, its driving me crazy

[harasgenster]

Hi
Unfortunately, 11 months sounds about right for me. It tends to depend what part of the country you're in and the resources available. I wait 18 months as an adult.

In the meantime, you might want to try this: http://www.thebiglifegroup.com/self-help-services

Don't know if it's just for adults or if kids can get help there too. They offer counselling and therapy and ccbt. As far as I know, it's free.

There's also this: http://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/get-help/

That's subsidised therapy my doc recommended to me. You pay £15 per session and around £25 per year so it's not cheap (but it's a lot cheaper than going private!) If you can afford it it might be an option, plus I believe you pay per session which means you could just have a few and see if it's worth it.

Hope this helps

[MusicAfrica]

Hi there Missy

I had major hip surgery for a similar problem - perhaps yours will be the same i.e. an osteotomy. I had no idea what was coming and perhaps that was not a bad thing as I was kind of looking forward to not looking like - or being treated like a freak (which was common in those days).

As one who has been through this and having been a parent for over 20 years, I would not "over-supply" him with information as I don't think they can process it all. What he does need from you is your strength that no matter what, he will be alright; He also needs to know you will be there 24/7 whenever he needs it.

I had my osteotomies in 1972 so I am sure things have improved drastically since then. I would be happy to chat to you if you'd like.

Take care and all the best

Mark

[ditzygirl]

You poor thing.

why don't you google what he has had done and see if there are any support groups. I had both my hips broken and reset as a child because I walked with pigeon toes. At the time it was pioneering surgery and a bit of a gamble. And like Mark would be happy to chat to him if I can be of any help.
I think you both need some support here because you will both have anxieties about what you have been through etc. I know my mum had very little support at the time and she wishes she had done some stuff differently.

I think you get onto your local MP. 11 months is an unacceptable time to wait, this anxiety will affect his schooling and his whole life.

Maybe if he is at a school with understanding teachers talk to them, they may be able to get you some help and support.

Missy - well done for asking for some help, don't despair you are not alone.

Not sure if I can be of any help but feel free to PM me.

Take carexxx

u can tell my Sertraline is working, I have well and truely got my fighting spirit back !!!!lolx

[missy76]

thank you everyone so much for replying. i really appreciate it :)