Thank you Winchester Hospital and the NHS!
At the start of the year Boo & Mummy were a little quiet. This was partly due to Boo having her first trip to A & E which was a little scary (understatement) for Mummy...and Boo!
Mothers instinct. There's no denying it. You just know. When something isn't right, when you know your little one needs medical attention, you just know and you do whatever you need to do.
Boo developed eczema in November, not something we are familiar with as a family but Oilatum bath products seemed to be helping. One night, when lifting Boo from the bath, we noticed a few spots on Boo's back which looked sore. The surgery was closed, we were worried and knew we wouldn't rest until a medical professional had seen Boo. We dutifully phoned 111 and were sent to the hospital to the out of hours doctor. Minds were put at ease and the next steps were to see how the rash developed and see a GP the next day. The GP suggested there was nothing to be alarmed about, Boo's eczema had become infected. Phew! Doublebase cream on the infected area and she should be fine, an easy remedy.
The next day was a Saturday, I knew we couldn't go back to the doctors as they were closed, but I also knew I couldn't rest and wasn't happy with the diagnosis... There was definitely something more seriously wrong with Boo, the spots had spread, some had blistered, she'd hardly slept and we wanted to know what was going on. I was too worried to wait the two hours for the response from 111, so Boo & Mummy (and Daddy & Moo) went to A&E. The doctors were very pleased we had gone in and we were ushered into a small room, put in quarantine, and told that it might be impetigo which was highly contagious. More doctors, more checks, more concerned looks from Boo, second opinions, third opinions, we were getting worried but the doctors agreed we had done the right thing taking her in. Phew.
Infected eczema, viral infections, swabs taken to determine what was really going on. Antibiotics and home to rest with me feeling marginally better, we had a diagnosis and a treatment. Boo didn't want to play, or eat, or be put down to sleep, neither did she want to be on her own at night. Poor Boo. So helpless and confused by it all.
Sunday went by in a blur, Monday I still wasn't happy. Some spots had dried out, scabbed over and were falling off, but some had become pustular, others had blistered, and it was definitely spreading... Back to the hospital, to Sophie's Place on the children's ward. Four hours later, another diagnosis, now the antibiotics were working, the infected eczema was healing leaving the other spots to be seen as a two other separate viruses. I was very pleased to hear the words 'non-threatening illness' but it still took another nurse and three more separate opinions. So now she had two different viral infections, a teething rash and infected eczema. Poor Boo! But we felt so much better now we knew what it was and how to treat it, and a close eye was kept on those pesky spots to see if they changed, spread or got itchy over the following days. The swab results confirmed the viral infections. What a worry these little people are!
The moral of the story is DON'T WAIT, the system is there for a reason, and it works. As a parent you know when something isn't right, you won't truly rest until everything possible has been done to ensure your little one is on the mend and feeling themselves again. Everyone we dealt with was so reassuring and helpful, and so wonderful with Boo, we were never made to feel we had overreacted or were wasting anyone's time. Do what needs to be done, don't ever put it off, get the medical help they need as soon as they need it X
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