"Sent home from ED gone wrong"

My child had severe abdominal pain and was acting quite odd for a few days post a viral infection a week prior so we thought instead of going to our local ED we should “ do the right thing” and go to Perth children’s hospital ED, 50 minutes from where we live. This was our first experience here. 

We arrived and my child had a fever, we were told they would get Panadol when through from the triage area. We sat for four hours watching every other child be tended too with Panadol or fluids etc while my child lay still and unwell on my lap. When it was our turn,  my child needed a wheelchair to get to the hospital bed.

Our Dr was an RMO (aka junior Dr in this situation ) friendly and kind. They did what I felt for my child's symptoms and presentation a very minimal exam on them then went to consult with their senior. The Dr came back after some time and did a urine test ( one of the only things tested ) said “it’s negative but I’ve sent it off to the lab. Call your Dr in a few days for results “  meanwhile gave us a script for antibiotics to take for ten days but was told to “ only take for three (????)” if my child's better after that don’t bother continuing.

Confused and bemused by lack of attention to my child after a long wait we were sent home at 2am- the nurse looking very concerned as to why my child was leaving, asking “ oh! You’re going home !? “ My child barely walking holding me leaving ED. We left without any sight of the senior Dr. I used to be a nurse and would not have attended any ED with my child had I not thought something was seriously wrong. 

My child vomited right away with antibiotics and continued to decline. Monday am I went straight back in. We were seen rather promptly this time being 9am Monday morning and nobody waiting in ED.  The Dr we had was incredible and actually flagged down ASAP by the nurse on duty ( I believe both Dr and nurse were called Bethany ) within an hour my child was in emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix.

Because this had been left for up to minimum four days by this stage all four quadrants of my under 10-year-oldl child's abdominal cavity were full of blood and puss and they were, what we were told, a very unwell little child.

I felt everything that was done that Monday morning was how it should have unfolded the first time we went and could have saved 48 hours worth  of blood and pus filling my child’s body which I was also told by the Dr, could have resulted in septicaemia as the next stage.

No beds available on a ward so we spent three nights in a post-op day surgery ward which was very noisy with scheduled surgeries daily. (The nurses on this ward , 3C were lovely) myself sleeping on a recliner while juggling the drive too and from hospital organising our two young children at home.

When put up to the ward after a few days my child was not recovering at all and they had to have a second surgery, involving getting more infection out of their stomach involving a drain which they had in situ for four days.

My child was extremely traumatised by the whole experience. By this stage they had been through a lot for a little kid to experience to which I felt the nursing staff on 2b initially did not empathise with. Another Dr ( a junior within the surgical team ) during this time, only an hour or so after their second surgery visited us on the ward to check my child's cannula, traumatised and still overwhelmed following the mornings events they told my child “ screaming wouldn’t help “ while they were getting a third attempt at cannula insertion !!

I broke down at this stage for my kids mental health and wellbeing.  I was disappointed by the care we received on ward 2b, I believe the nurses are overworked and many I felt have become desensitised to the fact they are working with children.

I felt especially unsupported at night with the night staff. My child's surgical team were however a great team minus the juniors comment previously.. and someone yelling out “ you should take your Panadol then!” When child son was finding it excruciating to take any form of analgesia. They were in pain every time IV antibiotics went through the cannula and was told "it doesn’t hurt!" by some nurses. Cannula had been in 8 days.. policy is no longer than 72 hours.. the anethenatist was told this second surgery and they said they would change it but didn’t, they also left propofol in the line which the nurse noticed before doing an IV flush.

Anethenatist came to the ward to check line and I felt had a very bad demeanour saying the nurses had taken this way out of proportion and basically asked us to hold our child down while they removed the line while taking a phone call…

We were discharged 11 days post, on a Thursday night-mental health slim at this point having been in a shared room for many days and nights.

We were to go back Monday. We only made it to Saturday  before vomiting pain and fevers begun-back to ED and apart from a small wait in triage we were taken right away. My child went through more tests and we were taken up to ward 2b again. They were in there for another 4 days, IV antibiotics and settling fevers. The nurses this time were good ,we felt supported.

My child should have seen a senior that first night, at minimum should have had blood work done to determine a scan. I feel junior Drs need more support, no matter how busy especially in a children’s hospital where children can decline rapidly.