Am I the only one who has had a child who took Covid quite badly?

[Mistlewoeandwhine]

I’m just curious really. DH brought home Covid and gave it to my son and I at the end of May. We’ve got two kids: the youngest is ten and he was completely unaffected. My 14 yr old was very, very unwell with lots of the weirder symptoms including an appallingly sore throat, red eyes like a zombie, gastric problems and a galloping heart rate. His temperature wouldn’t come down, despite round the clock paracetamol and ibuprofen, for 15 days. It only came down the night before the Monday morning GP had said he’d been admitted to hospital if his heart rate hadn’t gone down. It was a horrific experience and I cried more than once during it as I was so scared for him.
He recovered within 3-4 weeks and then was totally fine (in contrast to DH and I who were much less ill at the time but have still got lingering issues).
Anyway, surely my son can’t be the only kid who has been actually very unwell? Yet I haven’t heard off anyone else’s child who has been.

No he's not. I know of 2 children who were pretty bad for a while, and one of them it has lingered too and they're still breathless 3 months later.
Neither of them had prior health issues and I only know 5 children who caught it with symptoms, so it does make you wonder.

I'm afraid I don't know any children who have had it but I'm sorry your son was so ill - that sounds terrifying

Curious. I’ve no idea why my son took it so badly. He’s never ill really. Never had a chest infection, only had antibiotics once in his life as a baby, no asthma, not overweight etc.

Sounds like your lad was very unlucky. Glad he has recovered well. I know very few children (under 18s) who have had covid even if their parents got it. And fortunately for them the only ones who did were mildy ill includng my 14 year old niece.

Poor boy.

That must have been awful.

A friend of mine had it right at the start of the pandemic as did her 13 year old son.

They were both very, very unwell. My friend was hospitalised more than once although her son wasn't.

They are both still unwell!! The son is still often very fatigued and breathless; my friend is unwell to the point of having to use a wheelchair. This is a person who was a runner, cycled to work every day and is only in her early 40s.

She is actively campaigning for the issues with long Covid to be more widely researched. It is terrifying.

I’ve got a ‘funny’ chest and a dry cough that comes and goes. My previously very healthy husband gets wiped out by any physical work three months later. I’m older than my husband and am obese but I took it the least badly of the three of us, weirdly.

I wonder if the virus has mutated into something milder?

Sorry to hear that you and your husband are still poorly @Mistlewoeandwhine

Long Covid is definitely a thing.

Theluckiest Thanks. We are ok really. Both working etc but I guess we are lucky that we both have desk jobs. I don’t know what my DH would have done if he had a physical job.

@Mistlewoeandwhine

Curious. I’ve no idea why my son took it so badly. He’s never ill really. Never had a chest infection, only had antibiotics once in his life as a baby, no asthma, not overweight etc.

I read research recently (but can't remember where) that children post-puberty age can transmit and be as badly affected as adults.

I read that too. I imagine no one wants to talk about it re schools returning.
At least I am less fearful about DS going to school in September as I do think he will have some if not total immunity.

Are you sure it was Covid. According to government and advisors youngsters with no underlying conditions have mild symptoms!!

I know of a family of 5 who all had it. The youngest is in primary school and was generally OK.
The eldest 15 was wiped out too. The middle not so much. The father was close to admission in hospital. 2 months later the mum still has issues and hasn't recovered to anywhere close to her previous level.

@guilttripjourno

Are you sure it was Covid. According to government and advisors youngsters with no underlying conditions have mild symptoms!!

In general, maybe, but there will always be exceptions. There are a handful of children who have died from COVID.

An article from the Guardian in June says 5 children have died in the UK.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/23/five-children-have-died-of-coronavirus-in-uk-study-reveals

It also says 71 under-eighteens ended up in hospital with the disease. So yes, while children are unlikely to get unwell, of course it could happen.

My whole family had it but it was a different syndrome in my kids than me and dh.
Dcs 3 and 1 had abdominal pain, vomiting and fever. No cough, sore throat or breathing problems. Lasted 24-48h.

Dh and I had fatigue, muscle ache, fever, loss of smell. Lasted about 2 weeks. Fatigue lingered for about 4 weeks. Dh also had a sore throat about 2 weeks later.