Honestly the worst thing that could happen

[Ancfib]

I'm so stressed and sad. I've been planning my dds birthday for ages. She has had a tough year, and found covid hard. We are taking her friend out for a fun day and had lots planned. I have a baby who has just started nursery, and the she is now poorly. Which has made my DD have a runny nose. I am an anxious person, and my head is spinning. She is so excited, so excited. And I cant actually believe this is happening today. She is traumatised by covid tests. I would hate to do that to her today, me and her dad and been doing flow tests every day and they are negative. I'm just so paranoid. Its probably just a cold!! Like they happen!! But I cant help but worry. I think I might stay at home with the baby and she go out without me. I'm just so sad and deflated. I was so excited. I have family that are so paranoid about covid which rubs of on me. Everyone around us has been double jabbed, me and oh have our first with our second booked. I just dont know what to do today. I'm just sat in the bathroom writing this because I feel so guilty for feeling anxious. And its raining. Fml.

The baby has a cough and slight temp, older child has a runny nose. All obvious symptoms and they should be tested .

Just below 37 degrees isn't a high temperature. A normal temperature for a baby is 36.4- 37.5 degrees.

Any reading above 38 degrees is classed as a fever.

Obviously none of us can assess whether the children have clear symptoms or mum is being overly anxious. Perhaps you can discuss your concerns with another adult or call 111 for clarity.

We've all been disappointed to cancel plans during this pandemic. My sister had to cancel a weekend away after being traced as a contact, my son was gutted to miss the last week of school and sports day.

It's sensible to have this in mind when organising anything. If your children had a cold before this morning I don't really understand this last minute panic though.

I know ‘LFTs are not for symptoms’ but I thought there had been research that they do often pick up covid when there are symptoms. Anyway OP herself doesn’t have any symptoms does she.

Honestly OP I wouldn’t consider that a temp and I wouldn’t cancel plans for a runny nose.

Why don't you test your baby rather than dd, as they have more symptoms. Just a LFT. Not fun, but can be done.

OP why on earth are you and your DH testing daily? This cannot be good for your anxiety. Re your daughter - a runny nose is not officially a covid symptom so just continue with your day.

Just so you know that the official Covid info re what constitutes a high temperature is simplified - it depends on how/where you are taking the temperature. Generally a high temperature is defined as 38.0 c if taken via ear, or 37.8 if temp taken by mouth.

What a shame @Ancfib

Carry on with you day as planned! Don't cancel your DDs special day over a runny nose.

It's a pain and not ideal but my goodness if this is the worst thing you could think of happening then I'll switch lives with you please!

None of your family have any of the 3 symptoms so carry in as normal, enjoy yourselves x

covid.joinzoe.com/post/covid-runny-nose

LFT may be for routine testing and not symptoms but everyone I know who's had it has tested with mild symptoms and got a positive followed by the positive PCR.

If your baby has symptoms can you test them with LFT?

It's better than nothing and will pick up if positive.

LFT may be for routine testing and not symptoms but everyone I know who's had it has tested with mild symptoms and got a positive followed by the positive PCR

Whereas I know 3 people who tested negative with LF and then positive with PCR and 1 person who tested with both.

Go and enjoy your day and when you get back book a counsellor to help you get some perspective so you can enjoy life more.

Honestly 'the worst thing that could happen'? How about nuclear war? Mass famine? Flooding?

At least tell dd's friend about situation. Worst case scenario is if your dd have it and pass it on to dd's friend and the child gets really ill.

Blimey, this really isn’t the worst thing that can happen.

Let say this is covid, the likelihood is you’ll all feel a bit crap for a few days, maybe weeks if you’re unlucky, then you’ll get over it and you can do what you had planned on another day.

There’s plenty of other things that could happen that would be far worse than this.

I'm stressed, I'm just so paranoid, we're traumatised by tests, we take LF tests daily, I'm an anxious person

I think you need to consider whether your anxiety is clouding your judgment. Have there recently been confirmed cases at your baby's nursery?

Current advice is not to isolate or book a test if your child has a runny nose. Only if accompanied by a high temperature, persistent cough or loss of taste and smell.

If all parents lockdown when their child has a runny nose then they'd barely leave the house or be able to hold down a job.

Stop taking tests - most of us haven't even done one in the last 18 months! Just get on with day & let your children live a normal life, because Covid is really not a big deal if you catch it.

You and your child have had a very blessed life if you think that cancelling a birthday outing due to illness is the worst thing that could happen.

Don’t be spreading potential Covid for goodness sake.

This is the worst thing that can happen?
Seriously?
Seriously?!

@PinkLilyPinkRose

I don’t think you need to do a covid test on your daughter for a runny nose. I think you can just continue with your plans for the day.

I agree. They are always getting runny noses.

Get on with your day, OP, don't do any more tests just keep your plans and enjoy yourselves. I'm sorry but life has to go on now, and I don't care if I get flamed for that, but it's all getting ridiculous now.

I'd crack on.

I currently have covid and main symptom is my nose dripping like a tap and sneezing.
Lateral flow tests are 95% accurate for positive and 89% accurate for a negative result. They want you to do a pcr proper test if you have symptoms but the lateral flow tests do still work symptoms or not, and have proved reliable in our house.
Do a lateral flow test on your daughter, book her a proper test and accept that shit happens.

I’m not sure what’s happened?

Don't take this the wrong way, but you really need to get a sense of perspective on this.

You talk about how tough your daughter has had it during the pandemic - I know things like this can make you incredibly insular, but you're by no means worse off than millions of others in the country and you're MUCH better off than people in other countries where lockdown really did mean lockdown.

You know your children best. If the baby seems out of sorts, warm, with a new continuous cough, of course you should test.

It is shit to have to miss a day out. Of course it is! But you need to stop the thinking that it's only you, because it really isn't. Many of us have 'had a tough year and found covid hard' but that doesn't mean we can ignore obvious symptoms and go for a day out regardless. I'm sorry, but that's just where we are with it at the moment.

Last year, I turned 30, two of my grandparents turned 80, and my dad turned 60. We couldn't celebrate any of those birthdays. Your situation is not unique, nor should you be an exception to a rule.