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Original poster

Sending an asthmatic child to school with cough and cold

25 replies

Goldyfishy · 27/09/2022 07:54

Would you? We all have a horrible cold at the moment, (I took a covid test yesterday as need them for work and it was negative.)

DD has just started secondary. The usual “we expect 100% attendance” pressure from school is there.

I did keep her at home yesterday as she was feeling unwell with it and was quite tearful. Today she wants to go, and is up and dressed, but is still sneezing often and is coughing a lot despite using reliever inhaler and already having had 5 puffs in a row (she is on seretide and montelukast to control her asthma).

I think she should stay at home. DH thinks she should go as she can’t stay at home every time she has a cold.

OP posts:
Everylittlethingsgonnabealright · 27/09/2022 07:55

Is her asthma broadly under control? It’s normal to need some extra blue inhaler puffs with a cold or triggers. My concern would be her having easy access to it at school - if she’s allowed to have it with her then I’d send her.

ClocksGoingBackwards · 27/09/2022 07:56

If she wants to go and she could cope with going then she should go. Make sure she knows who to go and see at school if she feels worse.

Chevyimpala67 · 27/09/2022 07:58

No

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Original poster
Goldyfishy · 27/09/2022 07:59

@Everylittlethingsgonnabealright - I am worried about this as when I told her she needs to use the blue inhaler (which has a spacer too) she said she wasn’t taking it as she “doesn’t want to be seen with it”. I told her to use it in the bathroom but I am worried that she won’t want to speak up if she needs it during a lesson

OP posts:
Numbat2022 · 27/09/2022 08:01

Does it seem like a normal cold in terms of what she's using to control her asthma? Or does she seem worse than usual? And does she have PE?

She can be off every time she has a cold if it's dangerous for her to go in - school will just have to deal with it. But equally, she does need to start learning how to manage her asthma herself at this age, and make her own judgements based on how she's feeling.

Original poster
Goldyfishy · 27/09/2022 08:04

@Numbat2022 - I suppose seems like a normal cold. She only started montelukast a couple of months ago though as her asthma wasn’t under control. She isn’t sensible with it and needs supervision to ensure she actually uses the seretide and she went to a sleepover at the weekend where I suspect she missed it.

OP posts:
Sirzy · 27/09/2022 08:06

How is it effecting her chest? Ds has severe asthma ans generally goes in unless he is on steroids.

i would make it clear that blue inhaler if needed is essential though and email her head of year to explain. They should have a copy of her action plan anyway

Original poster
Goldyfishy · 27/09/2022 08:06

I’ve changed a face to face meeting today to a teams meeting, so I am not sneezing and coughing near people, it’s harder with school though and I don’t want her to miss a lot.

OP posts:
ihatethefuckingmuffin · 27/09/2022 08:08

Why doesn’t she want to use it in front of people?
Long term this needs to be looked into.

I would send her in. keeping her off when she has colds isn’t teaching her how to manage it.

I would call the school and leave a message for her hoy to give them the heads up so they will hopefully keep an eye on her.

ItsNowOrNever · 27/09/2022 08:11

It's your decision whether to send your child to school or not. Go with your gut instinct, if it feels wrong to send her, don't send her.

Personally I would keep her at home, what information is she going to retain anyway if she feels that sick?

That's my twopence worth. 😘

Original poster
Goldyfishy · 27/09/2022 08:12

@ihatethefuckingmuffin - You are right. It wasn’t an issue at her primary but she has just moved to a really large secondary and is already overwhelmed and worried about fitting in. She thinks she won’t be allowed out of room to use it.

I’ll give school a call now, get confirmation - in front of her - that she can use it and see if I can speak to head of year.

Thank you all.

OP posts:
FourTeaFallOut · 27/09/2022 08:13

So she woke up and had five lots of ventolin in a row? Yeah, that's a worry. Presumably she didn't get any relief from two puffs and needed to keep going? Did she have good relief from it after all five? And how much longer after taking five puffs did she go to school?

MrsMitford3 · 27/09/2022 08:15

Will she actually get anything out of being there or are you sending her because of pressure from school.

It doesn't really sound like she is well enough to learn?
That would be a decider for me-wouldn't send her if she'd be miserable and not really taking anything in...

And she really needs to learn to manage her inhalers etc (saying this as someone who has a DD with asthma) it is a learning curve but they are so conditioned to not make a fuss-it's ok to make one if you need to!!

Schulte · 27/09/2022 08:17

Personally I would keep DD at home if she’s needed 5 puffs in a row but it depends on how usual or unusual that is for your own DD. Is she good at managing her symptoms? When DD had a bad winter last year I emailed the form tutor and head of year to explain what to look out for; DD missed a lot of school but they were very understanding. Don’t worry about 100% attendance pressure, there are children with health issues for whom it’s simply unrealistic. DD also has a lot of hospital appointments and misses school for that. She always manages to catch up.

Hope your DD feels better soon!

Original poster
Goldyfishy · 27/09/2022 08:18

@FourTeaFallOut - she hasn’t gone yet - but I have just gone and listened to her take a deep breath again and I can hear a loud wheeze still. She also says her stomach hurts when she coughs. She is going to take another 5 now with her spacer. She hasn’t had steroids or been to out of hours for a couple of years now, but due to covid rules she was obviously not exposed to colds so much.

OP posts:
piegone · 27/09/2022 08:18

I wouldn't send an unwell child in to school, no.

I'm in Scotland where a child be off unwell is normal though. It seems in England (I have assumed OP is there) the attendance rules are batshit and make ordinarily sensible parents send unwell kids to school.

Schulte · 27/09/2022 08:23

I would consider calling the GP at this point OP, definitely if she’s still wheezy after more ventolin. Good luck!

Sirzy · 27/09/2022 08:30

Goldyfishy · 27/09/2022 08:18

@FourTeaFallOut - she hasn’t gone yet - but I have just gone and listened to her take a deep breath again and I can hear a loud wheeze still. She also says her stomach hurts when she coughs. She is going to take another 5 now with her spacer. She hasn’t had steroids or been to out of hours for a couple of years now, but due to covid rules she was obviously not exposed to colds so much.

I would keep her home and phone the GP then. Sounds like she may benefit from a short course of oral steroids

ihatethefuckingmuffin · 27/09/2022 08:36

Still wheezing I wouldn’t send her in and contact the gp surgery.

Stomach pains something else. Could be anything including period pain or anxiety. My
youngest anxiety sky rocketed at secondary. Thankfully he went to a very supportive school and never received the threatening attendence letters

Numbat2022 · 27/09/2022 08:41

I agree with the others, it sounds like she needs to go to the GP rather than school today.

In the long run she'll need to take responsibility for having her inhaler at school though. I remember that feeling of not wanting to make a fuss or be different, but she needs to develop a strategy to cope. I pretended it was soooo boring, roll eyes, sigh but if I don't take it I'll get ill. Teenagers might be more responsible and confident nowadays, but I doubt it!

lannistunut · 27/09/2022 08:43

Goldyfishy · 27/09/2022 07:59

@Everylittlethingsgonnabealright - I am worried about this as when I told her she needs to use the blue inhaler (which has a spacer too) she said she wasn’t taking it as she “doesn’t want to be seen with it”. I told her to use it in the bathroom but I am worried that she won’t want to speak up if she needs it during a lesson

If she won't take her inhaler she needs to stay home. Get advice from the GP but sending a child to school at higher risk of an attack but with no medication is dangerous.

AntlerRose · 27/09/2022 08:50

Do you monitor her peak flow and have an asthma plan? If not i would ring your gp/practice nurse and get one.

My son has one from the nurse and its really helpful with these decisions. When his peak flow is a certain % lower than normal it says rescue steroids are needed and my son stays off school then.

The plan says if peak flow is 80% and you have upped reliever and no change for 48 hours to contact the nurse.

My son also wouldnt take his inhaler in school due to embarrassment so i had to work in that with the school.

Straysocks · 27/09/2022 09:16

As PP have said, taking 5 puffs twice in one morning with no immediate relief & you can hear her wheeze still means she needs careful monitoring & a GP/Asthma Nurse appointment right now. Tell them it's an acute asthma flare up in a child when you call the GP surgery. Have you checked her stomach & clavicle for sucking in breaths - if she's breathing in so deeply that you can see suction then that's respiratory distress & she needs A&E. We've been told we can give up to ten puffs for relief but then to ring the hospital and let them know we're coming in.

Salbutamol is like a strong shot of caffeine so she's likely to be feeling low oxygen, higher blood pressure and a bit of fear - take charge.

It sounds like you're both looking at the bigger picture of school & life but drop that & it's consequences and just deal with this acute flare up right now. Learn from it retrospectively but deal with this as it can escalate quickly.

Longer term there's loads you/she can do. My son starts taking Salbutamol every 4 hours round the clock for 72 hours at the first sign of congestion regardless how long it lasts. His spacer is a small tube that fits in a coat pocket. We have an oxymetre from Argos, which tells us when it's time to go to A&E. It doesn't matter that she's a teenager, it matters how equipped she is to manage it proactively independently. Is the asthma new to her? Asthma UK might be a really helpful resource for all of you. You & school must have a plan to hand created by an asthma specialist health professional.

Straysocks · 27/09/2022 09:28

One more thing. How's it going with the Montelukast? Some people can't do without it but there are some serious side effects often to do with thoughts/behaviour. We will never touch it again, it was horrific, but some people use it to great effect.

Schulte · 27/09/2022 17:12

How is your DD now OP?

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