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Original poster

Embarrassing moment..can anyone please add some of there own?

27 replies

sugaryouth1 · 08/03/2024 20:55

Or at the very least commiserate

So toddler is 3 and a half. She's been off colour for the last week. Chesty cough, snotty. Usual toddler bug. She was really out of sorts on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. So we called 111. And they asked us to take her temperature if we could. So I did. And it flashed up at 42 degrees. I mean she looked warm and she had flushed cheeks but I didn't think she was 42 degrees warm. So I checked her other ear. 42 again. I told the nice 111 lady. Who put me on hold.
To be told there was an ambulance coming and this was serious. To strip her down and keep her awake. She was laid on the sofa playing with her teddies and I couldn't see how someone So sick could be so okay. She had a febrile seizure in October (I have a previous post on this) and she wasn't even this hot then

One ambulance, one fast response car and 4 paramedics in my house later and it turns out my thermometer is broken and she was actually 38 degrees and I think I've just aged myself and wasted everyone's time. They took us to a and e, maybe out of pure sympathy and for something to do. And she does have a chest infection and a weeks of antibiotics but I am so embarrassed.
Anyone else?

OP posts:
Rockfordpeach · 08/03/2024 20:59

I don't think you need to be embarrassed by that, given your daughters history and that you acted in good faith based on what your thermometer was telling you, how were you to know it was broken. I hope your daughter feels better soon

AuntMarch · 08/03/2024 21:03

It would have been far worse to assume it was broken and it not be!
Be relieved, not embarrassed- you did everything right.

daysmustgetbetter · 08/03/2024 21:10

Don't be embarrassed
You did what any mother would do
There's no way you would know it was broken

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justthecat · 08/03/2024 21:14

Better that than the worse

Shitlord · 08/03/2024 21:19

No need to be embarrassed, you weren't to know it was broken and acted on advice. You did the right thing.

MumUndone · 08/03/2024 21:33

It's not embarrassing to have a broken thermometer but bit weird to call 111 because your child is 'out of sorts' without having already taken her temperature.

shockedmama23 · 08/03/2024 21:37

justthecat · 08/03/2024 21:14

Better that than the worse

Yep, agreed.

shockedmama23 · 08/03/2024 21:37

MumUndone · 08/03/2024 21:33

It's not embarrassing to have a broken thermometer but bit weird to call 111 because your child is 'out of sorts' without having already taken her temperature.

Oh come on better safe then sorry.

bellocchild · 08/03/2024 22:08

We called the heating engineer out because of a strange beeping noise apparently coming from the boiler. The engineer checked the system - then took the smoke alarm apart to remove the battery. Silence. Luckily he laughed. But we sheepishly bought new batteries.

Mindyourfunkybusiness · 08/03/2024 22:42

Hospital one - was speaking with DM about that time 111 said an ambulance would take 9 hours so we said we'd walk the 25min to the hospital because the car was at the garage.
This was a good 2 years back. So during our phonecall, it hit me, and I asked her - why the fudge did we not call a taxi 😂we don't know to this day why we walked at 4am in the cold morning air instead of calling an uber in sw London. Hell, we could have even taken the bus a couple of stops. No, we terminator walked even over the train tracks to take shortcuts trying to get there as quick as possible...walking.

We didn't think to take a taxi. Or a bus. We covered my DD in blankets half asleep and walked. At times of stress, I dont think we are all here necessarily.

MontyDonsBlueScarf · 08/03/2024 22:43

After my DH died I went several days without hot water until I could get someone to come and look at it. Turns out that you have to press the reset button on the boiler after a power cut. Who knew.

Dacadactyl · 08/03/2024 22:45

New house and couldn't get the hob to work.

Called out a man to look at it after eating takeaways for a few days til he could get there. Turns out it was an induction hob and I had the wrong pans!!

ETA you totally did the right thing! Any mum would've done the same.

Theunamedcat · 08/03/2024 22:58

Ds was ill with a history of not being able to regulate his blood sugers he was a bit sleepy and full of cold his sugers were borderline so took his temperature it seemed very low so I rang 111 to get a bit of reassurance they passed it on to the nurse who rang up instantly asking questions about his colour his breathing etc once we established he was alive 😳 it turns out I needed to change the batteries his temperature was actually high he had tonsillitis

He was the temperature of a "dead person" according to my thermometer i was sleep deprived and mortified I hadn't realised it was the thermometer 😂

I said things weren't adding up

Nomorecoconutboosts · 08/03/2024 23:05

I noticed every evening the police helicopter was going over our house - it does occasionally do so but this was becoming regular, around 8pm, hovering for a good 10 minutes. Made a kind of whirring and groaning noise then would stop.Couldn’t really see it as it was dark,

after a week or so dh posted on the local Facebook group and others liked the post and said they had noticed it too.

some days later our hot water was on the blink. Once the boiler was fixed the groaning and whirring police helicopter disappeared…my dc continued to have a regular bath at 8pm. I did laugh that such is social media other people had ‘noticed’ the same issue!

Notsayingmyrealname · 08/03/2024 23:21

My son had a little bump at school and said didn’t feel well and was sweaty. Early night and Next morning said he felt fine but he was scarily blue - took him to doctors who sent us to hospital.
Blood tests - lots of doctors - said he felt a lot better but still off colour- sent home.
Next morning he was even bluer- my husband then asked if I had washed the new sheets before putting them on the bed!

Rocknrolla21 · 08/03/2024 23:24

MumUndone · 08/03/2024 21:33

It's not embarrassing to have a broken thermometer but bit weird to call 111 because your child is 'out of sorts' without having already taken her temperature.

That’s literally what they’re there for. So not only is it unacceptable to take a sick child to the doctor or a&e on mn unless they’ve got a limb hanging off, you’re also not allowed to phone a non emergency health advice number for fucking health advice 🤦🏼‍♀️

Theunamedcat · 08/03/2024 23:27

Took the babys clothing off to weigh him at the health visitor office noticed a HUGE (almost full length of his back) bruise on the newborn baby we all sat/stood there frozen for a minute thinking how? What? who? Then I (gross alert) licked my thumb and wiped some off health visitor breathed a deep sigh of relief and passed me the babywipes

imSatanhonest · 08/03/2024 23:31

Phoned the police as I had seen finger prints on my kitchen window - I'd come home the previous day to my burglar alarm going off, so thought the prints must have been from someone trying to break in the day before. Had visions of SOCO coming and dusting the prints.

The police came round (this was 25 years ago!) I took them in the kitchen and showed them the finger prints. One of the police officers reached up and rubbed one of the prints off - yes, they were mine on the INSIDE of the window, from when I'd had to push the kitchen window open due to the handle being stiff. Still think about this from time to time! 😆🤦🏼‍♀️

MissHoollie · 08/03/2024 23:32

I properly choked on steak at a restaurant.
I could initially only make squeaking noises then no noise. I couldn't cough.
I tried to mime what was wrong .
I stood up waving my arms about .
Waitress slapped.me on the back and out it shot.
Honestly not a thought of death past my mind just embarrassment

Cas112 · 09/03/2024 00:06

Op.. I was taking my son's temp @ over 38 for 7 hours on 3 different thermometers to make sure it was right to get to the hospital and it state 36.6

Sod's Law. No harm in them checking your child and other vitals though

ButtonMoon5 · 09/03/2024 03:59

I called AA because of a weird noise in my car as I was driving down the motorway. I thought it was coming from the engine.

They came, drove the car around, and told me the sound was from having left the back window open a sliver and it rattling. They just shut the window.

I'm convinced they have added the word 'moron' to my details on their database.

noooooooo · 09/03/2024 04:18

DH got the hotpoint man out about our malfunctioning tumble drier.

Engineer pointed out that it helps a LOT if you turn it on at the wall.

Couldn’t say too much given that I didn’t check the switch either (newish house, first time with a drier being hardwired, the ON switch is behind some boxes that had obviously been shoved) but sod it, DH can stay in for them next time, they’ll never see me again 🤣

sashh · 09/03/2024 05:08

I'd not long moved into a flat in London.

Next door neighbour's smoke alarm went off, and carried on. I knocked at his door. Nothing. Did that a few times nothing.

Called 999.

Neighbour then opens his door and tells me he had burned the toast.

You cannot stop a fire engine, even if you know it is no longer needed.

THey were very nice with me and went to have a word with my neighbour.

MyLovelyPurse · 09/03/2024 05:25

@Theunamedcat sorry but I don’t understand your post. What was actually on your baby’s back?

DreamTheMoors · 09/03/2024 05:28

When I was 16, I went to my best friend’s house and drank beers. Maybe 5 beers.
When I got home, drunk, I just knew if I turned on my bedroom light my parents would bust me so I fished out a tshirt from the bureau and struggled to get it on.
Finally, with my arm and neck caught in the neck hole, I passed out.
In the morning, my mum woke me up and wanted to know why I had a pair of bikini panties on over my head.
Embarrassed and busted.