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How would you tackle this? (DC and illness)

6 replies

Tr33Train · 03/02/2025 10:13

My DC (in Yr6) was really ill over Christmas with a chest infection that dragged on and on and needed a couple of courses of antibiotics to resolve.

She is now finally better but two weeks ago fainted at school and now is really concerned that she is going to faint again, is repeatedly going to the school office saying she feels hot and faint (no temps and hasn't fainted again).

When she's home she is complaining of being tired and is sleeping very well but she's able to go for walks/do her sporting activity and has no obvious signs of illness.

She didn't want to go into school today as was worrying so much about fainting/saying she felt lightheaded etc but we got her in - and just before drop off she was saying she felt so much better and would be fine etc. But school have just rung and said she feels ill and wants to come home. I should also mention that two of her grandparents are quite ill at the moment (one end of life) which I think is another worry for her.

But how do I handle this? I don't want her to miss school just because she's worrying about fainting (and I don't want the worry to become this huge thing for her) but then if she genuinely has a post-viral type thing I don't want to be sending her in if she feels rough. And how do I get her to feel less anxious around potential fainting/acknowledge her fears around that and her grandparents without making it a huge thing?

Any help gratefully received as I feel like I'm failing her forcing her into school and then failing her when I let her stay off! 😫

OP posts:
Tr33Train · 03/02/2025 14:38

Hopeful bump 😄

OP posts:
scandalot · 03/02/2025 14:41

I'm sure loads of people will charge forth in a moment to tell you to send her in but I wouldn't actually.

My DD had a nasty illness and didn't take time off to properly recover and it really dragged on.

Is half term coming up? Could she take a week off now? Maybe school could send some work home to do.

Notgivenuphope · 03/02/2025 14:43

This is a confidence thing. Fainting is horrible but the bottom line is she has to be at school. Don’t make a big deal of it. Tell her if she feels unwell she has to sit down immediately, no matter where she is, and change the subject.
You do not want a school refuser on your hands just as secondary school is about to start.

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SerenStarEtoile · 03/02/2025 15:20

Hi OP

Having just had one of the viruses that has been floating around, she could be in need of a bit more recovery time, although missing too much school is a worry as well!

Is it worth going back to GP to get a blood test to check for anaemia? Also, is it worth suggesting she gives sport a miss till half term (not sure how long it is for where you are but ours is just under 2 weeks). In the meantime, suggest to her to up her fresh fruit and veg so she’s getting plenty of vitamins. Don’t know about Vit D for kids but it is recommended for adults in winter - worth checking for kids? Could you put her bedtime back by half an hour and make sure she’s on board with getting a bit more sleep?

Agree she’s probably anxious about fainting again - it’s such a horrible thing to happen. Could you suggest to school that they put her somewhere quiet to rest for 10 minutes, then the expectation is she goes back to class. Maybe also ask if she can stay in during one of the break times, again for a bit of a rest period.

I don’t think it’s fussing to do this; you can tell her that you want to be sure she doesn’t have fatigue after the virus and that means treating herself a bit more gently while she’s getting over it.

Sorry for what the family’s going through with an end of life diagnosis for your loved one. Sending thoughts and prayers for you all.

Thisismeme · 03/02/2025 15:27

What about getting some vitamins? And then big up that they will help her body recover and she won’t feel faint anymore.

Thisisarubbishusername · 08/09/2025 13:05

Hi OP

your post was a while ago now but I just came across it. I hope your daughter is doing a lot better. I thought I’d share our experience in case not, in case it’s helpful. Our son fainted a couple of years ago when he had covid, and then again a few months later in different circumstances and the two combined experiences left him with a strong anxiety about fainting. It was exacerbated by the fact that the physical sensations of anxiety mimic that feeling you have before your faint, so it became a vicious circle. In the end he had some CBT, which worked wonders.

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