To wonder how you can forget your child's medical condition.

[Swooshtheninja]

bit of background, I'm youth group leader. We took a group of children camping this weekend.

We have a new child in the group. before coming on the trip, the parents/carers were asked to fill in a medical form detailing any medical conditions the child has and any medication the child needs to take.

New childs form stated "no medical conditions"

New child starts havining difficulties after playing an energetic game and informs leaders that they suffer from said medical conditon.

Leaders check the medical form which states "no medical condition" and phones parent. Parent seems angry at being called late at night and informs us "they didn't think it was important and that child wouldn't need their medication"

luckily the situation was resolved by our first aider the site first aid team and the child did not need further medical treatment.

AIBU to wonder WTF goes on In the heads of some parents and how much worse the situation could have been?

I kind of see where you might find it as the new normal but still, you don't forget it when it comes to official forms! I can understand it at an interview where you are under pressure though.

I have a son with "allergic asthma" where he just takes a preventative inhaler but does not need to carry an inhaler as he never has had an "asthma attack" in 13 years. So on a non-overnight trip he does not need any medication or special treatment. For years I mentioned asthma on school forms and poor ds was hassled numerous times to carry inhalers he did not have or need. I was hassled also. Everyone assumed all asthmatics must carry inhalers. It caused a lot of hassle with various staff members.

So now we don't mention it unless its an overnight trip, which may be seen as wrong but solves all the problems.

I once babysat for a family when I was young, the child was always asleep and never woke up. I had babysat at least 8 or 9 times when I read a letter on the side while I was waiting for the kettle to boil. It was a consultant letter ( shouldn't have read it I know) about a very serious medical condition / disability the child had. If she HAD woken up this condition would have been immediately obvious (eg she would not have been able to stand up or communicate). I wouldn't have known it was pre existing and would have been totally panicked.... When I fronted them they said...ohh she never wakes up so we didn't think you needed to know!!!!!!! I was livid

I wish I were in a position to forget DS has asthma!

In all seriousness though as a youth leader it is much better for us to have the information and not need to use it than be in the position of having a sick child and be missing key bits of information - especially if something happens which leads to a 999/hopsital trip. We can only go off what is on the form.

i know sirzy, its just sometimes it just really isnt relevant and leads to a whole load of hassle. i can see why some dont mention it
otoh ds broke his arm once on a trip. his form clearly stated he was on high dose pred. it made fuck all difference to his treatment. grrrr

You misunderstand me BlueTwit. I am not claiming a feather allergy is not a valid allergy, of course it is.

The thread is about why anyone would not bother to reveal their DC's medical conditions. I was saying that some medical conditions may well be existent (like my DCs allergies to dogs and cats) but that you might choose not to bother to mention them as they are extremely unlikely to occur in that sphere of their life. To use the feather example, it's worth mentioning when they go on a residential but in day-to-day school life if you make a point of mentioning it, you would just look like a fusspot because in everyday school life you do not encounter feathers...

My DCs allergies are: egg, milk, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, frankly lost track of all the bloody nuts, I just don't let him have nuts fullstop, dog, cat . . . gawd . . . I tend to summarise this as "egg, milk and nuts," and ignore the dogs and cats as he is unlikely to encounter these at school and he will look less like an "allergic wimp" - a stereotype that you see everywhere.

I used "Walter the Softy" as an example as that is the way people with allergies are frequently portrayed in the media and my DS, like your brother is actually tough as old boots and nothing like this stereotype, so I try to play down his allergies a bit to allay it.

On another note, some people fail completely to understand what a "medical condition" is. I had a client when I was training in reflexology

Oh, the irony.

I have the opposite problem! I tell people ds2 has type 1 diabetes and it takes ages for people to grasp why I can't leave him with someone who isn't trained to give insulin or deal with hyper/hypo episodes (which happen daily). I would be rich if I had a pound for every time someone's said, 'but it's only for a couple of hours'.

Thankfully his Akela was happy to be trained and this makes her a God in our eyes as it's the only freedom my son has other that school, without his parents.cramping his style.

I often forget DD's Stills Murmur.
If I do mention it to a paed or whatever they just shrug in a "well that's ok" way. (It is. Totally non sinister.)
I wouldn't put it on a form; I'd worry the teachers would worry when it is Not An Issue.

Never thought it might make me a lax parent.

I've written the wrong doctors details down for residential trips and constantly forget that he suffers from migraines, and faints at the sight of his own blood. (Not that I knew this for a year, luckily scout leader caught him after a particularly nasty cut on camp - son didn't bother to tell me!)

He's 14 though and is quite capable of mentioning that he has a migraine.

Given that the kid needed medical attention then YANBU

that was fucking terrible to "forget"

duhgldiuhfdsli

And of course the only place your very very very mildly asthmatic child ever chooses to start wheezing is on
Guide camp, when it rains and they decide to look for activities in the cupboard time, but not dust had forgotten.

Ds2 is allergic to cherries.

It's an unusual one, and it's unlikely that a friends parent (if he goes over after school) will give the dc cherries, but I always tell them just in case.

He's not anaphylactic (sp) but comes out in terrible raised hives all over and it's still quite scary to see.

It's just sods law that the one time I wouldn't tell someone would be the time they had cherries.

I suppose you think you're trying to suggest that I have no knowledge of a medical condition either, randomcollectionofletters - but since I have 2 science degrees and worked in a hospital environment for 10 years, you'd be wrong. But don't let your prejudice get in the way of your "humour".