Aibu to refuse this Covid test?

[Teacher12345]

Last weekend (not the one just gone) me and Dd woke feeling rough with sore throats. Felt like a cold but DH has been suffering from anxiety, (the worst of it, he only disclosed yesterday and has booked an appt with GP,) so the whole house got Covid tested for his peace of mind.
I'll point out that this is not a small thing as kids are 7 and 4 and it was not a pleasant experience for them.
Ds since then has caught this cold and has had a constant stream of snot running down his face since Tuesday.
DH has said today he wants us all to do the tests again and I have said no.
No one in the house has any symptoms at all so it would be purely for his piece of mind, but I don't think it is fair to keep asking them to do it, just to assure him. At this rate, we will be doing them weekly until Xmas and beyond!
Is it unreasonable of me to say no? I am not saying he cannot do it just that I won't, and I won't ask the kids to either. Our DS was really anxious whilst waiting for results and took a few days to be convinced he didn't have it, even when they came back negative.

[quote JinglingHellsBells]@Tolleshunt And neither is it possible for you or anyone else to decide what is traumatic.

Common sense tells you that a tiny cotton bud in the entrance to the nostril cannot be traumatic. And for anyone who says it has to go right up the nose, that's wrong- new advice says it's not necessary.[/quote]
For YOU. You don't speak for anyone else but yourself.

On Jingling's logic, each of us should be checked twice a week. After all, we could be asymptomatic, the last test we did could be a false negative, despite isolating we could all be spreading covid.

Or we could operate a sense of proportion.

Yes. Some will not be satisfied unless we're all human lab rats or locked down at home for every sniffle.

This and the fact that you must consider everyone else in the country when you make a decision, if you don't, you are selfish.

[quote JinglingHellsBells]@Tolleshunt And neither is it possible for you or anyone else to decide what is traumatic.

Common sense tells you that a tiny cotton bud in the entrance to the nostril cannot be traumatic. And for anyone who says it has to go right up the nose, that's wrong- new advice says it's not necessary.[/quote]
What new advice would this be? Here are the instructions in the home test I was sent only last week. You do not “feel resistance” at the entrance to the nostril.

@Pobblebonk

On Jingling's logic, each of us should be checked twice a week. After all, we could be asymptomatic, the last test we did could be a false negative, despite isolating we could all be spreading covid.

Or we could operate a sense of proportion.

And not only this, but also find the tests a doddle. There's no way we can find them traumatic, unpleasant, nasty or suffer from them at all.

Or just isolate and stay at home for every single sniffle.

Hayfever? It's Covid, take a test every day and sit at home.

Cold? It's Covid, take a test every day and sit at home.

@JinglingHellsBells have you actually done the test?

The instructions in the UK are clear. They don't say 'freestyle and if you feel like it insert only the tip'

Posting photo again as does not seem to have posted

@PhilCornwall1

Yes. Some will not be satisfied unless we're all human lab rats or locked down at home for every sniffle.

This and the fact that you must consider everyone else in the country when you make a decision, if you don't, you are selfish.

Oh, yes, this, too. Or a murderer or a coward. Or all three.

Common sense tells you that a tiny cotton bud in the entrance to the nostril cannot be traumatic. And for anyone who says it has to go right up the nose, that's wrong- new advice says it's not necessary.

From the gov.co.uk website
The test involves taking a swab of the inside of your nose and the back of your throat, using a long cotton bud. I can categorically state that my 5 yo would find the throat swab traumatic.

If you don't all have tests, then I think whoever hasn't had a test needs to be strictly self isolating just in case they are asymptomic. Re your kids, very unfair to potentially expose others to Covid, so fair enough you don't want them to have a test again, but please be respectful of all the people they may come into contact with.

There’s 19 recognised symptoms, however the government have chosen to use four as the benchmark.

Winter is going to be a bloody nightmare.

@Badbadbunny

If you don't all have tests, then I think whoever hasn't had a test needs to be strictly self isolating just in case they are asymptomic. Re your kids, very unfair to potentially expose others to Covid, so fair enough you don't want them to have a test again, but please be respectful of all the people they may come into contact with.

Are you having weekly tests and self isolating in case your asymptomatic? I assume you never leave the house?

I really think that it is not unreasonable for you to have the test to help relieve his anxiety.

This feeds his anxiety. As someone who has suffered from anxiety I know this will not help. The relief will be short lived and then the anxiety will intensify. He will want to test again because he has a headache or you have a sore throat and you as a family will be tested all the time. Then it will be because you have been in contact with someone who has a headache or he thinks he heard someone in the queue at Tesco's cough. There'll always be another reason to need a test.

Also the UK government have said that the reason you don't need a test for a runny nose or sore throat is because these symptoms do sometimes present with covid but they are almost always alongside the other more common symptoms.

Yes, lock up your kids just in case!

Common sense tells you that a tiny cotton bud in the entrance to the nostril cannot be traumatic. And for anyone who says it has to go right up the nose, that's wrong- new advice says it's not necessary.

Oh dear. Do you really think that trauma depends or in any way related to ‘common sense’?

Please don’t give up the day job and go into mental health care.

I hate getting tested every week, its not pleasant at all especially the nose swab. Its like having a big knife right up your nose twisting.

@Badbadbunny

If you don't all have tests, then I think whoever hasn't had a test needs to be strictly self isolating just in case they are asymptomic. Re your kids, very unfair to potentially expose others to Covid, so fair enough you don't want them to have a test again, but please be respectful of all the people they may come into contact with.

How does that work? By your own logic we should all be self isolating permanently as we might be asymptomatic?

Realistically at some point with young children you have to consider which is more likely, the chance of it being covid or a cold?

Calm down, @InDeoEstMeaFiducia - never mind covid, you’re going to stroke out.

Never get these threads where other posters are so much ,ore outraged / apoplectic than the OP

jeez can someone just have the common cold anymore not everything is covid ffs

It’s unreasonable to use up tests when you’ve just had one and don’t have new COVID symptoms (since runny nose alone doesn’t count). So I’d also refuse on that basis.
And I’d say actually having had the test and seeing the effect on her children more than gives the OP the right to say that the test is traumatic for some children, including hers.

I appreciate what everyone is saying and clearly there is a lot of division on the topic. In 3 weeks time, kids, the majority of whom haven't been exposed to many others over the previous 5 months, are going to be returning to school where they will pick up so many bugs.
The kids will be tested on likely hood of the symptoms being Covid related- for example, we had a sore throat which isn't one of the four symptoms but was something people went on about at the start of the pandemic so we got tested. If someone has a stomach ache I wouldn't, but if they just wasn't feeling themselves, I would. I am not being reckless. Due to DH anxiety (and I appreciate all the advice on this) the kids have done very very little during lockdown. We have been very strict and it has been bloody miserable for them. We are doing our bit.

I don't understand the "putting them through it ? It's a swab of throat and nose . I had one last week. It really is no big deal.

Winter is going to be a bloody nightmare.

Only if you let it be a nightmare.

@vodkaredbullgirl

I hate getting tested every week, its not pleasant at all especially the nose swab. Its like having a big knife right up your nose twisting.

You need to ask for a different nurse

@VivaMiltonKeynes have you had to persuade a 4 year old to do it? Have you had to essentially do it 3/4 times because they don't like it so you can't just get it done first time?