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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

...to not send my child to school because he has coldsores

58 replies

Yorkshiremummyof1 · 11/11/2020 07:19

Every since my son was tiny he's has flare ups of coldsores and they get pretty bad. I mean half of his mouth, they used to spread down his chin, up towards his nose. Doctor has never helped bar telling us to use Zovirax. Hopefully today on our telephone appointment we might get virus suppressants but I don't know if children are allowed those.

Anyway he had a flare up at the weekend, and I know the NHS advice is children can go to school but I don't trust his hygiene management and he was quite distressed with how he looks. Children can be mean and he'd have been really upset if he was being teased. To make matters worse, on Monday he did that thing where you suck your lip into a bottle and end up with a massive bruise on his top lip so his face looks a state. I mean he looks like he's been punched and has blisters all over his mouth.

I'm usually strict with going to school, he rarely has any time off. It's now Wednesday and he still doesn't want to go back. His blisters have split so are scans (blood) and his bruise hasn't faded. It doesn't look AS bad but he thinks children will say he's the coronavirus monster.

His dad and my exmil are saying he's fine from photos but I also know how hard it was for him to settle into his new school and he had major anxiety for the first year after I left his dad.

I want to protect him from people associating him with the "lurgy" but education is important. He's been off two days and I'm just not sure, should I send him back today even if it would upset him? Do I wait for it to completely clear?

OP posts:
ordinaryordinary · 11/11/2020 08:50

Boots used to do a cold sore machine that I’ve recommended on here before, it’s miraculous if you zap them early but also really helps them heal quicker if you already have them. Seems they don’t do them anymore though, it was some kind of light therapy. They do have this one
www.boots.com/herpotherm-10261504p which seems to have good reviews on Amazon too.

alpinia · 11/11/2020 08:51

Oh, and also wanted to add to the voices saying that bad outbreaks can make you feel very Ill.

Waveysnail · 11/11/2020 08:54

I get cold sores in my nose and its like having flu. My glands puff up and.im absolutely knackered. Usually end up in end for 2 days. So I'd keep him off. And keep wacking on the aciclovir cream

Waveysnail · 11/11/2020 08:54

In bed

Waveysnail · 11/11/2020 08:55

And mines more of an itch than a tingle

Strawberrypancakes · 11/11/2020 08:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CandleWick4 · 11/11/2020 09:05

Ah poor thing. OP I feel for him. Suffered with cold sores all my life and when you get a big one you just feel rubbish and so self conscious. Ask for some work and keep him home.
Have you tried the coldsore patches? Pretty good at stopping them get bigger and they heal quicker. Pop one on as soon as you see one and it shouldn’t spread.
I think if you’ve never suffered with them it’s hard to understand really. They are sore, unsightly and they can make you feel really down. Hope he feels better soon.

Yorkshiremummyof1 · 11/11/2020 09:51

Thank you all so much for your suggestions, I wasn’t expecting that. I started to quote and then realised there were too many to quote!

I’m going to check out l-lysine, I’m also asking doctor about the tablets as I really think he needs them. I’ll look at the links someone mentioned about things like chocolate and we will stop using Vaseline. I’ll check out blistex etc.

We’ve been putting a cream on that I got from amazon that’s randomly cleared up my psoriasis, it has eucalyptus and tea tree in it, it seems to have dried out the major ones.

It can’t do anything for his lovely moustache bruise! I think he’s learned from that.....we had to go to Tesco and he insisted he needed to wear his mask even though it made his lips itch. Poor lad!

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