ILs on Sunday with a possibly sick teen?

[Brunettelady]

We are due to have our xmas at my ILs on Sunday. We couldn't go last year as we had only just moved into our house and me and DH were not very well and trying to look after a 10 month old so we were exhausted. My DH says it wasn't a problem but as my MIL has mentioned a few times about us not being there, I think it may have been a bit of an issue.

Anyway, the house we are going to (DH's uncle, has 2 teenage daughters), one of the girls has just said that she is ill. Swollen lymph nodes. She said her dad and her talked about it and if it is contagious, she will stay in her room (shame for her obviously). She has sent me a link to say that swollen lymph nodes are not contagious, fine. But if she has a infection with it, then couldn't this be contagious? I really don't want DS to get ill 5 days before xmas, plus he has his xmas party this week.

Should I be ok to go is it not worth taking the risk?

I would go.

Keep your ds away from the teenager if you must (but don't make her feel that she needs to stay in her room .

BTW the staying in her room (that was not my suggestion) was also as my DHs step sister is going with her 3 month old DD.

I gathered that it was her suggestion but I wonder what discussion it was in response to iyswim?
Anyway, I still think that YABU if you don't go because of this.

I know how you feel, no one wants to be ill at Christmas. But in my experience, more bugs and infections are picked up in school than anywhere else and you dont stop your children from going to school at Christmas, just in case.

Infections tend not to be contagious...viruses are though...

If I have a chest infection or a sinus infection, no-one else is going to catch that from me....if however I have a chest infection because the cold that I had has gone into my chest (which is weak because of how ill I was earlier on in the year) then what other people could catch is the initial cold virus.

Even if you DS does catch a cold from her, then lots of doses of calpol and he'll be fine - colds in children are very manageable and do not mean that life has to be suspended..

It sounds like an importnat family occassion so I can see no reason not to go...(obviously if you think its something more serious like swine flu and your family and Ds haven;t been immunisted against it then I might reconsider, but there is nothing from your post to indicate that is what she has).

Oh good, I didn't want to cancel because of it. Its just when she mentioned the word 'fever', the last time my DS had a fever sprung to mind, which was when he had a febrile covulsion which was just horrendous! Although I know what to do in that situation now, if I can avoid it in the first place, then I will, but from what she has been saying (talking to her on facebook), it shouldn't be a problem.

That's really odd, of course swollen glands aren't infectious they are merely a symptom of some other illness.

I imagine by Sunday they will either have gone down again, or she will know why they are up, so wait to make your decision until nearer the time.

Fwiw if someone was actually ill enough to be in bed etc I wouldn't go/would cancel if it were my child that was ill.

I would still go, half of the population probably have some kind of illness this time of year, even a trip to Tesco's is more risky than coming into contact with one infected person.

I think it's impossible to avoid illnerss at this time of year.You obviously would have to insist that poor teenager isn't banished to her room on xmas day though !