Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Getting tested - adults and children

44 replies

labyrinthloafer · 18/07/2020 07:57

I am starting to think about what it'll be like getting tested, or if the kids need one.

I don't want to make anyone squeamish so will avoid details but having spoken to a friend who had to have the test last week I am not sure I will be able to administer it myself or to the kids.

Is anyone else worried, or perhaps have some good info?

I think being afraid of the test is affecting me almost more than being afraid of the virus!!

OP posts:

Original poster

labyrinthloafer · 20/07/2020 12:38

Tbh, I heard a lot of negatives are false due to testing errors - so they won't know all the time anyway

It is making me cross tbh, we are having to test ourselves due to underfunded services, which makes tests more unpleasant and less reliable, which puts us all at higher risk. I'm about it all.

OP posts:

TrickyD · 20/07/2020 13:06

I used the kit this morning. Swabbing your tonsils without allowing the swab to touch your tongue or teeth is not easy.
The hardest part was working out how to construct the box provided for returning by post. The picture bore no relation to reality.

MrsWhites · 20/07/2020 13:26

@labyrinthloafer I don’t think they can enforce mandatory testing, but when I questioned that they said any child that has symptoms who has not been tested will be treated as a positive result. Which will result in 60 children and 4 teachers having to isolate. A bit of emotional blackmail if you ask me. I mean of course I would get my children tested if I genuinely believed they potentially had the virus but testing for every cough or sneeze seems unnecessary to me.

Just to put it into perspective, in the last week of school before lockdown my sons class went from 30 children to 9 children because they sent every child who sneezed or coughed home!

Keepdistance · 20/07/2020 13:26

If you need to do one you must do it! As pp said otherwise a bubble will continue with possibly ex shielded children/parents and teachers.

I have to say though that like sockwomble my dc possibly both but 100% dc1 will refuse. We already have experience of this as they stuck something up nose at 5yo they wouldnt let a&e near or the ent so had a ga! But needed a premed to sedate before the sedation.
Following that we had issues even with foot measuring. And awful with vax. Had to be held down. Refused nasal spray at school and had to go to special clinic and be held down.
Even at 3yo wouldn't take antibiotics so.
Suspected asd/adhd so not sure if it's anxiety or pda.
Obviously dc didnt even know about the ga so the issues since had been purely due to trying to put tweezers up her nose.
I think a system built on
Trusting others to understand the rules
Adhere to the rules. Be that test and then isolate when there is unfortunately no direct benefit to the family and some negatives.

The advantage would be monitoring and early treatment.

raviolidreaming · 20/07/2020 14:53

The hardest part was working out how to construct the box provided for returning by post

🤣🤣🤣🤣 This is so true!

hummummy · 20/07/2020 21:35

I did tests on myself and 3 kids a couple of weeks ago (5, 3 and 6 months). The littlest was sick on me but recovered straightaway. The 3 year old didn't like it but the 5 year old was fine. Not pleasant but forgotten about within minutes.

Original poster

labyrinthloafer · 20/07/2020 22:15

It's going to be such a miserable term

OP posts:

Zandathepanda · 20/07/2020 22:37

OP - are you a man? Otherwise I presume from your posts you have given birth?
I’ll give myself and the kids a good swabby shove up the nose and back of the throat anyday instead of the days in labour and surgery I endured.

Original poster

labyrinthloafer · 20/07/2020 23:10

@Zandathepanda

OP - are you a man? Otherwise I presume from your posts you have given birth? I’ll give myself and the kids a good swabby shove up the nose and back of the throat anyday instead of the days in labour and surgery I endured.

I really don't want to put something up my kid's nose. Or my own. I can cope with the throat bit I think.

OP posts:

hettie · 21/07/2020 08:33

We are test veterans in this house.... Administration by health care professionals is only done in NHS settings or test centres of you don't have a child with you. Our third lot of tests involved DD, she didn't love it but it was fine.
And I echo others. We all have to get used to testing and get our kids used to it (sensory issues aside). Test and trace is the only way to contain/mitigate this bloody virus and stop it building up infection rates or lock us all in our houses until a vaccine

fatgirlslimmer · 21/07/2020 08:38

I wouldn't want to test my kids either, I'm not sure I would get it far enough at the back of the throat and far enough up the nose. I've been tested and I'm not sure I would have been as thorough had I done my own test.

(unless the nurse who tested me was particularly vigorous)

feesh · 21/07/2020 20:30

I managed to test mine but it was VERY traumatic, as I explained above. And I have been through some absolutely brutal medical procedures as a child, so I am very much a just get on with it and don’t make a fuss type. But honestly, after the first (usually very cooperative) child was done and was so upset by it, doing the other two was awful and we literally all ended up crying (and I’m a tough old boot!). It didn’t help that the staff treated us like lepers and wouldn’t let me get out of the car to do the kids in the back seat.

My kids are genuinely so traumatised by the experience that I am positive that I won’t be able to bribe or threaten them into cooperating next time. And I used some pretty sweet bribes this time!!

imaflutteringkite · 21/07/2020 20:38

DD (6) is having a test on Sunday. She is utterly uncooperative so I'm not sure how it's going to work. The nurse did say that they've tested kids of children and that she'd be fine but we will see.

Keepdistance · 21/07/2020 20:38

I dont think they want hcp to do it due to using up all the ppe.
I would probably go for a home test one for my dc. 2 of us to hold down etc
But also i cant drive so would have to do that fod me too...
And i expect lots of city people have no cars.
When we had cp vax dobe at chemist dc resisted and the womqn had spent ages doing the paperwork etc. Dragging it out made it mich worse

imaflutteringkite · 21/07/2020 20:38

DD (6) is having a test on Sunday. She is utterly uncooperative so I'm not sure how it's going to work. The nurse did say that they've tested kids of children and that she'd be fine but we will see.

Original poster

labyrinthloafer · 21/07/2020 20:40

Good luck @imaflutteringkite

OP posts:

Keepdistance · 21/07/2020 20:41

Tbh this is more traumatic for kids than wearing masks or seeing others in them. Plus added greatness of putting them off hcp and having anything done

GrishainDisguise · 21/07/2020 22:59

Ah, great! We went through the testing and of course DS's test result went missing. Of course it did! DH and I had mine very quickly.
Called customer services, but of course it is all outsourced, they can't really help you, because the agents do not have access to the results. They keep repeating that you need to wait a bit longer.

MindyStClaire · 22/07/2020 03:01

I'm dreading this aspect of things. I've had the test done to me (bearable if unpleasant) and had to do it myself (result unclear, presumably because I didn't do it right).

A) I wonder what proportion of self tests are unclear Vs ones done by someone who actually knows what they're doing.

B) I've no idea how on earth we'll manage to get toddler DD tested when she brings a dose home from nursery. Dreading it.

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread