Parents of asthmatics - tests

[Bramblespoint]

DD has cough variant asthma. She's picked up the usual back to school cold. Started with runny nose and now is coughing - but it's definitely asthma.

If she coughs this much at school they will send her home and rightly so they have to be safe. Equally I don't really want to have to have her tested for every asthma flare up

What are other parents going to do - get a test for every cold because their child always coughs?

Yup, test every cold. Because we can't tell without which one is covid.

I dont see theres much option tbh as school may make her isolate for 14 days without a negative test. Im also asthmatic the change in the weather nearly always aggravates my chest , I've been lucky so far not to be coughing much but I know its coming as it does every year. Not sure how sustainable its going to be for asthmatics and others who regularly have a cough to be regularly testing and isolating the family for what is probably normal for us

There arent any tests available anywhere.

Theoretically test for any cough... except there are non available at the moment.

Exactly @User27aw if I can't get a test then she could miss a lot of school for something that's normal for her,

Want to do the right thing for her and the community but it's so hard!

There are no tests available here

The thing is it's a new cough. My son has asthma and a related cough, school have already said they won't be sending him home for that cough. They know him very well and what his cough sounds like. Otherwise he'd be off school for the next 9 months.

I've reminded school he has asthma that makes him cough more than other kids. I know what his asthma cough is like and I'm not taking him out of school for that. It crops up whenever he gets too cold, does a lot of exercise or has a cold. If the school has an issue I might as well off roll him, as he would never be able to attend.

Same. The system is so flawed! Looks like my son will have to isolate for 14 days as I can't get a test. No school, no trips to the park etc. Stuck indoors.

I'd speak directly with the school - say you're sure it's asthmatic cough and see what their policy is.

They may well want her testing - or require 14 days isolation but they may have more flexiblity and they may have already considered how do deal with all teh pupils and staff with asthmatic coughs.

So I'd talk directly to your school.

If DS, digonsied asthmatic - I'll do similar see what policy they have.

It will be harder with DDD1 who was awaiting tests for asthma right at start of lockdown and the GP still isn't doing that service again.

Same thing here and have emailed school who have said they’ll take a pragmatic approach, so I’ll be sending my dc in unless the cough sounds different to the usual asthma cough (at this point I’d then get a test)

Not just school age kids having this issue. My son's 25 and has asthma, he has worked throughout and has had to go home when his asthma cough flares up, meaning less income. He owns his own house and bills still need to be paid. Its crazy!

One of mine is the same and as there is already a case at his school and his brother's I'm not hopeful they will let him remain in school if his usual asthma cough develops in seasonal changes.

I have cough variant asthma and get a persistent cough after EVERY cold. Daughter gets it too but not as bad.

If it was possible to get a test, we absolutely would. But we know what our asthma coughs are like (and school know) so we are still sending her to school with a bit of a cough.

I think it's a case of knowing what a normal cough is for your child and discussing it with your school.

Thanks all good advice

Agree with pp it's about knowing your/your child's normal.

This is very normal for dd and cough is relived by using her inhaler

Our Head said that Asthma is one of the medical conditions where they will accept a coughing child into school (infants). If you're worried, have a word with the teacher, it's probably better that way as you'd not feel tentative when sending him in.

If there are other signs, then do get a test.

Her*

My son started reception this year, he hasn’t yet been diagnosed properly with asthma but he coughs and has inhalers etc for it. I warned the school about his cough before he started - other than asking for some ventolin to have in school we haven’t had any issues over it.

My DD has cough variant asthma. She started having cold symptoms last Thursday and sure enough the cough started on saturday. She's only coughing in the morning until her chest is clear. So from about 9/10am onwards she's fine (at the moment). We tried and failed to get a test all weekend. I rang school this morning to explain that it was probably her asthma and they said we should send her in because it is not a continuous cough. She'll be coughing from now until May/June though as she does every year. So this is likely to be very disruptive.