Sick of getting my 2.5 year old tested

[Welllllllwellllllllwellllllll]

She's come down with a cold, no covid symptoms yet but, as always it's highly likely a cough will develop. She can't blow her nose so gets all get phlegmy at the back of her nose.

She's had FIVE tests and I'm sick of it, she gets distressed everytime, it has been negative everytime. Children get coughs and colds so regularly and everytime she's coughed previously I've got frustrated with her because it's like HERE WE GO AGAIN. My friend's child to isolate when they had croup, the doctor even diagnosed croup! I'm just done now. Couldn't give a flying farting space about bloody COVID-19.

The op sounds like a good person. What you're suggesting sounds like the actions of an arsehole.

This is my bothered face.

😂😂😂

It's a way to get out of subjecting a small child to this over and over. Test yourself instead. Send that in. Job done.

All this shit needs to stop.

Children with long term illnesses are swabbed in the same way every single time they are admitted to hospital and have been forever. Parents of kids with NG tubes have to learn how to thread this down their nose into their stomach. I know this because I used to have to do it.

It’s not horrible medical procedure top trumps, but it does sound as if those talking about a covid test being barbaric or horrific have genuinely no idea about what many children go through routinely. Of course it’s not nice but as someone who had to routinely do much worse my advice is - if they’re a baby, just get on with it, quicker is better, if they’re older, tell them simply what you’re going to do, that it won’t be nice, update them as you’re going so they know it’s nearly over, and get on with it.

Don’t be a twat and test yourself, pretend a cough is old or send them in anyway.

@Whentheshipgoesdown

Children with long term illnesses are swabbed in the same way every single time they are admitted to hospital and have been forever. Parents of kids with NG tubes have to learn how to thread this down their nose into their stomach. I know this because I used to have to do it.

It’s not horrible medical procedure top trumps, but it does sound as if those talking about a covid test being barbaric or horrific have genuinely no idea about what many children go through routinely. Of course it’s not nice but as someone who had to routinely do much worse my advice is - if they’re a baby, just get on with it, quicker is better, if they’re older, tell them simply what you’re going to do, that it won’t be nice, update them as you’re going so they know it’s nearly over, and get on with it.

Don’t be a twat and test yourself, pretend a cough is old or send them in anyway.

My daughter had cancer treatment. More pokes and prods than I can count. I still think all these Covid tests on young children are barbaric and unnecessary.

You only need to test new and continuous. My 3 year old has had lots of colds but I know she will cough with a snotty nose. I haven't tested her when it's just a cough morning and night but nothing during the day as sat up and they last a short time. And my daughter will normally vomit mucus so know that she is chcoking

a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

diwrna - I’ve shared your experience, I’m sorry you went through that too. I hope you and your family are well

[quote Welllllllwellllllllwellllllll]@gallbladderpain hahahahaha a few seconds on a 2 year old okay[/quote]
Seriously do you think you are the only person in the world who has ever had a 2 year old? I've had multiple 2 year olds and i've had to do a hell of a lot worse than a swab on one of those 2 year olds and it was unpleasant but you know what the child got over the procedures quickly. Young children do not like to cooperate for many things (inserting NG tubes is no easy task, they don't like that either but sometimes you just have to deal with these things) everyone with young children knows this (making another assumption but by the sounds of it this is your PFB) but unfortunately like many other things in life you as a parent just have to suck it up and deal with it.
Lets hope your 2 year old never needs invasive hospital treatment because well then you will know what barbaric is and i'm quite sure the 2 year old will cope with that albeit with some resistance but i'm not sure about you!

@bunnyrabbit93 but what is considered a 'coughing episode'? A little tickly coughing fit? A LOT of coughing? A hacking your guts coughing fit?

@gallbladderpain there is really no need for your attitude, firstly insulting me and calling me selfish then not giving that sarky 'let's hope your blah blah'

I am aloud to vent my frustration without a narky attitude from less than comprehensive and assumptive posters.

@diwrnachoflleyn that’s what I suggested but apparently it’s selfish not to pin a toddler down and stick a swab in their nose or throat.
It’s an issue of consent, distress and risk. A person who cannot consent and is distressed by a medical procedure shouldn’t be forced to undergo it unless the benefit of the test clearly outweighs the harm and in this case, I don’t think it does.

In that case the household has to isolate for 10 days.

@gallbladderpain you really are playing the victim here with my child has had worse, as I said stop trying to minimise other people’s feelings. Saying let’s hope they don’t need treatment is ridiculous too and when it’s in your child’s benefit and that is completely different.

@Crumpsly you make a good point here.

Nah, don't isolate, either. Just say it's an old cough.

It’s not horrible medical procedure top trumps, but it does sound as if those talking about a covid test being barbaric or horrific have genuinely no idea about what many children go through routinely

I agree that some children suffer far worse medical procedures than a Covid test. Thing is, though, those things are done for the sake of the child’s health. Sometimes to save their life. Ditto vaccinations - parents know they’re unpleasant but they (usually) get them done anyway as they understand the benefits to their child.

On the whole Covid tests don’t benefit children; 99% of the time they will be negative (especially now, with rates as low as they are), and parents know this. They can be virtually certain their child has a cold, or seasonal allergies, or adenoidal issues, but are forced to test in order to access childcare or be able to work. Even if the test comes back positive, it is extremely unlikely that the child themselves are at significant risk from the virus.

It’s asking a lot of parents to go against their protective instincts and repeatedly carry out an invasive and unpleasant test that they know is largely pointless, and which benefits some nebulous ‘greater good’ rather than their own child. Human altruism is wonderful, but at some point most parents’ instinctive urge to protect their child’s well-being will trump their duty to wider society. I think many parents are reaching that point now.

I would say hard coughing not just a minor cough

[quote Crumpsly]@diwrnachoflleyn that’s what I suggested but apparently it’s selfish not to pin a toddler down and stick a swab in their nose or throat.
It’s an issue of consent, distress and risk. A person who cannot consent and is distressed by a medical procedure shouldn’t be forced to undergo it unless the benefit of the test clearly outweighs the harm and in this case, I don’t think it does.[/quote]
Of course the benefit outweighs the harm, maybe not directly to that child but to the people in contact with that child. Similarly with many other vaccinations that they receive over the years. Children interact with other children and adults.

So what is the alternative apart from isolating for 10 days?

(Apart from lying and being a bit of a tit)

Last august when schools went back we tested our two millions of times - often just raced to book a test when a cough started, because sometimes tests were taking 4 days to come back so we wanted to minimise self isolating time. After a while we realised that a normal cough you get here and there with a cold is not a continuous cough. Sorry haven’t rtft and this will have been said but I’m not putting them through it unless there are clear symptoms.

[quote Sunshineday1]@gallbladderpain you really are playing the victim here with my child has had worse, as I said stop trying to minimise other people’s feelings. Saying let’s hope they don’t need treatment is ridiculous too and when it’s in your child’s benefit and that is completely different.[/quote]
And it is also in my child's benefit that other people test their children with symptoms or if they chose not to test that they isolate them.
You send your child into a classroom with other children while your child has a cough and refuse to test them, it is highly likely your child won't have covid, but if they do they then pass it on to a child who will greatly suffer as a result. I'm sorry but even pre my youngest DC, I wouldn't have knowingly sent my older DC to school if I had a suspicion of an infectious disease either because those decisions affect so many other people.

OP I've never done anywhere near ten turns in each nostril on DD, and never got it in as far as the instructions say. We've always gotten a result. If there isn't enough material on the swab you get an inconclusive result, happened to me the first time I tested myself. I just try to make sure I get it in each nostril and that the swab visibly has stuff on it. I've seen plenty on here say the same.

@HazeyJaneII

So what is the alternative apart from isolating for 10 days?

(Apart from lying and being a bit of a tit)

Being a twat and carrying on life as normal it would seem. I personally couldn't live with myself if i sent my DC into school with covid symptoms without testing them and then heard a few weeks later that another child from that class was fighting for their life as a result of covid knowing fine rightly that the time frame added up that it came from my child but it seems some (if you go by these thread....a lot of) people don't have a conscious.

conscience

@gallbladderpain exactly, because your thinking of your own DC. You are projecting your own issues onto others. Parents care about their child first unfortunately. That not only applies to you though!! Sorry to say but I wouldn’t put MY child in distress for yours! Sounds brutal but it’s true.

@gallbladderpain you mention Classroom. The thread is about very young children. There is a massive difference between testing school aged children and preschool children / babies.

It's definitely different fighting your child to do something that benefits them directly, I can cope with a daily fight to brush teeth and a fight with an inhaler.
But fighting to swab nostrils or throats is a different ball game especially when you are 99% certain that the child has nothing more than a cold.

[quote Sunshineday1]@gallbladderpain exactly, because your thinking of your own DC. You are projecting your own issues onto others. Parents care about their child first unfortunately. That not only applies to you though!! Sorry to say but I wouldn’t put MY child in distress for yours! Sounds brutal but it’s true.[/quote]
Someday it might be your child though you just don't know that. My child is the way they are as a result of a normal run of the mill virus, they were born healthy etc and then one virus has now impacted the rest of their life. So many people on here are oblivious to that, my own childs DC has witnesses a substantial increase in type 1 diabetes in children with past covid infection as well, so lets hope you don't end up eating your words.
To do anything other than what has been recommended by medical and scientific professionals in relation to covid testing and isolating is selfish. We all live in a society together, if you don't want to follow the guidelines that is fine, don't test and stay at home, keep your DC at home, but don't put other innocent people in your pathway at risk.