Well I won't be testing my son again

[firef1y]

DS11, SN with sensory issues, was sneezing like crazy on Wednesday, was pretty convinced it was his usual allergies but decided to do a lft on him just in case. Knew throat would be impossible, he started gagging before I'd even opened the swab. So did both nostrils, negative result, as expected, but we've now had 36hours of intermittent nosebleeds.
He's not in school ATM, so no worries about that. Sneezing, as expected, has stopped.
But there's no way I'll be putting him through that twice a week once he's back in school.

Definitely look into saliva tests but you don’t have to test and can choose to isolate.

Certainly for attendance reasons I think people test to rule out not find covid to avoid isolation but if the tests aren’t an option then you can choose to isolate for ten days. Provided there are no new symptoms at the end of the ten days you’re free to go back to normal activities.

I have nosebleeds every time I do one as well. I was even observed by a HCP doing one who told me that nosebleeds happen a lot, despite people doing the tests properly (as I was).

Also, I think people are meaning mean. Nose bleeds can happen. I was tested before an op. The tester was very thorough and it didn't hurt during but my nose really hurt for days after! Wasn't bleeding but very sore - ir can happen. Even says about nose bleeds in the instructions.

Testing a child with sen can be hard and tbh op I think that it's an achievement you got it done! My Ds won't even allow the swab to go near his face - last time Dp had to hold his hands down so he couldn't hit it away!

I don't think anyone has any idea who traumatic testing a child or teen with sen is too until they've experienced it!! My son won't stay still for it at all! You just have to do your best!

I don’t really understand why you have come on mumsnet to tell everyone. You don’t have to do the tests so if it’s such an issue then just don’t do them. It sounds like you’ve made your mind up so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Sticking a bud up the nose isn’t going to give anyone a nosebleed unless it’s done very forcefully and incorrectly - and if that turned out to bleed excessively like an actual nosebleed that would be concerning. It’s more likely to be down to something else.
I do feel for you though - testing my three year old was pretty much impossible. You’d think they’d come up with a better way of doing it for young children and those with sensory issues. I did my best with it, the test came back negative and then the rest of the family caught Covid - I don’t think anyone testing a writhing child of any age is getting the most accurate results so it seems a bit pointless.

Oooh I swabbed my son last week and it was horrific and last few nights he’s woken up with nose bleeds!! I hadn’t made the link till this thread

It sounds like you're trying to influence others not to do them either. My kids have done hundreds of LFTs and never had a single nosebleed. You must havedone it pretty hard to have caused that!

He has the right to refuse.

@boon

It sounds like you're trying to influence others not to do them either. My kids have done hundreds of LFTs and never had a single nosebleed. You must havedone it pretty hard to have caused that!

No it doesn’t sound like that at all.

I had one done at a private clinic in Spain which caused a nosebleed. Should have told the Dr she was doing it wrong

Two of my kids have ASD. One has sensory processing disorder and God knows about the other one as its impossible to access occupational therapy in my county to know what's going on sensory wise.

The sensory disorder child does his own, my youngest I only put the fluffy bit of the swab half in her nose. I can not swop her throat at all. It's the best you can do frankly.

@boon

It sounds like you're trying to influence others not to do them either. My kids have done hundreds of LFTs and never had a single nosebleed. You must havedone it pretty hard to have caused that!

Agreed.

Yeah you know what? When your SN child with sensory issues is writhing around and screaming it’s not always that easy to be ‘gentle’. So the people being cunts to the OP about it can fuck off.

@boon

It sounds like you're trying to influence others not to do them either. My kids have done hundreds of LFTs and never had a single nosebleed. You must havedone it pretty hard to have caused that!

Do your kids have SEN and sensory issues?

@ThePoisonousMushroom

My kid isn’t SN or have sensory issues and it’s a ducking nightmare!!!! And now we just got a message saying his negative may be wrong so please redo it!!

My DD has got Tourette’s. Testing her is impossible so I bought some saliva ones which her college were happy to accept - might be worth a try maybe?

They’re not particularly cheap so I’m not buying them for twice weekly testing but she doesn’t one every couple of weeks.

@alloalloallo

Ooh please can you send the link?

@OnceuponaRainbow18 www.euroffice.co.uk/product/panodyne-sars-cov-2-antigen-saliva-test-kit/eo0gv1

@alloalloallo

Thanks

Did someone use up all the empathy? Mumsnet is shocking these days.

@AppleJane

Did someone use up all the empathy? Mumsnet is shocking these days.

Yes. People care more about making sure others keep ‘safe’ from Covid than they do about empathising with someone who is struggling with a shitty situation. They’re more than welcome to come here and ‘gently’ carry out a Covid test on my distressed, thrashing around SN child. They can also ‘gently’ pin him down for his flu nasal spray, like I had to last week while being hit and kicked, and ‘gently’ pin him down for all the other medical procedures he may need 👍

You know what I put my child through he'll doing "the right thing", and with the attitudes of some people in here I really can't see why I did it.
I'm not trying to persuade anyone not to have the tests, his younger NT brother has had several. Nowhere on the documentation does it say that they can cause nosebleeds to that point, so thank you those who shared their experience of the same issue.
It does seem wrong that I'm expected to fork out yet more for tests that I can do on him, bringing up a SEN child is already an expensive business full of fighting for every little thing they need.
He starts at new secondary school in 2 weeks and I'll be opting out of the twice weekly tests, but I won't be isolating him for 10 days for every cough, sneeze or sniffle. He generally spends sept-march every year coughing from his asthma and then march-Sept its the hay-fever. He'd literally never leave the house..

[quote alloalloallo]@OnceuponaRainbow18 www.euroffice.co.uk/product/panodyne-sars-cov-2-antigen-saliva-test-kit/eo0gv1[/quote]
Thanks for the link. Omg though that could work out very expensive.

@ThePoisonousMushroom you and the OP @firef1y are unsung heroes in my eyes

They’re stupidly expensive, and it’s shit that there isn’t a cheaper/free way of testing kids who struggle with the regular tests.

We’ve opted out of the regular testing, she does the odd saliva test - college are happy with that.

You know what I put my child through he'll doing "the right thing", and with the attitudes of some people in here I really can't see why I did it.

Yes!!

I’ve kind of reached the “you can kiss my arse” stage of dealing with some people now after the crap she’s dealt with this year.

She can’t wear a mask - almost a year of daily abuse and “you shouldn’t be allowed to leave the house/go to school/go in a shop/get on a bus/you’re selfish/it’s your fault rates are going up/people are dying and it’s all your fault/you’re not trying hard enough”

“Can’t you just explain to her how import the tests are?”

“Can’t you just restrain her”

“Can’t you just force her”

“Just tell her to do it”

“If she can’t do the tests, she shouldn’t be allowed out”

Sorry to rant all over your thread OP, but I’m sending you lots of sympathy

Don't test him, you don't have to