Coping through isolation

[Sallydimebar]

Didn’t think this would be so hard I’m on day 3 and my anxiety through the roof .
I’ve no symptoms yet but can’t eat no appetite.
DS 11 temp kept climbing from 18:30 yesterday so at 12:30 last night he’s at 39 shivering wanting the quilt had all calpol/ibuprofen. Rang 111 no answer , rang local paediatric A&E no answer just message saying stay home if you have covid . So DH says you can’t take him you can’t go out . DS complaining of headache at front of head .
Temp between 39/39/2 .
So rang 999 because I don’t know is it covid, or something else his pcr was neg but lft day after pos , said help would come but really busy 1:30 no better rang back just really busy but will step call up to blue light rang them back at 2:30 help is coming temp still 39.1 after ibufofen at 2am .
3:15 help arrives . Do all his sats ect temp 38.9 so sats came back , he needed to be checked but not rushed . They said I’m fine to take him so took him got him checked over advised to take him for pcr and temp can cause banging headache ,ok back home reassured .
I know it’s lack of sleep and worry plus we’re all on different isolating dates I’m separated from Dh as he has bad cough don’t know if it matters now now .Ds 20 tested pos today so 4 out of 5 hoping Dd ok as she had it in August .
So yeah feeling like a sitting duck waiting for a symptom while medicating everyone else .

Didn't want to read and run. You have my sympathies OP. I am CEV (I've had 3 vaccines) and my husband is type2 diabetic and obese (he's had 2 vaccines).

We were in contact with 3 people over the course of last week / weekend who tested positive so all went for pcr's on Tuesday. Dh & I tested negative on LFT yesterday and today. My 4yo tested positively on LFT and then this afternoon the pcr results came in - both my children positive whilst DH & I negative.

I actually feel unwell though and am sure I have it now. Will do another LFT in the morning and then book in for pcr. Dh so far seems ok so the kids and I are trying to keep away from him but it's so hard. I feel terrible at times so he's had to step in. The kids have been mostly fine, a bit grizzly but that's all.

Basically all we can try is our very best. The rest is not in our hands.

How he’s a bit better tonight OP,and that you’re bearing up.

I’m sorry apologies if I’ve missed something but you called 999 for an 11 year old with a temp of 39 and a headache? 999 and ambulances are for life threatening emergencies, people who are calling for people who aren’t breathing or are suffering a life threatening emergency are sometimes being placed on hold for 10 minutes before their call is answered because of calls like this. People are loosing their lives due to being unable to get help due to inappropriate calls like this. Unless there were any other significant symptoms that you haven’t mentioned, this was completely inappropriate and places others in danger when services are so over stretched. Sorry I’ve struggled to just scroll on as I’m utterly gob smacked! Though please accept my apologies if I’ve missed something significant.

Are you vaccinated?

I'm confused why you called 999, I'm not being obtuse u genuinely don't know why you did. Have your kids never had fevers before?

I would assume covid temp and headaches are classic signs for children.

Sorry “ Rainbowsandstorms” what’s your medical qualifications ? Do I just sit back and let temp climb , rolling around bed with headache?
Sudden headache …how do I know it’s not meningitis or something else ?? Paramedic said from sats he needed to be accessed but apologies if you know more then them .

“BluebellsGreenbells” Yes vaccinated why ? The common symptom with covid is d&v now they said

And he’s still very poorly with it . Il take advice from them qualified thanks and when he needs to be assessed he will be .

@Sallydimebar My medical knowledge is that of a responsible parent and citizen. In the absence of any other concerning symptoms a high temperature and headache are common symptoms of Covid or many other viruses and do not constitute a medical emergency. You know that it’s not a medical emergency by the absence of any other symptoms or in the absence of your child appearing to be seriously ill. This nhs link explains when it is appropriate to call 999 www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-call-999/ and I quote ‘when someone is seriously ill and their life is at risk’. Your child having a temperature and a headache with no other symptoms did not give any indication that his life was a risk, hence me being utterly horrified that you felt this was an appropriate use of the 999 service and an ambulance. While the 999 call operator was attending to your three calls and the ambulance service were checking out your child with a temperature and a headache, someone else with a life threatening emergency may very well have died. Have you not seen how much emergency services are struggling! Please take the time to educate yourself on the signs of serious illness in children and how to access appropriate medical care. If you search NHS temperature in child it will again guide you through when to seek help, likewise Menigitis Now will talk you through the symptoms of menigitis. If you needed advice for peace of mind you needed to call a 24 hour pharmacy, continue to try and contact 111 (being unable to get through shows how busy they were and wasn’t a sign to unnecessarily call out an ambulance imagine what would happen if every parent with a child with a temperature and a headache called 999), monitor him overnight and call a GP in the morning or arrange for him to be driven to A and E if you really felt he needed emergency medical assistance. Needing to be assessed didn’t mean that 999 was appropriate my children have needed to be assessed many times but haven’t required an ambulance the only time I’ve ever called 999 was when my child couldn’t breathe with croup and was literally fighting for every breath. We were told to access the nearest defibrillator just in case while we waited for the ambulance to arrive, that is a medical life or death emergency that needs an ambulance. Ambulances are there to save people’s lives when there is a threat to life not to reassure anxious parents. Please take the time to educate yourself and if you’re unwilling to listen to me, then discuss this situation with your GP who will confirm what I’ve said, as your call out put other people in danger. I hope he feels better soon.

I hope you never experience the sheer terror of waiting for an ambulance to arrive while your child faces a life threatening situation.

It us scary when your child is ill. I still remember my son when he had a raging temperature and was talking to the wall. I was so frightened, but thankfully I have a relative with 4 children and multiple foster children. She put my mind at rest and told me what to do. I actually put him in a warm bath slowing adding cold water and continually putting cold flannel on him as well as medication. Had I not had anyone to advise mr, I would have called for an ambulance. It’s a shame there isn’t a go between to call.

Rainbowsandstorms
Thanks for that I’m quite aware of medical emergency’s and how to deal with them . When Ds was a year old and suffered a febrile convulsion waited 35 mins for ambulance and went straight into 2nd one in ambulance unresponsive. Kept in for the week .

What’s Menigitis talk line going to do? they can’t see him… tell me he has 2 of the symptoms but he’s ok . The paramedics said I needed to take him to be assessed then not in morning that’s what’s sats were showing the answer that comes back to them they repeated it to me that I need to take him tonight . I tried 111 , rang A&E . Told paramedics I would drive him kept them here as little time as poss .
Maybe I should of just drove him yes but answer phone from A&E said don’t come with covid .
Every child is different so please don’t compare mine with a temp to other child with temp without sats .

My daughters friend 15 died in April symptom was a headache was positive also , not by ANY means saying everyone with headache needs ambulance but I assessed the situation in front of me and made the call and paramedics were ok with that .

And yes still poorly ….not every child with covid is up bouncing about either next day . Still waiting on pcr to confirm . Once his sats were done and bloods in hospital we’re done it reassured me .

I’m so sorry about your friend’s daughter, that’s heartbreaking. I apologise if I was overly critical but there didn’t seem to be anything else mentioned in your post alongside those symptoms that constituted a medical emergency, rather than the more likely scenario of them being symptoms of Covid or another illness. I struggle with health anxiety and it’s horrible when your children are unwell and you’re worried. I absolutely wasn’t saying that he didn’t need to be assessed and I completely agree that you have to rely on your own instincts. Accessing medical care out of hours at the moment or even during the working week is a nightmare and I don’t envy you being placed in that situation, especially with the added complication of covid too. However I do stand by the view that in the absence of any other symptoms yes it was sensible to take the precaution of getting your child checked out and it sounds like that was needed but the presence of just a headache and temperature didn’t warrant a 999 call given how stretched things are at present. I don’t know what the answer is as 111 are supposed to be there to help in these situations and to book out of hours appointments but the whole system is broken. However skipping to 999 in a situation that isn’t immediately life threatening which there were no signs that it was, only makes the problem worse and runs the risk of people who are in life threatening situations loosing their life due to a delay in getting help.

Meningitis now runs through all the symptoms and has numerous stories and makes it clear that being on guard and aware that a headache and temperature could be symptoms of meningitis is really important, it’s only if a child starts to present as being more unwell that this would start to be seriously considered. While they are potential symptoms and something we should always be aware of and I’m
always assessing when my children are unwell, we can’t all call an ambulance when our children have just these symptoms incase it’s meningitis, when they are symptoms of so many other things. Of course it makes sense to get them checked over. Your post triggered me as my biggest fear at the moment is that someone I love will need an ambulance for a life threatening emergency and we won’t be able to get through or get an ambulance in time as this is happening regularly. I’m not criticising you getting him assessed but despite the difficulties accessing care it doesn’t sound like there was any immediate indication of a threat to his life which didn’t make 999 the right call and only makes the whole situation for those needing immediate life saving medical intervention even worse. I really hope he feels much better soon and I’m glad you’ve had some reassurance. I only hope medical care becomes easier for all of us to access when needed because it’s an utter mess at present and I don’t envy the situation you faced.

It’s an awful situation . There should be a go between which I suppose would be 111 . Maybe because of daughters friend I’m over cautious. It was in local papers they weren’t at same school . Just had headache went to lie down came back to dad to say it was worse did lft that was negitive and collapsed. Don’t know full out come , not close enough to ask . Paper said she was positive .
Thinking now yes I should of just drove him I did when my dad had a stroke because I know how long they take . When he had the tia weeks before I told them I’d drive him as just too busy to come . Didn’t even ring when he had 2nd , but we didn’t have covid then . COVID clouded my judgment and quite honestly now if poss will alway drive if safe to do so . Didn’t know with my dad but took the chance , he was still left waiting anyway . Ask pp said can only do our best . Thank you anyway and was felling low really low day of my post .
Im not use to having everyone sick at same time although I’m ok just runny nose bit of dull head . I’ve not had a comfortable sleep since Sunday night and listening to Dh continues coughing . Hoping and praying I stay like this still another 6 days .

I’m sorry, I was just mulling it over before I read your last post and I feel bad, as in reality you just made the judgement call that felt like the right one at the time. It’s so easy to look in objectively when I wasn’t there but in reality you were making a snap judgement in a broken medical system when you couldn’t access 111 and you were worried about your child. In reality maybe I would have done the same in your situation especially with the whole Covid thing too. We are all doing our best. I didn’t mean to make you feel any worse as I said I your post really triggered me due to my own anxieties about not being able to get help if I need it and from your more recent posts it sounds like you didn’t call lightly. It’s not surprising that your daughter’s friend has made you more cautious it’s so scary to hear things like that, even more so when they are close to home and to know it could be your child. In reality you did the best you could at the time with a completely broken medical system. I really hope everyone improves soon and you stay well. I’m absolutely dreading having covid in our household. Such a tough situation and I’m really sorry for criticising you and having a go at you when you’re already having a hard time of it and had posted for support. It’s not something I’d usually do, I’m not sure what got into me! I hope things get easier for you very soon.