Preparing for covid exposure today

[MarianneFaithful]

I'm going to be with +ve people today. We then plan to isolate together.
What should I do/get before exposure? I can get to a supermarket before I see them.
Paracetamol
Calpol
Fruit juice
Tins of soup
??
??

Oximeter and thermometer.
Paracetamol.
Juice.
Soup.
Crisps.
Tissues.
Audiobooks.

Anything else is guesswork cause you dont know how ill you'll be (probably not very) or which symptoms you'll have.

Eye drops or that spray equivalent. LFTs!

(the eye drops were because my symptoms were headache, brain fog and light headed, fatigue, and dry eyes)

I have it at the moment and DS had it last week. Dh is fine though and testing negative, so there is no guarantee you will get it, especially if you are all jabbed up.

@Socialcarenope

I'm assuming separated parents and it's OPs days to care for them which isn't odd at all. Maybe the kids want their mum (assuming OP is mum) and maybe OP is worried about their poorly kids.

Not assumption I made myself, given OP's posts being:

I'm going to be with +ve people today. We then plan to isolate together.
What should I do/get before exposure? I can get to a supermarket before I see them.

I'll be looking after +ve children, so I will effectively be isolating with them as they are too small to be left alone. I'm not going to try to catch it, but won't be keeping away from them either.

Wouldn't you at least mention them being your own children (or step-children) it would seem somewhat pertinent, to me.

I have made a COVID box for when/if anyone in my family gets it. (Just makes it easier, and I don’t have to go out.) I’m in Aus, so if you’re not, some of the brand names won’t make sense. You can look them up and find generic names. Before I tell you about my box, two important things.

**Make sure all the kids have their regular meds very clearly marked with their names and instructions with them. Keep them all together and out of reach.

**Make sure they have their cuddly toys!!!

My Box
Paracetamol/Ibuprofen
Asthma Medication
Inhaled steroids shorten the duration of the coughing part of this virus and also stop a lot of the lung damage. This is also helpful for preventing secondary bacterial infections. I have Flixotide and Rhinocort Forte in my box with Salbutamol and a spacer.
Cough suppressant syrup (for adults only) - helps adults sleep. COVID has a dry, unproductive cough that keeps people awake. The sleep can help people recover faster. Not to be used if patient is acute, (feverish, lethargic, clearly very unwell…. They need to be in hospital then.) as it can lower respiration rate/O2 sats. Also why not suitable for kids with COVID.
Hydration Tablets (ie Hydralyte) - ice blocks ice lollies better for little kids
Extra Sanitizer, Masks, Antibac Wipes, Tissues, Small Garbage bags for tissues, etc.
Cough lozenges with anaesthetic/antibac/anti-inflammatory effect (Difflam)

I like the idea of soups, crackers, frozen fruit to suck on for sore throats, etc… Tea bags/coffee etc
Some extra treats for yourself and bribing kids.

I'm not sure why people are so surprised someone might go to look after COVID+ kids - all sorts of reasons:

• Parent/s could be laid up in bed with COVID and kids too young to look after themselves.
• Parent/s could be CEV and need to isolate themselves from young kids with COVID/stay elsewhere while kids are ill
• or the other way round, ie kids and CEV and parents can't be hands on with them while they're ill etc etc

At what point did the OP call herself a 'knight in shining armour' @cookiemonster2468 ?

Honestly, what a miserable misanthrope you are.

I had covid last week (omicron possibly, because the symptoms were incredibly mild - although I have been fully jabbed). I live with DH & DS. Before I knew I had covid, but whilst I was infectious, our other DS and his GF visited and spent the day with us. Despite living with me, me cooking, washing etc for them, no-one else contracted covid. Bizarre. But we are all fully jabbed.

I currently have COVID, and the only symptom I've had is hives. So, I'd get cortisone cream and an antihistamine, just in case.

Plenty of activities for the kids, isolating with a toddler was so much harder than COVID itself! We also swore by lemsip all in one liquid if you did catch it. Is there any way you can not see them today? Is it absolutely essential? Are you in a position to distance from the positive cases, or wear a mask or spend time with them outside?

Some people's reactions are so weird! Can people really not imagine a scenario in which an adult, not positive for Covid (yet) might have to look after children who have Covid? And you can be careful but still get it of course, you can't be fully kitted up in PPE at all times and isolate from smallish children. I tried to be as careful as possible, we all wore masks, sanitised and ckeaned, DS kept in his room, had his own bathroom, ate in his room etc. But, as we thought would happen (and planned/shopped for) I got it. So I went to a room and isolated with my in bathroom. That lasted for 12 hours before DH tested positive. So we all stopped isolating and lived normally within our house, very glad that we had got medicines and shopping in before DH and I tested positive.

Stop being so odd, some people on this thread!

Sorry about typos, should say isolated with my own bathroom

@SofiaSoFar it us no-one's business whose children they are. She has a reason she has to be with them, that is all you need to know.

@MarianneFaithful

I'm going to be with +ve people today. We then plan to isolate together. What should I do/get before exposure? I can get to a supermarket before I see them. Paracetamol Calpol Fruit juice Tins of soup ?? ??

It feels like an unwise thing to do outside of a clinical trial.

However, I'm seconding anyone who suggests that anyone who contracts the virus from this get-together (or in general) might want to look at the eligibility criteria for PANORAMIC and consider signing-up for it as a benefit to the wider public.

PANORAMIC is assessing antivirals for the treatment of COVID–19.

We are recruiting volunteers, whether they have been vaccinated or not, to join PANORAMIC through this website, participating GP practices, and other NHS sites across the UK.
PANORAMIC is open to everyone with ongoing symptoms of COVID-19 and a positive PCR or Lateral Flow test, regardless of vaccination status.

You can participate in your own home from anywhere in the UK for the first treatment being tested in panoramic. No face-to-face visits are required.

More details here.

www.panoramictrial.org/

Some strong tasting foods, salty or spicy. I didn't lose my taste completely, but it was dulled for a few days and I could only really enjoy these foods. A lot of people get very stuffy noses so maybe some sort of decongestant spray would be helpful.
Hot water bottle or electric blanket for chills and aches.

Why on earth are you going to be with Covid postive people?

@blacknotblue

Why on earth are you going to be with Covid postive people?

Because there's children that need looking after. As the OP has said...

I had rather assumed the OP was a separated parent and is chosing to look after her positive dcs who has been with other parent. I would do the same.

OP - stock up on cleaning products, I know wipes are bad for the environment but in this situation I would have some in every room to help you constantly wipe down surfaces. Gloves as well. Painkillers for everyone. Easy to swallow food. Tissues as many kids get snotty noses with it. Have changes of bedding ready to go for each dcs bed - friends dc vomited with it a few times.

Good luck. Hope they will be the types to just feel rough for a day or two then be all bouncy and bored.

I don't get all the 'Why? Why? Why?' drama

Lots of people have children with covid or grandchildren with covid and have to step up to take care of them. A huge percentage of my school at the moment, for example...

Is what it is.

Oh ffs people read the thread, she has to look after some children who are positive. There are a myriad ways that could happen, and which one it is, is not our business. Can you people REALLY not imagine any such situation outside of a "clinical trial" or a "covid party"? Plenty of possible examples have already been given (how about: her own children coming back from her ex-partner or the grandparents, the children of a relative or friend who is ill/incapacitated/incarcerated, emergency foster care, to name but a few). Saying it is "unwise" is so tone deaf and unhelpful. She was asking for some practical advice, which some people have kindly given her.

Apparently those extra protective masks provide 95% protection against breathing the virus in.

I wore an FFP3 and DS wore an FFP2 when we were (briefly) in contact with each other. I still got it and so did DH who didn't interact directly with DS at all. So yes, try to take measures if you can, but plan as everyone in the house is going to get it and will have to isolate.

We've just had it pay us a visit.

I sneezed and snotted a lot. So shit loads of tissues here!

Got some nice smoothies and bits so there were plenty of vitamins even when I didn't want to eat.

We shamefully fed the kids with a few take aways and ready meals as I was so tired by the end of the day (working from home) that I couldn't cook.

If the children have tested positive why are the parents not looking after them and if so infectious why are parents not isolating. Defeats the purpose does it not.