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Covid

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Original poster

To not lft her!

46 replies

Userno36372846 · 28/02/2022 15:48

Dd has a hospital app on Wednesday, outpatient! Been asked to do an lft prior to appointment.

She's had covid twice in the last 2-3 months, last time a month ago and fine now. I would say it's extremely unlikely she has it again.

I don't mind doing one on my myself but feel like can't put Dd through it again! She has some degree of sen and testing her is awful! I don't want to do it when she has no symptoms!

OP posts:

OnceUponAThread · 01/03/2022 12:05

Yes OP. We did read your post. And yes we do appreciate how difficult it can be to test children with SEN.

However, the fact remains that while testing could be distressing to your child, failure to test could actually kill people in a hospital setting.

In any other circumstances I'd say you could avoid it. Not least because testing rules have been significantly softened in the UK.

But there is a very good reason people are still asked to test in a hospital setting. And it's because while risks are low for the general population - they can still be extremely high for people in a hospital setting.

We cannot force you to test your child. But I think it would be extremely selfish not to.

Mickarooni · 01/03/2022 12:55

I’d suggest you phone the clinic and ask them. Perhaps they can find a separate waiting area. I do understand not wanting to put her through the trauma but I think there’s more you can do to protect others.

BungleandGeorge · 01/03/2022 13:01

How are you doing the LFT? The newer style generally just need a swab just inside the nostril. As people have said I think you could do it whilst she’s asleep

TinaWeymouthsBass · 01/03/2022 14:34

My dd has autism and severe learning disability, we wait until she's asleep and do a nasal swab, she stirs a bit but doesn't wake, just do a test.

obstacalling · 01/03/2022 14:37

Dont do it but if you have to, fake it

obstacalling · 01/03/2022 14:38

Or, get her to blow nose and them dip swab in tissue

I did that on my child and it came up positive

Blubells · 01/03/2022 14:48

Dd has a hospital app on Wednesday, outpatient! Been asked to do an lft prior to appointment.

Then why don't you ask the hospital if they mind if she doesn't do an LTF?

Explain everything to them!

Blubells · 01/03/2022 14:49

Dont do it but if you have to, fake it

TarotRiffleShuffle · 01/03/2022 14:49

@obstacalling

Or, get her to blow nose and them dip swab in tissue

I did that on my child and it came up positive

I know this isn't the absolute right way to do it but my son has ASD and I get a food bag, turn it inside out on my hand and get him to blow his nose into it. Then I take the clearest snot off it onto the swab. It has worked as he did get covid and it was positive. He's since had negatives (and had negatives before) with it too. I totally understand the utter trauma of trying to get them to test!

Cakelover17 · 01/03/2022 14:53

My DD has had a few hospital appointments that have asked for an LFT, nobody has ever actually asked us if we’ve done one though when we’ve got there.

Katie517 · 01/03/2022 16:01

I wouldn’t bother! She’s had covid twice and quite recently too so why would you put her through it? You won’t get a lot of sensible answers on here so it’s pointless even asking, lots of mass hysteria and accusations of being selfish just trust your gut and use common sense.

Sallydimebar · 01/03/2022 16:02

“ My DD has had a few hospital appointments that have asked for an LFT, nobody has ever actually asked us if we’ve done one though when we’ve got there.”

Well I wouldn’t expect they have time to go round asking everyone! If you done what they asked and it’s positive surely you wouldn’t be there .

“ Dont do it but if you have to, fake it”

Really ??? And yet on here loads of threads about hospitals not letting visitors in and how unfair it is. I wonder why !

Before my dad goes in to have his cancer check scans , he has to go drive through test site 3 days before on hospital grounds the hospital is not close to us . I wonder why they bother sometimes with comments like above and it’s not “mass hysteria” either it’s doing your little bit of trying to keep it out of settings with poorly people in , people needing treatment.. what they don’t need is catching covid in there .

tigerbear · 01/03/2022 16:13

@Userno36372846 I’m going to go against the grain here, and in your situation I wouldn’t test her again either.
As previous posters have also said, if she’s had it in within 90 days, they used to advise not testing again anyway, as it could still show up on a test.
I had a very similar situation - ie an outpatient appt (for me, not DD) but when rules were stricter. I’d had covid in the 2 weeks prior to my appt, and was sure that it would still come up on a test - no surprise, it did. Caused lots of unnecessary stress when Test&Trace got in touch to say I had to isolate (and miss my hospital appt which was to check for cancer).

Like I say, I probably wouldn’t test again, however as PP have said, you seem to have made your mind up not to anyway, so pointless starting a thread about it.

SilenceOfThePrams · 01/03/2022 16:13

Not a hysterical response from me. Sorry it wasn’t the answer you’d wanted to hear though.

If you can get her wear a decent mask properly than that’s slightly different. But whilst I’d say don’t put her through it for school, for cinema, for meeting up with friends, it’s very very unfair to potentially be a risk to some other children, such as my own. Who are now accepting the higher risks everywhere else and this retreating from places they’ve been cautiously able to visit over the past few months when people were still having to isolate. But are left still needing to attend hospital.

I wouldn’t do throat though just tickle her nose quickly. It’ll catch the virus if there’s lots of it. If there’s less of it she’ll be less infectious anyway.

Blubells · 01/03/2022 16:17

But whilst I’d say don’t put her through it for school, for cinema, for meeting up with friends, it’s very very unfair to potentially be a risk to some other children, such as my own.

I agree with this.

Cakelover17 · 01/03/2022 16:55

@Sallydimebar someone else said that they were made to show proof at their appointment that they’d done a test and it was negative, hence my comment.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 01/03/2022 17:14

Why can't you do it when she's asleep?

Bigtom · 02/03/2022 20:51

I have never tested my daughter and never will unless medically necessary. I absolutely wouldn’t in your situation.

cherrylicious2 · 07/03/2022 21:54

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor

Why can't you do it when she's asleep?

How on earth can you accurately carry out a lft on a child who is asleep? I would not trust that it can be done adequately.

IrisPurple · 08/03/2022 17:53

Unless you have personally witnessed the trauma that such a thing causes the OP’s child you should not be telling her to do something that would in any other circumstances be classed as Abuse. Can you imagine if 2 years ago you were aware that a parent was forcibly restraining their child - particularly one with a disability - and shoving something up their nose / throat - how would that make you feel? Would you be encouraging them to do it as you are now?

OP is doing her duty as a parent protecting her child - who is herself vulnerable- from abuse. It’s not that she can’t be arsed or doesn’t want to miss a night down the pub.

I am sure OP will test herself and keep her child distanced from vulnerable patients - she won’t be going in a chemo suite or elderly care ward anyway.

Good luck with the appointment

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 08/03/2022 19:01

How on earth can you accurately carry out a lft on a child who is asleep? I would not trust that it can be done adequately
You don't have to jab so far up it hits the brain Gentle sweep is absolutely fine, I've been doing PCRs as part of a vivid trial for the past 2 years and it's fine, no swabs were ever invalid.

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