Toddler in hospital, DH with him, I'm getting progressively worse at home

[Yebbie]

My toddler is in hospital with a fever of 39.8, a cough and drowsiness/unresponsive. I also have a fever and a cough so DH had to take him in. We are all waiting for covid results. I keep having extreme coughing fits where im coughing so hard that this horrible deep sound comes out and it feels like my chest is ripping open. Im coughing so hard im being sick and my throat and stomach are throbbing from how hard my body is coughing and throwing up empty stomach by this point so it's killing me. Im so worried about my little boy but im getting worried about myself too and I don't know if I need to go in to? I have 5 minute periods after throwing up where im ok but I can already feel the deep in my chest need to cough again and I know in a few minutes I'll be back over the toilet. No nausea just coughing that hard. What do I do im in bits and can't get hold of dh to check on my baby or get help for myself

You're presenting as anxious OP. possibly not covid at all.
Best thing you can do is have sugary tea and strategically and calmly be prepared for the next step.
You might be needed and the best way to deal with it is keeping in control.
I hope you're all okay though

Eh? She's literally coughing her guts up. That's not how anxiety presents!!!!

Call 111 op hope better soon x

EmeraldRaineit’s not unusual on threads like this for pp’s to be told they are probably just anxious. Their head might only be attached to their neck by a single sinew but best not bother the over stretched NHS and have a cup of hot sweet tea and take slow, deep breaths.

I really hope you called someone and are being treated now for your cough - it doesn't sound good at all!

Hope your toddler is ok too.

@Attiladahun

You're presenting as anxious OP. possibly not covid at all.

I think it’s entirely possible to be both unwell and anxious at the same time. Especially if OPs toddler is in hospital .

Of course just trying to give comforting vibes Hope you're all ok OP

I can't believe all the "ring an ambulance you NEED hospitalisation" and "see someone to treat your cough". Coughs alone are rarely treated and certainly not in the case of covid.

As a paramedic I have left loads of young low risk covid patients coughing there guts up at home where their observations were otherwise acceptable as they had no reason other than the cough (and feeling crap) which led them to call 999. Even if it is a Chest infection, assuming she isn't severely short of breath (which is not what OP was complaining about when starting this thread) then she can in all likelihood still wait until the morning and speak to her own GP.

People need to calm down and use 999 properly. Ambulance services and A&E are on their knees across the country.

Hope you and your little one are ok.

@Monty27

You're presenting as anxious OP. possibly not covid at all. Best thing you can do is have sugary tea and strategically and calmly be prepared for the next step. You might be needed and the best way to deal with it is keeping in control. I hope you're all okay though 💐

You need a pulse ox so that you can see what your Sats are doing. And you need to prone yourself which means lying on your stomach it helps alot with breathing..

When I had covid it was like sticky clear mucous coming up. I also had the wretching and I genuinely believed I would die on the bathroom floor. It will pass!! But get a pulse ox get someone to go and get one for you. The NHS will supply them sometimes. If not order one now. Also baths helped any steam will help but the lying on my stomach helped the most.
Look after yourself as best as you can if u start to feel short of breath and your Sats go down get medical attention.

As PP have said your child is with their father and a medical team. So they are in the best possible hands. Although I feel so much for the position you are in it must be awful. I hope you and your child are feeling much better soon.

How are you OP?

I hope OP is OK too.

However constant vomiting - as often as the OP says with extremely bad cough is something you would call out of hours for - so they can triage you and either advise over the phone or call out depending on what they thought. It’s more the dehydration risk.

@EgonSpengler2020 that's because paramedics are taking the place of gps in deciding what is serious and what is not when it co.es to COVID. That's how the nhs has decided to do it, no use blaming the patients.

Hope you and your little one are ok xxx

I’d call 111 for advice too

My Dd had this with covid - a cough that made her vomit every time - she was 11 at the time but has asthma. She wasn’t hospitalised but she was given meds that helped her.

This was how covid felt for me too op. I was able to stay at home but to be honest that was probably due to sheer stuborness! I am a community HCP so was able to monitor my own observations which kept me calm. I really hope that things have improved for you and your little one. Thinking about you

[quote Porcupineintherough]@EgonSpengler2020 that's because paramedics are taking the place of gps in deciding what is serious and what is not when it co.es to COVID. That's how the nhs has decided to do it, no use blaming the patients.[/quote]
Exactly this!

It might not be Covid at all, it could be pneumonia or anything. You have to see a doctor today, I don’t know your situation but call or ring whoever you need to right now and don’t give up. Good luck.

[quote Porcupineintherough]@EgonSpengler2020 that's because paramedics are taking the place of gps in deciding what is serious and what is not when it co.es to COVID. That's how the nhs has decided to do it, no use blaming the patients.[/quote]
When patients ring their GP or 111 and that patient is inappropriately directed to 999 or A&E then it is a systems problem.

When patient's don't even try to use their GP because they perceive that they will not receive the care they need and/or desire or they take advice from random strangers on MN to potentially misuse the 999 system rather than exhausting a more appropriate route first (GP in hours or 111 out of hours) then that is a public/patient problem.

Both problems can and do exist simultaneously.

Should have read (self care, GP in hours or 111 out of hours)

@EgonSpengler2020

I can't believe all the "ring an ambulance you NEED hospitalisation" and "see someone to treat your cough". Coughs alone are rarely treated and certainly not in the case of covid.

As a paramedic I have left loads of young low risk covid patients coughing there guts up at home where their observations were otherwise acceptable as they had no reason other than the cough (and feeling crap) which led them to call 999. Even if it is a Chest infection, assuming she isn't severely short of breath (which is not what OP was complaining about when starting this thread) then she can in all likelihood still wait until the morning and speak to her own GP.

People need to calm down and use 999 properly. Ambulance services and A&E are on their knees across the country.

This can go either way though. I have a condition that causes difficulty breathing. When this first started I thought I only needed to call an ambulance if I stopped breathing. Instead whilst breathing very poorly I got on a bus to an out of hours GP who could not comprehend why I hadn’t called an ambulance. If you wait until you can’t breathe it’s too late. I thought it was only okay to use 999 if I was basically almost dead. I was wrong, it’s very hard for someone to tell how close to dead they are.

It depends how well the OP can breathe between the coughs and how close together they are. In the OPs position, if I didn’t have an oxymeter, couldn’t travel anywhere and was completely alone meaning if I got worse I would find it very difficult to access help, or take a return call from a 111 doctor, I would call 999.

Also why are people asking if the OP is double vaccinated, her symptoms are still her symptoms regardless of how vaccinated she is and if she isn’t vaccinated she can’t do anything about it now!

@pinkplantcase

YOU have a respiratory condition but this thread is about OP, who has not suggested any significant medical history in her post, and is a female young enough to have a toddler, so presumably 45ish max, therefore in a low risk covid category. Obviously her not stating she has a respiratory condition doesn't mean she doesn't have one, I've asked a patient with a raised temperature (and no dementia or delirium) for his medical history, for him to reel off a full list of conditions but fail to mention his diagnosis of lymphoma (cancer) and ongoing chemotherapy, so anything is possible!!

Secondly, you not knowing how to properly manage your chronic health condition shows a lack of education on your part. This is in no way a criticism of you, but is down to your consultant, GP, respiratory nurse who should have explained your condition, what to expect and how to manage it. This is wa widespread problem iihealth service and a cause of both inappropriate calls to 999, patients using meds incorrectly and making themselves acutely ill as a consequence and also late presentation with adverse consequences to patients and increased in patient admissions.

My phone went nuts when I went back to edit a sentence so please excuse the really random typos mid way through the post.

Tried to find yebbie on search in case she had posted elsewhere, she doesn't exist on any thread when I looked even this one so think she has deleted

I've just tried and can see this one but no others

I'll give OP the benefit of the doubt. She may be really unwell in hospital. I'll continue to follow this thread.