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Original poster

Stuck at home going mad with coldy dd1 - at what point do you think I can send her back to school?

30 replies

Aranea · 30/11/2009 15:44

Dd1 is almost 5. She has a cold and developed a fever of 39 on Thursday night. Yesterday she woke up with no fever but by lunchtime it was 38.5. This morning again she woke with no fever but because of what happened yesterday I kept her off school. By 3pm it was 38.4. I know I should keep her off again tomorrow but would love you to tell me it would be ok to send her!

Do you think I need to see it stay below 38 for a day before sending her back? Dd2 and I are going nuts here.

OP posts:
CMOTdibbler · 30/11/2009 15:47

Does she seem OK in herself ? If so, I'd give her a dose of Calprofen just before school tomorrow, and tell school that if she wilts too much to call you

Original poster
Aranea · 30/11/2009 15:50

Do you think that would be OK? - you don't think it's a bit harsh?

She says she doesn't feel well, but she is talking nonstop and driving me crazy.

You don't think it would make the cold last longer, do you?

OP posts:
enmerelypla · 30/11/2009 15:52

Keep her off till the fever's definitely gone - that's a good idea of yours to wait for it to have been normal for a day first.

SF might be mild for many people but it's not for everyone, and unless your dd had a confirmed (swabbed) case of SF earlier in the year you've no way of knowing that this isn't it.

CMOTdibbler · 30/11/2009 15:55

My mums criteria was that if you were well enough not to be just content in bed all day, on your own with no TV or anything, you were well enough to be at school. Seemed to work pretty well as a benchmark.

Original poster
Aranea · 30/11/2009 15:55

I really don't think she's got SF, I think it's a cold. Dd2 has had it, DH has it now and I am just getting over it too.

OP posts:
colditz · 30/11/2009 15:57

If a child is well enough to be getting on my nerves, that child is well enough for school

Original poster
Aranea · 30/11/2009 16:04

Wow, I didn't realise I was such a softy! Really? You'd go on irritation levels and ignore temperature?

OP posts:
enmerelypla · 30/11/2009 16:11

If she's had coldy symptoms and a fever you have no way of knowing whether or not it was SF. She's not going to oink!

If her temp was only just over 38 today and normal tomorrow I'd send her in except for the saying she feels unwell which would make me think the temperature would be more likely to come back.

hoxtonchick · 30/11/2009 16:13

dose her up & send her to school . they'll be used to it....

stuffitllllama · 30/11/2009 16:15

don't dose her up and send her to school, that's storing up trouble

just because she's getting on your nerves doesn't mean she's not ill

temp = off school

stuffitllllama · 30/11/2009 16:16

why don't you stop giving her paracetamol and perhaps she'll get over it quicker

Original poster
Aranea · 30/11/2009 16:18

Owhhhh, she's just taken herself off to bed. I don't think I can send her in tomorrow really, I'd feel terrible. AAAAARGHHH. This is going to go on for DAYS, I just know it.

OP posts:
Original poster
Aranea · 30/11/2009 16:19

Does paracetamol slow recovery, stuffitllama? Actually I haven't been dosing her up till just now when she went to bed and I thought it was a bit mean not to give her some nurofen which would make her feel better.

OP posts:
stuffitllllama · 30/11/2009 16:20

stop giving her calpol, strict bed and vit c -- it'll take her a day

stuffitllllama · 30/11/2009 16:20

stop giving her calpol, strict bed and vit c -- it'll take her a day

colditz · 30/11/2009 16:21

If she's taken herslef to bed she's not well enough for school, but see how she is in the morning.

stuffitllllama · 30/11/2009 16:21

why? why? didn't mean to do that

yes it does aranea, but is nurofen a temp suppressant? maybe not I'll check

stuffitllllama · 30/11/2009 16:23

yes it is a temp suppressant

anyway sorry didn't mean to sound bossy

if you let temp rise lots of fluids needed though

hope she is well in the morning

stuffitllllama · 30/11/2009 16:25

plus shouldn't tell people what to do.. excuse.. slightly irritable

clumsymum · 30/11/2009 16:28

Oh, bloody thermometers. We don't have one (well, we do somewhere), and I reckon I can tell if ds is ill or not. Anyway, everyone's normal temperature is a little different. you may find if you took her temp every day for a month, that her's always rises above 'normal' in the afternoons.

If she's eating, and able to keep going all day annoying you, then frankly, yes, I'd get her early to bed tonight, then have her at school tomorrow.

I'm a little alarmed at enmerelypla scaremongering it might be SF. If she isn't aching/chucking up/deffo 'off colour', it is very unlikely to be anything other than a bit of a cold.

stuffitllllama · 30/11/2009 16:30

that's true: children's temps (in fact I think all human temps) are supposed to rise in the evenings

enmerelypla · 30/11/2009 16:32

Why is that scaremongering?? I'm not saying the OP or anyone should be scared! A bit responsible, yes, in not spreading something round that might be SF, but not scared.

Loads of people will have had SF with nothing more than coldy symptoms and a temperature over a few days. They won't ever know for sure they had it. It would be nice if they didn't spread it either.

Original poster
Aranea · 30/11/2009 16:50

Oh, she's fast asleep and snoring. I feel a bit bad for grumbling about her talking non-stop now. Definitely no school tomorrow I reckon. Poor old dd2 .

She is off colour, clumsymum, and actually to be fair to her I could pretty much chart the rise of her temp this afternoon by how unwell she said she felt (though it wasn't necessarily visible iyswim). Still don't think it's SF though. I know the symptoms are pretty broad, but I have absolutely no reason not to think that the family has been struck down by a nasty cold. 13 mo dd2 had it last week and was very sorry for herself, but the grown-up version which dh and I have does not involve a temperature.

Don't worry about sounding bossy, stuffitllama - I didn't actually think you were.

OP posts:
enmerelypla · 30/11/2009 17:20

It looks as though up to 50% up cases of SF don't involve a temperature so everyone not having a fever is not really a guide.

There is really nothing special about having SF - it's a bug, it's out there, lots of the coldy fluey winter type illness that we normally wouldn't think twice about will this year be coming from H1N1. For most people which particular bug it is that's making them ill will be pretty irrelevant.

The only thing that's special is that for a minority of people illness from H1N1 is more likely to be severe or fatal than the winter viruses we've been used to lately. So it would be great if people could be careful about not spreading any illness like that.

Original poster
Aranea · 30/11/2009 17:41

I know what you mean, enmerelypla, but in practice are you really saying that someone like my dh who has a cough, sinus pain and a runny nose, should stay off work rather than just taking sinutab and getting on with it? We can't really operate on the assumption that every minor cold is SF and potentially fatal to everyone we come into contact with. Life would come to a complete halt.

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