Thread 43 - GCSE Covid Cohort ..November 22 Remember Remember

[OrangeCinnamonLatte]

This is a support thread for our young adults post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting, and their results ( or life updates for those who went into work or have had results earlier). It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, uni vs employment please don't within this thread.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue. We were previously on the secondary board and then further education, now we shall be here in 'Parents of Adult Children' gulp

Our DS/DD may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed). Be warned there might be lots of 'Uni Freshers' chat this time of year. My experience is that everyone is welcomed wherever, whatever their child is doing we have some in work, gap years , apprenticeships etc too. Lots of contributors with different experiences and always sympathy and advice to be had

Previous Thread

@Oblomov22 blimey that does not sound good at all, I am surprised they didn't keep you in - although I imagine that at this time of year ward beds are like gold dust. Hope it stops very soon.

DS still has lectures all this week but may pick him up on Thursday anyway. he hasn't found a house yet, he went to look at one and described it as looking like a crack house so that's positive. 😬

@OublietteBravo I hope your DD is OK after that crash, sounds awful.

@Takeittotheboss that is tragic. Will be a really tough funeral, nothing anyone can say, but deepest sympathy for the family and friends of that poor boy.

Thanks@Monkey2001 Yes, no words.

Oh gosh that's awful @Takeittotheboss

@OublietteBravo hope your DD is ok after the crash, it's quite traumatic for them.

How are you doing today @Oblomov22 ?

@Takeittotheboss Oh, that is awful. So sorry for all involved.

@Takeittotheboss sending my v v best to you & DS. My DTs lost two friends in lockdown. It shakes you like nothing else. Hope he’s able to reconnect with mutual friends over Christmas: know that made a difference to my two.

@Takeittotheboss that is dreadful news. Hope your DS can get some comfort being around other friends.

I hope @Oblomov22 is getting more help and is now on the mend?

DD has said she has changed her practical lesson from Thursday to Tuesday so is now free to come home earlier - in fact keen to come home earlier as lots of people have left uni already apparently. DH will pick her up Wednesday evening. I had better get a shifty on with her bedroom!

@Benjispruce4 really pleased that your DDs job is going well :-)

@Oblomov22 is the anti nausea medicine helping?

I'm still in A&E. Been here 11 hours. Finally given 2 lots of anti sickness. And 2 bags of IV fluids because diabetic ketones so bad.

Turns out I was lied to yesterday and I wasn't given any nausea medication yesterday. My GP said it was disgusting that I wasn't given any IV fluids yesterday.

Oh my goodness @Oblomov22 - is anyone with you? And please say you haven’t been sitting on one of those horrible plastic chairs all day…

Oh gosh @Oblomov22 I’m so sorry to hear this, sounds awful.
What did they give you yesterday then if it wasn’t anti nausea?!

@Oblomov22 gosh. I hope you get to the bottom of whatever is causing it and feel better soon. It sounds awful.

I haven't been on here for a week or so. Ive been catching up. I spent 4 days at dm's in East Sussex. Then went on to collect Ds from Brighton yesterday. We arrived home at 3pm then an hour or so later dh's dd phoned (she lives near Brighton) to say she was stuck in traffic in snow, she spent 2 hours trying to do a 20 min journey home. So Ds missed the snow. No snow here, we rarely get any.

Ds's house for next year all sorted. He's had a quote from uni homes for bills. It is £29 each per week for tv, internet, water, gas and electricity. To start with I said that's too expensive. But now I'm beginning to wonder. My dm is really struggling to pay her bills. Her gas and electric alone is £1,200 for 6 months. So only a bit less than Ds has been quoted for the year. So maybe he should take it up. He seems to think he needs to decide now. Surely it's not that urgent. They aren't moving in for 7 months.

I also had a text from ds3 on Sunday morning, on my way to collect ds2 telling me he was ill. He's never ill. He said he was too weak to get a drink and that he was shivering with cold. I know he's a bit dramatic, but that made me worry. Dh had gone out and wasn't due back until early afternoon and I was 4 hours away. I told dh to give him calpol as soon as he could (he's only 13) When I arrived home I couldn't get his temp down, calpol wasn't working. It was 39.5 so I had to drive round town trying to find ibuprofen. All the supermarkets were shut. I did find some and it worked. No idea what is wrong with him. But he's much better today. I did have a panic about strep A.

Home now.

Hope you are asleep, not vomming, and on the road to recovery @Oblomov22 💐

@Takeittotheboss I am so sorry to hear this. So much sad news at once is hard to cope with. Sending prayers x

@Oblomov22 I hope you feel better soon

Lovely to hear all the stories and returned and returning ‘little’ ones. But worried about @Oblomov22 - glad your GP was helpful and hope you had a restful night.

we always do a Christmas show so went to see my neighbour totoro at the Barbican last night. Both my my kids grew up with studio Ghibli films and the theatre production didn’t disappoint: magical!

@icanbewhatiwant : glad your Ds is feeling better now. And @Takeittotheboss sorry to read your sad news: hard at any time but really tough at Christmas.

@Oblomov22 what a week you’ve had, you poor thing. I really hope you’re on the mend now and managed to get some uninterrupted sleep.
Gosh @Takeittotheboss, how utterly tragic. Death in the wrong order is the most jarringly awful thing.
I went to collect dd on Saturday along with three of her new friends who came to stay until yesterday. It is lovely to have her home and she rolled her eyes affectionately at me on Sunday morning when I had a lump in my throat as she wandered into the kitchen in her pyjamas. It was just the loveliness and mundanity of having her back with us all!

Sorry to hear of illness and bad news 🙁

DD still fighting her way through paperwork to try and get her course swap/September re-start agreed. I can't see it being done by term end now - although I assume uni admin staff continue to work during academic holidays? It would be great if it could be agreed before next term. Can't begin sorting fees and her room in halls until that is agreed.

She is determined to finish the semester - has handed in coursework and sat an exam.

She also was in the winter dance show last night. It's the first dance show she has done since she was 2.5 that I haven't seen, or been involved with chaperoning backstage. She enjoyed it, but I felt quite sad.

I'm collecting her on Saturday. Hoping I can just pick up her and some of her stuff, and can go back in the new year to empty her room completely. She hasn't discussed anything with accommodation so hoping they're not told she is leaving and then empty her flat before we can get back!!

@Takeittotheboss So sorry to read about your ds's recent bereavement, it's also always that much harder around times of festivities. It must be so hard him watching everyone jollying around with friends while he has lost one of his and the poor parents! I was knocked for six when I heard on the news about the 3 young dc who also died in freezing ice.Sending condolences to you all.

@Oblomov22I hope you are feeling better? you're probably feeling quite weak after all that so try and take it easy and have lots of fluids.

DS is home from Xmas but we've both got nasty colds and laid up (and I haven't even finished Xmas shopping!). Oh well, health is wealth as they say.

@Takeittotheboss I'm so sorry for your DS, I hope he is managing OK.

@Oblomov22 I'm hoping that you are on the mend after finally getting some proper treatment. Do they know what has caused the sickness?

DS off to see two more houses today. I'm not holding out much hope that they are of reasonable quality... Picking him up on Thursday and praying for no more snow!

Sorry to hear about your ds' loss @Takeittotheboss , that's so hard and at such a young age too 😥

@Oblomov22 glad you're home, I hope you make a speedy recovery.

Dd has just done another all nighter to get her essay done. Apparently 'she can't believe she always leaves things so last minute lol' 😂I can believe it! She had to cancel a work shift yesterday too. But she's got a shift at the Botanical Gardens in Bham the week after Christmas to make up for it!

@Seeline I'm glad your dd had the right work ethic to finish this term properly. I know what you mean about dance shows- a video isn't the same is it?
Oblomov hope you're feeling on the mend.
Can't remember who else has a child in Bristol? I tried to scroll back to the beginning but it's not v easy in the app to do that!

Just got back from work to hear my husband on the phone to the estate agent who had sent him a joint and several liability guarantee of ds1’s 4th year student house. He got two of them to admit they would not sign a joint and several guarantee for six other flatmates either, he flatly refused to sign it (potentially worth £50k in rent alone) and they are now sending over a several guarantee of only DS1’s rent.

So that’s a victory. Highly recommend holding the line and forcing them to admit how ludicrous it is.