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

I'm not sure if DS has his phone on silent or not, he usually answers my calls and texts and I can see where he is on Find My if I need to. My phone is permanently on silent but I have an apple watch which vibrates for calls and texts.

Ds2 refuses to put WhatsApp on his phone. He says no one under 40 uses it. So I just iMessage him. It's does show if he's read my message. He rarely reads my messages. He says he gets so much stuff on his phone that my messages go from the screen. He just likes to be awkward. Ds1 was walking with me when we heard the news. I wish ds2 had been there too, as he would realise how important it is to keep contact. Ds2 was coming on the walk with me, but when ds1 said he'd come ds2 wouldn't. None of them will go if the other one walks. After this news it makes me realise how precious life is and how pathetic my boys are towards each other.

Hi, just saw this thread. As some of you may remember Dd was in Year 11 (and perfectly healthy the night before) when we found her having her first ever seizure, that she wouldn’t come out of, one morning. We estimate she must have been like that for a couple of hours. The best guess is it was viral encephalitis from an unknown virus that has damaged her brain - possibly covid as it was just as that started. If it has been a school day we would have been in her room sooner. Dd had had hundreds of seizures since and lots of time in hospitals.

With her older sister, I made sure I always had as many flatmates/flatmates parents numbers to hand. Get a copy of the 2nd year contract as it often has all this anyway so you don’t even have to ask your Ds/Dd for their flatmates details - which seems the height of uncoolness. I casually got a couple of parents details when moving stuff in/out. Which was useful the only time in 3 years that I did phone a flatmate, when Dd had flu and he was lovely (they both had it and were checking on each other so she had fallen fast asleep on his floor with her phone being in her room).

Practically that’s the only tip I can offer other than the above is always get them vaccinated as much as possible. Student Dd also had the best stocked medicine box (replenished by me) which she tutted at being given until she and her flatmates needed it (flu, Covid etc). We have started having the flu vaccine since.

So sorry for those families and friends of those students who have died. I don’t want to come on the thread and be the messenger of doom but we had an extremely close call and just thought I would spread my thoughts on the only things you can do practically when they are spreading their wings (and illness is the last thing on their minds as well it should be).

What sad news @icanbewhatiwant: thinking of you all. I agree with others that meningitis has always felt distant to me, thanks to everyone sharing practical tips: checking ds’s immunisations is now on my to do list: although I’m sure he’s up to date….

@icanbewhatiwant That is terribly sad news. It's made me more worried now about the Men B vacc. which I was planning on getting DS1 & 2 before abandoning it as I thought I may be being a little paranoid . Both went to private school as well and got the normal vacs MEN ACWY same as everyone else. I remember some on this thread had got it for their dc.

We paid for DS to have the Men B vaccine this summer, two doses, as teens (and young children) are at higher risk and I had heard that the numbers were higher last year than even before covid. Prevalent with uni students apparently

We had the Men B done for my two a few years ago at Boots, two doses each. A friend of a friend is an A&E nurse and had told the mutual friend to get it for hers if she possibly could, she told me and we did it that year.

@EspeciallyD I can see the men B vaccine available at boots. It says £220 it doesn't mention a second vaccine. There is no information. Does anyone know where the info is. I don't think Ds would have one anyway. He refused the covid booster.

It's £110 per dose, 4 weeks apart, £215 if you pay for both at once, you have to scroll down a bit to see it.

www.boots.com/vaccinations/meningitis-b

They wouldn’t let me pay for the two together, I had to pay separately.
Did get Boots points though

Thanks for the info. Ds says no he's not having it. I thought he'd say that. I can't force him.

So sad to hear of another meningitis death.

DS has had one does of meningitis b vaccine just before he went and they said he could wait for Xmas for the second dose. It's not yet booked in and I know he felt quite bad after the first one so he may not be keen. I will reiterate these stories though. We also have a niece who is severely disabled due to having meningitis as a baby so he can see the consequences albeit in a different scenario.

His phone is permanently on silent but I do have his girlfriend's number and she has mine in case of emergencies. I don't have any other flatmates numbers.

Da had his first dose at Superdrug. Very similar price to boots but we found had a lot more availability.

DD1 had a friend at uni that contracted men b and was treated and made a full recovery. I worry that even if you called an ambulance now, you’d not get one in time!

Also her cousin had it recently in Australia and has lucky made a full recovery. He was at home though so a quick response and a health system that isn’t on its knees!

Well, today's the day I pick up DS. Heading off at lunchtime, he's not sure what time he will be out of his last practical session but I am happy to potter around town for a bit if there's a wait.

Parents eve for DD (y12) last night. Time to start seriously planning uni applications for her now, it has come round quickly. Feeling a bit daunted even though we have done it so recently for DS - he wanted a max of 100 miles from home and no big cities so the logics of visits and open days were easy also he has a natural interest in towns, locations etc and knew exactly where everywhere was IYSWIM. DD is looking at RG or similar unis with no particular geographical restrictions and no real idea where most of the major towns and cities of the UK are or what they are like - we have been to Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Durham in the past but not with a view to them being uni choices. Lots to think about.

What subject for dd EspecD?

Dd1's boyfriend had a temperature of 40.8 last night. She's had flu the last few days & has given it to him right in the middle of his master's. She dialled 111 & they said to give him ibuprofen as well as paracetamol. She was really panicky & so my parents ( retired nurse/doctor) gave her some advice. I hope they're both ok this morning. Of course nurses are on strike today & hospitals will be chaotic.

@EspeciallyD at least you can get good affordability data on here! Sheffield, Nottingham, Newcastle, Cardiff all good for that.

On a more conventional note, apart from looking at the rankings, the next thing is whether she prefers big city (London/Manchester/Birmingham) or smaller city/town or campus. My two both ruled out London and Birmingham at the beginning on that basis, which really helped to narrow it down.

DD's had approval to swap degrees and restart in September! Such a relief. Now need to sort out what she can do for the next 9 months, but that can wait until the new year.

@seeline I'm very glad your daughter has managed to swop courses successfully. It must have been such a stressful time for you all.
@Benjispruce4 I think it's very true that today's NHS treatment is not on a par with Australia. I'm going to book mine in for the men. B vaccinations.

That is good Seeline.

Great news @Seeline

Fab @Seeline. Now she can focus on the next few months with something to look forward to.
@Oblomov22 how are you feeling?

Great news @Seeline. Hope he is feeling better soon @Cantonet.

Re DD, she had been thinking biomedical science or similar, but is also hankering after ancient history a bit (she's taking history, biology and chemistry with chemistry being her weakest subject, she's capable of A* in the other two, A/B in chemistry). She has said she doesn't want to go to London and does want a campus uni rather than a spread-out-in-a-city type one so that does narrow things down a bit but there are still an awful lot of options for both subject areas.