PCR tests on small children

Easier said than done .
It's a nightmare trying to get swabs from small kids .
I don't have any magical formula .
My eight year old needed to have a shunt put in the back of her hand and we spent the day at the hospital.
The nurses were so impatient and angry with her .
She was completely hysterical .
When she cried herself to sleep they were able to complete the task .
With any tests -fear ensues .
It's horrible for small kids .
And horrible for their parents.
I suggest waiting until they doze off and doing it quickly!

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My DD told them she had to get out of the car as she is pregnant and couldn’t climb over. They were sympathetic and just parked her at the furthest space from anyone else.

Redhead parents or person with a child has to do it. Helps if they tell you that first. First time we went DD was in front - not allowed out car so she had to climb through to the back! Why were they sent to hospitals? No hospitals were testing in our area - just the test centres set up in different places.

It's horrible, but then life can be horrible.
It's soon done.

We’ve had this with some of our grandchildren. It’s horrible for them.

I don’t know if someone told me this, or I dreamt it. May have been a YouTube news video. Apparently, they’re working on a new test where you just swab around your teeth.

Much less distressing, and easier. Don’t know when it will be available though.

Summerlove

PCR tests are not pleasant for children, but to call them “torture” is a bit of an overkill I think.

My thoughts exactly. And I've done 4 on my grandson.

This is a killer virus. We're lucky we have easy testing available now. I remember when my family thought they had the virus and there were NO tests available anywhere they could get to, and no postal tests available.

PCR tests are not pleasant for children, but to call them “torture” is a bit of an overkill I think.

Excellent Flaxseed and I am pleased he will be seen by the doctor.
I guess it boils down to a case of being sensible with the testing and we need to comply. Fingers crossed the saliva test will remove the poking sticks in the future.
And to think this is going on with poor little children the whole world over!

Results came back this morning. Negative - thank goodness. So, the drs finally agreed to see him and he has infections in both ears.
So awful that they have to suffer until they have a negative result.
I work in a hospital and we can’t wait for test results before a patient sets foot in here. We wear our PPE and get on with it

Well good news here. Our 4y old family member tested negative. Mum thought it would. She is off school, high temperature, hacking cough. I think we over test children.

It is torture. DGS2 has now had 5 (different occasions) as childminder would not have him back unless he had one despite Scottish Government changing their regulations after concerns. He was 2 when it started, now 3 and has always involved being held down - arms pinned, legs pinned and head pinned. Alternative was Mummy not going to work as a nurse for 10 days or me having him for 10 days and DH had stroke in Feb. 4 were in car and 1 in a centre. First time was horrendous. The man taking the tests from us gave him a chocolate bar but we still had to watch trains and trams for 10 minutes from the car till he (and me) calmed down. Was at Edinburgh Airport. Next times we were more prepared. Nurseries are not as stringent as childminders. DGD is now 4 (3) at the start and has not had to stay off or have PCR and she gets a lot of coughs - needs a puffer when she gets a cold. Childminders are self employed though and have to protect themselves. Some are not paid when they are off though DD had to pay right through 1st lockdown even though we looked after him. She only looked after children of ITU staff no one else but they still had to pay.

Thank you Lincslass - the voice of reason.

Urmstongran

Hmm. Read the link.
At the beginning Point 3 states:
^If for any reason you can’t do the test, please continue
to self-isolate as a household^

Right o.
That’s big brother missing school too, mum a teacher that’d go down well with the head and dad self employed - no work for 10 days and a mortgage to pay.
Not feasible.

There are also guides as to when you don’t have to self isolate, eg if vaccinated, if schoolchild under 18,
duckduckgo.com/?q=does+the+whole+household+need+to+isolate+if+child+has+covid&t=ipad&ia=web. I have read this. Find the NHS site useful if needed.

Flazxxeed. Criminal.! You must never subject him to this again.

Welbeck

I really hope this is true as it will be far less traumatic

Poor little boy, and my heart goes out to you and your daughter. I think children especially, and rightly so, don't like the thought of anything being done to them. Our little son was the same about a lumbar puncture, had five nurses pinning him down and remembers it to this day. So not always soon forgotten.
I sometimes wonder whether we as a country are over testing at every little cough, sniffle, headache etc and especially in the case of young children who are often under the weather. I'm not suggesting it's a case of crying wolf too often because the very time we didn't test, sods law it would be covid. It's just that from a child's perspective it must seem like a truly horrible procedure with no benefits.
I hope you get a negative result back for him.

i read months ago that a british lab was developing a cheek swab test for covid, and that it would be more useful because it only caught the active infection, not residues from months ago.
haven't heard anything since.
where is it. give it A1 priority ! i'd happily pay for a cheek test.

it does hurt some people.
and psychological suffering can be quite as painful as physical.
no one can say that something does not hurt someone else.
we are not them. we are not having their experience.

VioletSky

Oh no! Bless him. I'm hearing these stories a lot, stssrnge how small children will fit as much of there hands as they can get up there but a swab, no.

My youngest does not cope well either.

Soon forgotten though

EXACTLY!

Reminds me of the time he gagged when his mum tried to feed him his dinner. But was later quite determined to lick the toilet.

No logic.

stssrnge how small children will fit as much of there hands as they can get up there but a swab, no.
???

So many spelling errors, must be bedtime

Oh no! Bless him. I'm hearing these stories a lot, stssrnge how small children will fit as much of there hands as they can get up there but a swab, no.

My youngest does not cope well either.

Soon forgotten though

I mean it was agony for me ?

GagaJo

Oh don't get me wrong. It IS horrible. No one likes it. But it isn't agony. I understand my grandson kicking off about not wanting to have it AND about having it done to him.

But he also kicks off about eating green beans. Or about putting his shoes on. So...

I do remember the agony of the eye drops - four times a day every summer and having to sit on her (well not literally, pin her down on the floor) to have to do it.