When do you send your child to school with a cold and when do you keep them home? This week the answer has not been so clear to me.
Emma has had a cough for weeks now, maybe 4. I’ve lost track of how long it’s been. The same thing happened last year and it eventually went away but this year it seems to be getting worse.
I know, I know, you are probably all thinking “Hello, Bronchitis!” but her lungs sound nice and clear. She has no other symptoms and is not, by any means, acting sick or complaining of feeling yucky. I would just taker her to the Drs for conformation but our insurance totally stinks.
Her teacher has only mentioned her cough to me once. She had her sit in the office one day debating if she should send her home because she was having a coughing fit after playing at recess. It went away and they let her stay but Emma comes home everyday and tells me that she has to sit at a table all by herself and is not allowed to play with the other kids. It breaks my heart because I don’t want Emma feeling so left out.
I’ve kept her home the past 2 days but I can’t help but feel that she’s not really sick. So I’m putting the questions out there… at what point do you decided that your child is sick enough to stay home??
12 responses so far ↓
1 Manda // Oct 10, 2008 at 9:50 am
I just read this article at WebMD.
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/cold-becomes-bronchitis
I do not think Emma has symptoms of bronchitis. Plus they say that most bronchitis is viral and that antibiotics don’t work. That makes me even less want to take her to the Dr.
2 Jessica // Oct 10, 2008 at 9:55 am
That sounds like she might have allergies or asthma?
3 AmyG // Oct 10, 2008 at 10:46 am
The only way I would keep her home is if she had a fever, or if the coughing was keeping her up at night & she couldn’t sleep & it would affect her at school. I hope she feels better soon!
4 ash // Oct 10, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I thought asthma too. I would take her to the Dr. 4 weeks is a long time.
5 Melody // Oct 10, 2008 at 12:31 pm
It breaks my heart that she would have to sit alone. I’d be a bitter parent and leave her home to play with me until she could sit with friends again.
What do I know, I don’t have kids in school yet. But I hear you on the stinky insurance.
6 Jodi // Oct 10, 2008 at 1:17 pm
That’s one of those danged if you do and danged if you don’t! Obviously you don’t want other kids to get the cough, but at the same time you can’t keep your child home for 4 weeks of school. Insurance does stink and it’s stench grows worse each year for me.
7 Wendy // Oct 10, 2008 at 9:16 pm
If you did take her to the doctor you could at least tell the teacher that she got the okay, maybe even a note from the doc himself. And if it is something, then you could at least get her some help or at least something to relieve the symptoms.
8 linda // Oct 12, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I am also going to vote on allergies. I have the same thing happen to me this time of year and it just goes away, eventually. I suspect that since it happened last year as well, it is allergies.
9 darcyp // Oct 13, 2008 at 12:26 pm
It sounds like allergy induced asthma. Ragweed season lasts from about August 23 through the first two good frosts.
If it’s especially rough after recess or running around, it’s your one of your best diagnostic tools for being sure it’s allergy induced asthma. Sorry!!!! More than I can say — sorry! A good steamy shower can help it tremendously though.
10 Jessica // Oct 13, 2008 at 3:31 pm
I don’t think she HAS bronchitis (having heard the terrible cough), but I do think she could be on the way to developing it. Bronchitis can in turn develop into pneumonia which does require antibiotics… that’s what we just went through over here.
The asthma thing is a valid argument too, especially since I heard her get worse the more active she became (ie: running, or whatever).
I’d definitely have her looked at. Even if it was just the urgent care.
I’d keep my kids home if they were coughing or runny nosed, fever or no, I don’t want to spread that stuff around.
11 Kristen // Oct 13, 2008 at 4:26 pm
We started my son on Singulair several years ago, due to similar symptoms. He is like a different child. Fewer cough and cold symptoms. It’s worth checking into. Sounds like allergies or reactive airway.
12 Lou // Oct 15, 2008 at 8:06 pm
They make her sit ALONE!!??
Ok- 1st off, if this were the teacher, she would be at work after her pay.
2ndly, it really does sound like allergies because I do the exact same thing- plus, once anything hits my lungs they get super sensitive for weeks, and if I tried to run myself around a playground, I’d end up hacking and wheezing as well.
Do look in to an allergy induced asthma.
I keep kids home if they:
A: spike a fever
B: Vomit
C: are lethargic
D: are having cold symptopms to the point where they are gross. A little sniffle- send ‘em, a bunch of snot and blochy face- keep it at home.