What is Interfering ? What is concern?

[poppy]

Help again! Am I neurotic ? My dd sends lovely emails telling us she is having a really great time as a new second former at CH which is fab! We have had all good happy emails from her for which I am really thankful. However I had an email to say she had felt really lousy and had gone to matron to have medicine (but no further info as to what was the matter) However 24hrs later we had heard nothing else. It is really hard not being able to talk to her and therfore not know how ill or not ill she feels, she often doesn't respond to my emails. I felt a bit concerned because my dd has asthma and often gets a a chest infection with a cold and can go down hill really quickly. As CH dont really know her patterns I felt wanted to phone her matron to discuss and ask a couple of questions, because asthma can be so serious I also wanted to put my mind at rest. I had filled out forms explaining her asthma earlier in the year but I could not remember to what detail. I called matron and had a rather swift 10 sec conversation which left me no better informed and with the feeling I am a real fusspot. I understand as a parent we cannot be on the phone 24/7 and we have to trust CH to take care of our children and I appreciate every time a child has a cold Matrons can not call every parent, but as I had called with my concern a little explaination and reassurance would of both stopped my worrying and informed matron ,especially at this early stage into her first term at CH. I am confident that if there was any major concern I would have been contacted. I guess the fact we can communicate with our children in the first few weeks by email is great, however the downside to that is a message a child may send that : leaves you not properly informed but in a tizzy. I am sure my dd and I will both find our way. Should I have called???

[CHDad]

I think that if you were concerned you were quite correct to call and I would have done the same thing. I guess it will be a bit easier when the children have phones although you are always at risk of the "panic" phone call that still leaves you in "tizz"! I have never received e.mails from my son before now and I think from what he has been doing and also what other people have said is that they are using the e.mails as a sort of texting service (in the absence of a phone) rather than writing letter type e.mails which give more information.

[Jane5]

Don't worry Poppy, it will get easier. I have a daughter in GE and I have had many times when I have been left worrying after a call or text or email. The majority of times it is simply my daughter offloading to me and then going off feeling fine. I am left worrying until I speak with her again to find all is fine!
Yes you must call when you are worried. If you are not reassured, then try again. Email often gets a quick response too.
In my experience CH deals extremely well with any illness/upsets and you would be informed immediatly if there were any serious concerns.
The staff also want to know if there any concerns from home; they welcome feedback from home. So try not to worry, easy to say, we have all been there, but it does get easier!

[sejintenej]

Poppy,
Assuming DD has her pills and all her inhalers AND USES THEM then you should have relatively little to worry about. I hope that she has to use one of those flometers twice a day because that will show up any future problems especially from infection; she will know the two critical figures - when to keep a sharp eye out and when to get medical help immediately. She also knows the limit on how often she is allowed to use the emergency inhaler. You don't say which form of asthma she has; if it is allergic (like mine) then her daily readings should help narrow down any "danger" areas like Big Side in summer for example. Knowledge is (almost) everything.

The matron will have seen asthma before in all its variants and, knowing your DD has it then she will be keeping an extra eye on her to get to know how her breathing behaves.

As for calling matron, certainly call if DD indicates that her asthma is getting bad but ensure that she goes to matron immediately there is a problem.

It is up to DD how much she allows asthma to run her life; don't forget that there are top name athletes who suffer from it. I hope that she fights it.

[YadaYada]

Definitely call if you want to! We have put CH in loco parentis of the most precious things in our lives.........it is natural and reasonable to want reassurance and information about them, especially if you have a concern over illness.
Actually, it helps to build relationships with the staff in the house. I would recommend email though as they are quick at responding and your 10 second conversation might have been because they were really busy at the time rather than being a brush off.
Funnily enough, this term I haven't called once but have had a phone call from the house master and an email from the Deputy Head. I do wonder if this is because they know how much I like to be kept in the loop!

[Great Plum]

I found that matrons knew everything, from ashtma, to relationship issues to who was smoking, the latest gossip, the best way to make a hot chocolate etc etc... They will know what to do!

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

"Barnes Mum" is an exceptional Matron --- who has all those qualities.

We remember her care and attention, beyond the call of duty, when a girl had Swine Flu.

I imagine that all the Matrons are, now, a more "Human" lot ,than in the 40s (Scarred for life !!)
I word in the appropriate "Ear", might well allay your worries

[juicymum]

I can testify to that!!!! Barnes Mum must be an Angel. She has kept me sane during the past three weeks even though my DS is not in her house she has done all she possibly can to keep me reassured. Maybe a quick line to her may reassure you. My Ds 's matron is nice as well but Barnes Mum is 'exceptional.'
I can't wait to meet her

[lonelymom]

She will actually be doing a mixture of cringing and blushing now (but you're both right, she's lovely!)

[Barnes Mum]

Yes Lonelymom, you are right, you know me well!!!

[wickedwitch]

as i mentioned in a different post theres a coming to Barnesmum at some point for her exceptional reporting from the frontlines. xxx

[Momto2]

Barnes Mum is indeed a wonderful lady who has helped and offered help on numerous occasions ... she is a star

(Is now a good time to tell her that it poured with rain at the St Matthew's Day parade and that there are a lot of wet housies coming back on the coaches?)!!!!

[Barnes Mum]

Enough already!!! I only do the same as anyone else would!

Poor kids! It's such a shame when it pours down on them, I bet they still did us all proud and their playing and marching was as wonderful as always! On one of my oldest daughter's first St Matthew's days they all got so wet that the linings from their Houseys actually turned all their shirts yellow!

[Mrs C.]

I think that was my daughter`s first one - we had shoes drying in the airing cupboard all weekend!
If I remember rightly, they were allowed to wear civvies the next day - and Houses received pizzas from the Head!

[Barnes Mum]

That'd be the one. The whole school had gone up and there was no choice but to let them wear civvies to lessons the next day, wet Housey coats take days to dry out properly - and stink!!!