[Ms.Judi]

I took Elaina to urgent care Monday night because Sunday the corner of her eye was red and there was a small amount of drainage. I think she has pink eye. It was still really red on Monday night and that's why I took her to the doctor. He says that is is viral and he doesn't believe in torturing children with drops that don't work and yes she is contagious but do I need a note saying it is ok for her to go back to school-just wash her hands alot. He also said it will spread to her other eye and will last 5-7 days. I couldn't believe it!!! I am teacher and I have been in this situation before where a parent says here my child is sick-I have to go to work and then there is an epedemic of pink eye or whatever. Needless to say I kept her home the past two days-not how I planned to use my remaining vacation days but that is the life of being a parent. Well, after all this it did not spread to her other eye and it has almost cleared up. What would you have done???

[DPline]

As a fellow parent, thank you for not sending her to school! I am not a doctor, but that sounds insane to me. To send her to school when she is contagious?! What the heck?!

[crick]

Same thing as you...kept my kids home. I hate, hate HATE it when contagious kids are sent to school and infect everyone!

It's one thing if a parent is truly unaware if their kid has something (before diagnosis etc.) but once they know, the kids need to be at home.

[afl]

I also think it's crazy a dr said to go ahead and send a contagious child to school. Wash their hands??? Come on, we all know they are going to touch everything and everyone in between hand washings.

I also go out of my mind when kids that are obviously sick and contagious(active fever for example) are sent to school. I keep my DD home from preschool on those days and yet, others send theirs and then I get to deal with the illness making its rounds through our house.

Like a PP said, it's one thing if you don't realize they're coming down with something(we all know how suddenly that can happen).

[sak9645]

It's one thing to send a child off to school if he/she has something that is treatable with antibiotics, and the child has started on treatment. It's quite another to send a child off to school if he/she has something infectious that is not under treatment, has no treatment, and spreads easily.

Pinkeye can be viral, bacterial, or even allergic. You can read about the symptoms of each on-line, to see which is consistent with what you are seeing in your child. Bacterial pinkeye will respond to antibiotic ointments. Viral pinkeye will not.

Pinkeye is nasty and easily spread. A young child has only to wipe his eye with his hand, and then touch another child's hand; that child then puts his hand to his own eye and, lo and behold, it is transmitted. Unless you know that a child has bacterial pinkeye and is under treatment, I believe that you should keep a child who has it out of school or day care.

By the way, remember that Moms and Dads often get pinkeye from their kids. I remember a boss of mine who called from a business trip once, and said. "I'm wearing a pink shirt and pink tie, and I have pinkeye." He got it from his young son. It was so bad that he couldn't see well enough to drive. One of the other members of the firm had to fly up and help him. I don't know if it was viral or bacterial, but it was most unpleasant.

So if there's pinkeye at your house, be sure to wash your own hands frequently and refrain from touching your face. And please, please keep your child out of school.

Sharon

[devildogwife]

Originally Posted by DPline

As a fellow parent, thank you for not sending her to school! I am not a doctor, but that sounds insane to me. To send her to school when she is contagious?! What the heck?!

And as a mom to a medically fragile child, I too thank you for not sending a contagious child to school. I totally think you did the right thing.

[qs mom]

Unfortunately, schools and employers push for production. If your kid misses too much school, they call CPS. If you miss too much work, you get written up.

Honestly, you aren't allowed to be sick in America anymore. Recovery from the flu - the real flu/influenza takes 10 days. I'd be canned if I took 10 days off of work and I'd be in court proofing I'm a fit parent if Q missed 10 days of school.

So, sick kids and sick parents push through and go to work and school and make other people sick! How stupid is this society!

Sorry, went off on a soap box.

I'd keep Q home.

[Larue]

You did the right thing. Sending a child to school when they are contagious and can infect other children is wrong on many levels. DH and I have burned through quite a bit of our sick leave taking turns keeping Sabrina home with us when she is sick. And then we usually get whatever bug she has, and have to stay home because we're sick. We call her "our little Petri dish".

Best wishes that Elaina is better real soon!

[nannyisme2004]

My son just got over pink-eye. We were stuck in the house for over a week. I certainly didn't want to give it to any other kids. He got it from another little boy who I watch once a week. All three of us watched our hands all the time and I kept telling my DD don't put your hands by your eyes. My DS's Ped Doc told me that it might have started off as viral and because it took over 4 to 5 days to run red there was probably a good amount of bacteria in there by then. I only had to treat with the antibiotic ointment like three times and it was gone and back to normal. But it lasted a good 7 to 9 days all together. I pray it heals fast.

[JustBarbara]

First off - that doctor is wrong, wrong, wrong. And thank you for keeping Elaina home - I would have, and have, done the same thing. DS got pink eye at daycare - no idea how he got it ... but then I got it - and the antibiotics did not work - I ended up going to an expensive specialist and stayed home a couple days myself (after being home five days with DS - that included a weekend!) and had to wear sunglasses indoors as the bright lights hurt my eyes and I looked like ... well ... better with the sunglasses on. I don't like it when parents send their kids to school/ daycare sick and I feel the same way about people going to work sick. If necessary, take a vacation day but spreading it around is not nice.

[mommytoEli]

pink eye? yeah...thanks for keeping your kid home. good job! eli got pink eye earlier this year, and it spread through our entire family. it is so contagious. just wash her hands alot? lol. she's a kid! how many things will she touch after rubbing her eye BEFORE she washes her hands again? lots. silly doctor!