I had a call from the school nurse at the JR High my daughter attends late last week. She wanted to inform me that another child with CF had moved into the district and is going to the same school as Kaitlyn (same grade as well).
We discussed the "3 feet rule" and the different bacteria we need to be careful about not being exposed to. I was fine at first with the girls just not being in the same classes. But I did discuss the different bacterias that CF'ers are particularly suseptable to just as an FYI because she was interested.
Well, today I got another call from the nurse...she said due to confidentiality rules she can't tell me anything..she can't even point the other child out to my daughter even though she really wants to...but she did tell me that I need to tell Kaitlyn to find out who she is and to be very careful. She kept emphasing the absolute necessity of them staying apart. I could tell she wanted to tell me more but she could not.
I had told the nurse from the first phone call that she is welcome to give my phone # to the other family if they wanted to talk to me about anything, that I was very open to talking to them and that I could help them with doctors in the area and stuff.
Today that mom called me. She was very nice, but the call has me very worried. She told me that her daughter has been very sick for the last couple of years. She said that the doctors told her that she has 3 different bacteria in her lungs that she will never get rid of but she can't remember what they were. When I mentioned Pseudomonias and MRSA she said yes, she definately has both of those. I asked about B. Cepacia and she said she wasn't sure...she knew there was one more but she couldn't remember. I could tell she didn't know much about any of the bacteria. She did not know that CF'ers are not supposed to be around each other. She was very overwhelmed by the disease itself and all the terminology and stuff.
I'm unsure how to feel or what to do. It's a small school...only 7th and 8th grade. And unless one of us moves they will go to the same high school as well.
Any advice? I don't want to over-react but I don't want to under-react either... Kaitlyn is very worried about it. She wants to change schools. She is 13 and old enough to know what's going on... And I can tell she is very nervous....
We discussed the "3 feet rule" and the different bacteria we need to be careful about not being exposed to. I was fine at first with the girls just not being in the same classes. But I did discuss the different bacterias that CF'ers are particularly suseptable to just as an FYI because she was interested.
Well, today I got another call from the nurse...she said due to confidentiality rules she can't tell me anything..she can't even point the other child out to my daughter even though she really wants to...but she did tell me that I need to tell Kaitlyn to find out who she is and to be very careful. She kept emphasing the absolute necessity of them staying apart. I could tell she wanted to tell me more but she could not.
I had told the nurse from the first phone call that she is welcome to give my phone # to the other family if they wanted to talk to me about anything, that I was very open to talking to them and that I could help them with doctors in the area and stuff.
Today that mom called me. She was very nice, but the call has me very worried. She told me that her daughter has been very sick for the last couple of years. She said that the doctors told her that she has 3 different bacteria in her lungs that she will never get rid of but she can't remember what they were. When I mentioned Pseudomonias and MRSA she said yes, she definately has both of those. I asked about B. Cepacia and she said she wasn't sure...she knew there was one more but she couldn't remember. I could tell she didn't know much about any of the bacteria. She did not know that CF'ers are not supposed to be around each other. She was very overwhelmed by the disease itself and all the terminology and stuff.
I'm unsure how to feel or what to do. It's a small school...only 7th and 8th grade. And unless one of us moves they will go to the same high school as well.
Any advice? I don't want to over-react but I don't want to under-react either... Kaitlyn is very worried about it. She wants to change schools. She is 13 and old enough to know what's going on... And I can tell she is very nervous....