Sick before a meet - what to do?

[Lilbert]

My dd who is 10 has her state championship meet this weekend. She has achieved first place all around in the last 5 out of 6 meets and has a great shot at placing top 5. She had a bad cold yesterday (no fever just stuffy and runny) and I kept her home from school and practice. Much better this am and back at school today but not 100%. Concerned she won't recover enough in time. She's never missed a meet in two years. Any advice for speedier recovery? How much practice for next three days? She's doing all the typical stuff, lots of liquids, hot soup, saline nasal spray, humidifier in bedroom, eating high vitamin c foods, getting more sleep. Should I get her on antibiotics to prevent any kind of secondary infection? Would love your thoughts. Thanks!

Warning: This is an Old Thread This discussion is older than 30 days. Information contained in it may no longer be current. Before you reply, please make sure you will be adding useful information to the thread and not just bringing back an old conversation. Feel free to start a new thread so we can have an updated conversation on the topic. If you feel the thread should be reopened for discussion...please contact a moderator.

[krisnkids]

First check your gym's policies. Some gyms have a policy that if they miss a practice during meet week especially because they are sick, they cannot compete. Stuffy and runny aren't bad imo, but i'm not a doctor, and I do not keep my kids home from school for that. You won't find many doctors that will put a child on antibiotics for stuffy and runny. What level is your dd?

[MaryA]

I would say to send her to practice and let the HC know what's going on. At least at DD's gym, HC would prefer a kid who is recovering from a cold (well enough to be at school) to be at practice. If HC is aware of the situation, she's likely to keep an eye on things and be aware that she might be weak or might get worn out more quickly, and will modify her workout accordingly. If she's recovering on her own, I doubt antibiotics would do anything for her.

As for not being her best at States, it's a shame, but it is what it is. Beyond following basic standards for keeping our kids healthy (enough sleep, good food, etc.) we have no control over when our kids get sick. There will be other States meets. If she doesn't do as well as she would like at States, keep the focus on what a great season she had and how proud she should be of herself. Nothing she does at States can take that away from her.

Good luck to her! Sending healing fairies her way!

[Lilbert]

Thanks. Gym has an 80% rule and so missing last night was fine. She is a level 5. Kept her home from school because she was very contagious and not fair to send her. Also was really feeling lousy.

[Lilbert]

Thanks. I plan on sending her tonight although she complained her chest hurt a little this am (hoping no bronchitis brewing). Told her to have the school call me if it persists but the day is almost over and have not heard anything so hopefully is on the mend. She rarely has missed practice and never gets sick! We are frequent hand washers here but like you said sometimes there is just no control. I guess that's the case with States. If she's not her best it's not her fault and you're right, we are all proud of her season and she should be too. Thanks for the healing wishes!

[krisnkids]

She should be fine then. My gymmie had a horrible time one year, 2 weeks before states she used a bug repellant with DEET in it, not knowing she was allergic to it, gave her a severe headache. 2 ER trips, doctors telling me she was having emotional issues. CT scans because it obviously had to be a head injury because she is a gymnast ended with me demanding that the ER doctor give her a migraine cocktail. 4 hours later she still had a headache, but was not crying in pain. She was out of the gym with the lingering headach for a week, still on migraine meds. Ended up back in the gym the week before states, half the time in tears because her head hurt, but refusing to leave the gym floor because she wanted to go to states. Went to states, didn't have a spectacular meet, but was a happy child because she had worked so hard to go.
In the end I left it up to her, I wasn't going to push her to go, but I wasn't go to tell her she couldn't if she was determined.

[Lilbert]

Wow. That's quite the experience. Glad she was OK. Thanks for the perspective.

[Gymmommy71]

You have at least three days for her to recover - I'm sure she'll be fine (especially since she's at the point now where she's able to go to school). FWIW...I've seen gymnasts come to meets pumped full of motrin controlling 103 degree fevers and compete and do just fine ...I've even seen a few vomit mid-meet and come right back out and do the next event... It's all about how important that specific meet is to them (like a kid who already qualified and has had several great meets already isn't going to push themselves for one more run of the mill meet, but a kid coming off an injury who needs that score to qualify will push themselves). In my state, meet season coincides w/ flu season, so there are always at least one or two kids from DD's team who are battling some sickness every meet weekend.

[wallinbl]

It's only Wednesday - plenty of time to recover! Do too much, too soon and you might slow the recovery. I'd think about skipping today's practice for extra rest and working out a private lesson for Thursday or Friday to polish things up.

[thefellowsmom]

Our last meet was our travel meet and my daughter had a fever and threw up the night before the meet. She woke up feeling a little better and no fever but threw up one more time in the morning. I told her no one would be upset with her for not competing and tried to convince her to stay in bed the she was not having it. She told me to give her some crackers, fill a water bottler and bring an advil because there was no way she was going to miss that meet, especially after traveling all that way.

I wasn't sure it was the right thing to do, but I followed her lead as I do with everything else having to do with this sport.

We went and talked to her coach and the two of them agreed to take it minute by minute and stay in constant communication about how she was feeling. If her coach or I had felt that it was unsafe for her at any time, we would have pulled her.

But, she did great. She had an excellent meet (personal best AA score) and by the end of the day was feeling on top of the world and no more tummy issues.

Every kid is different but I would listen to your daughter. Unless there is something more serious going on, let her decide how she feels. I think three days is plenty of time to recover from a minor cold and she has earned the right to go for that state title. Sounds like she had an excellent season.

But, this is coming from the mom who just sent her kid into a meet telling her to make sure she didn't puke on the floor so what do I know