Chat for those who are shielding

[AuntieSocia1]

Apologies for the very unsnazzy title but as it suggests a place to chat for those who have to shield at the moment. A few of us have been talking on the the Shielding after lockdown thread in the coronavirus topic.

Thought I'd put this in chat as some days I'm guessing we'll want to chat about anything other than coronavirus!

I know all of our circumstances are quite different as well as the reason we need to shield but it's a pretty big thing to have in common. Despite my username I look forward to interacting with you and as my username suggests I might also slink off from time to time!

Yeah I've had one! Luckily I had a few basics in so cobbled some meals together

@AuntieSocia1 something I'm looking forward to? This was quite a hard question! I have a recipe for tiger bread which I have never made before and will do when I'm better, looking forward to that. Also DH is going to get a prescription for me (I can't get hold of them but if people aren't aware, Boots are doing free home delivery for shielded people) and so will get me a magazine (hopefully Good Food or similar) when he is out. I'm looking forward to that.

Would like to hear what everyone else is looking forward to? It did make me think. I'm really looking forward to spending more time with DH as we don't get enough together atm, but far from ideal circumstances!

PS Corned beef is wrong, all kinds of wrong!

With pharmacy deliveries all pharmacies should be delivering to shielded customers free of charge. How they do it might vary - it’s one of the things the RVS are covering though.

If you need a Red Drug your hospital should get it to you by courier while you’re shielding, though I’m guessing by this point that won’t be news to anyone on here...

The RVS have been totally rubbish so far. My pharmacy haven’t heard of their scheme and they haven’t contacted me despite registering me 12 days ago.

It’s really helpful to hear that Boots are doing free deliveries. I usually get my medication from a local independent pharmacy but I’ll see if I can switch to Boots.

That’s awful Egghead. My local (independent) pharmacy staff are delivering to me & volunteers (not sure who) are delivering to customers who live further away.

If your GP surgery uses patient access you can change the pharmacy your e-script gets sent to via the app.

I have to get my prescription from the hospital pharmacy, it was delivered free and no prescription charge. Do you think I'll get invoiced for it?

The weather is glum here, was doing so well with eating better, today I've done nothing but eat. I managed to lose some weight the first two weeks, but have put around 5lb since. I hate this, I need to lose weight and was doing so well before.

We’re shielding three teenage DCs here and it’s becoming very stressful. I’m torn between them and trying to give them the time/space/distraction/support they need. They’ve been really unnerved by the shielding letters. We don’t have a huge house or garden so trying to give everyone space is impossible. Stay well everyone.

ALemonyPea
I’d give the hospital pharmacy a ring - their number’s usually on the Trust website but if not you can go through switchboard (just need to make sure you ask for outpatient pharmacy). I don’t pay for my prescriptions so didn’t think about fact they didn’t charge me (iyswim?) - it’s possible they’re handling everything as they would IP prescriptions & not charging but I know I’d want to be clear about it if there was a chance of getting a surprise!invoice. Weather is mis here as well - am listening to the rain as I write.

Skybluepink123
That must be incredibly stressful. For all of you.

Sorry for double posting, engaged my brain too late

Skybluepink123
Is there a charity linked to the reason your children are shielding that offers any kind of support service? Or would they consider accessing any other kind of online support stuff? Obviously things have changed for everyone, but Shielding Is Different & you say they were unnerved by the letters. Have they had a chance to speak to [any of] the specialist[s] responsible for their care about it?

Don’t forget to look after yourself as well. I know you’ll be really focused on them & what they need, but one of the things they need is you to be as ok as anyone can be at the moment. So you need to mind yourself as well as them.

Thanks @MarieVanGoethem. I already get escripts. Someone on here recommended Pharmacy2u so I have signed up with them and ordered my first medication through them today as an experiment. Fingers crossed it all works.

I've used Pharmacy2U in the past and they were great - the only reason I changed back to my local pharmacy was because I went on insulin and wasn't confident about it potentially not being in a fridge for a while once it was delivered.

^ pressed post too soon! I meant to add good luck getting sorted, @Egghead68

Yes I think they could be a really good solution (although I feel guilty about all the extra packaging).

Hope it goes well Egghead68. If it consoles you at all re: packaging one of my daily medications comes in packs of 2. Said packs are A5 boxes that are about 1.5cm deep; inside which is a thickened cardboard triptych, one panel of which is a blister pack. There’s also a paper insert with the usual “these are the side effects & who to contact if your head explodes” etc on. So you can probably Relatively Speaking it.

Also, you’ll be generating much less waste than if you don’t get your prescription or have to get it via household member & either way end up in hospital. (Which is how I have to think about what’s going on here )

@Skybluepink123, that must be very hard indeed, especially for them if the letters came as a shock. Mine was a shock and I felt a bit Kevin the teenager (it's not FAIR) so I can only imagine how actual teenagers feel

Obviously I don't know the reasons for shielding so apologies if not helpful, but I have teenagers and a small house and garden and it has been a fucking nightmare - so a useful thing for us was putting up a small tent in the garden (bear with me ) with beanbags and fairy lights so someone could sit in there on their own for a break. If your teenagers are like mine this will perhaps be more enticing if you can run a waterproof extension cable to the tent for laptops etc Mine also share bedrooms and we have had to do a rota (this sounds ridiculous ) for each to be in their bedroom alone for a certain amount of time, to call friends etc. I wish wish wish we had the money/space for loft conversion/summerhouse/caravan on the drive. I hope your DC (and you!) are OK as can be.

Thank you all for lovely replies to my pity party yesterday - things actually may be looking up here. DH's agency the cheeky bastards said they wanted him back to work in four weeks/whenever they reopen and he politely advised he couldn't wait around unpaid and would have to get another job. Now they are making noise about a possible furlough to retain him. This would be the absolute best scenario for us under the circumstances, DH is worried about bringing germs back from work as it is as I am recovering really slowly from pneumonia so it will be good to have him here for a few weeks to umpire the DC. At least we have a little bit of hope while they decide!

Re pharmacies and ridiculous packaging, I don't know if online (or all) pharmacies do this, but mine offer the option to sort your meds into a dosset (?) box for you before delivery.

Blimey, that was fast! Got phoned by the council this morning, and a food parcel arrived about half an hour ago! Really grateful that that happened.

I now need to work out how to get through two packs of unfreezable Linda McCartney meatballs that have a use by date of tomorrow by myself, and what to do with all the stuff I can't eat (everything white flour based/potatoes/white rice and pasta)

And the corned beef...

You got Linda McCartney meatballs? Very jealous!

I wonder how they decide on product distribution.

Sorryoo
Rota sounds v sensible, not ridiculous at all. And tent sounds excellent. Will hold my thumbs your DH gets furloughed.

NervousInYorkshire
If you do FB, check for your local Covid Mutual Aid group & see if someone could collect the things you can’t eat to either take to a food bank or someone else needing help. I discovered too late this was an possible solution round here - people were positively tripping over themselves to rescue other unneeded foodboxes to redistribute. Admittedly am in Inner London so we’ve got a lot of people over whom to be tripping; but worth checking even if somewhere rural? LM meatballs would probably freeze if cooked first? As in into something like a pasta sauce (she says, imaginatively...)

I have a question for those of you who are shielding. If you have received a text and a letter telling you that you are classed as very vulnerable,is that in itself confirmation that you ARE high risk? I'm asking as I received both of these,yet when I went on the link to the website to register,my conditions are not mentioned in the high risk list,and I have not actually been told by my GP or consultant that I need to shield. So I ticked the box that said I do not suffer from any of these conditions and I have not been told to shield by my healthcare provider. It came up that I wasn't eligible for any priority treatment! I'm just wondering why I was actually sent a letter!

@Jimmytheweed did your letter say you must stay at home for 12 weeks?

Thanks for the suggestion - I'm not on FB but my friend is, and is in the local mutual aid group - she's going to pick up my excess stuff later from my doorstep. I've said she can use whatever she needs (including a pack of meatballs) and donate anything she doesn't. That works for me, I think.

My biggest 'whoop' when I was unpacking was some dark orange chocolate - whoever put that in is a saint!

I'm also looking forward to trying the carton of Burger King scrambled egg mix!

This is a nice idea....

I am fed up of reading someone tell a shielder
"Count yourself lucky youve got a delivery slot"

Yep.... We are all so lucky we have a serious illness.....

Im in my 7th week of shielding...
Its difficult but its a must.

How is everyone else coping??

Agree @Juststayathome. I’m sick of it being implied that I am not pulling my weight at work as well (NHS) and that I am having a lovely holiday... Um, not quite.

Egghead68 Yes it did say I should stay in until the end of June.

Do you get charged for the council delivered food parcels?