Shielding chat continues - thread 2

[AuntieSocia1]

Shiny new thread for anyone shielding.

You can vent/moan/cry/chat/lurk whatever you need.

Advice?! Jeeez. And if we hadn’t taken the ‘advice’, we’d have to live with the consequences!!

I too can’t take another ‘well it’s only advice’ comment. Or more commonly now in RL, I get ‘can’t you sneak out? no one would know..you’ve been nowhere?!’

@Flossie44. This it what drives me mad! ‘It’s only advice, you need to assess the risk and do what you think is best for your children’ but you know if my poor babies caught it and I had been taking them out I would get ‘well you didn’t follow the advice that is designed to keep them safe’

@SFCA that’s exactly it, if we didn’t follow advice and something was to happen it would be our fault. People don’t understand that at all.

Government page has now been updated.

www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-hails-resilience-of-shielders-as-restrictions-set-to-ease?utm_source=4657c856-c6cb-4d94-b4bc-b277e9805915&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=immediate

I am a regular poster on here but have just changed my username I always give away far too much information!

Waiting for the text from my boss telling me to go into my office in Central London on Monday because if I can see one person then I don't need to worry about it anymore.

Actually feel sick to the stomach.

[Also name changed due to giving away too much information]

@MyEyesightIsBadLetsGoForADrive totally got what you meant 100% agree. It is completely unprofessional for them to be joking like that. Really indicates a lack of regard for the utter terror people feel and for respect for the families who have lost someone

@DragonTrainedByLucy haha - you make sure to remember everything I taught you, fly free 🐲

I’m much the same as you, I imagine my boss now thinks this gives him the green light to ask me to come in. Until I hear otherwise I’m not going to do this until at least 30th June!

"Unprecedented package of support for those shielding from coronavirus is also set to continue"

Can anyone explain what this unprecedented package was? It's no wonder people think we are being ungrateful and grabby with wording like this...

It's just government rhetoric. Knobs.

@LucyTrainsDragons I will remember all my training. Sorry, was too pee'd off for inventing a unique username.

Sorry you have the boss thing as well to deal with. I am finding the work aspect so stressful as my manager and our HR just do not understand low immune system (even in pre-virus times).

Hello, may I join?
I received my shielding letter early April, however we have shielded as a family so nobody has gone out. After a tricky few weeks in March ( thankful for frozen peas and frozen rhubarb!) and April managed to get one Iceland delivery and now can get priority deliveries from the usual supermarket we shop with online. No other supermarket would give us slots as had not shopped with them online before.

@DragonTrainedByLucy agree I'm terrified . I think it's a slippery slope of "back you go but just STAY EXTRA ALERT"

Thankfully I chose to not tick the receive food parcels so seem to have been spared the corned beef deliveries ( must be over 25 years since I last ate it!)

Welcome @RhubarbJelly

Thankfully I got a slot before shielding with a supermarket I has used in the past and by emailing the CEO of said supermarket a letter from my GP (prior to the shielding letter)... I have also been spared the corned beef box.

Just read on the Government updated link that they are aware 2.5 million people have been asked (note: not advised) to stay at home and they have delivered 2.25 million food boxes over the last ten weeks. I am genuinely worried that many people will have been left extremely vulnerable in a position where they had to put themselves at risk due to the simple act of obtaining food.

I don't understand why they are banging on about the greatness of having prescriptions delivered - this has always happened for me, and I suspect many other people as well. It seems the Government want to take credit for services that were already being provided in the communities.

I've just had a quick read of the new guidance-thank you for the link. So my mum can come and sit in the garden now if we wish. However, my nieces decided to visit her the other day, my sister visited in the garden, she's interacted with the gardener and the builders of a neighbour ours house so I'm not sure if her risk at the moment. Once she's been nowhere near anyone else for two weeks then I'll reconsider.

@FuckThisWind I have psoriatic arthritis. Hard to tell from a photo, but it's certainly a possibility that it's psoriasis. Mine looks different depending where it is on my body

We have possible shingles in the beyond household, if anyone wants to weigh in an opinion?

And now I'll catch up the thread

@BeyondDreamsOfBeyondFourWalls Is that sort of near the rib cage or on the back/trunk?

That's how my shingles has started out, I've had it a few times and it starts with a cluster, sometimes some shooting pain down the area that's affected and further...

GP can provide antivirals for it so maybe contact 111 and see if you can get a video call?

@DragonTrainedByLucy I often find inspiration from other usernames, so glad to have been of service

Much the same here, my boss doesn’t understand my condition at all, he actually doesn’t care that much about anyone other than himself. I’ve not had any contact with him other than when I’ve initiated it.

I have been extremely grateful of the furlough scheme though, couldn’t have managed without it, 80% has been really generous.

Furlough has been amazing, I really appreciate the scheme, although I am now being told other people are doing my job which is stressing me out (I was originally furloughed when I got signed off with possibly COVID, I had WFH before that).

I couldn't have managed either, particularly with the price of food rising so much over the last couple of months. It's really hit me hard.

I would think we work together but I know I am the only one shielding in my place so I suspect we don't (although I totally understand why people don't share medical conditions widely in my workplace now too!)

Sorry all I was feeling very low last night.

I haven't minded the boxes but I only ticked for fresh stuff for vegetarians, household cleaning stuff and cat food.

I'm in the lucky position that with each month that goes by I have less of a risk, lymphocytes are still low but rising. We have mostly not been pit of the house but since the beginning I've had friends/family over in the front garden while I chat to them from the door step. I'm very lucky my family and many friends are very close by and could incorporate a visit in their daily walks. I also sometimes go for a drive just to get out. My DC will sometimes go for a walk at 4am !

Thanks for the link. The idea of walking amongst others is terrifying !

Hello from a fellow shielder!

@FuckThisWind I have psoriatic arthritis and that doesn't look like psoriasis to me. Mine are more white and dry / scaly (thankfully controlled at the moment with methotrexate and Cimzia). Could your rash be eczema or a heat rash? I'd try some hydrocortisone cream for a couple of days to see if it helps.

Can I join too?. Been shielding from the beginning but have been going out for walks avoiding other people. We live in a tiny village so that's been easy to do. My daughter is going back to school tomorrow as year 6. She has SEN so will really benefit from it and the school policy is really good. Obviously we are somewhat concerned but feel it's right on balance

It's on the back, it's not me though - it's my eight year old! But I'm positive that looks like shingles, especially given the location and the fact that he can't have caught anything while we're stuck at home. He does suffer with eczema, but it doesn't look anything like that, and he's also been unwell (headache and fever). I'm aware how unlikely it is for a child to get it, but his cousin (5) had confirmed shingles back in the winter, so I know it's not impossible...

I've just been out for a mid-morning power walk (not super early to avoid people) and don't feel guilty! It's quite a weird feeling and I'm someone who has left the house a handful of times.

I really don't know how strange it will feel to be outside for someone who hasn't left their house for 12 weeks 😯