Shielding chat continues - thread 2

[AuntieSocia1]

Shiny new thread for anyone shielding.

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

Chance to catch up with my real-life shielding!friend (as opposed to you very nice people who live in the internet) last night may have left me with Laughter Injuries. Obviously this is V Serious Situation. We were in fact discussing some really serious stuff, but we tend to go for the laughing-not-crying option; & she is the person I have conversations with where anything & everything goes, healthwise - there’s never That Look or the Awkward Sympathy that can set friendships wonky. Acknowledgment things are shite, yes, but also sheer ridiculousness about it all. And no panic. Which means we can tell each other stuff. But yes. I ache from laughing in a way I haven’t in months.

Vascular surgeon will presumably be ringing me today, given he was due to call this week & hasn’t yet. Bit of a weird feeling to be hoping to be told unsuitable for surgery. It just really squicks me out as an idea. And it almost seems guaranteed to go wrong. Meeple.

@iVampire
Am sorry you’ve dished your ankle: how is it today? Have you plenty of ice?

@MilesJuppIsMyBitch
Very much not wanting to sound patronising, sorry - have you ever had any respiratory physio to help you develop your lung demanking skillset? If not, while obviously you can’t go in to be beaten up by someone to kickstart things/learn the techniques/get given toys to play with, they should still be able to send you relevant exercise & advice sheets sheets. With the mank-be-gone toys I’d think they could prescribe or get your GP to or tell you what to buy online. Sorry if all this = most elderly of hats to you, but have found access to respiratory physio for people with asthma isn’t great; & on balance would rather you think I’m being an eejit than not provide potentially helpful information.

@Goingcrazy55
Am so sorry you’re being put in such a difficult position by your workplace. As if anyone would be shielding for the craic. Do you think they’d engage with a Consultant letter? Are you a Union member?

@marievangoethem I am actually with a union and have emailed them as they dont seem to be picking up their phone at my local branch. I'll see what they say.
Basically, I had just started my job (8 weeks) before the virus struck so I was on "probation" or whatever they call it, for 6 months.
So, in their eyes I guess I'm a new employee and I'm causing issues for them maybe? Even though I took unpaid leave.
The other thing is, they keep asking for this shielding letter for confirmation, which my DS didnt receive. We got a call from the GP and hes definitely on it as we receive the food boxes. For some reason, the GP is refusing to give any kind of letter to confirm DS is on the list even though they've told me he is! My employer needs this to prove that my 3 months unpaid leave was justified?!
Just fed up tbh. As everyone on here can relate, I have enough to deal with without fuzzy government guidelines and insensitive employers doing my head in!
Thanks for replying by the way and good luck with the surgery news x

Going - can your child’s consultant get the letter sent?

If your child is on the register is it on their notes? Maybe a helpful secretary?

@RhubarbJelly The nurse at my GPs has assured me he is on their register so I'm just going to have to pressure them to write a note n maybe sign it (hopefully) otherwise I'll give my employer their number and they can try and confirm that way.

@Goingcrazy55 There is a template NHS shielding letter GPs’ surgeries have access to and can use for a patient if they should be shielding. I would write a formal request for this by email and complain to practice manager if they won’t give it.

I've come to moan
I live in a tiny block of apartments (4) and the smoke alarm for the hallway is outside my main door. 3am the fucker starts chirping it has a low battery (despite being wired in, it demands a battery) chirp every 10 seconds
It never starts at 10am before I go to the supermarket
Nobody else changes the thing, the management company are as much use as a chocolate teapot and amazon can't get batteries to me until 8am tomorrow. I may go insane with the stupid chirping

@Splitsunrise oh thanks so much for the info. I will do that hopefully, if it's in an email I might get a better response!

My friends are meeting up for the first time since lockdown tonight, obviously without me. They’ve invited me to join them on WhatsApp video, but that just feels too too hard. I’d cry. I don’t think they understand that. I have a very nice Shiraz here. I will survive. 😢

If anyone lives within driving distance of Kendal has children, and is either disabled or their child is. pm me if you want details of exclusive access to private woods/grounds for two hours.

Forgot to say there is no charge.

Hi all,

Sorry to butt in. I didn’t receive my shielding letter until last month so I haven’t been shielding too long. Before this I was a community carer so was out looking after all of my elderly and vulnerable people all through the start of this.

I’m hoping that it’s a stage; this feeling of utter uselessness. My sinuses can’t take much more the self pity.

You are all doing amazingly.

I’m in a weird old place. So my family and I have shielded to keep me safe since e 16th March. I then received e shielding letter about a month ago and started receiving food boxes.
Then I get a call from my nurse who very casually said “oh I don’t think you need to shield?!” I asked for some form of correspondence from the consultant to confirm this but they can’t do that?! So I took my DC for a walk locally this week (first time we had left house since March) and I was an anxious mess! I feel like I’m in a grey area. Told to shield but nurse disagreeing!!
Has anyone had this situation?

Apologies for typos. My phone is doing some odd autocorrects!

I wouldn’t listen to a nurse, what is the reason for shielding if you want to say?

I thought some of you might be interested in this survey asking about shielding experiences - huddersfieldbss.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3m8vuHigEBVuhM1 It asks some interesting questions, though it doesn't seem to take into account families who are shielding together.

Can I vent a bit? Had a really had asthma exacerbation this week. All been dealt with over the phone and with plans that were made last time from a special respiratory team that have been set up locally to keep resp patients out of hosp. V unsettling to not have that back up that can easily go to hosp if worse. GP said would usually be sent to hosp at this level but that she wanted to hold off because would be triaged with covid patients despite shielding because my symptoms. They have thrown all the drugs they can at me and have phoned regularly for check ins and monitoring. A very lonely and frightening experience this week.

morethan - I've just completed the survey - I think anything which gives us a voice at the moment can only be good news!

Suncream - really sorry to hear that - as an asthmatic I can understand that would be very frightening.
There really should be some way hospitals can triage away from potential Covid patients if you are known to have breathing difficulties as a result of asthma / copd etc ... otherwise you are either leaving the extremely vulnerable to cope alone (as you were) or exposing them to the very thing you are supposed to be protected from - it's hardly rocket science is it!

@SuncreamInTheWinter, I agree with Pebble’s comments. A terribly difficult situation for you. I hope you are feeling better now.

Shielding here.... 84th day...
Its rough.

Hi everyone

@SuncreamInTheWinter

Sorry toy went through this week.

But you should never feel you cant go to the hospital, if you get that bad, please ring 999, i know its difficult, as its a risk you could catch it. But if you stay at home you could become very very sick too

Hope you are feeling better

Iv had three incidents this shut down period where i should of gone to the hospital.

But luckily none life threatening...

Its difficult times

We’re shielding here as a family with two DCs who have complex health problems. DH is WFH but I can tell he wants to get back to “proper” work as he calls it. But, as a key worker, he may encounter all sorts of situations which could put him and then our DCs at risk. It’s getting really stressful, I’m trying to contain my own fears about any of us getting ill (I’ve got several of the co-morbidities) and I worry about me succumbing to this awful virus or DH or one of my precious kids. In addition, one of them has MH issues which makes each day a struggle anyway and again I have to be strong for them. It feels a bit like a tinder box sometimes with everyone at home, uncertain, vulnerable and tense. The DCs shielding letters go up to the end of June so I’m not sure what will happen after that but I’m certain DH will choose to go back to his risky job. ☹️

Gemma Peters, CEO of Blood Cancer UK has just been on BBC breakfast telly talking a great deal.of sense.

What was the gist of her opinion

Flossie44…
(and this is all a paraphrase)

That everybody had an individual risk, rather than a blanket shield which should be considered.
That information has been very poor, badly thought out and badly communicated.
That advice is different in different areas, which doesn't help.
That no account has been made of the mental health issues that shielding is causing.