Thread 3 shielding chat

[AuntieSocia1]

I hope this unimaginative thread title doesn't put off all the amazing posters from this group!

As we transition into this new phase things could get interesting....

Waves to lurkers

Thank you @FuzzyPuffling, it’s nice to see others who are goin through the same

Hello 👋
I’ll hop out from behind the lurking shadows and say Hi , we are a dairy farming family shielding my husband who has a lung condition , I have DS14,DD 12 and 8. We are plodding along but increasingly frustrated by lack of information or any kind of plan !

Hello @xmummy2princesx and @Shielders2020 👋😊
I have news. I have just been out for my first little walk in 3 months. Just round the block, took all of 10 minutes, but I’ve done it. I cried before we left out of pure fear, and my heart was pumping like a crazy thing throughout, but it was ok. People have rainbows in their windows and bunting up too. That made me cry a bit too. Didn’t have to move out of the way for anyone, they were all on the other side of the road. Feel a bit giddy with all the adrenaline now!

Well done @rugbymummy I am thinking of doing the same this week just in case I'm back in school next week. I bet I'll end up power walking like a mad thing!

I'm too scared to walk yet....:'God help
me if Boris decides to fling us out this week.

Hi everyone. Sorry I haven't posted in the last few days but I have been reading and keeping up with you all. The inflammation from arthritis in my wrists and hands must be pretty bad again as I have been having pain and also pins and needles and numbness through my wrist and fingers. Am typing this on the laptop as I can't manage to type on my phone. The latest bloods I had done again showed inflammation very high but rheumatoid factor was negative. I have every other sign and symptom but without the positive blood test they refuse to diagnose either rheumatoid or psoriatic. My gp despairs because there is extensive family history of RA and she knows deep down that I do have it and the sooner I start treatment then the better as there is no cure so we need to slow the spread and get in early. Loads of people have been diagnosed without rheumatoid factor as it is well known it is not a reliable test but the consultant at my small local hospital still puts a lot by the result! I pull my hair out every time I go to clinic as I never get any further. It is so frustrating and the pain and swelling only increases. The carpel tunnel is a new thing though. No doubt it still wont kick him into doing something!

I am still fuming at the ineptitude of the NI plans for shielders and schools. In fact every time I think about it my famously low blood pressure is cured so at least something good is coming from it! Our education minister is still ploughing ahead saying his plans are great and they will work but head teachers and unions and everyone with a brain can see its all a disaster. And I still want to know why adults such as teachers and staff have to SD to 2 metres from each other and the kids but the kids are only 1 metre. If it isn't safe for the adults why is it suddenly safe for the kids? I have not been able to get an answer to this despite researching a lot and politicians were asked that and conveniently avoided the question. My fear is that they will pause shielding though and then I will have no reason to keep the kids at home.

Thank you for everyone that suggested fexofenadine from the gp. Got prescribed it no bother the other day along with an extended course of steroids so hoping for once and for all that my chest settles down now. Won't hold out much hope though!

Like you all I am terrified of being out and about again as even when I was driving past the town last week to go the GP there were lots of people about and no one seemed to be concerned with social distancing they were all on top of each other. It terrified me! I am pleased you got out @rugbymummy I hope it continues for you!

Good morning

I’m cross with the BBC

Breakfast has just had on a doctor talking about the end of shielding and how this means we can go outdoors

He clearly is ignorant of the change of advice over a fortnight ago which allowed daily exercise

The end of shielding isn’t the same thing at all

But do many people will wrongly conflate the two ideas as even the Beeb can’t put on someone who can get it right

Morning all.

I hope you all had lovely Sunday’s x

I just want to highlight my wild life visit is only if I get deshielded, until then I’ll be staying home (I’m too scared to go anywhere other than an early hours of the morning walk). It just seems a very gentle way to take a first step as it’s outside with limited numbers and procedures in place.

Has anyone else picked up a bug during shielding, I can’t work out how but I have a head cold, sore throat, sore ears and face and snuffles. Could it be hay fever? I’m tired and a bit achey but not really unwell. Need to decide whether to head into the office (downstairs here) or rest for the day.

What’s everyone got planned?

@iVampire it’s 😡 isn’t it. At least read the gov guidelines before your 5 minutes of fame as an expert 😡

Do we think there’ll be an announcement tonight?

Surely they have to do something soon, so many people are due back to work next week 😮

I really hope we get an announcement tonight. I'm fed up checking all the news feeds/NHS pages etc all the time!
I'm at the stage where I just want to know what's happening next so I can get my head round it. At the moment I'm just on a loop thinking about every possible scenario

Really doesn’t feel like a United Kingdom does it, almost feels like the English Gov are taking a stance! Why they’ve decided to leave us all dangling like this god only knows.

If my post is anything to go by lately (had neighbours letters delivered by mistake, post being delivered where the address isn’t even similar) then I might not even get a letter so hopefully they’ll send texts too?

Im exactly the same, checking all the feeds, twitter, bbc news everything just to see if theyve said anything at all about us. ive ventured out in the passenger seat of the car a couple of times but havent got out of the car and wore a mask as well, i just couldnt take being stuck indoors with no info any longer :(

Me too. It’s really stressful. I just want to know what the plan is.

@Redcherries My hayfever is awful at the moment and I don’t usually have any issues until later in the summer.

I'm chatting to my best friend this morning, she's a hairdresser so in limbo too, simple politics are saying that both of us may or may not get an update when Boris makes his announcement tomorrow afternoon in the house.

I'm struggling with the feeling of being out of control, when we have dates and information I can cope but as soon as there is no plan (even if its event/statistic based rather than dates) I struggle.

Thank you @OrganTransplant123. I have only started getting it the last few years so its new. I feel all stuffy heady. I don't normally have any plants in the garden as we had been working on it for years but this year its a jungle ;) because it was something to do.

I'm feeling more and more torn as time goes on as to whether to venture outside or not. I know only I can make the decision and risk assess but I'd be grateful for any thoughts.

Today marks exactly 14 weeks since I last left the house / garden. Same for my partner who is in the vulnerable catagory and wfh.
Part of me thinks we're lucky - no children to worry about, very large garden - it's manageable.

BUT part of me also thinks that if another wave is going to come along, this small window between now and July, MAY be the only time it's safe enough to venture any further for several more months.

I have very elderly parents shielding about 7 miles away. My Mum has a lot of health issues, is 83 and very frail - she has heart failure and also has undiagnosed dementia which is very obviously getting worse since lockdown. My Dad also has health issues and is 85 and doing his level best to keep things going. I would usually go once or twice a week to visit and they would usually have a cleaner. As it is they haven't had anyone in the house for 14 weeks. I get online deliveries for them, phone them twice a day, video call sometimes and am in touch with their helpful neighbours.

Part of me thinks, bite the bullet, drive over with my partner, wear masks, sit in the garden, what can go wrong?? But then I start thinking... they live in a modern house with a small garden - I could easily not be 2m from a neighbour if one was out in their garden. And there doesn't seem a lot of point if we still have to stay so distanced and I can't go in the house to help them out in any way... I may as well stick to video calls???

I also think about a walk outside from home at an early or late time of day... but it feels like so many more people are out walking around our village now - and we often have very narrow / or no pavements. I'm wondering about us going in the car to Dartmoor (only 10 mins away) and finding a remote spot up their just for a short walk / get out of the house... but again... I think if I do that then I should go and visit my parents first!

This is getting harder and harder! And no news for us shielding isn't helping things either!

Weddings have been announced to be back on in wales, so I'm going to have to venture out before then. Purely because I don't want an agoraphobia attack on my wedding day - I need to know that I'm okay outside.

And as you say pebble, if shielding becomes "unpaused" in the autumn, I don't want to have missed this small window for a small walk.

It really is the not knowing that’s so hard, the children have been amazing but they a bored now I’m not sure how I could entertain them for the holidays without being able to get out of our house. I need a plan now, also the roller coaster of will there be news today then disappointment when there isn’t is so hard.

I rang my GP surgery this morning. They haven’t been told a thing post 30/6.

They are as much in the dark as we all are

What a shit show

Always take things with a pinch of salt, a lot of speculation etc. The rumour mill in the groups is that we MAY get an update this evening during the briefing. Please please don't get your hopes up because I would hate for you too and this be yet another rumour that proves false but do watch the briefing (like we're not already every bloody day) just in case.

Hows everyones day going?

Still stuffy and meh here. Trying to get my head around some paperwork but the printer is playing up so I can't review it in hard format, not helping the stuffy head.

I've had an exciting trip out for a blood test ....yep that was pretty much it.
Now sitting in the garden reading

I fixed the washing line

Now I'm watching documentaries on Netflix

I’m supposed to be working but have been at it since 7:45 and am taking a break to watch The Luminaries.

I made a decision last week to try to work everyday, I'm kicking myself for it today, I'm really struggling. Made it 13 pages into the first updated health and safety document for our company, H&S is always very full on but now its going to be huge.

Its lovely day for reading in the garden, I think you have given me a plan, tomorrow I will print all of this off and work through it under the sunbrella :)