Back to school Sept 2020, yet parent has autoimmune disease!

[MummyP4nda]

Hi, is anyone else in the same boat as me? I have an autoimmune disease and my son and I both live with and care for my elderly parents, but I'm expected to send my child to school in a bubble of 60-70 children, none of which are allowed to wear masks! I'm really worried and people are just treating me like I am fussing over nothing, but we are a very vulnerable household. Why are there not better provisions in school and special measures in place for those with serious underlying health conditions?!!!!!

Definitely depends what the autoimmune disease is! For example coeliacs is one.

Are you on the shielding list? If so, please talk to your child's school. My school has prepped for a small percentage of home learners not returning this week due to shielding.

Everyone always gets auto immune mixed up with immune suppressed. Auto immune diseases really are only an issue if the specific disease causes complications with the virus or you are on immune suppressants to counter the disease. With auto immune the body’s immune system is choosing In many cases to be overactive and attack a healthy cell type. In a person whom the disease is well managed and excluding a few on the list, you’ll have a reasonably healthy immune system. The health of the immune system is often tested in these cases when diagnosed, looking at the main antibody groups.

Immunocompromised is very different, say for example you have a primary immune deficiency. Your body no longer makes (IgG, IgA, IgM), it’s been wiped out from chemotherapy, historical antibodies created by vaccine and previous combated infections are missing or you have a fault in your immune systems core ability to fight infection. It’s a complex process and many functions there can go wrong. There are some good YouTube videos about the immune system and all the pieces required to function appropriately.

Have you spoken to your care team?

Ds was shielding, he will be back in school on Wednesday. I have had lengthy discussions with his consultants and school to come up with a plan. If things worse locally then we will keep him at home, if that becomes something that would be long term I would deregister him.

There is provision in the guidance for cases where medical professionals advise against a return to school.

I'm not quite in the same boat but I'm worried like you. My son has brittle asthma and I have heart failure, asthma, no spleen etc, and we both had to shield. I'm clinically more vulnerable than he is, but it's just me and him, no other support, I'm all he has and vice versa. I really don't know what to do for the best. He has dyslexia and dysgraphia and really struggles academically, and getting him to do any work during lockdown was difficult, so missing school is really not good. But on the other hand wed by wiped out if we caught it. I really don't know what to do.

@Clairaloulou
Hello. That sounds very difficult.
I'm sorry that you are in that situation.
Have you spoken to the school about your concerns? How old is your son?

@ElizabethMainwaring hi. Yes the head is ringing me on fri. He's 11 and in the 2nd year of middle school.

Shielding criteria for autoimmune disease is below, a lot of people with autoimmune disease have no increased risk. Shielding advice has since stopped so children should be back in school.

www.rheumatology.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Rheumatology_advice_coronavirus_immunosuppressed_patients_220320.pdf?ver=2020-03-24-171132-407

My child falls into the ‘self isolate or maintain social distancing at discretion’ category.

Not possible to socially distance in a large secondary school where masks are not worn in lessons of 30 students.

Consultant has confirmed, not safe to be back in school for my child in these circumstances.

Imagine there are lots of children in this situation.