Thread 4 Shielding chat

[Egghead68]

Thought I’d set this up as we don’t seem to have one. Please delete if we do and I’ve missed it.

Sorry I vanished: had a reaction a bit like a particularly grotty flu-jab one which (on top of my ongoing General State Of Bleh) left me rather wiped out. Tiny orchestra remains fully employed anyway... To add to the general merriment, my portacath has decided that it doesn’t fancy seeing if 2021 is any better than 2020 & has blocked so entirely that NO urokinase went in when tried unblocking at my Meant To Just Be A Flush & Heplock appointment on Monday; & all of 0.3 ml of the stronger version of it went in over 2 goes when I went back yesterday. So now I’m waiting (at home, I hasten to add!) for a slot to become available in IR when I really REALLY hope they’ll be able to unblock it rather than having to replace it.

I’ve now not only also had an invitation to be vaccinated at the Trust that manages most of my secondary care; but apparently (unless someone Does A Clever Thing) I can look forward to hearing from an NHS England Hub too. GPs hear if you’re vaccinated elsewhere, but there is no helpful centralised list available for the mass vaccination programme that’s been in the works from the start of the pandemic. There’s not even a way to notify people that you’ve been/are being vaccinated elsewhere. (Well I mean presumably I could write a letter & hope it got to someone, but I don’t think they’ve actually got a way to record it, either...)

@TOWGA - thank you for sharing your scan pic: that’s lovely news I hope everything goes smoothly & that your new DD will make her appearance in a much happier (& vastly less germy) world

@Dippysauceus
Hope you hear soon.

@iVampire
Yay! I hope tomorrow goes well! My dreams are currently limited to Visiting My River (yes, yes it is MINE) but the thought of Real Life unfolding before us again is a wee bit giddying really.

@Babysharkdoodoodood
Also yay for you getting jabbed: hope there aren’t any issues with you having it in your leg: will keep my fingers crossed for you. Hope that you finally get your holiday in October, too.

@Anewuser
In most places the teams who do flu jabs for housebound patients are doing their COVID ones - here that would be District Nurses, for example. Not all GP practices are offering the jab; but all CCGs (or equivalent bodies across devolved nations) will have provision to make home visits. If you see the start of my post, if things are at all similar by you, I’d guess that he’s reached the point of being called on one of the lists he’s on; & in his case it’s the hospital one first. If they also treat you it may be they’re going on clinical need - but if they don’t, well, that’s why! I hope you can get it all sorted with minimal hassle.

@cookiemonster5
The British Heart Foundation say that it’s a no to children under 16 - other than perhaps children at very high risk of catching the virus and of becoming seriously ill from it, such as older children with severe neuro-disabilities in residential care - being vaccinated. It’s of course best to contact your DS’ team to make sure - mind you, they might post out a general information leaflet as time ticks on to explain what’ll happen...

@Teaistheanswer
Hope your teeth behave now. I found it insanely stressful back in... whenever it was... August maybe? Whenever it was that by comparison I’d no need at all to worry! Having no mask on though! Am glad that they were on top of things & you felt safe though. I hope you get your vaccine soon.

@Poppystars
Did you have no joy with registering your email address last year? If I were you I think I’d complain to the GP practice manager at this point as the receptionists are so determinedly obstructive; & if a doctor at the surgery decided to remove you from the ECV list during the review last summer you should have been notified of this in writing. You could also ask your consultant to put you back on the list. Worrying about what’s going on really can’t be good for you.

Am really sorry if I’ve missed people/news/jumbled things: tried replying more than once but am just wiped. Silly body. I can’t take it anywhere. And I have yet to work out how I can put myself in the dustbin AND sit on the lid, even bending the way(s) I do. Delegate lid-sitting to my cats?

@MarieVanGoethem, that makes perfect sense, thank you for clarifying. I'm sorry to hear you've been poorly and also your port is blocked, have to say that's one of the most worrying parts of this pandemic, the thought of trying to get acute/chronic conditions sorted out and staying safe at the same time.

If multiple places are calling someone for their vaccination, what's to stop them getting both jabs three weeks apart, as per original advice? ( I know it's meant to be 12 weeks apart now )

@Anewuser
Glad I could help even a wee bit, & hope that you can get things fixed up without too much trouble. I’m very lucky that I’m not on TPN or PPN so can afford to wait to be seen by IR & didn’t have to have a rushed PICC or anything what a nightmare that would be with cats but it’s not ideal. Am hoping the appointment comes through soon; & I know a quiet way to IR...

As for how to stop people - basically they’ve to rely on patients being honest. People will be found out after the fact because GP surgeries will be notified, but... Of course, people would be taking a bit of a gamble over actually getting their second dose as opposed to a first dose of a different vaccine. I’m pretty sure that if I abandoned my entire moral code & altered my personality sufficient that I’d try it on I’d end up with a Pfizer booster, but...

I’d like to think there’s more risk of honest confusion than people deliberately taking advantage; but people being confused &/or stressed really isn’t ideal either. It’s going to make a mess of record-keeping in the statistics-type sense, too, until things can be drawn together; because some of us will be showing up as (effectively) declining to be vaccinated (possibly more than once) when actually we’re being vaccinated elsewhere.

Take away tonight as the vaccination seems to have made me all tired

A case of can't-be-arsed-itus, as I was working 0700-1700 with a break for jab.

Jab appointment went very smoothly - really good set up and running to time

It was the AZ jab and so far I’m feeling fine (when I’ve had a sore arm after other jabs in the past, it’s come on pretty much straight away, so I’m hoping I’ve eluded that side effect)

I'm stuck on bed self isolating and it's a struggle. My husband who is shielding is now doing 100% of the childcare with a very clingy 3 year old who is a complete mummy's boy.

I feel so guilty that I could have brought this into the house when I'm so careful and have only ever popped in for a couple things I couldn't get in my online shop or needed fresh (veg and bread for example).

I had a test lunch time yesterday and still waiting on the results. Other tests have been back quicker and they were negative. Im not sure whether to think this is a bad thing or just that they are busy.

The passive aggressive comments have started from supposed friends. My husband was on the computer last night and said I had to get tested. "Why? Where could she have caught it? Thought you guys weren't allowed into shops?"

I've got a fever and feel like death warmed up. He explained that I am allowed into shops but apparently that isn't a good enough answer. We should be getting other folk to do our shopping for us.

The irony is that this guy and his family were out at their extended families house yesterday and have had one particular couple round inside all the time. We are in level 4 lockdown still here in Scotland and indoor socialising has been banned since before Xmas!!!

Keeping everything crossed that the tests negative and I just have a really bad cold and am run down. I have a lot of stress and a few health problems myself on top of the 2 shielding household members, homeschooling and my own studies for my degree. I am hoping my body is just saying enough is enough and has made a move to force me to rest.

Hope it is negative @cookiemonster5
And shielding guidelines are guidelines, now laws. Though reading many posts on Mn, lots of people have broken other guidelines/laws anyway - with seeing people indoors etc..... and shielded people have to work, go to get medicines and go to hospital appointments. As an ECv teacher in Sept, the Gov decided all ECV staff had to be in schools!!

Hoping we get vaccines here soon. Getting nervous with amount of people I know of now, that are positive or isolating.

I’m glad it went well @Babysharkdoodoodood & @iVampire - I hope you’re both still feeling ok

@cookiemonster5 - how’re you feeling? I’d not worry it taking longer means anything, with numbers as they are they’re bound to busy. I’m sorry people are being so cruel - I’m guessing this guy didn’t offer (& hasn’t ever offered) to get your messages for you so you’ll not be put at risk... would you be able to just ignore him for a wee while? I hope you get a negative result - & feel better - soon.

It came back just after 2 yesterday afternoon negative thankfully. Still feel pretty rough and my temp is all over the place but at least it's not covid!

I was getting pretty bored on my own in the bedroom with no one to talk to. I finished the whole of bridgerton from start to finish, caught up on 2 episodes of the series my husband and I are rewatching then went through the first 3 episodes of Emily in Paris. I was beginning to get worried I would finish the whole of Netflix if it was positive!

@cookiemonster5
That’s fantastic news I hope your husband is being EXCEPTIONALLY smug at Captain Loathsome & has sent him a shopping list... really hope you feel better soon, too - is miserable being poorly.

I wonder if anyone ever has managed to “complete” Netflix... I’m really glad I took advantage of a reduced Disney+ subscription offer last year. Exactly what my DLA is for (In fairness, my access to [pretty much] All The Serious Journal Articles is free thanks to my university providing alumni with access to an extraordinary range of them for free. So my Sensible Grown-Up Brain-Occupiers are free. If I can ever scrape the brain cells & functional ability together there are a LOT of EdX causes I want to do... )

I hope everyone else is going ok & that people hear about their vaccines soon.

Hello everyone just got back from having my vaccine, I was given the Pfizer one. It was all very sudden. Text yesterday evening, made the appointment and now all done! I was very impressed with the set up and everyone was really lovely. All feels a bit surreal!

Hope this means lots more of you will hear very soon. I was very surprised as I thought I'd have to wait longer than this but very pleased to get it done.

Hope you soon feeling better and glad it was negative @cookiemonster5

Fab news @Teaistheanswer - do you have the date for second shot?

Heard my area now started doing over 75’s so that feels more encouraging!

Great thread

@cookiemonster5 they discussed vaccine for children in the 5pm briefing tonight. I think the verdict was that children could be vaccinated if their doctors thought it a good idea, but it would be off-licence as things currently stand. Good luck with it.

Thank you @poppystars, no I haven't got a second date yet they said I'd be contacted. Let's hope by that time they've actually got some vaccine to do it!

After listening to Boris today I wonder when we'll hear any updates on shielding. Our current letter runs until 21st Feb and he's doing his announcement the week of the 22nd it's all feeling so familiar.

I am hoping to get my first vaccine before schools return!

Yay! That’s such good news @Teaistheanswer. I hope you’re one of the lucky few & your arm isn’t too sore.

Must admit I’m a wee bit worried about the supply chain issues, especially the EU’s “we’ll not allow the export of Pfizer to you if you don’t send us Astra-Zeneca meant for your population & made in your country to compensate for manufacturing issues at the factories here”. Because that’s a step beyond “protecting the interests of member states” & straight into “being the dreadful bullying monster various groups have claimed”. I wonder slightly if this is because Le Pen is currently doing so well in France & crushing the successful British vaccination programme is thus something that might be considered politically necessary/justifiable from standpoint ensuring Frexit can’t become anything more than the grumblings of the fringe. The deaths presumably being that bit easier to shrug off one’s conscience when the UK has such a catastrophically high death rate - if you’re so minded you can take the line it was inevitable rather than that the vaccines are desperately needed to break this horrific cycle. Also wonder if a case could be made that this constitutes a human rights violation: British people still have the right to go to the ECHR, after all...

@herecomesthsun & Tea - I keep thinking I should watch the briefings, but the politicians are just such an absolute shower... I’m - genuinely - very impressed you’ve the patience to endure it. I fear it might send me screaming into the street, which would rather spoil the shielding thing. And (even worse) would upset my cats. Still think they should just put Larry in charge. It is pretty much standard-for-disability-stuff that things for shielders are constantly an afterthought. Am very aware that not all people who’re shielding are disabled - but they are now being treated to how disability-related stuff usually goes. Actually, the registering as ECV was a breeze in comparison to pretty much any interaction with the DWP. But the usual tells are there - not actually consulting us [in any meaningful way] despite being perfectly able to do so; diabolically poor communication; the wild mismanagement of supermarket priority slots at the start of things & Ongoing Shenanigans being totally accepted (looking at you Tesco & your exorbitant delivery fee); no uplift to legacy benefits (because as we all know, disabled people magically need less money to live on than everyone else); no sign language interpreter at the briefings; no communication about removing people from the ECV list; apparently lots of people with asthma are now unclear as to whether they’re even priority 6; the utter scandal over DNRs being put in place for people with PMLDs... and of course the Minister for People with Disabilities being useless throughout. The Shadow Minister is excellent, but her ability to act even more limited than usual by the fact she is one of our merry band. Though I’m assuming not kicking about on here. (If you ARE on here, I think it was a particularly low & scummy move to send Sunak on an unnecessary journey into your constituency to bother people just trying to get vaccinated. Ugh.)

My stepmother’s now had her first jab - the AstraZeneca one - done at the same surgery I went to. I think she’s 5 years older than my daddy, so hopefully they’ll get through the list quickly (especially with the GSTT hospital hub having reached category 4 the other week too) & it’ll be his turn soon. I spent almost 26 years worrying about something happening to him without a dirty great pandemic in the mix so I’d really really like that wee bit of reassurance he’s going to be protected when he’s taking me to & from hospital To be fair, all the years of him trying to stop terrorists from doing their terrorist thing & going off to places they liked to do their plotting & weapon-buying & quite a lot of their murdering was fairly stressful, tbh I couldn’t sleep when he was just sitting advising Parliament [before family-friendly hours...] never mind off abroad: I’d got used to a much lower level of The Fear & far fewer nightmares. Bit pathetic (& entirely selfish) but I’d quite like to get back to that really. Legacy benefits need uplifting purely because I can’t afford to keep paying the tiniest orchestra & I’m just not willing to skimp on the quality of my self-absorbed self-pitying nonsense. Standards, my cabbages, standards...

Ooh, & before I stop rambling on & return to my sleep (possibly via some metaphorical sheep, but the counted sort, not the ones the French have in mind) - I’d a call from the hospital to (very politely) see why it was I hadn’t immediately leapt wildly at their offer of a vaccination; & they’ve now a record of my being vaccinated via my GP. So hopefully the stats side of things will be sorted; & I’m also hopeful that they might be able to improve the take up of the vaccine amongst groups who have concerns because it’s an actual person calling you (iyswim) so there’s a chance to discuss it, which is very different from the anonymity of a text message. For lots of people the hospital invitation will come before the GP one, too, so GPs being made aware certain patients have concerns will allow them to work on their strategies for improving take-up & accessing the resources available for that. Now to wait & see if I get the NHS England invite hat trick I suppose...

Lovely people on here who are disabled, or are carers, the government are actually asking for our views. Specifically, there is a survey about the National Strategy for Disabled People that they’d like us to submit our responses to by Saturday the 13th of February. You can keep submitting until 23/04, but those responses won’t actually help shape the strategy. You’ll “be heard”, but you basically might as well not bother unless you’ve a burning urge to be a soundbite. Because quite how they’ll use the feedback they get in the latter half of February plus March & April to shape implement a strategy created from the 28 days worth of response time they’ve so generously given us...

Everyone else, if you know anyone qualified to contribute, please share the link with them & highlight the need to respond by the February date if they want their ideas to have any chance of actually shaping what the government does. This has been woefully underpublicised - it’s almost as if they don’t want lots of engagement. Surely that can’t be right, not the government of the grave and systematic violations of disabled people’s human rights? Perish. The. Very. Thought.

I have been made redundant this morning.

@Teaistheanswer

Thank you *@poppystars*, no I haven't got a second date yet they said I'd be contacted. Let's hope by that time they've actually got some vaccine to do it!

After listening to Boris today I wonder when we'll hear any updates on shielding. Our current letter runs until 21st Feb and he's doing his announcement the week of the 22nd it's all feeling so familiar.

@Teaistheanswer Wales have just been extended to March 31st. If I remember in the summer Wales was August 16th and England beginning of August? So guessing maybe Boris will extend England to maybe middle to end of March.

Oh no @TOWGA I am so sorry to hear that. Do you have a union representative who can help you? My apologies if I've missed something further up the thread which answered that question.

@arethereanydecentusernamesleft that's really interesting info thank you. I just wish they would not always leave us to the last minute to announce anything

@marievangoethem it's a bit of a family joke about me and the briefings- my neice decided I was in charge of 'translating' all briefings for the family and giving a quick headline minus the waffle. The job stuck so I still feel I have to provide the service

@Teaistheanswer no I don't, I'm shielding and pregnant so a easier target. While I am very upset over it, especially due to the fact they are making redundant like a week before I can claim smp! I had my 20 week scan yesterday.

@towga that is certainly frustrating about the timing and i know what you mean about easy target. On a positive note you have a gorgeous little baby on the way- the scan photo took me right back to when I was pregnant with mine (a very long time ago!). It's so reassuring to have that scan and see that they're doing well and so important that you keep yourself well and safe too.

@TOWGA Awww bloody hell! That's so not fair! Do they know you're pregnant, because I might be dropping hints at work about discrimination.

I now have the fear about my parents. Dads getting on at 79 and mum not far behind. Both have had their first jab, the day before me. But dads had stomach pains for months and just stoically carried on, he's got endoscopy next week. Mum's had major issues since last year. Had to have an operation just as first lockdown hit as she had cysts on her ovaries. And now she's got to have an mri for her back. Think it's starting to crumble like mine, only my cancer treatment accelerated mine. Thank god I've been allowed off them. First trip back from chemist without a huge bag.

Cancelled my kidney ultrasound as they wouldn't let me move it. So I have to wait for a new date. And my brother's got Addisons. Fuck (sorry). We're all falling apart.

@TOWGA how awful. Do they know you are pregnant - would they change the date by a week to allow you to claim SMP?

Thanks for your replies @Poppystars and @Babysharkdoodoodood yes work are very much well aware im pregnant, they have known since 5 weeks due to sickness. I have asked and they won't let stay a extra week! Tbh I have a feeling they are making me redundant due to the fact I'm shielding and pregnant, not that I can prove it!