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.

Rubbish .... any uni or you can contact?

Hope pregnancy continuing well for you - lovely scan photo!

Two weeks until half-term here, and very much looking forward to a week fo no home learning. A week of mainly indoor time with Mummy is perhaps not what the children would want but sadly that is what it will be.

Hi everyone how are you all? My body has basically given up on me and I am having a bit of a relapse with pain. Just trying to take it easy and hope I can pick up a little soon.

Hope everyone is well. I received my vitamin D from the government today, yet the B12 jab my gp won't do as it's "unnecessary contact" for me and drs surgeries aren't safe for me anymore. Was told to buy some from a chemist, explained to her that tablets don't make a difference when I take medication that stops the stomach absorbing it in the first place. She was adamant that a spray would do instead err I've tried that it didn't work. So looks like I may have to order some b12 injections online and self inject.

On a positive note I went out in the snow today and took the kids to a field behind our house where they could enjoy some sledging (we live in a rural area, 5 mins from home and You're surrounded by either sheep or cows). It was lovely to hear the girls laugh and fall in the snow. It's been nice having them home but I think they're missing their school friends and actual proper teaching. I can't say I blame them.

@outnumberedwoman hope you're feeling better after some rest.

@TOWGA I'm sorry you're going through a tough time with the redundancy. Try not to worry too much, I know it's easier said than done. There's been some valuable advice given by some of the mumsnetters.

Hi everyone, I've not caught up on the thread after being awol but I'm excited to say that I'm having my first vaccine tomorrow afternoon! My vit d is on its way too as I've just had an email of acknowledgement. I'm praying I don't get any bad side effects but I know they will be worth it.

My vaccine is tomorrow I emailed the practice as I hadn’t heard and over 65s were getting calls from the practice.
It turns out I was on hold until my consultant ok it he did on Wednesday and I’m being stabbed or jabbed tomorrow.
Vitamin D arrived today
I know I’m 3 weeks and one day away from protection but that’s 3 weeks 1 days closer than I was a week ago

My vit d arrived today too. The cat looked interested at the rattling sound and thought it might be dreamies I had the AZ vaccine. I just hope ongoing data shows it to be more effective that the 60-80% shown so far. Im very grateful to have had any vaccine though and am thinking of having a celebration dinner when I've had both vaccines. Just with my children and mum but still, it's cause for celebration I think. It will be interesting to see what the advice is once we've had our two doses as at the moment the shielding letter says to stay shielded even when you've had two doses and await further guidance. The main thing for me is not being scared of my children bringing it back from school and giving it to me or my mum. My mum had the Pfizer vaccine.

When does everyone else's shielding letter expire? Have the government said they are extending them? Mine expires 21st so just wondering!

Mine is also the 21st. I expect they will extend though as our group hasn't all been vaccinated yet. I haven't looked at the figures for a week or so and don't know how bad they are but I know the situation is far from safe for us.

@TOWGA think I shielding will be extended certainly the nurse I had for my vaccine seemed to think I’d be shielded until my second dose
@FlatteredRhubardFool as I understand it Matt Hancock will hold a press briefing at 5 to say our group will be finished early I’m assuming this week.

I'm expecting to be shielding the whole of my pregnancy, my pregnancy consultant has said not to have the vaccine yet due to pregnancy!

I only had my vaccine 2 days ago so I don't see how they can get everyone gone by the end of this week and of course the AZ efficacy isn't as good as the Pfizer and doesn't protect well against the SA variant so I'm not sure we are much better off that before we had the first vaccine. After both doses we will be but still not fantastic especially with the SA variant.
I've since looked at the graphs and things are heading in the right direction but still a long way to go.

How are people feeling about the Astra Zeneca news stories about the South Africa strain and its efficacy. No one is saying if Pfizer is much better or not

Which one did you get @Didkdt I think here it just depends what the big centres get each day and can vary.

I rang the Gp today as despite shielding had no vaccine letter or text. Either it has been lost or someone has removed me from the shielding list and has not told me. Receptionist who refused to talk to me last time has promised me a phone call from their admin staff member who deals with codes. Have two different hospital appointments looming - but sadly my liver appointment is a nurse led clinic only and my other one is later in March with my consultant. My consultant said she did not remove me from the list but would not do any more than tell me that. Sigh.

Feels strange that about 1:5 adults has the first dose, half a million two doses, yet as someone who had to shield, which massively affected my job, family etc last year that I do not even get a vaccine for helping protect the NHS.

Seen after Matt Hancock today that can use the online service of over 70 or if have been previously shielding ... yet when I put my details in it does not allow me to book a vaccine I had a letter Spring 2020 to shield until Aug 1st, which is “previously shielding”

I am resigned to the fact that by the time I get a vaccine it will be AZ, and probably not work for me - as feeling rather negative about it all. I thought I could shield until get a vaccine but If I have to go back into schools with no vaccine I am quite worried about when one may appear. Very disappointed with lack of NHS support for my various conditions, I am someone with multiple middle risk conditions rather than one big, tick a box. But having been in HDU at hospital for chest infections and resus in A&E once I rather would like some protection from something that may be serious for me. I have to take antibiotics all year round to stop infections yet do nothing seek to qualify for a vaccine. Am sad.

My consultant is not a liver one but for my main condition. Which if I say may well out me!

I had the AZ feeling a bit up and down about it as some really irresponsible reporting makes it hard to guess whether I should feel deflated about it or not.
On the plus side i didn’t really have any nasty side effects was exhausted for about 36 hours a couple of giddy spells

Husbands, shielding has been extended (with the addition of staying in the house and no f2f contact) for at least 12 weeks from 5th Feb-date of letter from his consultant

So found out despite shielding letters and my consultant and Gp last year saying I was shielding I find from the admin person at Gp that I am in group 6. Nobody has told me I have moved groups and nobody medical will talk to me. Apparently on group 5 now so just wait.

Issue is I have 2 big hospitals to visit early March and another big thing in another city that I can not change at all and is compulsory but involves being inside all day with limited ventilation with people I do not know.

Does anybody know when they may start Group 6? Know I need 3 weeks after that too. Sadly my surname is not at the start of the alphabet and I have no idea if I will be at the start or end of my area’s group 6. Likely to be near the end. The irony is my husband is in group 6 as my carer!! He gets a flu jab as my carer and my children get flu jabs due to my medical risk - well before they were the age to get school flu jabs!!

That's good news Poppy, surely not being advised to shield any longer is positive? Our area are doing Group 5 now - it's not alphabetical here and we had a choice of going through the Government program or GP Surgery program - the latter was much quicker.

The big problem with the AZ vaccine is definitely the mixed reporting - you have to wonder if some of it is coming from competitors. I always assumed it would be the case that we need booster vaccines each year due to mutations - I suspect it will end up being like the flu vaccine, though do wonder if we will have six monthly vaccines.

Messed up a job interview this morning royally - hate doing them on VC.

And we also have snow!

(I am sorry I don't keep up with this thread at all most of the time)

After a sleepless night worrying about going , dh and I both had our vaccination this morning . After not having any association with others or being in a building which isn't home for many months it felt quite stressy going !

Whilst it sounds great, and would love to think I was group 6 @IAmongstTheWorld had an email from my consultant Immunologist to say I am, in her opinion, still CEV and she has not removed me from that list. Appears an error in my Gp code - so hoping that can be sorted next week and I get my group 4 vaccine next week now.

Hello again, everyone. I hope you’re all bearing up. I have to say I’m finding this stretch really hard. I’ve been out a bit more for walks - really it’s the only thing left in my arsenal to ward off depressed feelings as I already on longterm medication. All this lockdown stuff just feels endless now. I hope to feel better as we get into spring.

In good news I got my first dose of the AZ vaccine on Wednesday. My husband got his on Sunday. Due to him being 14 years older than me we ended up in the same group! Unlike me he’s healthy though. I feel a bit ‘flat’ about having received my first dose. It’s just one step in the whole, messy shebang that is the pandemic and the way it’s being handled.

To add to the stress my best friend was diagnosed last summer with ovarian cancer though she didn’t tell anyone till about September and it’s not going well. It feels like there’s another bit of bad news each time we communicate. This week was the possibility of spread to her lungs. Before that was the decision not to do surgery after all because the chemo hadn’t done it’s magic, or not enough magic. Obviously all my friend’s problems are affecting my mood too - I’m so scared she’s going to die. Scared especially it might happen before I can travel to see her at least one more time. We’re about 90 miles apart but I’d have to use bus - train - bus to get there, then the same back.

@Poppystars, I hope you can get your vaccine this week, or at least in the next few weeks. I actually can’t remember the groups -am a bear with very little useful brain just now - and I think they might be slightly different (Scotland) here than in England. I hope everyone is okay, and your families too, as okay as is possible anyway.

Me again- work rang me to tell me they are not going to make me redundant just transfer me to a store closer to my home, I think HR have had a word and told them they can't make me redundant while pregnant and shielding as it was a complete change of tune from the last time I spoke to them!

@TOWGA, brilliant news at last. I hope that gives you some comfort. Good to hear your employer has finally found some sense.

Fantastic news @TOWGA, hopefully you can enjoy the rest of the pregnancy knowing your job is safe.

I'm hoping shielding is mentioned on the 22nd as we always seem to be an afterthought.

Thank you @Anewuser and @Begonias

Has anyone heard anything about shielding continuing? - i presume it is
My letter runs out Sunday and if I don't have another letter, they will have me back in on Monday!
I haven't had the vaccine due to being pregnant, as waiting for consultant to give me the go ahead!