Self isolating in the cold conservatory

[coldconservatory]

Hi all,

We have had covid recently and I need to self isolate before Christmas.

AIBU to think that I can sleep and work in the conservatory for the next two weeks so I can then visit my daughter for Christmas.

It's large and I already work in there everyday as working from home.

My partner and the children all go to school which is how we got covid in the first place.

There is a downstairs bathroom that I can use. I would only have to go upstairs to shower. Which I could possibly do every 3 days so or.

I'm the only one home during the day so I can make food, do washing etc after cleaning.

My main issue is that the conservatory is so, so cold! I usually wear several layers to work in there during the day.

I can bring a mattress down and we have lots of duvets and blankets I can use.

Need to possibly get gloves and a hat.

Any ideas of how else I can keep warm overnight please?

It's almost a month until Christmas. You will be well clear by then. Live as normal and stop stressing about it.

@HateIsNotGood

Stew - make a big batch, freeze and insist that it's brought to you nice and hot with bread from time to time.from time to time.

To keep warm as seems you have most other keeping warm measures in place.

Irrespective of Covid - when else will you be able to go and self-isolate in your Conservatory again? The bonus in your case is that you can make it look like a great hardship that you are undertaking in order to protect others, coz it's a bit chilly - but in reality wouldn't we all like to go self-isolate in our 'conservatories' or similar every so often?

Haha! We were planning before this to get it redone into a proper living space as it's cold and a bit leaky. Covid and working from home has delayed everything a bit.

Strew is a great idea. The table is huge so can fit the slow cooker, kettle etc on it. Also the chest freezer is already in there.

Was thinking it scold enough for the butter and cheese if nothing else!

They can leave any stew on a tray outside acorn....just looking at it from a cup half (and more) full perspective.. the "bright side of Life" and all that kind of thing.

If I had a conservatory and the chance of being brought hot stew just for staying in there to keep away from people - I'd happily take it, for whatever reason or non-reason.

So ... you're going to spend a month sleeping in the conservatory of the same house as your family lives in case at some point during the next 3/4 weeks they catch covid for a third time and give it to you, for a third time.

Rather than just have your DD come back home to live (and do her online college work from home) instead of living at her grandmother's?

I've just been in to our conservatory to retrieve my glasses. It's absolutely freezing! Colder than the fridge!
There has to be another way of doing this.
You can't live in the conservatory.

Rent a room / air b&b? You have the bedroom while DP sleeps in the lounge? Friend's spare room (with en-suite) you could stay in? Covid tests in the few days prior to xmas and live normally until then?

We have just had our conservatory re roofed only cost 5k which included a new floor that was 700 and new glazing. It's amazing now. Have a think about having it done

Rent an air bnb for two weeks away from the family I’d say. Safer to isolate and none of the hardship.

Well if you really must at least get an electric blanket

Isn't it more likely you just tested positive twice because they've proven that people still have traces of the virus long after they're infectious/ill that can result in a positive test?

This thread has to go in classics. Totally bonkers.

If I was the daughter in this scenario I'd be pretty unimpressed at my parent martyring themselves like this.

@Ophelia2020

If I was the daughter in this scenario I'd be pretty unimpressed at my parent martyring themselves like this.

Ditto.

Get some plug in heaters or radiators. We have a small camping one and it kicks out a surprising amount of heat.
Do you know anyone who camps that could lend you a good sleeping bag and a fan heater?
Get in bed before you get cold, lots of layers, several hot water bottles for feet, back and to snuggle. Hat to keep your head warm.

@Laiste

So ... you're going to spend a month sleeping in the conservatory of the same house as your family lives in case at some point during the next 3/4 weeks they catch covid for a third time and give it to you, for a third time.

Rather than just have your DD come back home to live (and do her online college work from home) instead of living at her grandmother's?

That’s too logical, so you won’t get a response from OP.

Were you ill with COVID a second time or did you just have a positive test? The dead RNA strands from the infection can stay in the body for up to 90 days so a second test within that time is likely to return a false positive.
Does your daughter think that you living somewhere cold for a month and keeping away from your family just for one day is a good idea?

I know it's hard and I'm no seeing my parents this year but I think you need to reconsider

www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/health/coronavirus-reinfection.html
I just took this article at random, but there are many. All current research says the chances of re-infection are so rare it's not worth thinking about. If our antibodies were so crap a vaccine wouldn't work, would it? I think your positive tests are 100% a fault of the tests. For goodness sake, hiding yourself away in some sort of purdah in your conservatory is uterly, utterly pointless. Also, I have just looked at the weather forecast for the rest of this week and it is going to get very cold with snow possible.

Getting a private test 72 hours before going would be cheaper than the electricity you’ll be using and will save you the hassle.

Then, if you like, just isolate for the 48 hours it’ll take you to receive the test.

@coldconservatory I've asked this a couple of times but you seem to be evading the point.

Your mother it at a far greater risk NOW by having a teenager living with her ! Your DD is at college ( age 16-21) and the stats show these people are the key spreaders/infections. Often they have no symptoms.

So unless your DD is in the house 24/7 and never sees anyone other than her Gran, she is far more likely to pass on Covid than you- who's had it twice (although I'm not sure you have- 2 positive tests? Feeling ill or actual positive tests?)

Why are you putting your mother at risk by allowing your daughter to live with her? If her course is online now she could be at home with you.

@Neveranynamesleft

This thread has to go in classics. Totally bonkers.

Agree some people have totally lost the plot this year .

I did this last winter and survived.

My best friend has cystic fibrosis, every year she ends up having to isolate, usually at flu season of if her lung function is particularly bad.

Last December her mother died and she was devastated, she was alone and not coping well (she couldn’t even attend the funeral)
I made the decision to go and stay with her to help her and I lived in the conservatory for two weeks until I was ‘safe’ to go into the house.

She’s lucky that she has french doors between the conservatory and the dining room so we could kind of be together (it’s how we usually hang out when she is isolating) and she has a downstairs WC off the utility room, which is between the back door and the door to the kitchen kitchen, so she could keep the door to the kitchen closed and I could use the utility room as my kitchen and the WC as my bathroom and just have strip washes in the sink in there.
We borrowed a microwave and a countertop two ring hob from friends (she already has a second fridge in there and she moved a sofa bed into the conservatory for me.
I took a sleeping bag that’s designed for freezing temperatures and a thick duvet.
I also took my electric heated throw, which was a blessing, I’d definitely recommend it.

Part way through the stay we decided to try to insulate the windows and ordered a huge roll of bubble wrap.
She already had blinds fitted so they helped a little but taping bubble wrap to all the windows helped significantly reduce the cold.

My biggest tips would be to have a kettle close by, lots of hot drinks and cupasoups helped a lot.
We bought a big barrel with a tap (from wilko) designed for beer or wine making, so that I could have water on the conservatory (and I would have to keep going outside just to get a drink or fill the kettle.)
Fingerless gloves and thermal socks were essential, and so were fleece lines leggings under my jeans.
Exercising regularly warms you up quickly, just some jogging or the spot or star jumps is enough to get you temperature up quickly.

It’s absolutely doable and it really wasn’t as miserable as it seems.
I was fine and the two weeks went by quickly.

Is this a plot work up for a new Stella Gibbons-esque novel? Cold Comfort Conservatory, subtitled, In the Time of Covid...

OP can dine out on this martyrdom for the rest of her life.
However if you are going to do it, & even now if you are working in Antarctica, put a several thick blankets over the "huge table" down to the ground & sleep under it, when you are working it will help keep feet & legs warmer, & should keep the damp out at night.
Do not however put any kind of electric heater under there all night. use insulation under your mattress, several layers of duvet/covers, & finish with an emergency "foil" layer.
Wear a wool bobble hat, you lose 25% of heat through your head.

Surely you should get DD home now ?

I have only read the OPs posts but it was enough for me to know that this is completely barking mad.

You've had covid for goodness sake, and if it were me, my DCs would not allow me to martyr myself like this.

I just don't understand it... 2 of my DCs are coming home at Christmas, they are being very careful beforehand, both WFH.
YOu do not need to live in a freezing conservatory for two weeks.

Why can't your DD be at home with you working online?

BTW we all love our DCs, you are not unique in this...

Why aren’t you just getting a plug in heater? Have you lost all common sense??

Have you lost all common sense??

Obviously yes totally!

The longer I live the more I am gobsmacked at the human race.