To not social distance

[katedan]

I have a congenital heart defect and as a result have been advised to self isolate and work from home. I am a children's social worker and this will mean not doing home visits which will put additional strain on my colleagues and will be difficult for the children I work with. I am fit and healthy and run marathons so do not consider myself to have an underlying health condition. Obv if I had symptoms or any family I visit disclosed they had symptoms I would not visit but AIBU to not take this advice but continue to be extra vigilant.

I hope you've signed a disclaimer saying that you'll refuse a ventilator and oxygen if you become ill so someone with more sense and more care for the rest of the population can have a chance of living.

Unreasonable doesn't come close.

YABU. As a doctor said on the news this lunch time; all preparations prior to the pandemic seem like overkill. All actions afterwards seem like not nearly enough was done.

Under control motor neurone disease? No such thing! You do what feels right for you OP

@RuggerHug don't be silly. She is no more likely to catch the virus than any other social worker. The issue is on her health if she does. Social workers make home visits to monitor children at risk of harm. For some children there are higher risks than catching CV.

It's your own life, only you can choose what to do.

Fuck me.

Until we can have the equivalent of a "DO NOT RESUSCITATE" marker on people, then it's not your life.

It's the lives of the ambulance drivers, paramedics, nurses, doctors, healthcare staff. It's the bed you are taking up that could be used by someone who actually wants to live.

The selfishness of some people is really astounding.

Did you miss the bit about children being more likely to be carriers without showing symptoms? With the schools still open there?

It's your own life, only you can choose what to do

No. Actually. Because it isn't just your life. Is it? One of the reasons this disease has spread so rapidly is because its incubation period is quite long. People can be infected, yet exhibit no symptoms and trot around infecting others. There seems to be a bizarre compulsion in some people to completely ignore the instruction to self isolate because they think there are invulnerable or because they simply don't give a toss about other people. If you have been told to stay home? Do so.

OK OP, but only on the condition that if you catch it you stay at home and survive or die without seeking any medical assistance.

You prepared to sign up to that?

I have a congenital heart defect too. I understand why you are finding it hard as, like you, mine does not affect me at all, I have not had a check-up on it since childhood and it is only ever referred to as a "heart murmur" so I kind of underestimate how serious it can be. I will be self-isolating completely for 12 weeks. I am in my 20s and healthy in every other way but I don't want to burden the NHS.

The Italian 46 year fit paramedic had no underlying illness. RIP.

I'm a peadiatric nurse with MS. I'm still working. I need too. Although at the moment we are really quiet.

I knew someone with a congenital heart defect. Fittest bloke you've ever seen, clear skin, toned muscles, picture of health.

Dropped dead in the middle of teaching a class. No warning whatsoever. So shocking.

Good luck OP.

all preparations prior to the pandemic seem like overkill. All actions afterwards seem like not nearly enough was done

Quite so. I also think there is a boy who cried wolf paradigm at work too. For years and years, hysteria has dominated public discourse. Now there actually is an existential threat? Some people seem determined to underestimate it....

I have a heart valve defect and am following the advice. I too am fit and healthy in normal circumstances but I’ve been absolutely floored by flu in the past, so I’m very afraid of what CV could do to me

@Eckhart That is so sad, do you know what type of congenital heart defect they had? My health anxiety is so bad right now

Um, YABU

What if you get it and spread it to a vulnerable person in one of the families you visit, just because you feel tough and robust?

I suppose the answer to that is how comfortable you are about dieing?

Could you not do phone calls to these clients or even video calls if possible ? My DS is SEN and educated via hospital education and has tutors come in .. they are now doing online lessons and video calls with DD as if this week .as some of the children are very vulnerable Heath wise . I know it’s not ideal but I think you’d be crazy to do home visits 😳

@daffodilsandblossom He had a hole in his heart. I really don't think anybody should be taking their health for granted. I don't have any pre-existing conditions, and could stand up now and run 10 miles, but I'm social distancing and staying away from people as much as I can. I don't want to get ill (especially not during the peak when the NHS will groan and potentially collapse), and I don't want to make anybody else ill by spreading it unwittingly because I feel fine. I don't know why people are struggling with this.

Have you discussed this with a cardiologist? A congenital heart defect that is being watched rather than treated may not be considered high risk - you need to talk to your consultant.

@Eckhart Thank you for replying. I agree, I am staying home completely and even isolating from family members as much as I can until they stop going out.

You get ill, the nurse watches you die. And gets sick themselves as a result . Think of others

"What if you get it and spread it to a vulnerable person in one of the families you visit, just because you feel tough and robust?"

That could happen if any social worker visited. The issue here is the OP's own health.

The man with Motor Neurone disease had a life expectancy of two years from 2018 so it wasn't "under control" it was a serious life limiting condition for him.