Asthma and self Isolation

[Dumakey]

I appreciate that this has already been covered but I genuinely don't know what to do for the best.

I have had Asthma all my adult life, it is generally well controlled with inhalers, however, every year I get a cold I always develop a chest infection that has to be treated with antibiotics. Last January (2019) I contracted the flu and it put me in hospital.

I am due to go to work on Sunday, only work part-time, in a busy customer facing role and am terrified.

I have been following the social distancing rules and haven't been going out or mixing with friends/family, children are home from school.

What do I do, if I stay at home I'm afraid I'll lose my job

the government have announced a packet of governmental support to fund 80% of the normal salary of anyone who can't work because of covid and help incentivise employers to keep the job open for them

I have asthma, I'm socially distancing but not self isolating (as no symptoms).

Talk to your employer. They should understand and the government should support harm keeping you on payroll. It really doesn’t sound like it’s worth the risk.

My work have said that anyone with severe asthma - that which has required hospitalisation should follow the guidance about staying home for 12 weeks

*them 😂

Stay home. Vulnerable groups are supposed to be in isolation for 12 weeks now. Sending hugs.

I have asthma and another condition I emailed my hospital specialist and he advised to self isolate. Fortunately work have been brilliant and we are allowed to
work from home. However I don’t know how sustainable this will be since 4 out of 5 of our team are now working from home.

Only severe asthma qualifies for the 12 weeks rule and if you do, your gp should be contacting you to inform you of that.

Like you, OP, I'm asthmatic and I too had a chest infection this year. Antibiotics did nothing as it was probably viral, but I needed several courses of steroids to treat it. And I need montelukast as well as my inhalers to control it on a day to day basis - and still sometimes need my blue inhaler.

So, due to my boss's dismay, I've notified them that I would like to work from home - as the pregnant members of staff have been ordered to do earlier in the week. It's been a soul searching decision and i's not a popular one. Yet my union, his union, the gov advice etc all say asthmatics should rigorously social distance and work from home if they can.

Same here OP . But i am a key worker. Care home.
On balance I’ve decided to work if it means a parent gets to stay with their child. I don’t have family just DH. Resident already have no real life family contact other than phone/internet I don’t want them to have less staff as well. Hoping that our homes isolation measures are enough.
And yes just a tiny bit terrified.

I said this on another thread

In the NHS where I work a lot of us have asthma and the doctors are having to choose who is most likely to die out of staff and send them home. The rest of us asthmatics or other flu jab worthy people have no choice but to carry on but try to practice distancing and good hygiene.

I’m not saying which is right or wrong but if all the people with asthma in the NHS gave up work this would be even worse than it is now. I think this comes down to making a decision about what you can manage. It may mean losing your job. I am the same as you that I get a chest infection most winters but I am otherwise generally well and controlled asthma and I can’t face letting down my colleagues who all have to carry on at work so I am still going to carry on working (I am part of a COVID crisis ops team). I’m trying to WFH but not always possible

No one here can tell you what to do - it’s your decision