Asthamtics - anyone received a text

[kirinm]

I've just received a text from my GP surgery with a link to the Action Asthma website. The government haven't been very useful but that website seems to suggest that anyone who uses a steroid inhaler falls within the group that must be shielded.

Anyone else? It says stay in the house but I'm assuming house also includes the garden.

Excuse the typo in the title.

I'm not sure that's right actually. What I read on asthma UK was that it was if your steroid inhaler is at a high daily dose (and a variety of other reasons), not just simply taking a steroid inhaler.

Please can you provide a link because I want to make sure I am following correct advice.

No, but my steroid dose is listed as high risk. I'm anticipating one

Sorry, you're right. But the doses of some of the inhalers are as low as 2 puffs twice a day.

I'm on fostair 200/6 which is on the list. I rang the surgery and spoke to a random dr who didnt know as he said in his opinion a lot of people are on that, its a common prescription. In his mind it was those frequently hospitalised which Im not.

I havent got a letter I dont know if I should reqquest one or if thay could go against me...

We're acting as if though as Im also very large and the 2 together must mean I might not survive. Whole family wont leave the house for 12 weeks.

my understanding is the same as Katniss.

dd1 takes a steroid inhaler but at a lower dose and gets the flu jab. She hasn't had a text.

Mines well controled and mostly I don't need anything. Unfortunatly I had flu at the end of febuary and my chest hasn't fully recovered, and as a keyworker I can't fully social distance.

It is the Fostair that is high risk.

Dh is asthmatic. His steroid inhaler is on the list from asthma uk.
However, list states you are in shielded category if dose is 250mg two puffs per day.
Dh is on 200mg two puffs a day.

We did not get the shielding text / letter, rightly so.

So it’s not number of puffs, it is dose per puff.

We won’t be chasing letter.
Dh is 52, furloughed from work and we are socially distancing.

I got the texts but no letter yet. I'd rather not be on the list as I'm fairly fit but need higher dose inhalers for other reasons. I've never needed to be admitted and never had a nebuliser.

I am wondering whether I ought to ask for the letter as the govt have the list that they will help get food and mediceine too. And im a little worried about who would collect my prescription or if i cant get a food delivery ...

I wish I wasnt so fat and unfit. A million reasons why but cant sort it right now.

It's not all users of steroid inhalers, rather those on specific doses of specific medication.
The list on Asthma UK was pretty clear I thought.
I don't need shielding but I adopted social distancing early on and I'm very glad my children are at home now!

I think there are shades of grey really, but obviously they have to draw the line somewhere.

I'm on fostair 100/6 2 puffs twice a day
Have had three attacks in the last year
Been on steroids for three months of the last twelve
Pregnant in third trimester
Have autoimmune thyroid disease

Based on any one of the above, I am not in the 'shielding' group. However I do feel vulnerable (even though I generally consider myself in good health...) and my husband is very worried.

There's no reason I can't work from home and my employer is now not expecting me back in the office til after mat leave.

I'm not leaving the house- we are getting as much as we can delivered and husband is going out where necessary with strict hygiene in place, we're sleeping in separate beds (were anyway due to pregnancy snoring) and DS was pulled from nursery a week before they closed.

Chatted it all through with my consultant last week and they said if they were in my position they would be doing the same if they possibly could.

Ah I will double check the dosage. I'm fit, I run several times a week and am active - have an 18mo. I haven't been admitted into hospital ever for asthma I don't think - or certainly not as an adult.

I was always going to self isolate but I feel a bit more anxious than I did before the text as I didn't really consider myself as needing shielding.

Also unless you are on a combination inhaler even if you are on a high daily steroid dose it's only if you are also taking Monkelast (sp ??) OR have been admitted to hospital with asthma

I would advise people to look on asthma uk site and not take the word of anyone on mumsnet

Unfortunately people giving incorrect advice on here caused me to have a panic attack thinking I needed to self isolate from my child for 12 weeks

Thank you for referring to the dosage, I had just assumed the Fostair was 200/6. I'm actually taking the 100/6.

We are social distancing though and we will take that to the more extreme end. I just want us to be able to walk the toddler in the morning to wear her out.

@Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady it wasn't my intention to spread misinformation, I was panicking. I certainly wouldn't expect someone to take my advice, I'm not a medic nor have I ever claimed to be.

The advice hasn't been clear up until now and as I currently share my one bedroom flat with 2 other adults and a toddler, it is just not possible to self isolate.

Check the asthma UK list carefully - not that many people will be taking Fostair 200/6 or the other high dose steroid inhalers. It's quite complicated to work out some of the details as you have to add in if you have other meds as well, have been to hospital, how often you have steroids.

I'm on Montelukast, have a course of steroids about once a year, and am on Fostair 100/6 and don't fall in the sheilding group.

@kirinm It's not about how many puffs, it's about the amount of the active ingredient. And you need to be on a course of oral/tablet steroids as well as high dose inhalers.

Here's the list off the Asthma UK website and the link
www.asthma.org.uk/advice/triggers/coronavirus-covid-19/

Im having issues with my asthma so the doctor on Monday I spoke to over the phone has given me fostair 200/6 ( I have had it before) I presume I'm now in the shielding group?

Sorry everyone, looks like I've misread it / interpreted it badly. It was something I was hoping I'd avoid because my living circumstances are really tricky at the moment so full on "shielding" would be really hard to manage.

Everyone in the ‘shielding’ group should be getting a letter or text by the end of this week apparently. My text arrived on Monday evening. The text is very clear that it’s specifically for vulnerable people and that if you fall into this group you have to self isolate for 12 weeks.

I am on tiptropium, duoresp spiromax and montelukast, plus ventolin obviously. I’ve also been in A&E and had nebulisers several times in the past few months, and have lost count of the number of courses of prednisolone I had before the tiotropium was added in to my daily caboodle. I assume it’s a combo of all the above that generated my text!

I'm in exactly the same position as Annamagnani as far as meds are concerned. I also have some lung scarring from previous pneumonia, but am otherwise very fit and healthy. I'm not in the shielding group, but I am being very careful, as my worst trigger for rapid decline is viral infections.

Metheone im similar. I dint know how they're producing thw letters but it says if you dint get one by friday and are on the list you eed to ask for one.