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Original poster

Shielded people - are you going out at all

43 replies

WotnoPasta · 04/04/2020 23:43

DH is shielded. He’s prone to swelling in his feet from inactivity. WFH has exasperated this. It’s very very quiet where we live so I think he could walk around the block, cross the road if he sees a person. He’s very nervous understandably about being out at all, however he’s unlikely to see anyone. He’s doing lots around the house and in the garden but it’s not the same as a sustained walk. I think it’s worth doing (and he’s often up very early and could do it then) but he is scared.
What are other shielded people doing? My friend is shielded but lives somewhere very busy so won’t go out at all.

OP posts:
AlmostThereKeepMoving · 04/04/2020 23:50

This reply has been deleted

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AlmostThereKeepMoving · 04/04/2020 23:50

PEOPLE ARE DYING

Sosounhappy · 04/04/2020 23:51

Err no dont

Gilead · 04/04/2020 23:51

I’m shielded. I don’t go out. Walk round the kitchen table or sling the hall.

Ouch44 · 04/04/2020 23:51

What about an exercise bike?

Gilead · 04/04/2020 23:51

Sling? Around!

AlmostThereKeepMoving · 04/04/2020 23:52

I mean, I’m sorry for swearing, but are you for real? He shouldn’t even be in the garden.

northernlittledonkey · 04/04/2020 23:53

My mums shielded & she goes for a walk at 6 am and doesn’t see anyone.

joystir59 · 04/04/2020 23:53

Nope. Not going out except into the garden.

SquashedFlyBiscuit · 04/04/2020 23:54

No. Theres some walking videos on you tube that do a lot of varied steps to make it interesting.

Ouch44 · 04/04/2020 23:54

Can you massage his legs for him? My mum had lymphodema in her legs and lymphatic drainage massage worked really well.

SquashedFlyBiscuit · 04/04/2020 23:55

We are allowed in the garden

Original poster
WotnoPasta · 05/04/2020 00:01

Not even the garden?

OP posts:
inflam · 05/04/2020 00:02

Shielding is optional. He didn't have to do it. If he values his life though, he will.

inflam · 05/04/2020 00:02

He doesn't have to do it Blush

Percypigsareyummy · 05/04/2020 00:03

The Governments advice is to stay in your house and garden and not to mix with anyone. He is risking his life going out, as a past Intensive Care Nursing Sister please do not do this.

AlmostThereKeepMoving · 05/04/2020 00:04

Ah yes they did amend the advice to say that shielded people can now go in gardens. But absolutely not leave the house.

Original poster
WotnoPasta · 05/04/2020 00:04

Most of our neighbours don’t even use their gardens so not sure who he would be hiding from there

OP posts:
ClientQueen · 05/04/2020 00:05

I'm shielding and no. I go in the garden when it's warm and that's it

TheSpottedZebra · 05/04/2020 00:12

Have you got stairs? He could walk up and down them?
Online workouts, Joe Wicks or whatever? Go retro with Mr Motivator?

Wingedharpy · 05/04/2020 00:17

I'm a shielder who is used to a daily brisk walk too, OP, but I am not going out.....except, I HAD to attend GP's surgery last week for an essential blood test (I did check).

I felt most unsafe and couldn't wait to get back home.

While, I can see that he benefits from walking, it isn't essential that that walking needs to be done outside of his own "private space" eg garden.

There was a chap on the news earlier in the week, who ran the equivalent of a marathon in his postage stamp -sized back garden.

Don't encourage him to go for a walk OP - it isn't worth it.

Just keeping active will have to do for now.

No sitting for long periods

Keep rotating his ankles and flexing his feet when he has to sit.

It won't be forever - please God!

sleepingdragon · 05/04/2020 00:21

The guidelines are simple to cover all manner of living situations. I am in the shielding group and have been on 2 walks, go into my garden every day (I have no close neighbours), and feel comfortable with this level of risk. Does your DH have a consultant he can contact to ask? I and many people I know in the shielding group have been told individualised advice e.g we can take walks outside as long as we avoid people.

Original poster
WotnoPasta · 05/04/2020 00:24

Okay - he won’t go out. I think we are unusual as without giving anything away about where we are, we are in an area that has very very few cases still.
He’s been poorly before and inactivity has effected his health enormously , so it’s an issue on my mind. Usually I boot him out the door to go to the shop to make sure he’s moving. It’s the intense working from home that’s screwing him just now, work is what keeps him active and it’s been taken away to being chained to a screen.
I can’t imagine him doing joe wicks in a billion years though Grin

OP posts:
teainthetardis · 05/04/2020 00:39

You can’t know how many cases are really in your area! Only a minority are being tested.

Sorry PP have been rather rude but shielded means no walking around the block, at all.

Wingedharpy · 05/04/2020 00:47

It's not just the meeting or not of other people though @sleepingdragon.

It's the same principle of people wanting to go for drives here and there and not get out of their car.

It's fine if nothing untoward happens but as a car may breakdown or crash, so a pedestrian may fall and twist an ankle /break a bone , be unable to get up so have to call on someone for assistance/ be taken to hospital for A and E care - and who would want to be anywhere near a hospital these days if they didn't have to be?

As you say, they are guidelines, not the 10 commandments and it does say :
"shielding is for your personal protection.It is your choice to decide whether to follow the measures we advise"