Shielding After The Lockdown

[Didkdt]

As people go back to work and the children to school I suspect our shielding status will remain for quite some time.
I'm just not sure how it will work. I was feeling so twitchy with DH at work and the children at school whether they'd bring it home
Also at some point I want my life back. I want to go back to work.
I've always been careful to avoid people's germs before knowing a cold or chest infection could hospitalize me, it's just now hospital might not be able to fix me

I just wondered if people wanted to chat through how shielding will work when life starts it's new normal and we're stuck shielding.

Thanks @AshGirl - I will investigate.

It’s Ds who is shielding here. He is 10 with severe asthma and is also autistic.

We have come to terms with no matter what he won’t be going back to school until September at the earliest.

Given he has struggled with massive fear of going out the house I am petrified that we are going to regress back there as it took years of work (and medication) from camhs to get a grip on the anxiety. So we have been going out once a week for a walk as thankfully there is a quiet route we can do. Not ideal I know but I need to protect his mental health as much as possible.

My biggest concern is before all of this kicked off properly he was on the waiting list for a lot of tests and things some pretty urgent. Not sure how these will work alongside shielding when hospitals finally get back to some sort of normal

I don’t know. I have been sent a lung appointment for August but the last thing I want to do is sit in a waiting room of coughing people for a couple of hours.

i’m shielded due to arthritis medication and a beyond fucked thyroid.

the thyroid has grown into a monster, and it’s substernal and growing down into my chest cavity. tried to have it removed in january but they abandoned the surgery as they couldn’t keep me oxygenated under intubation. the thyroid has squished my trachea over to one side and it’s got a big curve in it.

so if i get covid and need ventilation i will die. not really on my list of Things I Would Like To Do Aged 47.

on the plus side, i already get PIP, ESA and housing benefit. my PIP award runs out in June tho - DWP have said they will extend until September but i need them to guarantee they will inform ESA as otherwise i lose my disability premium and my housing benefit and will be fucked. they have had my review form since the beginning of January!

i have been given a free Priority Pass with Asda as i was already a customer. it’s like a whole secret asda - i can book a recurring slot 2 weeks ahead, no delivery charge and no minimum spend.

all that said, i live alone with my cat, i’m in a lot of pain as i can’t get out for a walk and i refuse to do tiny laps of my studio flat! i miss human contact. i could really do with a hug. and a vaccine.

a vaccine would be good. i’m indoors until they get one. still, worse things happen at sea and all that.

i’m slowly going stir crazy so by the time i emerge, blinking, into 2022 or whenever they’ll be carting me off to the madhouse anyway (my mental health is already
laughably shit).

chin up, fellow shielders. this too shall pass. eventually.

I'm feeling optimistic today. I'm hopeful that the Oxford University vaccine trials that begin tomorrow with actual humans will be successful and we'll have access to a vaccine by the end of the year. I might be deluded but I am excited.

I found this thread only last night and it’s taken me till now to catch up and read to the end. For someone spending their time alone mostly I am weirdly distractible.

My intro - I’m shielding because I’m immunocompromised - on medication for a rare autoimmune condition that even some doctors know little about. I’ve got other AI problems too, dry eyes, sore joints (GP guessed fibromyalgia but I’ve not been tested - lots of weirdness in my bloods & maybe lupus), rhinitis and other allergies, asthma, thyroid. And of course I’m an overweight, long time depressive, on medication for that. I think my MH and joints would be helped if I could get out for short walks - this is something I plan to resume soon. Quiet area, rarely see anyone up close. At present I’m busy sorting my living space which is quite a long job. Small room, not enough storage (books mostly), clutter which I’m gradually clearing. But due to chronic fatigue I can do only a bit at a time.

I live with my husband who’s 73 and healthy and doing his best to look after us all. I’m 59 next week. We have 4 DC in their 20s, two we care for and two who are currently living in DC1’s tiny flat in a Scottish city. We are rural. One has learning diffs, the other cared for one has autism. Quite high functioning but needs guidance and support. And hugs from his mum. The other 2 have MH problems and one has IBD and is on steroids and due to start immunosuppressants bc the other treatment so far hasn’t helped. Yep, my DC got my share of the genes. The timing for the one with IBD couldn’t be worse. Obviously no idea when we’ll see them again. Fortunately they are coping. It’s good they’re together and like each other! Sorry long post. I must be lonely.

I'm feeling a bit low today. I have my dc to distract me and doing up the garden also still working p/t but I suppose some days I'm just going to feel a bit shit.

Also on my period and my attempts at eating healthily have been abandoned for today anyway!

Tomorrow will hopefully be better. I am trying to stay positive and grateful for the things I do have/can do and it does help most of the time.

Do you think it would be a good idea to have a shielders chat thread? Somewhere we can check in now and again? I know it's helpful for me to be able to talk to others in a similar boat and thinking some people shielding may not be checking this thread.

Happy to stay here too though.

A well meaning friend called and said don't worry about work they 'won't be able to get rid of you easily' I didn't bother trying to explain it's equally as shit for me thinking that they would want to but can't

@UnholyStramash also meant to say glad you found the thread. Can you plan to do something nice for your bday next week? Options are limited I know!! Something nice in this house all revolves around food!

@Didkdt thanks for asking. I need a head wobble too!

@AuntieSocia1, a chat thread would be good. I’d certainly use that. I’m sorry you’re feeling low today. I think there’ll be good and bad days in the course of this - and you’re also a hostage to your hormones which thankfully I am no longer.

Sorry about your friend’s well meaning remarks. People often just don’t get the life we lead and I’m sorry it’s got so much worse for many of you with the shielding and the virus more generally. Due to my combined circumstances I’m no longer in paid work so we live off DH’s pension, my CA, the boys’ PIP. I know some friends just don’t get my life. But deep down I feel enormous career and intellectual frustration, but I’m glad our finances haven’t been adversely affected, not much anyway. Now I feel lucky in a sense as, were I back in paid work, I’d be frontline NHS or working in the charity sector, both of which I’ve done before. I tried to go back to nursing about 10 years ago but my illness/es flared and it’s taken till now to get things stable. It feels like I’ve moved from my early 50s to my late 50s in a flash, but am I glad I’m not working in the NHS!

My birthday - yes, food will be involved here too. It’ll be sad not to see the other DC. We’ve been apart before on birthdays, usually due to exams or travel. I might try to set up a Zoom gathering but they’ll miss the food so that might be a bit mean! I need to tell DH tactfully that I don’t want more stuff - I’m trying to clear this tiny room enough so that by Tuesday I’ll have installed a chair. Sitting on the bed or the floor is painful. And good enough weather to be in the garden. I’m very thankful for the garden - I’ll never take it for granted.

I'd join a shielders chat thread. We are a 5 person family shielding due to a child with a liver transplant.
We are doing ok so far but as this could drag on for the rest of this year, it would be nice to talk with others who understand.

I wonder if we could change the thread title @Didkdt to chat thread for shielders or similar and all just stay here?

If not I'm happy to start one

We could continue to chat in here no reason why it can't evolve with us as a group or start another one.
It's good to know how we are all doing.
I think every living situation has pluses and challenges, @aWeaponCalledtheWord I wish you could have a hug.
@AuntieSocia1 we can only take it one day or half a day at a time.
I'm another one hoping for a vaccine.
Trials start tomorrow.
Someone was telling me last night I'll be fine out and about with a facemask and a pair of gloves. I wish I really do.

I've posted a 'chat for those who are shielding' thread in chat.

Hope to see some of you in there for a general natter from time to time. I know quite a few people blocked the coronavirus topic as they felt overwhelmed so thought we might see a few more people too in our boat

Hello, late 20s shielder here - auto immune condition which requires steroid based medication. Has also affected my lungs so I'm pretty done if I catch COVID I think. I'm meant to be starting a PhD in the autumn which I doubt will happen now. I'm pretty lost at the moment, can't see an end to this and just have so many worries. I honestly don't know what to do. Couldn't find the chat thread so if someone could post a link to it that would be great. I hope you are all keeping as well as can be.

Hi Kirstin.
How are you managing with day to day life? It would be such a blow if you can't do you PhD Have you spoken to your supervisor yet?

@kirstinm hello! I'm 32 so not quite late 20s but hopefully you'll accept me honourarily.

I'm hopeful for uni, I'm doing a part time masters and as it's all online fully expect it to continue. My biggest question is if I can continue to self fund whne work is uncertain.

It's been a hard week this week, its almost 5 weeks since I saw my boyfriend and at best 8 till i can see him again. If shielding continues we will work it out i guess. It's too early to move in together and he has 2 massive dogs while I have 1 one tiny dog. We have had a few fall outs, I'm unbearably grumpy and the poor bloke is gettjnf the brunt of it.

Please direct me to the other thread too! I'm happy to stay here though.

I've just realised its likely to be a research phd - is it possible to do this while shielding?

I much prefer cocoons, its kindred.

Can I ask how you fellow shielders are getting medication picked up (and rubbish taken out if you are in a flat)? I am struggling to find anyone who can help and the NHS 750,000 volunteers scheme doesn’t seem to be functioning. I’m going to have to break my shielding soon at this rate to go to the chemist...

Have you contacted the pharmacy? Ours is delivering to people who are shielding or at high risk even though they don’t normally

egghead have you looked on fb for a local covid mutual aid group? We have several in our local area, I'm on the whatsapp group to help and people ring the helpline to have shopping delivered, medicine picked up, dogs walked. Someone always seems to volunteer within a few minutes of the phoneline being contacted. I'm sure someone would be very willing to take your rubbish out and collect medicines.

Thanks @Sirzy and @geojojo. Pharmacist said if I am desperate he will deliver to front door of my block of flats but I will have to go down and sign for them, which won’t really work as I am not supposed to leave my flat and go out into the staircase.

There Is supposedly a local covid mutual aid but none of the online links to it work.

I (finally after much difficulty) got registered to receive NHS volunteer support 6 days ago but have not heard from them since.

Update - I have found an email address for a local mutual aid and have emailed them. Thank you. Fingers crossed.
Disappointing lack of response from the official NHS scheme.

I'm using pharmacy2u online service. They are pretty good but you do need to account for a few more days delay than if you were to get it from the local pharmacy.

Thanks. I have just registered with pharmacy2u but am now really worried this is not compatible with my GP practice (it is an online practice and meds are reordered automatically through an app). I hope I haven’t screwed things up for myself.

The online warnings about U.K. inhaler shortages look terrifying.