Anxiety rising about return to school (shielder)

[Littlemiss74]

I had a shielding letter due to taking immunosuppressant meds. I was very anxious at the start & was relieved that the dc’s were not going to school & I could wfh. I have relaxed a little and have been going out but taking all the necessary precautions. We are trying to enjoy the summer by being outdoors as much as possible and keeping our distance.

But, as the return to school comes closer my anxiety is increasing again. It just seems such a jump to go from keeping ourselves to ourselves for months to exposing my dc’s to classes of 30 children from 30 other families. Part of me is thinking is it inevitable that they will come into contact with the virus at some point if they are mixing closely with this number of people. I know that children don’t tend to get too poorly with it but I am worried about them passing it to me.

It just seems a bit odd that for months shielders were made to feel so vulnerable and now suddenly it’s all ok and children of shielders can freely go and mix with a full class at school.

I am trying not to think about it but I am anxious about the return to school and what the winter will bring.

Does anyone else feel similar? Just looking for some reassurance I suppose if that is possible.

Are you still able to work from home? What are your other options?

Yes my boss has been brilliant and said to do what I am most comfortable with so I am going to continue wfh for now so that’s one less thing to worry about.

How old are your children? Do you feel capable of working from home and guiding their learning for a short period of time? Are good schools in your area over subscribed?

There are pieces of research which show that not all immuno-suppressants place you at greater risk. Apparently, those taken for arthritis don't affect risk. www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2020/jun/immunosuppressants-do-not-increase-covid-19-risk-people-rheumatic-diseases

It is possible that you may not be at as much increased risk as was initially thought, but I can't offer you blanket reassurance. You need to do a bit of research and balance up your pros and cons. You sound as though you are in a fortunate position to be able to make some choices and not have them completely forced upon you.

Apparently, those taken for arthritis don't affect risk that article doesn’t refer to biologics.

That’s really interesting, it is RA that I have so perhaps not as high risk as first thought.
The thing is I want them to go to school because they miss it so much and I don’t want to affect their mental health keeping them away any longer. I think I just have to hope for the best and get on with it really. Thanks for that info.

@Littlemiss74 I am in the same situation and will be keeping my dc at home with the agreement of the LEA.

@AldiAisleofCrap oh, yes it is a biologic injection that I take🙁

I would get advice from, your consultant, I did. Also I know it’s difficult but a lot can change either way before September assuming you are not in Scotland. You don’t have to decide right now.

@AldiAisleofCrap what did your consultant advise if you don’t mind me asking? Do you have dc’s returning to school?

Similar thoughts only we are regarding a clinically vunerable DC.

Given that this is the latest guidance for those who are vunerable/were shielding and are now lumped in with the vunerable

you can go to work as long as the workplace is Covid-secure, but should carry on working from home wherever possible

you can go outside as much as you like but you should still try to keep your overall social interactions low

you can visit businesses, such as supermarkets, pubs and shops, while keeping 2 metres away from others wherever possible or 1 metre, plus other precautions

I just don't see how these guidelines can be followed safely within a full time school return with no social distancing just a bit of extra handwashing. IMO in normal circumstances there is always unwell children with carious cautigious illnesses in schools, we notice this because our DC always ends up catching something and ending up in hospital so i don't see how that is going to stop....the vast vast majority are not going to keep their children off for cough or fever each of them completely dismissing covid because they are otherwise healthy but not considering the vunerable within the classroom and those who live at home with these children !

@Littlemiss74 he advised that I should continue to shield as much as possible although he was happy with me going outside as long as I and my family strictly social distance.
My children are not returning to school.

@Littlemiss74

That’s really interesting, it is RA that I have so perhaps not as high risk as first thought. The thing is I want them to go to school because they miss it so much and I don’t want to affect their mental health keeping them away any longer. I think I just have to hope for the best and get on with it really. Thanks for that info.

Since I take mine for arthritis it's likely the same ones as you or similar I got the sheilding letters. But chose not to. Loads of international research that I had read actually said that biologics improved the outcome for people with RA and less people on them ended up in ICU. My hospital after the sheilding letters collated their own info and said actually we don't need to shield unless we're flaring or on steroids. (I am flaring but I still haven't ever chosen to shield)

I'm a teacher, my kids have been at school since June and I will be returning to work in sept.

This is just my view though

I'm the same OP. I'm within greater Manchester so things might change here anyway but even if they don't and schools reopen my dd1 is in a bubble of 360+. Dd2 will be similar and then ds is still at primary. I'm dreading it.

I take immunsuppressors too OP (azathioprine, not biologics) for IBD.
I got the shielding letters but read a lot of Gastro research info And studies stated that immunsuppressors only put you at moderate risk, I think the biggest risk factor was pred /steroids in higher doses.

I decided not to shield but was very careful, but my daughter went back to school part time in June and I was really pleased with the measures put in place and felt safe. I think that was our turning point for properly getting back out into the world too and for the past 2 months the children have had outdoor play dates, gone to lots of playgrounds, shops etc.

I’m fanatical about hand cleaning/sanitising for all of us but other than that we’ve all been fine!

Hope that assures you a bit xx

I had the shielding.letter - immunosuppressants plus other factors.

I'm now back to work on Monday, working with the public, which makes no sense to me at all but there we are.

What also.makes no sense is how, pre Covid, patients on immunosuppressants were given instructions about how susceptible we are to.infection, what to avoid including certain foods, and what to do.if we are exposed to certain infections eg chickenpox. Given all of that, how are people now being told that they are not at increased risk from Covid?

Mine are going back but DH is a teacher, so in for a penny and all that. I’m going to be working at home, hosing them all down when they get home and hoping for the best.

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras I’ve never found I catch more than your average person since I’ve taken immunsuppressors, but I’ve always thought that maybe precautions around the use of these medications are maybe very blanket advice and not taking dosage into consideration.

For example I take 100mg aza, someone who has had an organ transplant could take 10x higher dosage than this and therefore has a bigger impact on immune system?

I could be wrong, but that’s always been my take on it

I don't think I've caught more infections since being on them but those I have caught have been more severe. I've developed pneumonia after having some kind of virus, was plagued by recurrent bouts of tonsillitis for a good two years. I do though have the flu vaccine every year and have had the pneumonia vaccine. I also avoid the specific foods that I've been told to avoid and am very careful about hygiene so how much of that has helped me avoid infections who knows?

The point is though, the advice before Covid was that we were at risk from relatively mild illnesses so how can they then say that we aren't at increased risk from Covid? That makes no sense to me. The same as when they say that children don't spread Covid - they spread everything else so why should this be different?

@AldiAisleofCrap was your consultant advice for rheumatoid arthritis? I haven’t heard anything from mine since April.

I am on Humira for psoriatic arthritis , I do have other health conditions though that increase my need to shield. @Littlemiss74

Thank you @AldiAisleofCrap I am on Humira too. I might see if I can get a call with rheumatologist sometime.

My Mum has RA and for a while was on Methotrexate (sp?). She ended up with double pneumonia in ICU and it turned out it was caused because she had caught a cold but because of the meds she was on she'd been unable to fight it.
I don't know what medications you are on, but I don't think it is the RA that makes you vulnerable but the medications that you on. My Mum is no longer on immunosuppressants and has not been put on the shielding list. Sending you hugs during these difficult times

@confusedandold yes that’s right it’s the meds not the condition that make us more vulnerable

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras what foods are we meant to avoid? I’ve never known about this😳

Apparently, those taken for arthritis don't affect risk.

It's the combination of having an inflammatory arthritis and the medication that has me in the clinically vulnerable group, not just the medication alone. I'm not in the shielded group but, even now at this stage, I remain in the clinically vulnerable group. It may not mean ICU or worse, but by being more vulnerable I could become more ill or take longer to recover. I had pneumonia one year which had me in hospital. That took 7 weeks before I could return to work and it took many months til I was fully recovered.

I initially had the shielding letter and calls but my consultant and go both then said I didn't need to shield but was more vulnerable so to be careful. They both say this now.