Reason for shielding?

[chestergirl39]

Interested to know the reasons why people had to shield at home and why these seemed to vary widely across the country. Was it down to individual gp’s? Will the criteria change next time? Will Bmi be a factor?

Thanks scaevola
There you go op, that's the official list
And as I and another pp said, the list was UK wide and did not differ.

We all shielded because DH had a triple heart bypass early May and was not allowed out for a month, after that we walked at 5.30 am. I don’t know if he would be on the next shielded list, but we are still being very careful and going by how quiet it is in the daytime where I live, I suspect the over 60’s are already starting to shield.

Splenectomy.

My daughter was added to the shielding list by her consultant as she has a rare metabolic disorder.
She's not actually in any danger from covid directly, rather because viral illnesses aggravate her condition and send it into crisis with a risk of brain damage or death.
We were told that people with that and similar conditions were selected or not for shielding based on past history of symptoms and hospitalisations

I remember back in the beginning I was astonished to see people being mulish about not being on the shielded list. Believe me, it was a horrible shock to receive the text of doom. I must have been in the very first batch as I had not seen anything about it before. In the first few days/weeks I received a slew of scary instructions. My consultant told me I would be very ill if I got Covid, and the GP rang as well, to warn that there were quite a few cases in this area (skiiers!!).

As time has gone on I'm more sanguine about the whole thing, and realise that life goes on (I have dcs at school), but one has to be very careful. As one would if pre-Covid one had been undergoing chemotherapy, for example and been told to avoid public transport/crowded places etc.

I don't think BMI can be a reason for shielding. That would involve half the country staying in!

As I said, quite irritated with people who are "self shielders". I know a couple like this. No health conditions or risk factors. Just hypochondriacs who are very fond of themselves. Stay in if you want to, but don't make out you're "extremely vulnerable". You're just extremely annoying. Likewise the "super shielders", ie "no one understands " that someone accurately identified on this or another thread.

Because of the Immune suppressors I take for IBD

Thanks all that’s what I thought were the main reasons. What constitutes severe asthma? And if your child has severe asthma does that allow the parent to shield if they work in a hospital for example? I think some of the confusion for me is that some people described themselves as having to shield, and highly vulnerable, but didn’t have any of those conditions. Possibly they didn’t officially need to, but chose to. Not sure how it works if you work though.

Severe lung disease and child with quite severe asthma, seen in secondary care and on unusual medication normally prescribed to adults.

For Ds (10) he has had multiple hospital admissions and takes 5 different drugs for his chest (including very high adult doses of inhaler) as well as having to do daily physio to keep his chest clear.

Antibody treatment for cancer,
bronchiectasis,
asthma
and auto immune disease.
It makes me sound like a physical wreck but you wouldn't know there was anything wrong with me if you saw me.

I am hoping they won't just use the old list as they have learned more about who is actually more likely to be seriously ill / die.

My cancer treatment has finished.
Those on immune suppressive drugs have not been disproportionally affected, nor have asthmatics so I'm hoping 3 out of four will not be on the list next time.

That leaves bronchiectasis.
FedUpSomeMore and Madhairday It's rare to come across someone with bronchiectasis, how bad is yours and do you think you'll be shielding again?

What constitutes severe asthma?

You talk to your consultant (if you don't have regular consultant input, then it's v unlikely you'd need to shield) who should follow the NICE guidelines

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng166/resources/covid19-rapid-guideline-severe-asthma-pdf-66141904108741

And if your child has severe asthma does that allow the parent to shield if they work in a hospital for example?

No. Only the person with condition is shielding, and you are meant to isolate within the home if you WOH, or move out if role is very risky. You might have been able to furlough on this basis, but that's coming to an end now. As is shielding for most DC who were on the original list.

I think some of the confusion for me is that some people described themselves as having to shield, and highly vulnerable, but didn’t have any of those conditions

Yes, there was quite a lot of that going on. But the best rule of thumb question to sort out what they really mean is 'when did you get your letter?'

Yes, there was quite a lot of that going on. But the best rule of thumb question to sort out what they really mean is 'when did you get your letter?'

Not necessarily.

a) it was done differently in Scotland
b) my Dr contacted me to ask if I needed a letter, but there was nothing I needed it for so I said no (I was able to get groceries online, worked from home etc so very lucky)

However it does mean I don't automatically get a letter if it happens again. And I don't mind, because now that I understand the risk levels better, I am at so much less risk that some other people that I would feel bad about it.

I didnt have one of the illnesses on the actual 'official' list but i got the shielding letter and a phone call from my consultant and said i needed to shield

So got Calls from the 'home but not alone' service and the priority Home delivery companies

Still shielding, been shielding since March 14th...
Not planning on going anywhere soon

My consultant is still saying its to dangerous for me to attend 'routine hospital appointments'

A cold has put me in hospital before and a run of the mill 2 day sickness bug had me in kidney failure

Im petrified of corona

Prescription for azathioprine. My letter came from my hospital prescriber not GP.

My mums was heart failure and renal failure.

@Fyzz

That leaves bronchiectasis. FedUpSomeMore and Madhairday It's rare to come across someone with bronchiectasis, how bad is yours and do you think you'll be shielding again?

So sorry to hear you have bronch too. Mine is widespread across all lobes of both lungs (they were going to do a lobectomy of my right lower lobe but found it had spread too much) and causes repeated infections/pneumonia. I'm in hospital for IVs at least once a year. It affects my quality of life in a huge way (had to stop teaching.) I get sick a load and even between my body is broken and worn out and I struggle with normal day to day living. Often housebound. Not likely to get any better but only worse as it's degenerative and I also have aspergillosis and MAC (although that's hiding right now, as is the pseudomonas that lives down there)🤣 - what about you?

I really don't want to shield again, I struggled with isolation within the home. It was horrible not being able to hug dh and DC. But if I am advised to I will. I remember my consultant ringing and strongly advising me to keep to the letter of the shielding advice, he'd seen too much already. He sounded so tired out from it.

I also hated getting the texts, letters, calls etc, it all felt so immediate and scary. Now I know more about numbers I'm not scared of dying as much as long covid as not sure how much more damage my lungs can take.

@Madhairday so sorry to hear all that. I think mine is mild and well managed on the whole compared to that, and although they told me I had aspergillosis I don't think it's symptomatic. I do get a lot of infections though.
I will shield if told to but I will question it I think, especially as they now seem to be saying that covid is primarily a vascular disease rather than a respiratory disease as first thought.

I was undergoing chemo. I'm not now, so I should be ok if we have another round of shielding 😊

So I have Swyer-James-McLeod syndrome and bronchiectasis following a near fatal childhood bout of mycoplasma pneumonia in both lungs. I have been colonised with pseudomonas and have needed to be on nebulised antibiotics to get over that. (! suspect the pseudomonas is hiding out some where and biding its time!)

I think bronchiectasis is very under diagnosed.

I am very grateful for my rescue antibiotics! I am also really grateful for the amount of things I have been able to do with my life despite sometimes being very ill. I can get really ill with infections.

I am keen not to get covid as the disease mechanisms in pneumonia sound rather similar to bronchiectasis.

However, the early word was that people with cystic fibrosis,which is in some ways similar, were coming through covid. So it seems there's some hope. I think delaying getting the infection will be good if possible, as the more information the medics have, the better the outcomes are likely to be.

How interesting that there's a group of us with bronchiectasis.

I think bronchiectasis is very under diagnosed
Absolutely. I was diagnosed last year and in hindsight I know I'd had it for at least ten years in spite of describing classic symptoms many times to GPs.

I think bronchiectasis is very under diagnosed

I looked it up because I hadn’t heard of it. It fits all my symptoms a lot better than what I was diagnosed with. Am going to discuss with my Dr. Thank you!

@herecomesthsun

So I have Swyer-James-McLeod syndrome and bronchiectasis following a near fatal childhood bout of mycoplasma pneumonia in both lungs. I have been colonised with pseudomonas and have needed to be on nebulised antibiotics to get over that. (! suspect the pseudomonas is hiding out some where and biding its time!)

I think bronchiectasis is very under diagnosed.

I am very grateful for my rescue antibiotics! I am also really grateful for the amount of things I have been able to do with my life despite sometimes being very ill. I can get really ill with infections.

I am keen not to get covid as the disease mechanisms in pneumonia sound rather similar to bronchiectasis.

However, the early word was that people with cystic fibrosis,which is in some ways similar, were coming through covid. So it seems there's some hope. I think delaying getting the infection will be good if possible, as the more information the medics have, the better the outcomes are likely to be.

How interesting that there's a group of us with bronchiectasis.

Really interesting post. We know DS has a “dead” section of one his lungs following bronchiolitis as a baby (we assume) having just read up on sawyer-James it sounds like something I need to read up on much more!

@herecomesthsun my bronchi was also a result of very severe pneumonia in infancy. It wasn't diagnosed though until I was in my thirties, I somehow always got fobbed off with chronic bronchitis, uncontrolled asthma etc and nothing ever really fit. It was only when a new doctor decided a CT scan would be an idea that they found the bronchiectasis. Crazy really, but in those days diagnosis was even more rare (in my late 40s now.) I'm so sorry you suffer with it too. I'm also so grateful for my rescue abs (at the moment levofloxacin) and my prophylactic azithromycin, among a multitude of other drugs - and snap to pseudomonas and nebulised drugs (I had colomycin for quite a while.)

Seems there are a few of us here, we should start a group!

I don't know a lot about bronchiectasis other than growing up around my mum's symptoms (she ended up having a lobectomy). She always told me it only developed in childhood.

I have an identical long term cough now I'm older and I just had a look at the nhs page about it. I might have a word with my GP..