Is DH being paranoid by continuing to ‘shield’?

[Prrrambulate]

He suffers from chronic pancreatitis (hereditary, which is rare) - has had multiple abdominal surgeries, the first from when he was a child. But he was never sent any shielding letters or placed in the ECV list. The message is very much that ‘there’s no evidence pancreatitis increases your risk of getting covid badly’, and GP receptionist - wh

*receptionist firmly insisted that ‘if you should be on that list we will have contacted you.

But DH keeps pulling out articles on more evidence of how covid causes pancreatic injury... :s but he’s not in the shielding list; he’s not in any vaccine priory category. It’s like it’s all in our heads based on a whim.

Should we just accept that he’s about as normal a risk as anyone and carry on?

No. I'd be shielding if it was my DH. It's no major harm to do that a bit longer and I would be slightly more worried for him. I'm sure there's loads of conditions they've insufficient evidence to officially put in shielding category. You said yourself it's rare..

Will he be in group 6 at least? Or whixh group is your age bracket ? I would shield til then.

My mum has pancreatitis and is bery much ecv. Shielding letter etc. (She has other complications too but thats her main physical issue.)

@WishingHopingThinkingPraying

Yes that’s what he’s saying - it’s so niche that he might have been missed because he doesn’t slot into any the common categories.

@TryingNotToPanicOverCovid

No he’s not in any of the 9 categories for vaccination.

Thanks for sharing that about your mum. There’s research only now coming out in the BMJ about pancreatitis and covid risk

gut.bmj.com/content/early/2021/02/05/gutjnl-2020-323364

My mum's had her jab now. Admittedly she thinks she's in invincible 🤦‍♀️. Is there a consultant secretary you could speak to for advice? My mum still has check ups eahc year at the hospital so that might be an avenue for information?

@TryingNotToPanicOverCovid

My mum's had her jab now. Admittedly she thinks she's in invincible 🤦‍♀️. Is there a consultant secretary you could speak to for advice? My mum still has check ups eahc year at the hospital so that might be an avenue for information?

Ha, that’s a whole other problem. Good for her though :)

Yes he has annual checkups too - thanks for that suggestion.

I guess it’s just weird when family ask if / when he’ll be vaccinated and we say no he’s not on the list, then they ask if we’re still going to be careful and why...like it’s in our heads.

Is there a pancreatitis charity that can advise? Surely at least he would be in the underlying health condition group?

It may be worth making an appointment with the GP to check, even if it just puts your mind at rest.
I am technically classed as vulnerable as my bmi is over 40 but never received any advice to shield etc.
I checked with my GP surgery today when I went to collect a prescription to see if I was on the list and on checking my records I am group 6. So will be offered the vaccine when it's my turn.

I'm ECV and was not told to shield in the first lock down. The council apparently knew, but I didn't. Had multiple letters the second and third time. That were filed in the circular filing Cabinet. For me shielding would have been worse than Covid. (I did get a very mild dose)

Please don't risk it. My Dm is currently in hospital with covid and pneumonia... she wished she was dead because it was so awful.... she didn't think she would get it. It's really not worth the risk

I have a rare chronic neuro condition which is not included on any lists. I have been shielding to the best of my ability too. I would say that was very sensible of your husband.

Sometimes those with health issues are their own best researchers and know more than doctors do about their chosen subject. So I agree with your DH, if he feels there are very good reasons to shield (and sounds like there are from his own research) then he should do so.

Also, with new, more transmissible variants, it seems even more wise to maintain shielding.
Although it doesn’t specifically mention my heart issue in the lists. I read that a proportion of COVID patients have arrhythmias, which I can't afford to get, over and above the usual malarkey I have.
Trying to remember to wipe down the shopping and post, given what some people are saying about how can they possibly have caught the virus...

If he's overweight and over 50 would probably increase his risk more.

Trying to remember to wipe down the shopping and post, given what some people are saying about how can they possibly have caught the virus

Please don't - it's total nonsense. They've now said you can't catch it off sports equipment, I can't see that a letter or parcel is going to be any more risky.

Fomite transmission was a worry in the early days but was very quickly debunked as a transmission method. Do you remember when they were worried that it had got back into New Zealand on food and then realised someone had been fraternising with someone in quarantine.

As for shielding if you think you are particularly vulnerable it would see sensible to contact the GP (the receptionist doesn't know, insist on a telephone appointment) to find out if you can be put in the priority list. If you don't you could be shielding another six months until they get to you.

@Prrrambulate

*receptionist firmly insisted that ‘if you should be on that list we will have contacted you.

But DH keeps pulling out articles on more evidence of how covid causes pancreatic injury... :s but he’s not in the shielding list; he’s not in any vaccine priory category. It’s like it’s all in our heads based on a whim.

Should we just accept that he’s about as normal a risk as anyone and carry on?

Are you kidding? Of course he's at risk, be more understanding FFS.

Avoiding a disease with unknown long term effects is sensible, so even if you risk is average it still makes sense to go to some effort to avoid it. What downside is there for you?

My mum should have had a letter but didnt. Condition which is well documented as CEV. My child letter arrived a few months late. My sibling never got a letter, but GP told them they would be vaccinated soon during a phone appt. When they were surprised as they didnt realise the condition was extra risk it became apparent that they should have been shielded from March. So it is entirely possible that he should have recieved a letter.

If he has annual check ups then he will be under a consultant.
That consultant has the power to add him to the list if it's appropriate. Ring the consultant's secretary and ask her to message the consultant and ask a) is DH more at risk and b) should he be shielding and c) if not shielding then category 6 for vax.

@alreadytaken

Avoiding a disease with unknown long term effects is sensible, so even if you risk is average it still makes sense to go to some effort to avoid it. What downside is there for you?

It’s probably most tricky because we have a toddler (just turned two), with no siblings, who we haven’t sent to nursery yet. It’s a constant balancing act because trying to keep her socially stimulated and minimising risk (going to indoors children’s activities while wearing medical grade masks, or just doing lots of stuff outdoors ). Less of an issue now that everything’s closed. In any case DH is as keenly aware of this as I am.

Thanks all. He’ll see if he can raise this with the hepatology department.

@Phyzzy

If he has annual check ups then he will be under a consultant. That consultant has the power to add him to the list if it's appropriate. Ring the consultant's secretary and ask her to message the consultant and ask a) is DH more at risk and b) should he be shielding and c) if not shielding then category 6 for vax.

Most helpful thanks

I'm on the shielding list but I never shielded - I didn't want to & I've been at work throughout
But I don't think "paranoid" is a fair term. If you have any serious chronic health issues (which I do) irs justifiable to be worried about a totally new virus.... It's not paranoid!

Very painful condition, I’d continue to shield. I’d ring the consultant too as a pp mentions.
My uncle is 83 with a host of medical problems including copd and he didn’t receive a shielding letter either.

I think he should contact his specialist and ask if he should be on the moderately vunerable list. Its all new and easy to fall through the gaps. I have a long term health condition that my doctor has known about since I joined the practise 10 years ago. The specialist diagnosing me sent them a letter at the time about how I should be treated. Only when I asked my GP about Covid and my condition did they realise that no-one had put the letter in the right place on my file and I was therefore did not have a code on my file as having a long-term condition. If in doubt worth checking with the specialist.

I have been shielding for a year now but have the letters telling me too. If your DH GP has not put him in the ECV list, I see no reason why he has to shield especially when he does not have too.