Just received a shielding letter but no one knows why!!

[theviewfromhalfwaydown]

I’m freaking out a bit that there’s something wrong with me I don’t know about. I received a shielding letter but have no idea why I have it. I’m slightly overweight but haven’t been weighed by a dr in 10years and that was just after I’d given birth to my youngest. I have no underlying health conditions I know about and I’m only 38. All I can think of is that I had gestational diabetes but that was years ago. I’ve already had the first jab as I work in healthcare but I’m worried they know something I don’t. I’m not going to shield as I don’t think I need to and I want to work but it’s still thrown me quite a bit.

Secret:

"You know they are a GP how?"

Oh purlease. You are making yourself look silly.

@Oblomov21

"There is a reason previous GDs have been moved up and they don’t know exactly why yet".

There is a reason? What is the reason? They don't know. No. I don't know either.

But I believe it IS an admin error. Or should be. GD from years ago, is not a permanent condition. It's a temporary thing. Because of pregnancy.

And doesn't deserve to be put in a higher group. And vaccinated.

As a diabetic, I Feel, in My opinion, thus is very wrong.

Ahh I see where this is coming from. I get your anger, I do, I agree.

However, if it is true that Covid triggers full blown diabetes in ex GD. That could be why. The nhs will want to stop that ticking timebomb. It’s 1 in 20 pregnancies. That could by why..

It doesn't make sense that someone perfectly healthy with a history of GD would be asked to shield. Moved into group 6 (CV) yes, but given that most people with respiratory, neuro and cardiac conditions aren't shielded, neither are current diabetics, it is totally illogical. Therefore, admin mistake.

I haven't even been told to shield. And I've been type 1 my whole life.

Actually I better leave thus thread now. Maybe I need a break. Because this had really irritated me.

@Oblomov21

Secret:

"You know they are a GP how?"

Oh purlease. You are making yourself look silly.

Not really, I get your anger but stating on the other thread, it’s clearly an error is irresponsible. You shouldn’t do it. That’s silly.

if it is true that Covid triggers full blown diabetes in ex GD. That could be why. The nhs will want to stop that ticking timebomb

There is evidence that covid makes it slightly more likely for ex GD women to develop diabetes. Not triggers it in all ex GD women, by any means

It is far far far more likely to be a quirk of the system (GD only affects women, so why would it be considered during planning of how they were going to do this), than covid somehow re-triggering GD in women who are no longer pregnant, and have not had any form of diabetes since. I would be interested in the science behind that though.

@Plutoh there is some explanation here (which is worrying me a bit < www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/new-worse-cases-coronavirus>

Btw I mean in relation to having had GF specifically, and not just the theories on diabetes and covid.

Sorry @Plutoh I obviously didn’t link correctly - trying again www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/new-worse-cases-coronavirus

I have seen the research on diabetes, but nothing in relation to having had GD increasing the likelihood of this happening.

The thing is, although we received the letter asking us to shield - if you read the official wording online it says that we have been identified as people who “may” have an increased risk and the easiest way to physically address us etc is to put us in the CEV category. That in itself doesn’t make us CEV. It’s all very confusing.

I hope it’s a mistake, I’m back in class on Monday! No health conditions since so I don’t see the problem.

I've had one too and I had GD over a year ago, so it took me by surprise too.

Here's my take on why previous GD patients and pre diabetics might have got letters and not patients with confirmed T1 or T2:

Because they don't know whether we have it or not. routine appointments and blood tests are being missed, therefore we may well have untreated diabetes and not know which is potentially more of a risk than controlled, treated diabetes.

I can't think of another sensible justification.

People who had GD should have a fasting glucose and hba1c annually. It's in the NICE guidelines. (I know this doesn't always happen but there's no excuse for it not happening really, also I know in the past year some surgeries have been shit at monitoring things like this).

@WreckTangled

People who had GD should have a fasting glucose and hba1c annually. It's in the NICE guidelines. (I know this doesn't always happen but there's no excuse for it not happening really, also I know in the past year some surgeries have been shit at monitoring things like this).

That's a bit concerning, I'm 6 years post GD and never had a diabetes test. Was told at my 6 week post birth check up by Dr that GD was a pregnancy only problem so I was all better now and no need for any tests (paraphrasing but that was the gist).

@WreckTangled

People who had GD should have a fasting glucose and hba1c annually. It's in the NICE guidelines. (I know this doesn't always happen but there's no excuse for it not happening really, also I know in the past year some surgeries have been shit at monitoring things like this).

I have not had one in 8 years.

@Oblomov21

"There is a reason previous GDs have been moved up and they don’t know exactly why yet".

There is a reason? What is the reason? They don't know. No. I don't know either.

But I believe it IS an admin error. Or should be. GD from years ago, is not a permanent condition. It's a temporary thing. Because of pregnancy.

And doesn't deserve to be put in a higher group. And vaccinated.

As a diabetic, I Feel, in My opinion, thus is very wrong.

As a diabetic, you are being treated.

As someone at risk of developing diabetes, we may have it and not know.

Maybe there is a link between untreated diabetes and higher risk factor.

You seem to have your knickers in a real twist about it

If you're not having them then you need to ring your GP and request it, quite frankly I would be putting in a complaint. It's part of their QoF, they get paid money to do it (or at least it was when I worked in primary care four years ago).

Haven't they done some sort of modelling exercise where they have taken health and demographic information to identify some other people that are high risk?

Could be if you are say high BMI, BAME and low income then that puts you at high risk.

I’m just wondering if mine is due to a combination of things.

Previous GD
Previous severe MH issues (hospital admissions)
Currently on sertraline long term

@wingingiteveryday Or, to prevent it. GD pregnancies result in a 50% increased chance of diabetes, and there is growing evidence to show covid is triggering diabetes in otherwise healthy individuals too.

Sounds like it's definitely a mistake.

My MIL is type 2 diabetic (must be quite serious as she has to inject insulin but not type 1 - don't know the details) and she is morbidly obese, her BMI will be way over 40 and she hasn't been told to shield.

@imamearcat that’s what I thought but none of those factors put me at risk in my case. I did the QCovid risk assessment on which the new shielding list seems to be based, and that gave me a very low risk result. I just don’t understand it.

@SugarbabyMilly I’m on sertraline too and historic GD. I don’t have ‘severe’ MH problems indicated as being in the high risk group though (bipolar, schizophrenia etc). I can see that a combination of GD and mental Health problems could potentially increase risk as part of the algorithm, but surely not to the point of being ECV/ shielding? Especially as numerous others with current diabetes haven’t been told to shield. It’s driving me mad!!

@bumblenbean It doesn’t say we are CEV though, it says the easiest way to “deal with us” is to put us in the CEV category, and some of the risk will be overestimated.