Your Covid risk... Do you think you will die from Covid?

[Noreana]

Last week I started CBT for health anxiety.
I’ve lived with it for a long time but have always been able to manage without it having too much of an effect on my life.

Since Covid my health anxiety has been completely out of control.
I didn’t want to seek any help as I just assumed everyone felt the same way.

But last year people my age started to enjoy “freedoms” when lockdown ended and I just couldn’t do it.

I contacted talking therapies and have waited 18 weeks for CBT.

Last week on our first session we discussed what it is that I’m struggling with.

So I said Covid and my risk.
I have a high BMI, no other health conditions.
I’ve had 1 vaccine but had it slightly later than when it was offered to me so second not due for 6 weeks.

I told my therapist I feel very high risk from Covid and I truly believe if I get it, I’m going to die.

She told me I’m catastrophizing and over estimating the danger and my risk (which I found quite patronising)

She told me she is going to do a survey and ask people with my risks, how they feel about Covid and we will discuss next week.

So, I want to hear from people here how they feel and how they perceive their own risk and what their risk factors are.

I really can't see how this thread is helping you @Noreana.

Honestly, and I really do mean this kindly, step away from Mumsnet and do something that will distract you from these thoughts.

In fact, the seeking of reassurance is a "symptom" of the anxiety at work.

@Bordois

If you have health anxiety seeking assurances is just going to feed your anxieties.

Nothing anyone says on here will help, providing reassurance will just channel your anxiety and give it something to latch on to, thats how it works.

@Bordois

I’m not seeking reassurance. I’m trying to understand how other people feel.

I told my therapist I believe most people would feel like I do, especially if they have risk factors.
She told me they wouldn’t so she would do a survey to prove her point.

I’m not here for people to tell me I won’t die.
I’m just asking how other people perceive their risk.

Are you just saying that your therapist said that as the basis for this thread and finding out what you want to know?

But @Bordois is right. You are seeking reassurance by asking the question the way you have.

Please. Go and do something else. Something positive that you enjoy.

So she’s going to go around d asking heavily overweight people how they feel about covid?

Op, if you speak the truth, then find a new therapist

And your first step should be to seek support in losing weight
As this would surely help your health anxiety

I'm fat and I'm 28 I've worked with people with
covid on the wards in a private mental health hospital before availability of PPE was widespread , community care, agency I've worked everywhere. Before the pandemic became widespread I had a really long cough and pleuritic chest pain which I now think was covid I haven't had any symptoms since and I've been fine.

I’m not here for people to tell me I won’t die.
I’m just asking how other people perceive their risk.

But you are. You think that most people agree with you about the risks of covid and that they will die if they get it.

You are looking for validation of your fear of dying of covid which is being driven by your health anxiety.

I'm not CV, ECV and have no health issues. However, I've had pneumonia twice - struggling to breathe, chest pain, literally no energy to stand up for days is no joke, and I don't want to risk anything similar to that again. Took me a good six weeks to get over as well.

I'd put my trust in the NHS they could get me through it, but really not willing to risk it.

Most 32 year olds do not think they're going to die from covid. Your therapist is right.

Most people don't even know they've got covid, you'd more likely be one of those.

@Sometimesfraught82

So she’s going to go around d asking heavily overweight people how they feel about covid?

Op, if you speak the truth, then find a new therapist

@Sometimesfraught82

No. That’s not what I said.

She is going to do a survey asking people if they have risk factors for Covid (not specifically weight related) and how they perceive that risk.. ie do they believe they’re going to die.

I actually thought it was a good idea. Like it might help me to understand how others feel.
I just assumed most people would feel the same way as I did if they had a risk factor.

I am 38 and healthy. I have never been worried about dying from Covid, flu or any other respitory illness. My fear throughout this has been centred around my elderly parents geting ill and the impact of lockdown on my children. I got Covid around 6 months ago and I was mildly unwell for around a week. Both of my parents have now had it and were extremely poorly for a month although not hospitalised. They have both made a full recovery. My children... Seem pretty happy but time will tell.

similar age to you, I have asthma that I take a few different meds for, another respitory issue and a couple of other health problems that don't add to my risk.

Before I was vaccinated I don't think I wpuld have died but I could have been unwell. Now I've had both jabs so chances are I would be fine.

@Sometimesfraught82

Are you just saying that your therapist said that as the basis for this thread and finding out what you want to know?

@Sometimesfraught82

This is actually a really bizarre thing to say, is this something you would do? Or have experienced someone else doing?

Well if it helps...I'm 40. Fat. Unfit. I had it in January this year. I've had worse colds. Not remotely fussed about it, never have been.

Ok, I’m 40, no risk factors, no vaccine yet and have pretty much zero concerns about dying from COVID.

I did an online calculator thing and my chance of dying is like 0.02% or something. I almost certainly should be more worried about an RTA.

COVID is hard to contemplate because it’s new. But we live with small risks all the time and they don’t bother us because we’re used to them. If you looked into it properly I think you’d find your risk of dying from something else is much higher. That should be comforting (though I understand that’s counterintuitive).

I hope you feel better about it soon.

She won’t be bothered to do that OP! Trust me.

Re covid - don’t give a hoot about it.

My MIL was also a worry to me. She is 65 and morbidly obese, she also has several underlying health conditions and was told to shield from the start. She got Covid at xmas and was hospitalised and ended up in ICU. Its been a long road but she is now recovered.

My view is that your therapist never said she would do this.

You are saying she is so that you can scope out views on this topic due to your health anxiety.

Your risk is slightly lower than mine, my BMI is a bit lower but you are a few years younger. You are catastrophising. I am not concerned I will die or be seriously ill from Covid. I may be one of those rare cases, but I also might get an unusual aggressive cancer, be hit by a car, be murdered by a stranger or die in childbirth. You know all of this though so no amount of people telling you how they feel will make you feel differently. It’s your anxiety manifesting itself as fear of dying from Covid even though that’s vanishingly unlikely to happen, and you know this.

@Noreana my SIL is same age as you and similar BMI. She had covid over Christmas, felt rough for a few days but was then ok and no lasting issues. Not sure if that reassures you or not?! Try not to worry, honestly, your risk of death from covid is so, so low.

My 81 year old, disabled, frail DM recovered from Covid. I don't THINK I've had it (teacher, so catch all kinds of bugs in the winter). I have never had any personal fear of Covid and absolutely don't expect to die from it. I'm 51.

@Sometimesfraught82

My view is that your therapist never said she would do this.

You are saying she is so that you can scope out views on this topic due to your health anxiety.

@Sometimesfraught82

Jesus. Either you’re paying devils advocate here or you’re just used to people doing such bizarre things 🤷🏻‍♀️

So next week when she has the results of the survey and we go over them, i will post them here.
I assume they will be on a document of some sort so I can upload. Just for you 😘

I'm in my 40's and I have a lot of physical and mental health problems. Like many viruses I am very vulnerable. At the start of last year I was overweight.

Around February/March 2019 I got the virus.
I'm not going to lie it was a fucking head fuck of a virus.

Yes I still have Long CV, however, my recovery from other viruses also takes a long bloody time. Last time I had flu I was floored for almost a year.