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 think you’re going to find the results surprising if you think the majority of people agree. This is such a good idea from your therapist. She sounds lovely.

I am a couple of decades older than you, 4/5 stone overweight, disabled and chronically ill. Had a succession of major surgeries. In January / February / beginning March last year, I thought I’d definitely die and was very scared. Now? No. And I felt the same before I had the jab. I actually think I had covid in March last year. GP and 111 told me to presume it was. It did take me a couple of months to feel okayish again.

I am overweight in my 40s and have asthma. I think I had covid before we knew what it was. I have never felt so ill and had to have nebulisers in a and e but I recovered and after a few months my lungs were fine. I have now had both jabs and am confident that I would be fine if I had it again

[quote bigsnugglebunny]@Noreana I’m 42, massively obese - BMI of 56. I have mobility issues, which haven’t helped. Apart from that I have no underlying anything else.

I have health anxiety, and spent last year absolutely convinced I was on a death sentence and COVID would kill me. I cried, had panic attacks and ate myself about 5 stone more than I already was. It was a nightmare.

I say was, because I sought help (both with anxiety meds, and talking therapy) in December, and although I am still a little anxious - it’s so much easier now. I’ve been fully jabbed, and hopefully that will offer you some reassurance. Even one jab has given you more protection.

What helped me as well was signing up to a health coach, who have given me diet goals, achievable ones and it’s making me feel like I’m taking a bit of control over the spiral of self destructive catastrophising that I was on. Slow and steady, and taking control is what works for me.[/quote]
@bigsnugglebunny

Thank you

I say this with kindness... You can't reason your anxiety away. Nothing we say will convince you because as your previous post proves you don't believe the evidence that contradicts your anxiety.
You are catastrophising. Your therapist is right. What you need to do is stop trying to prove your fears are reasonable.
Everyone has been worried and stressed but other people don't have your level of fear. You are unable to judge due to your condition. You won't believe me but it's true.
Engage with the CBT OP, and I hope you feel better soon.

My dsis (type 2 diabetes, 50) had it without symptoms and dbil (BAME) had it mildly. I am overweight, no other risk factors and I don't think I would be very ill with it, although I realise that is a possibility.
Surveys are an effective method of cognitive change in CBT. Although the question needs to be right and you may get a range of different information here. But that's ok because its how you evaluate it with your therapist that matters.

People doubting the OP have clearly never had this kind of treatment or suffered from this kind of problem. It really can be useful to find out how other people perceive and react to certain risks.

Imagine two people with identical risk factors and lifestyle. One might be conscious of covid and keen to avoid it but aware that they'll probably recover fine even if they get it. Another could be walking around with a constant, sick, solid certainty in their gut that covid will kill them. This thought utterly dominates their daily life. Same risk factors, same lifestyle, just brains focusing on things differently.

When you've got that rock solid certainty of doom that comes from catastrophising about something, it can be useful to hear that other people in identical circumstances to you don't have that feeling, even if they do have the same basic intellectual awareness of the risk. This is subtly but importantly different to getting reassurance about the size of the risk itself.

Asthmatic and 57, I think I have more chance of getting struck by a bus than I do of dying with, or from, covid.

I think you’re going to find the results surprising if you think the majority of people agree. This is such a good idea from your therapist. She sounds lovely.

@Mummyoflittledragon

My husband has said exactly the same thing!

The only people I know who have really struggled /got very ill with covid/died are obese diabetic south Asian people.

I’m all those except diabetic! So I’m hoping I will be ok?! I’m double AZ vaccinated now

Oh also a slim family member pre diabetic also got ill her mother in her 80s not diabetic got cold symptoms and was fine after a couple of days . I do think diabetes is a high risk

I'm pretty sure I had covid in February 2020. If I didn't, I still don't believe I would be badly impacted by it and have chosen to remain vaccine free.

I’m 31. Non-pregnant BMI was 25.4. No known underlying conditions that would affect my immune system, except maybe anaemia that won’t go away (that’s probably a whole thread in itself). Wasn’t remotely worried about catching COVID, but was worried about passing it to relatives.

Now 12-13 weeks pregnant, BMI 27 at booking appointment the other day, and convinced I’d be very sick if I caught it now.

I got a letter telling me to shield a year into the pandemic. I'm diabetic so became high risk after research. I had Covid in 2020 and although I felt terrible, I struggled more with swine flu.

I'm late 40s, slightly overweight, few niggly health conditions but nothing major. I'm still being relatively cautious as I'd like not to catch it if possible (will be double jabbed tomorrow), but not to the extent that it's impacting my life negatively.

I won't go to places where there are likely to be large numbers of people in a small space, and I'm not hugging anyone other than DH, I'm washing hands regularly, wearing a mask, trying to keep my distance in the shops etc. But other than that I'm just getting on with it.

I know there is a chance I could be seriously ill/die if I get it, but I also know that chance is very small and I'd have to be very unlucky, and that if I continue to just be sensible, I can further reduce my chances of getting it, and therefore of being seriously ill. In the same way I am sensible about crossing the road, or not eating chicken that looks undercooked, or keeping my distance from anyone I know that has a D&V bug or similar.

I'm being more cautious than a lot of people I know, but I'm not worried or anxious about it like I was when the pandemic first started and everything was so unknown and chaotic.

To those questioning the therapist, using surveys etc is a very significant part of certain CBT treatment pathways.

This obviously isn't about your statistically miniscule risk of dying from covid (you can look it up). It's to show you that your perception of that risk is out of kilter compared to the vast majority of people (ie. those who do not have health anxiety).

Ignore @Sometimesfraught82 OP.

Third thread I've come across where they are clearly just trying to antagonise the OP.

Very odd behaviour, sad really.

It's well known that surveys like this are used in CBT. Only takes a quick google actually. Good luck tackling your issues.

I'm 65 and have a chronic health condition - Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and autoimmune condition that causes an underactive thyroid. I also have various intolerances and allergies that make my life ... interesting!

Had you asked me this question one year ago, I would have said I will die if I ever get Covid. I was petrified, convinced there was no way I'd survive. However an antibody test in February this year showed I had antibodies to the spike protein, as did my DP. We thought back and recalled a mild illness he'd had in July 2020, which PCR tested negative. I was never ill. So I actually had Covid asymptomatically. I could not be more surprised and relieved! I re-tested for antibodies a week ago and still have them.

I realised that sometimes we magnify a fear to a completely unrealistic level, and our general health may not even be significant.

I am 64, did weigh 13 stone and yes, I thought i might die if I caught it during the first lockdown. I regarded this simply as a fact, I didn't really worry about it. I obviously didn't want to be seriously ill or worse so I lost weight ( now under 10 stone, with 1 stone left to go) I also started running and going to exercise classes when they became available. I've had two doses of the vaccine and now I barely give Covid A thought.

I m not worrying, for some reason.But I had both jabs.

My BMI is over 38, and in I was shielding in this March.

You know there is a Covid risk calculator...?

You know you can work out your actual risk

www.qcovid.org/Calculation

I have way more risk than you, OP. I’m in my 50s and in the CEV group. I was vaccinated in group 4 and have had shielding letters and letters telling me everyone in my house is eligible to be vaccinated to protect me.

I don’t think I’m going to die of Covid, no.

I had it last March and was very ill and am still suffering with long Covid and for that reason im not keen to get it again, but I don’t spend any great proportion of my life worrying about it. I think I’d cause far more harm to myself if I stopped enjoying life, stopped being active, spent my life in fear.

I’m glad you’re tackling this. It’s a start to recognise you have the fear out of proportion to the risk.

Working out the rosy didn’t make any difference to me.

I got all the letters for being extremely clinically vunerable and I really doubt I'll die from covid. I'll more than likely have a stroke or cancer based on family history