If you had to shield but are fully jabbed, how careful are you being?

[Beebityboo]

As someone who shielded for most of last year, I'm finding it really hard to adjust to the new policy which seems to basically be "covid is over, you're on your own" I suffer terribly with anxiety and am very risk averse, so although I am double jabbed I have no idea how cautious I should be now case numbers are going up so much, and after the Euros they will probably be astronomical. Any other shielding people going through similar, how cautious will you be now?

Sorry, battling with helpful autocorrect here.

Yes, just before the rules changed.

Yeah, I can see how you would be more concerned because of that.

Mickaroni, no I wasn't asked to shield. And I'm not sure if I'm immune suppressed or immune compromised. But considering that diabetes type 1 is an auto immune disease and we are apparently one of the most vulnerable of all the medical conditions, (says whitty himself!) the treatment of the diabetes mellitus group has been poor!

@Oblomov21

Mickaroni, no I wasn't asked to shield. And I'm not sure if I'm immune suppressed or immune compromised. But considering that diabetes type 1 is an auto immune disease and we are apparently one of the most vulnerable of all the medical conditions, (says whitty himself!) the treatment of the diabetes mellitus group has been poor!

It’s not the same risk though. I’d feel a lot more comfortable if I wasn’t in the shielding group and had a normal immune system that didn’t require regular infusions. I get a bit frustrated that people try to compare and then suggest it’s anxiety. Of course it’s anxiety provoking to be told restrictions are easing snd that the vaccine may not be as protective for someone like me as I’d hoped. That said, I intend to continue doing as much as I can but I’ll keep the mask and try to distance, where I can. :)

Eh?
I don't have normal immune either! I don't understand what you are inferring.

Op hasn't said what condition she has. She shielded, but is CV, not CEV.

And, I commented on the anxiety because she said other people had mentioned it. And because she said she was 'now scared and cancelling plans' which is not good.

@Oblomov21

Eh? I don't have normal immune either! I don't understand what you are inferring.

Op hasn't said what condition she has. She shielded, but is CV, not CEV.

And, I commented on the anxiety because she said other people had mentioned it. And because she said she was 'now scared and cancelling plans' which is not good.

@Oblomov21

My understanding from the studies is that the majority of clinically extremely vulnerable people will respond to the vaccine and hopefully be well protected. However, those with known immune deficiencies (primary or secondary immunodeficiencies and antibody deficiencies) or those on treatments known to suppress the immune system (which you’d know if you had this) are a small section of the population who are less likely to formulate a response to the vaccine. So, actually some people are higher risk and it’s not helpful for those not in that category to assume everyone is the same. Some immune conditions weren’t covered under shielding but it has since been discovered that those people may formulate a poor vaccine response, if at all.
I’m trying to say that this is newer information and I think anxiety is understandable in this situation. This may be a situation where anxiety is a normal response to something worrying. Not everything needs to be pathologised.

Yes, the 'helpful' suggestions around anxiety are -sometimes - a veiled way to undermine concerns. The OP has every reason to feel concerned - all CEV do.

As I pointed out further upthread, the OP was specifically asking CEV people. The ones who got the letters last year telling us to pack a hospital bag, stay two metres away from our garden fences, stay away from the people we live with (including children - but send them to school), & get someone to take your bins out.

If you weren't one of those people, the question was not being asked of you.

It's like childless people who plop on childcare threads to give their 'opinions'.

Hope you're feeling better, OP.

Well said Miles, I remember being invited to a desperately needed NHS physio appt and then when arriving being told with horror that because I was shielding I shouldn't be there. We were getting constant messages by text reminding us of all the things we must and mustnt do. Now I feel like people are trying to gaslight us, telling us we have anxiety and its all in our heads.

@OhYouBadBadKitten and @MilesJuppIsMyBitch absolutely.

When you're getting regular phone calls from your hospital consultant telling you things are really serious, to continue shielding, to remove your child from school and to be extra careful, then people giving their "opinion" that you're overreacting really isn't welcome.

Much as I'd love to go to all the places and things we loved before covid, and put my faith in vaccines, I trust our medical team rather that a faceless person on the Internet.

One of the articles boon posted is interesting and I've seen the guidance for my medication that is aligned with that. All the research seems to be on the mRNA vaccines though. A lot of the CEV under 70s will have had the AZ. I did. So I've no idea how vulnerable I am. Very is probably the answer but nobody knows.

I have an autoimmune disease. When it flares it resembles a cytokine storm. Long-covid sufferers have the symptoms that I suffer almost on a daily basis. I didn't shield in the first Lock down because GP said it wasn't necessary. In November my Consultant was 'slightly annoyed' that GP had said this and informed me that I should have shielded from the beginning. I am now fully vaccinated. I work as a Nurse in the NHS so have been at risk every shift I worked. I have read the American journal research article and am horrified to discover that two drugs I am on, Mycophenolate and steroid, have been shown to reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine. My little boy, aged 9, has been diagnosed with Covid plus abdominal involvement as of yesterday. I am now thinking I am going to live in an igloo in the North Pole miles away from people!! The latest variant Lambda scares me rigid!!! I have been informed that as shielding paused March 31st I have no choice but to continue working as there is no longer any wfh posts within the local NHS area. If I make the decision to shield I will be on half-pay and then no pay!!! If I go to work I could be exposing myself to a potentially fatal virus!! What am I supposed to do?

Exactly @MilesJuppIsMyBitch. I dislike the head tilt-y suggestion of “sounds like anxiety”. Firstly, having a degree anxiety isn’t necessarily a mental illness. Feeling anxious is a normal and healthy human response to challenging life circumstances. Secondly, it’s possible to be at real ongoing risk of covid and have clinical anxiety.

Oh god @Whenigrowupiwanttobea. Nightmare situation. I don’t know what you can do. Can someone else care for your son while he recovers? Your employer has a duty to keep you safe at work. Can your union help?

P.S. I hope your son gets better soon.

Egghead68 Thank you for your response.
I am just going with the flow at the moment. My little lad is the most important thing right now! Something will sort itself out, I hope!

Fingers crossed.

@Whenigrowupiwanttobea

I have an autoimmune disease. When it flares it resembles a cytokine storm. Long-covid sufferers have the symptoms that I suffer almost on a daily basis. I didn't shield in the first Lock down because GP said it wasn't necessary. In November my Consultant was 'slightly annoyed' that GP had said this and informed me that I should have shielded from the beginning. I am now fully vaccinated. I work as a Nurse in the NHS so have been at risk every shift I worked. I have read the American journal research article and am horrified to discover that two drugs I am on, Mycophenolate and steroid, have been shown to reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine. My little boy, aged 9, has been diagnosed with Covid plus abdominal involvement as of yesterday. I am now thinking I am going to live in an igloo in the North Pole miles away from people!! The latest variant Lambda scares me rigid!!! I have been informed that as shielding paused March 31st I have no choice but to continue working as there is no longer any wfh posts within the local NHS area. If I make the decision to shield I will be on half-pay and then no pay!!! If I go to work I could be exposing myself to a potentially fatal virus!! What am I supposed to do?

Im so sorry you're in this situation. How is your little boy doing now? Is he any better. I hope you are all ok. 💕