first social gathering - help me stay rational

[covidblues]

Hi everyone. I had my first proper social visit today since all this started. I have a chronic illness so I have been extremely careful throughout as I don't want to react badly to Covid, or get Long Covid which would compound my existing symptoms. I've been going to the shops sparingly and just going for walks (I am lucky enough WFH and so does my partner). Fully masked and distancing throughout. Haven't seen any friends as they were also cautious.

We had our second vax a few weeks ago so we arranged a visit from a pair of relatives who are also double vaxxed except for their young DC. They arrived today and stayed for a couple of hours over lunch. We had most of the windows open, but no masks and distancing was difficult as we have a small house with small rooms. Additionally their DC who I love very much, was very happy to see us and wanted to be very close to me in particular, hugging me lots and holding my hand. It was amazing to see DC as they have grown so much in the past year or so and I enjoyed the day. But now my anxiety is setting in.

I feel silly for not being super cautious indoors and getting carried away with the normality of the situation. I'm worried that we've been careful so long and we could have messed it up quite easily. We are also TTC and currently in TWW, so catching Covid would be worse news in that respect. I feel like I've been stupid for that reason mostly.

I wanted to relax and not be uptight in front of the others, especially DC but I'm concerned. FWIW relatives are careful too within reason but have also had childcare for DC during holidays and doing day trips/activities.

I know no one can tell me it will/won't happen, but I've read so much lately about vaccine escape with the Delta variant and lots of people double vaxxed catching it with even fleeting contact. Just looking for reassurance I suppose, or wondering if others have felt the same.

Try not to worry, there is nothing you can do to prevent it if any of you were infectious today. I can't imagine being as careful as you've been for so long, so I hope this is the start of you getting back to normality.

It’s a big worry isn’t it, I know how you feel because it’s a difficult position to be in. I wear a mask whenever I’m in someone else’s home just as if it was a shop and always insist on having windows open, it’s safe to say I don’t visit many people that often!

With your medical situation I probably would have preferred an outdoors gathering personally but no doubt you realise that now in hindsight. Use this as a lesson to learn from, it’s not easy being cautious in ‘Covid World’ and it takes a lot of practice to understand what works best for you and what you feel comfortable doing.

Risk vs reward, did you have a good day?

Yes would technically have preferred outdoors but we have no garden to speak of (a small patio but nowhere to sit, we are getting it done up) and it was cold and would have been miserable standing in the park for a couple of hours (relatives were also visiting on the way to someone else so they were halfway through a long drive, two hours here from their home then at least three hours after). We don't drive (driving lessons scuppered by Covid) otherwise we would visit them and hang out in their big garden.

I did have a good day, we took some pics etc. I think it's also that I thought DC would have sort of forgotten me and not be very interested but instead was all over me (not in my face, but just pawing at me. I changed clothes/had a quick shower afterwards which was probably pointless but I was also dusty after playing on the floor with DC). DC is old enough to understand Covid so wasn't kissing/hugging near face however.

Honestly none of that would have bothered me, but we have been out and about the whole way through and not had covid.

This is a few things that we've had to do since March 2020 which I hope will reassure you that today wasn't a bad idea.

• going into in hospital every 2 weeks, pregnant with gestational diabetes, In busy waiting rooms. No tests to get in as LFT weren't a thing over last summer.
• midwife appointments in-between the consultant appointments in a drs surgery
• had a c section and a stay on a ward
• a split and infected c section wound that the nurse at the gp had to re dress every 3/4 days in the surgery
• partner was out at work every day on either building sites or occupied houses
• toddler in nursery throughout licking goodness knows what
• baby now has a love of chewing supermarket trolleys

We haven't had covid. We live in kirklees which has had high numbers and was more or less under restrictions under a lot of last year.