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Original poster

Is anyone exempt from wearing a mask but feels that they should try their best to wear one?

131 replies

girlbaby85 · 16/12/2021 19:20

I'm asthmatic and take two different coloured asthma pumps making me exempt from wearing a mask. When the mask wearing rule came into effect, I tried so hard to wear a mask even though I could barely breathe. I tried the fabric ones and the medical ones and neither worked for me. I then got pregnant and eventually gave up because I was constantly out of breath😂

When I had my baby I was very cautious of my surroundings so tried to wear my mask again as I didn't want to get ill. Some days were easier than others but I eventually gave up yet again. Fast forward to now and I'm pregnant again and with the new variant I've tried so hard to keep wearing a mask but it's literally hell!

DP says he doesn't know why I keep putting myself in this position of doing this when I know it makes it harder to breathe but I wondered if there's anyone else about that shares my pain? I think the reason why I keep trying to wear the mask is because I want to feel as if I'm doing my bit by keeping myself safe and other people. I find it so annoying that I can't wear one even though there's nothing I can do about it!

(I know there's bigger things to worry about so this is kind of lighthearted)

OP posts:
moregarlic · 16/12/2021 19:23

OP don’t wear one and don’t feel even remotely bad about it. Wear one of those exemption signs if it makes you feel better (though you’re under no obligation to do so).

PAFMO · 16/12/2021 19:50

You have a condition which makes it impossible for you to wear a mask, so toy shouldn't feel in the least bit like you should try.
It's the people who fake being exempt who should feel bad, not you. Flowers

TheVampiresWife · 16/12/2021 19:58

I spent an absolute fortune attempting to find a solution for my inability to wear a face covering (including £40 on a contraption that looked like a goldfish bowl). After TN attack after TN attack I realised there was no solution, despite the guilt I felt (and the regular abuse I got).

Exemptions are there for people like you, OP. Please don't beat yourself up about it Flowers

And if anyone wants to buy a slightly used head goldfish bowl, PM me Grin

Bubblty · 16/12/2021 20:00

You're not going to help anyone if you pass out because you can't breathe

Plantsandpuddlesuits · 16/12/2021 20:03

Me. I'm deaf and hearing aids plus mask straps make for bleeding ears. I tried going without my hearing aids and with a mask on but it's just so hard to hear. So now I don't wear a mask so I can wear my hearing aids.

But I always feel a bit judged in public, I keep my distance as much as I can though. Feel stuck between a rock and a hard place either I have bleeding ears or get looked at for not wearing a mask, can't win really!

kowari · 16/12/2021 20:14

@Bubblty

You're not going to help anyone if you pass out because you can't breathe
Exactly. Wearing a mask makes my elderly grandmother feel dizzy, which would put her at risk of falling. I told her she can say she is exempt, no one should be questioning her on why, and that she has no reason at all to feel guilty about not wearing one!
Original poster
girlbaby85 · 16/12/2021 21:51

@Plantsandpuddlesuits

Me. I'm deaf and hearing aids plus mask straps make for bleeding ears. I tried going without my hearing aids and with a mask on but it's just so hard to hear. So now I don't wear a mask so I can wear my hearing aids.

But I always feel a bit judged in public, I keep my distance as much as I can though. Feel stuck between a rock and a hard place either I have bleeding ears or get looked at for not wearing a mask, can't win really!

Oh wow! I can't believe you'd try not wearing your hearing aids to wear a mask yet there's some people who don't wear masks just because they can't be bothered! You definitely have to put yourself and your hearing first
OP posts:
Srirachachacha · 16/12/2021 22:26

What kind of mask are you wearing that your ears bleed? Buy one of the Button straps that go at the back of your head for the mask to loop onto. Wearing hearing aids isn't a valid exemption reason in the slightest....

Srirachachacha · 16/12/2021 22:29

And yes, I'm exempt (asthma, breathing issues) and wear one despite discomfort because even though the protection is limited, it's still worth wearing one for both my and other people's sake.

I also wear hearing aids and glasses, I just get on with it.

Pixiedust1234 · 16/12/2021 22:55

I am exempt due to lung issues but I have always worn a mask as there are too many people who don't, nor do they give you any space and I am damned if I am catching this virus. The mask does make me more breathless but you just have to walk slower and pull over to the side of the pavement to have a breather. Everywhere takes me twice as long to walk to but apparently my masks are thicker than normal as my kids can't breathe normally in them either (we have our own set of masks) Hmm

Xmasprrssiehelp · 16/12/2021 23:01

Why not try a shield? I would feel very vulnerable in public pregnant and asthmatic on the middle of a pandemic that effects breathing.

I don’t judge people who don’t wear masks, but if I saw you without obviously pregnant I would be worried about your well-being, I have a cute asthma in my family and have seen lots of my relatives hospitalised.

XmasSadface · 16/12/2021 23:03

Agree with @Xmasprrssiehelp just wear a shield or use the disposable masks; they can be washed and are much lighter

TheVampiresWife · 16/12/2021 23:11

Face shields are open on all sides. They're so useless you can't wear them without a mask underneath in Scotland, and many hospitals (including mine) won't let you wear them. They're only good for protecting the wearer against spatter and large droplets, nothing else.

DrMadelineMaxwell · 16/12/2021 23:16

I'm asthmatic and have 2 asthma pumps and tablets to control it.
And I have TN with causes horrible face pain.

But on days my asthma is controlled by my inhalers and my face pain is dulled by the tablets I take I wear my mask. There have been a few days my asthma has made it uncomfortable to wear it and a few that it has hurt my face. The rest of the time I wear it.

Original poster
girlbaby85 · 16/12/2021 23:31

As @TheVampiresWife there's little to no point in wearing a shield if you don't have a mask on underneath, it doesn't really make any sense. If I wore the shield I'd just be appearing as if I'm doing something instead of believing it's actually effective if that makes any sense.

Tbh I've completely given up with masks in this pregnancy as my asthma has been worse this time round. I just wondered if there were others in a similar position where they're exempt but still try to wear a mask for whatever reason!

OP posts:
santasmuma · 16/12/2021 23:34

I think if you can wear a mask, irrespective of your condition, then you are not exempt at all. Exemption applies to those who cannot wear a mask, not those who are diagnosed with x/y/z conditions. I could claim exemption based on being autistic, or my respiratory condition, but I can wear a mask so I do. Many many people can also wear a mask, they are just hiding behind their diagnosis.

santasmuma · 16/12/2021 23:35

@Plantsandpuddlesuits

Me. I'm deaf and hearing aids plus mask straps make for bleeding ears. I tried going without my hearing aids and with a mask on but it's just so hard to hear. So now I don't wear a mask so I can wear my hearing aids.

But I always feel a bit judged in public, I keep my distance as much as I can though. Feel stuck between a rock and a hard place either I have bleeding ears or get looked at for not wearing a mask, can't win really!

You can get things to fasten the straps on the back of your head. Even sew a couple of buttons on a piece of fabric.

Malteser71 · 16/12/2021 23:39

Me. I have a balance problem. I’m exempt but I try.

I tried in John Lewis today but I fell over into a coffee machine and knocked the bean thing off the top.

XmasSadface · 16/12/2021 23:39

@girlbaby85
I'd just be appearing as if I'm doing something

That's still a good thing to do from a social perspective

Malteser71 · 16/12/2021 23:39

(I should add, it’s my third fall this year wearing a mask)

Original poster
girlbaby85 · 16/12/2021 23:51

@santasmuma

I think if you can wear a mask, irrespective of your condition, then you are not exempt at all. Exemption applies to those who cannot wear a mask, not those who are diagnosed with x/y/z conditions. I could claim exemption based on being autistic, or my respiratory condition, but I can wear a mask so I do. Many many people can also wear a mask, they are just hiding behind their diagnosis.
Well it's a good thing you didn't write the exemption list then isn't it! The exemptions aren't just based on whether someone can physically wear a mask but it's also based on how wearing a mask may affect them if they already have certain conditions.

There's actually an exemption on Gov which says, 'people for whom putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause severe distress' so even if you had extreme anxiety regarding wearing a mask for whatever reason, that's reason enough not to wear one.

For me it makes it 100x harder to breathe so I'm not 'hiding behind my diagnosis.' I'm also no longer going to force myself to wear one but thanks for your input

OP posts:
DaisyWaldron · 16/12/2021 23:56

I don't consider myself exempt, but I have facial eczema and skin allergies, and wearing a mask for more than a short time leaves me with cracked bleeding skin, and allergens get into the cracked skin so I then get hives and frantic itching and more cracked bleeding skin in a vicious cycle, and need to take antihistamines every day in order to wear a mask.

I wear a mask for 8 hours a day at work in a shop.

So I do get annoyed when people claim to be "exempt" who suffer less from wearing a mask than I do. But plenty of people do have medical conditions which mean wearing a mask is impossible for them, and I don't think they should be pressured into wearing a mask.

Blue4YOU · 17/12/2021 00:03

I’m at a loss - masks are supposed to stop you from transmission of an illness (in this case COVID-19).
That’s why surgeons (and other theatre staff) wear masks before COVID-19… to protect the person they are operating on.
If you don’t have Covid-19 (and yes you can check all the time if you are that concerned about spreading it) what is the shock of not being able to wear a mask?
I do wear a mask but it’s fairly useless in protecting the person wearing it…

DaisyNGO · 17/12/2021 00:07

@DaisyWaldron

I don't consider myself exempt, but I have facial eczema and skin allergies, and wearing a mask for more than a short time leaves me with cracked bleeding skin, and allergens get into the cracked skin so I then get hives and frantic itching and more cracked bleeding skin in a vicious cycle, and need to take antihistamines every day in order to wear a mask.

I wear a mask for 8 hours a day at work in a shop.

So I do get annoyed when people claim to be "exempt" who suffer less from wearing a mask than I do. But plenty of people do have medical conditions which mean wearing a mask is impossible for them, and I don't think they should be pressured into wearing a mask.

Your employer should exempt you, surely?

I'm a bit concerned about mum, she is 84 and wears her mask but says it makes her dizzy, which doesn't strike me as right.

Malteser71 · 17/12/2021 00:16

DH is a hospital doctor.

It’s well known that research shows clinical masks effective for about 5 minutes