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

[girlbaby85]

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)

@Draggondragon

Oh I am for real. I defend my right to not live in the UK and assume its the most civilised place in the work. My PA is from Sri Lanka and said all his male relatives do illegal in the UK because the cash is good. Ibecause you know what? Outside of your sweetlittle life, people have different cultures to survive. From floating boats to choosing illegal hotel work to picking your middle class coffee

I'm disabled, I live in a council flat, I volunteer with refugee charities and food banks (well, I did before covid), I've been homeless, I have health conditions which will shorten my life and affect its quality daily. Middle class? Okay.

My life isn't all that sweet, actually. In fact it can be a bit of a struggle. But you know what? I'm not so bitter that I need to cough on people in a pandemic, call people who may be disabled 'useless sad twats' and insult people on the internet in order to create a mirage of self worth and superiority.

Genuinely, I hope you get help for your obvious issues

I know how you feel, OP. I'm asthmatic and always try to wear a mask despite feeling faint and almost inhaling the fabric because I'm breathing so hard. When I need a moment, I just find a quieter spot and lower the mask for a bit. I think that's fine and I don't feel the need to have a lanyard to justify it. I'm entitled to breath! We should all try our best but we can't make ourselves ill during the process.

@containsnuts

I know how you feel, OP. I'm asthmatic and always try to wear a mask despite feeling faint and almost inhaling the fabric because I'm breathing so hard. When I need a moment, I just find a quieter spot and lower the mask for a bit. I think that's fine and I don't feel the need to have a lanyard to justify it. I'm entitled to breath! We should all try our best but we can't make ourselves ill during the process.

You sound lovely and like you are absolutely doing the right thing.

However just as a heads up, it doesn’t sound like your breathlessness is asthma-related.

If you were having an asthma flair up, or attack or were just wheezy, you wouldn’t be able to move the fabric on your mask with your breath.

If you think about the fact that a peak flow metre is used to check asthma symptoms. It is measuring the amount of breath a person can get into and out of their lungs. You breath as hard as you can to move the little dial up the scale. The further you can move it with your breath, the better controlled your asthma is.

When I think about the times my asthma has been really bad, I’ve barely been able to move the little dial. I certainly wouldn’t be able to move a mask that was sat over my nose and mouth.

I mention it because you might want to go back to the gp to investigate your breathlessness. My own father thought he had asthma but it turned out to be heart failure.

Reading back in 2024, this is a very sad thread, what people put themselves through 😔.