Question to anyone CEV

[Senso21]

I’m CEV/CV - take immunesuppressors, quite a low dose, for autoimmune condition

Now it’s all kicking off again in a big way, I struggle to know just how careful I should be acting right now. I don’t know any other CEV people who I can personally speak to! My friends and family are pretty much business as usual right now. So my questions are:

If you’re CEV, why?
How careful are you being at the moment?
And if you’ve had/got covid, how bad was/is it for you?

@PastMyBestBeforeDate thanks! I didn’t know you could do that.

@Bagelsandbrie

I’m CEV, I have Addison’s, lupus, sjorgens, hypothyroidism, etc etc etc. Take 22 different meds a day including steroids and immune suppressants. Been triple jabbed - well double and a booster, I didn’t realise I was supposed to get a 3rd full jab, I was one of the first to be given the vaccines and so they gave me my booster before they suddenly decided about the 3rd jab!

I’m just carrying on as normal to be honest. I didn’t shield the first time round - my son has complex needs and can’t stay at home, my dh works in health care and I have a dd at university. It just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever for me to shut myself away while my whole family is just out there mixing away. I just have to hope that if I do catch it I’ll be okay…..! To be honest any of my health conditions could kill me anyway so covid is just another thing to add to the list and forget about.

This post has concerned me a little. @Bagelsandbrie I have 2/4 of these conditions and no one has ever told me I may be vulnerable. I’m assuming it’s because I don’t have all 4 but the fact that I always have to beg my GP for routine blood tests (and don’t seem to know what they’re doing) makes me slightly anxious …

I’ve been quite relaxed, travelled abroad several times this year, eat out, go to work. I went out yesterday and have a table booked out tomorrow but the availwhere we are going is quite large so I’m expecting it to be fairly quiet.

After tomorrow I’m planning to stay at home really other than walks, see how things are after Christmas.

@antisocialsocialclub it completely depends what medications you take. Taking steroids under 40mg hydrocortisone or 10mg prednisone doesn’t make you clinically extremely vulnerable. With me it’s the combination of things I have and the medications I take that put me in that group.

I'm a CEV secondary teacher (I have lupus and take immunosuppressives).

I feel I take a huge risk every day by being in a tiny, badly ventilated classroom with 5 x classes of 30 kids!

I've read people saying on here how we don't have to wait for the government to tell us to shield, that it is a personal decision, but what do we do....? I can't afford to give up my career, and quite frankly, I don't want to, as I love my job, I've worked hard to get where I am, and I'm good at it!

I feel like I am pretty much in denial about the risk ☹️

Given the behaviour dd reports from her secondary, Florianna it's a miracle you haven't caught it. Students in with positive LFTs, deliberately coughing at one another etc etc.

@Florianna I'm finding denial is the only way to cope!

They haven't removed me from the shielding list but I was one of the people the added at the beginning of the year. I found this link, I hope it brings some comfort to someone.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/treatments-for-coronavirus/

If you’re CEV, why?
How careful are you being at the moment?
And if you’ve had/got covid, how bad was/is it for you

Severe asthma.
Caught probable Covid just before the first lockdown. Had long Covid for 7.5 months. Not admitted to hospital but Gp sent me to A&E three times.
I am shielding myself but am lucky to be able to work from home currently (will change soon).
Debating whether to take a long taxi journey to see shielding family for Christmas or whether the risk of catching omicron from the cab driver is too high.

CEV due to an autoimmune disease (colitis) and being on immunosuppressant meds.

I'm just wearing masks when I'm in shops etc. I'm on mat leave currently so not commuting. Also in a bad flare up of said disease so not really able to leave the house or socialise much at the moment anyway.

I haven't caught COVID yet.

Cev stage 4 breast cancer, ongoing chemotherapy. Shielded throughout and was wfh. Went back to office September. Was meant to have 3 jabs & booster but only had 2 and booster as found out too late. Said to class my booster as 3rd jab and they’ll contact me for another one. Covid test weekly for chemo. Caught covid sept from son at school. Lost taste and smell and was bedridden for 2 days. Found out this week I have covid again and so far am ok with no symptoms.

@Senso21

Oh that’s great to know *@PinkTonic* - are you on immunesuppressors? I was boosted early November

I’m on adalimumab. I got my first jabs in January and March then my third dose in September and a booster today. When I got called in September they called it a booster but today the text said you are eligible for a booster following your third primary dose. I tested in about June to see what my antibody level was and was very disappointed, but a couple of weeks after the third dose it went right up. I’m very happy to have been offered a fourth dose. Although paradoxically there is a fair bit of evidence that these drugs protect against the worst of Covid anyway🤞

[quote Bananarice]They haven't removed me from the shielding list but I was one of the people the added at the beginning of the year. I found this link, I hope it brings some comfort to someone.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/treatments-for-coronavirus/[/quote]
I thought there wasn't a shielding list any more

I’m CEV with ulcerative colitis for which I’ve been taking immunosuppressants for nearly 30 years. Husband works for NHS and we got Covid right at the start in March 2020. Exactly as I was getting all the messages about how it would finish me off / put me in hospital / how dangerous it would be. I was absolutely terrified. I didn’t end up having to go to hospital but was really ill at home and it took me about a year to shake off some of the long Covid symptoms.
I’m self employed and was on mat leave when this all started - now have a toddler as well as two DCs at primary school.
Was told really early on that it was best for me to weigh up risks as I can’t control some aspects of what’s going on: eh husband has to see patients, kids are at school, DD has started nursery a couple of days a week as effectively shielding with me was pretty grim.
I feel like I live a bit of a half life now to be honest. Masks and other precautions of course, and when things are going well in society generally / cases are low, have been trying to get out and about. Vaccines have been great etc.
My DH even caught Covid a second time (v mild) in Jan and the rest of us didn’t get it.
It’s not that I’m afraid of getting jt again really. I’m just a bit weary of it all. I never thought of myself as a vulnerable person before all this. And I know I’m not actually vulnerable in myself… but I’m sort of exhausted by everything. And When cases go mad, as they have now, it’s a bit overwhelming. I’d go so far as to say it’s not even the fear of catching it again, it’s the constant state of high alert, the fact that Toddlers are always getting bugs (especially lockdown ones) so we have all been sick on rotation since about August and the constant PCR, lateral flow, isolate, wait for results, relief, normal days, then start all over again thing is just wearing!