Prepping for Pandemic... 14

[FuckThisWind]

OK folks, we have been prepping for a Pandemic for 13 threads now. And a Pandemic we now have.

I think we all know this has gone beyond prepping now. And most of us agree that the UK Government has not really stepped up to the mark. We have had shared advice here from our Italian residents and those in other countries who have taken much more stringent measures.

So this thread continues to be about us being prepared. But it is more than that. It is about support, sharing of information and advice. It is now a community. A community who acknowledged a long time ago that this was always 'Not Just The Flu'

I thank you one and all for being here. We have tough times ahead. But we are all still here. Please share, rant, whatever. The great thing about these threads is that they have always been supportive and non judgemental. I like to think it's a safe space for all of us who are concerned. And trying to do our best. For ourselves. For our loved ones. And for our community and beyond.

This is an interesting read about student countries' responses and the results

medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

@MoreCoffeeNeeded
I always think this Medium article explains normalcy bias best: medium.com/@thomasdolphin/surrounded-by-fire-hoping-for-the-best-e7f07fa9d9c6

Thanks for the new thread.
Just feeling really overwhelmed by the whole situation at the moment.
We are on day 13 of self enforced isolation due to my son's condition, which I'm fine with but listening to how the UK is not going to put any measures in place till it gets really bad, just blows my mind.
It all feels like a really bad dream.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/12/health-expert-brands-uks-coronavirus-response-pathetic?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1584026622

Ouch!

Great article @ofwarren thanks for sharing.
It absolutely sums up my frustration with DH and most people I know about this.

The next town over from us have closed their schools as the principal is self isolating due to having just got back from Paris
Harvard and MIT have cancelled class and are sending all the kids home indefinitely
Boston museums are closing for three weeks
Many businesses are initiating working from home
The main hospitals have gone to ‘war’ setting and have cancelled all elective surgery and appointments. They are also training administrative staff to cover appropriate clinical positions to free up clinical staff for emergency care roles.
Boarding schools that have started Easter vacations have said that if they do have class next term every child will have to pass a health check before being readmitted and if they have left the USA wont be readmitted at all
The Boston marathon has been cancelled

Thankfully all my DC are now home and we can hunker down, but it feels like Massachusetts is taking this seriously and is trying to flatten the curve, which is a good feeling in this crazy rollercoaster life we are now in.

On the prep side, I've just bought a greenhouse and will be starting loads of vegetables.
Also got some soft fruit canes coming.
I need a distraction so growing my own food should help.

@boomboom1234 I have asthma too and spent today looking into this but I think a nebuliser without drugs (which can only be given by a medic) is not that useful. I am going to get myself a spacer though as apparently they hugely increase the effectiveness of inhalers. Asthma UK advice is to keep using your preventer if you have one to reduce the likelihood of a serious asthma attack in the event of flu.

I must not check my ISA account... down £4k since mid January, a drop of 9%ish. Yeah must stop looking, buy and hold strategy.

@Singlemum31 hi for all accounts Italy and even Wuhan still have shops operating although sometimes stock of certain stuff runs low.
If your children get free schools meals there has been a fair bit of talk about making sure those children get extra meals at home. I don't think there has been any solid plan but I'm sure those on low incomes will be helped.

Guys I'm struggling. I'm sat here sobbing my heart out. We are going to be risking his school place, his swimming space, his time at Beavers for our own selfishness. Please I need advice. Anyone.....

Itsnotjustflu

Take a deep breath, what are you risking? Its OK. We are with you

Sorry I can't name check you all, but I just wanted you all to know I feel your fears and frustrations.

Thanks all who have name checked me. You've done more for my sanity than you will ever know. Hence my slightly emotional (but hopefully resonant) opening post.

With regard to those with asthma, please contact your asthma nurse if you have one. Or your GP. I have a review next Friday. My asthma has been getting steadily worse this last couple of months. Take care of yourselves.

Checking in. Thanks for new thread.

I feel numb after the lack of response from the gov today. I'm just quite shell-shocked and don't really know what to do next or how to feel.
The thing of life being on hold - whatever our individual government decides - is so mentally challenging. It's the lack of routine, lack of being able to plan anything for the year ahead with any degree of certainty. It just makes me want to collapse in a heap and cry which I realise is silly but I just feel really wobbly.

Today I focused on fresh and frozen veg buying, and got some cough syrup - thanks to this thread. I'd forgotten that. Also picked up some vit D for a friend after that youtube Dr said it can help to stop you catching it. One of the ladies on the till in Boots was saying she'd heard we'd have a lockdown from next Friday. I wondered if she'd been on this thread! It's funny how rumours circulate in the absence of any actual facts.

I am eternally massively grateful to this community of kind, gentle and helpful people. These threads are actually keeping me sane and helping to calm me down. Thank you.

Deep breaths itsnot

What is the most important for you?
That DS is not at school. Either way, that's what is happening right now.

Does it matter if you keep ringing in with suspected symptoms?
Why do you think that will make him lose his place?
Why do you need to de register him?

@itsnotjusttheflu
Why don't you go along with your husbands plan till after the Easter holidays and reassess then?
I'm sorry you are so upset. It's really is unprecedented times.

It's such a helpless feeling. Who would have thought that 2020 would end up like this.

DH and I have decided to pull the children out of school from tomorrow. We havd just got back from Aldi where we have topped up the shopping. We already good plan and do one weekly shop, this can continue as long as there is food in the shops then we do have some emergency supplies. DH is not working at the moment and I am self employed and I'm self employed so we can hunker down at home as much as possible. Not quite total lock down but minimising exposure.

Thanks for the new thread Fuckthiswind, your opening post made me a bit tearful. I feel so angry that we are facing this terrible crisis with such a woeful excuse for a government. I’m only able to post sporadically but these threads and all on them are very important to me

Germany doesn’t seem to be suffering as much, what have they done that’s different?

@AlohaMolly They have had fewer fatalities with a much higher confirmed number of cases. I suspect far better and thorough testing - and more resources at treatment level. This table shows the number of critical care beds per capita - Germany are top. We are pretty close to the bottom. I must say I’m surprised how far down the table all the Scandinavian countries are.

@itsnotjustflu Remember you don't need to make any decisions today. You can reflect again in the morning when you feel a bit brighter. If you've just had a row, things will feel fraught and that is distressing which will magnify everything.

I have a child in swimming lessons and another activity (although we home ed) and I have also been pondering when to call time on those. It is really hard. We're all in this together. Have a cuppa, a treat and an early night. x

Doh! Didn’t post the table...🤦‍♀️

@seatoski thanks. I feel like this has all gotten too much. I just can't see Boris agreeing to lockdown. He seems to want us to all get it at some point. I can't risk that but equally they've made me feel that locking down too soon is the wrong thing to do.
But we want him to stop school and his clubs and run the risk but what if the risk is far greater? What if we end up with a fine or lose his school place forever or worse jail. He missed his first badge at Beavers tonight and he's been so excited for months about getting his first badge. Because of our decision to go against what Boris has suggested he's missed out. He'll lose his swimming place as well. Something he loves. At bed he asked me what we were doing Saturday - we ALWAYS go out and meet my Mum on a Saturday. I had to leave the room. The tears were filling up. I'm even more scared than I was yesterday. I just don't know what to do for the best.
According to Boris this will go on for months. Why. It supposedly hasn't in China. Does he know something we don't. But we can't stay at home for months. That would be the wrong thing to do by our son. But so would him losing us. I know we are all in the same boat. I'm just scared. We've not even told him he's not going in tomorrow and he is so excited about sport relief.

What an absolute mess. Honestly today has tipped me over the edge.
I expected some action today, a bit of direction and for our government to make me feel secure and safe but the total opposite happened.
The enormity of the situation has hit me like a tonne of bricks.

I need to pull myself together tomorrow, make some plans as to how I'm going to pass the time in the self enforced isolation.

I'm so glad you lovely people are here.

pmk

Evening all. I've come off all other threads except this one. I need the sensible heads on this forum. Thank you all.

Feeling pretty stressed here. DH is pretty ill with a sinus infection (no CV symptoms) and I'm feeling pretty exhausted already. But trying to stay positive. Visiting FIL for the last time for the foreseeable at the weekend. I'm almost too worried to go but I know he wants us to, regardless of the concequences, so we will. The thing that's really sending me mad is the thought that if anything happens to my mum (chronically disabled, immunocompromised) I'll never see her again (she's in a different country). Can't stop thinking about it.

Just let me tell you what happened to me at a pharmacy today: my card wouldn't work (it's old). I was just accessing the digital version but before I could do anything about it, the assistant breathed really hard, like almost blew a raspberry on the chip (it worked!) I couldn't believe it and didn't have anything to clean it with.