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New member saying Hi and looking for advice

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
H

Harry W

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi Folks, just joined as I don't want to go through this (covid-19) alone, I need fellow diabetics around me. I am 73 yrs old and type 2 which is managed with Metformin. I have been in lockdown as much as possible for the past 3 weeks. My wife is 58 yrs old and works at a care home as a carer an I am feeling very afraid, don't know what to do as I drive her to work and then home again, should I be keeping social distancing?
 
Welcome to the forum @Harry W

I am glad that you have found us, and as you say it is good to know that we have others around to answer any questions that arise around our Diabetes, and also for mutual support.

I look forward to hearing more from you.
 
Hi Harry and welcome from me too.

It is a difficult time and because everyone's circumstances are different, none of us can give you a really clear cut answer. I think you have to look at your individual situation and decide what precautions you can take to limit your exposure.

For instance, if your wife doesn't drive herself, then is she more at risk and hence increasing the risk to you, by getting a lift to work with you in the car or using public transport..... I would suggest the latter is more risky.
I appreciate that there are problems with PPE in the care homes but if visitors are no longer allowed then it is only the other staff which pose a risk and hopefully they are switched on enough to be taking all possible precautions themselves.

There is no guarantee that any of us can avoid this virus. The best that we can do is assess our situation logically and work out how best that we can reduce our risks, which includes managing our diabetes as well as we possibly can and knowing what to do if we do get sick.... like drinking plenty of water.
Do you have a Blood Glucose Meter? If not, perhaps purchasing one with some test strips would be useful so that you can monitor your BG levels particularly if you get sick. They are relatively inexpensive to buy @approx. £15 for a meter and the basic models like the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Health Tee2 have the cheapest test strips at just £8 for a pot of 50, so those would be the ones that we would recommend here on the forum.
Illness often makes our BG levels go high. Drinking plenty of water when they are high will help to flush the glucose out of our system and hopefully prevent them getting dangerously high, but if they do start going skyward, then being able to advise medical staff of that situation will perhaps help to ensure you get the appropriate treatment promptly.
The only increased risk for us diabetics with the virus is that our Blood Glucose levels go too high and we go into diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which would complicate things for medical staff treating us, so preventing that is important and being able to monitor our BG levels is key in trying to prevent it, in my opinion.
 
SB2015 said:
Welcome to the forum @Harry W

I am glad that you have found us, and as you say it is good to know that we have others around to answer any questions that arise around our Diabetes, and also for mutual support.

I look forward to hearing more from you.
Click to expand...
rebrascora said:
Hi Harry and welcome from me too.

It is a difficult time and because everyone's circumstances are different, none of us can give you a really clear cut answer. I think you have to look at your individual situation and decide what precautions you can take to limit your exposure.

For instance, if your wife doesn't drive herself, then is she more at risk and hence increasing the risk to you, by getting a lift to work with you in the car or using public transport..... I would suggest the latter is more risky.
I appreciate that there are problems with PPE in the care homes but if visitors are no longer allowed then it is only the other staff which pose a risk and hopefully they are switched on enough to be taking all possible precautions themselves.

There is no guarantee that any of us can avoid this virus. The best that we can do is assess our situation logically and work out how best that we can reduce our risks, which includes managing our diabetes as well as we possibly can and knowing what to do if we do get sick.... like drinking plenty of water.
Do you have a Blood Glucose Meter? If not, perhaps purchasing one with some test strips would be useful so that you can monitor your BG levels particularly if you get sick. They are relatively inexpensive to buy @approx. £15 for a meter and the basic models like the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Health Tee2 have the cheapest test strips at just £8 for a pot of 50, so those would be the ones that we would recommend here on the forum.
Illness often makes our BG levels go high. Drinking plenty of water when they are high will help to flush the glucose out of our system and hopefully prevent them getting dangerously high, but if they do start going skyward, then being able to advise medical staff of that situation will perhaps help to ensure you get the appropriate treatment promptly.
The only increased risk for us diabetics with the virus is that our Blood Glucose levels go too high and we go into diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which would complicate things for medical staff treating us, so preventing that is important and being able to monitor our BG levels is key in trying to prevent it, in my opinion.
Click to expand...
rebrascora said:
Hi Harry and welcome from me too.

It is a difficult time and because everyone's circumstances are different, none of us can give you a really clear cut answer. I think you have to look at your individual situation and decide what precautions you can take to limit your exposure.

For instance, if your wife doesn't drive herself, then is she more at risk and hence increasing the risk to you, by getting a lift to work with you in the car or using public transport..... I would suggest the latter is more risky.
I appreciate that there are problems with PPE in the care homes but if visitors are no longer allowed then it is only the other staff which pose a risk and hopefully they are switched on enough to be taking all possible precautions themselves.

There is no guarantee that any of us can avoid this virus. The best that we can do is assess our situation logically and work out how best that we can reduce our risks, which includes managing our diabetes as well as we possibly can and knowing what to do if we do get sick.... like drinking plenty of water.
Do you have a Blood Glucose Meter? If not, perhaps purchasing one with some test strips would be useful so that you can monitor your BG levels particularly if you get sick. They are relatively inexpensive to buy @approx. £15 for a meter and the basic models like the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Health Tee2 have the cheapest test strips at just £8 for a pot of 50, so those would be the ones that we would recommend here on the forum.
Illness often makes our BG levels go high. Drinking plenty of water when they are high will help to flush the glucose out of our system and hopefully prevent them getting dangerously high, but if they do start going skyward, then being able to advise medical staff of that situation will perhaps help to ensure you get the appropriate treatment promptly.
The only increased risk for us diabetics with the virus is that our Blood Glucose levels go too high and we go into diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which would complicate things for medical staff treating us, so preventing that is important and being able to monitor our BG levels is key in trying to prevent it, in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much Barbara, I just want to do what's best for everyone, I have even been told we should sleep in seperate beds too.
 
Hi Harry,

Welcome to the forum you will certainly find lots of people here to support you through it as they are already supporting each other, with advice, updates and also much needed distractions.

if your wife hasn’t been in contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 and is showing no symptoms herself then current guidance wouldn't suggest you need to social distance from her. You should however both be careful to follow Hygiene advice on handwashing.


Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to do
Find out about the government response to coronavirus (COVID-19) and what you need to do.
www.gov.uk
www.gov.uk
 
Hi Lucy, thank you for the welcome.
This is all so confusing for me, I rang 111 and asked them the same question and was told to practice social distancing with my wife, even sleep in separate bedrooms. And no, she hasn't been in contact with any virus as there are stringent measures in her care home, it's been on lockdown for 3 weeks.
 
Harry W said:
Hi Lucy, thank you for the welcome.
This is all so confusing for me, I rang 111 and asked them the same question and was told to practice social distancing with my wife, even sleep in separate bedrooms. And no, she hasn't been in contact with any virus as there are stringent measures in her care home, it's been on lockdown for 3 weeks.
Click to expand...
ah ok, absolutely follow the advice NHS have given you. If you are still unsure (and who wouldn’t be! It’s all very confusing) it might be an idea to give your GP a call Monday and see what they suggest. With access to your full history, HbA1c results etc, the advice should be a bit more personally tailored for you specifically.
 
If your joint environment is isolated then it should be safe - you are a virtual village, and it would need someone contracting the virus and then passing it on to start the infection passing through your immediate community.
It is confusing to be advised to isolate from your wife, because it doesn't make sense, and good sense can seem to be a bit lacking at the moment.
 
Drummer said:
If your joint environment is isolated then it should be safe - you are a virtual village, and it would need someone contracting the virus and then passing it on to start the infection passing through your immediate community.
It is confusing to be advised to isolate from your wife, because it doesn't make sense, and good sense can seem to be a bit lacking at the moment.
Click to expand...
Thank you lovely people. That makes a lot of sense Drummer, like that explanation.
And Lucy, that might be a big ask calling my G.P. you have to get past the receptionist first, not easy, but will try.
 
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