Shielding - just me?

[Becka]

The parcels are a joke so no advantage in that dept., I can assure you. I insisted I didn't need one yet ended up with 3 which I managed to rehome with other people. I'm coeliac so there was nothing in the boxes I received that I could eat.

I too was wrongly added to the government's food parcel list and received two boxes, a local councillor was able to make sure they went to someone in need. But having been a vegan for over twenty years there was little for me in them either. Something I told the government helpline when they asked if I wanted them, I said I only needed supermarket access, but they said local authorities can arrange ones for people with dietary needs.

Of the supermarkets only Morrisons have not given me priority access. Looking right now the earliest slot I can get from Tesco is Wednesday 6am – 2pm, from Sainsbury's is 8:30am – 9:30am tomorrow, Waitrose is next Monday at 6am, and Asda is 7am on Thursday week.

The delay with Waitrose might be because I used them on Saturday, and they only want you to use them weekly. As if I could afford that often! Asda are the only difficult one for me to get a slot with, which I think is because they waive the minimum order and delivery fees for priority access so must get overloaded.

 

[Ralph-YK]

As to the supermarket slots yep great if you want one at 10pm at night as that's the only ones on offer to me so it seems. I am not having my dog barking her head off at that time of night disturbing the neighbours and nine time out of ten I am in bed well before 10pm anyway.
If you can get delivery slots then the food parcels are not needed anyway.

It probably depends which area you're in. I've found you've to do a serious job of keep checking. Every day, a couple of times a day or more.
I suspect both Morrisons and Tesco have been holding slots back. As, even though the websites have been saying it's been filled up for weeks, slots will appear. Maybe a day or so away, sometimes closer to a week. They may all disappear quickly. Then later, a couple more slots show at a different time or day.
Morrisons kept having a "quite/waiting time" just to use the site. This could be half an hour of more. This might happen at any time. It's particulaly annoying when you've just seen a slot free, try to book, then have to wait 35 minutes. By which time it's gone.
'Cause of the difficulty in getting slots, and things not being available (this is still happening, chicken soup has completly dissapears of a couple of sites), I've been alternating between Tescos and Morrisons.
Unfortuneatly, the last time I tried to log into the Tesco site to get my basket ready, it said I'd been locked out. So there goes using them. Fortuneatly I'd had a delivery not too long before. (I was going to get my items selected ready, not actually looking to book a slot then.)

 

[Pumper_Sue]

I suspect both Morrisons and Tesco have been holding slots back

There has never been tesco slots where I live none of the neighbours have managed to get any either.
Morisons were a complete and utter pain in the article for online shopping. I tried twice with them and each time they decided after I had put stuff in my basket it was then out of stock so kindly substituted it for something else full of gluten.

In all honesty the hassle just isn't worth it. It's simpler and quicker to make the 14 mile round trip to the supermarket and do a two week shop in one go.

 

[Ralph-YK]

I'm not on the list where you get a letter. I do have other health issues, along with diabetes T2. And I'd already been spending almost all my time at home because of those worsening. And being in hospital twice last November (I'd come out, and had to go back in 6 hours after discharge), & had an operation. Lots of changes in med & really low BP. (Still on the low side.)
I'd spend over 2 months only going out to medical appointments.
So I'm really fed up.

One good thing is the Jobcentre leg me know they're closed to the public, and I don't have to go in. And I'm still getting paid when I should be.

 

[Ralph-YK]

I tried twice with them and each time they decided after I had put stuff in my basket it was then out of stock so kindly substituted it for something else

I kept getting that sort of thing when I came to doing the checkout. I'd ordered my ordinary amount of toilet roll from Tesco's, and they cut it right down. Not always getting a replacement either. Last time I did Morrisons, got to checkout and it told me it was taking £16 worth of food out of my order. Already had to find alernatives because things had completely disapeared from the listings, not just listed as unavailbe.
I've not spotten a slot on Asda. Though I've not been looking as often, having got slots elsewhere.

 

[megga]

I'm shielding, not just T1, but I also have 2 more health risk's that put me in that category, its no fun as I consider myself a very active, hard working, social person and a very keen motorcyclist, so to be told to shield for 3 months didn't go down well. I have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren, I'm also the family's DIY person. I'm not scared of the virus, i'm not even scared of going toes up, but I am still needed, and when my family told me to take it seriously as its only 3 months I felt compelled. Saying that I get up very early every day, put the worlds laziest dog in the car and take the 4 min journey to the countryside, and drag the dog around the fields for a 2 mile walk. I meet no one, just a few birds and a couple of rabbits. I have only just started doing this as I need to loose a bit of weight and my mental health was starting to suffer, and I never suffer with mental health problems.

 

[megga]

One more thing, where my wife works, they have a woman who received the shielding letter, after a month wanted to go back to work, but her employers wont allow her as they are worried that they could be held liable if she contracted the virus

 

[Lizzy78]

This is my concern though. The shielding letter is initially for 3 months. But what is going to change unless a vaccine is found? Are you expected to shield indefinitely?

 

[megga]

This is my concern though. The shielding letter is initially for 3 months. But what is going to change unless a vaccine is found? Are you expected to shield indefinitely?

I have already had a letter saying its extended to the end of June, but with cases dropping off and people much more aware, I'm just going back to work, It is a risk, but I feel its a lower risk now.

 

[Becka]

I never received a letter to say it has been extended, but I have noticed the government has changed the date in all its guidance from being "a period of at least 12 weeks" to "until 30 June 2020." Which is fourteen weeks, but maybe suggests an expected definitive ending. By then a lot of society would have reopened unless things go wrong.

But if transmission is low then so is the overall risk, so I cannot see shielding being made permanent until there is a vaccine or treatment. It will be harder for people to obey and costs the government money. I would think the easiest thing to do is tie it into the British government's new alert level system.

They could end shielding at level 3 (there is an epidemic), although that level still requires distancing and some restrictions, so they could argue the overall risk would still be too high. Level 2 (the virus is present but transmission is low) would make the most sense, but as we are still at level 4 (transmission is high) it will likely be a long time until we get there.

It is also always important to remember that public health is a devolved matter, so the government's in all four countries could have completely different rules and dates. And even within England, there is a possibility of restrictions being applied locally if and when outbreaks occur, so there is a real possibility of some people being asked to shield on an ad hoc basis.

 

[Lizzy78]

Will your employer be fine with that though?

I have already had a letter saying its extended to the end of June, but with cases dropping off and people much more aware, I'm just going back to work, It is a risk, but I feel its a lower risk now.

 

[grovesy]

They were always very clear to say at least 12 weeks, for shielding.

 

[brisr949]

I am in the vulnerable group as having type 1, severe copd and a bone crumbling disease along with a bleed on brain and heart clots, blah blah blah lol, at first i shielded but soon found a few ways to do things like i go shopping usually around 9.30 at night as my local tesco is pretty much empty at that time and the staff there do such an amazing job of restocking that pretty much everything is available. I am fortunate to live in a small village so getting out in the fresh air is no problem and i have a small garden i like to potter in, if i talk to people we use the proper precautions and im still keeping up good hand hygiene.
This all comes down to common sense and as long as your using that then as i see it, we've made it this far, so carry on doing that.

Adam.

 

[Adriano3003]

Hi all, I am new on her and will introduce myself separately. I have Type 1 which I have had for 43 years (didn't realise it was so long, frightening), this is pretty well controlled. I also had my spleen removed when I was a kid which puts me at additional risk. I live in Scotland and on Friday received a shielding letter, which I am not overjoyed about. I spoke to my GP who initially thought I shouldn't have had it and went away to check. The advice she came back was I should be shielding according to the NHS Scotland guidelines. I did some research of my own and the NHS England advice is having no spleen doesn't put you on the list, but other related conditions could do. So I am basically in the position that if I lived 20 miles further South I wouldn't be on the list. This has caused me some mental anguish in that I feel in some way I should follow the advice but I would really miss my running and exercise. I think I have decided that I will avoid any shops (which I have been doing anyway) but am still going to go out for exercise. We are fairly rural so I can go for a run without really seeing anyone. The shielding advice is very onerous and as someone else pointed out very difficult to do in a house with other people. I live with my wife and two daughters, one of whom is grown up. The letter also said it should be for 12 weeks from the 19th May, however my GP said don't take too much notice of that as things are constantly changing. I am lucky in that my work are happy for people to work at home for the foreseeable future so I don't have that issue. Sorry for the longwinded post.

 

[Robin]

Hi all, I am new on her and will introduce myself separately. I have Type 1 which I have had for 43 years (didn't realise it was so long, frightening), this is pretty well controlled. I also had my spleen removed when I was a kid which puts me at additional risk. I live in Scotland and on Friday received a shielding letter, which I am not overjoyed about. I spoke to my GP who initially thought I shouldn't have had it and went away to check. The advice she came back was I should be shielding according to the NHS Scotland guidelines. I did some research of my own and the NHS England advice is having no spleen doesn't put you on the list, but other related conditions could do. So I am basically in the position that if I lived 20 miles further South I wouldn't be on the list. This has caused me some mental anguish in that I feel in some way I should follow the advice but I would really miss my running and exercise. I think I have decided that I will avoid any shops (which I have been doing anyway) but am still going to go out for exercise. We are fairly rural so I can go for a run without really seeing anyone. The shielding advice is very onerous and as someone else pointed out very difficult to do in a house with other people. I live with my wife and two daughters, one of whom is grown up. The letter also said it should be for 12 weeks from the 19th May, however my GP said don't take too much notice of that as things are constantly changing. I am lucky in that my work are happy for people to work at home for the foreseeable future so I don't have that issue. Sorry for the longwinded post.

Hello, and welcome to the forum. We have another spleenless member, @eggyg who lives just south of the scottish border, in Cumbria, and has had contradictory advice. Im sure she’d be happy to compare notes, if she sees this post.

 

[eggyg]

Hi @Adriano3003. I too am spleenless and originally was on the vulnerable list. Late April NHS England decided it was a mistake and we’d been left off the extremely vulnerable list and should be shielding. This info was passed onto me by a fellow forum member who spotted the article. I called my GP surgery the next day and said nothing was on my file but it could take weeks. I didn’t want to shield, apart from being diabetic and spleenless I’m fit and healthy. After discussing it with my hubby and grown up daughters it was decided I would. I lasted three weeks! I still haven’t had “ the letter” or text or phone call and to make matters worse splenectomy patients aren’t on any list now. I’ve unshielded myself after doing my own research, according to the Haematology Society unless you have leukaemia or had your spleen removed because of cancer recently there’s no need to shield. I am self isolating and today was the first day I have stepped into a shop in 11 weeks. It was weird. I’m retired so don’t need to worry about work and I haven’t seen my children ( apart from when they have dropped our shopping off) or grandchildren for 10 weeks. Not all splenectomy patients are equal and as long as your jabs are up to date and you continue to take your prophylactic antibiotics we should be fine. Obviously I’m not medically trained and this is just my personal opinion. PS I live 9 miles from the Scottish border and it feels like a different world at the moment doesn’t it? Good luck in whatever you decide to do. Please don’t hesitate to ask me anything re this. Elaine.

 

[Ralph-YK]

It's got confusing. Is there a difference between "shielding" and self isolating?

 

[Adriano3003]

Hi @Adriano3003. I too am spleenless and originally was on the vulnerable list. Late April NHS England decided it was a mistake and we’d been left off the extremely vulnerable list and should be shielding. This info was passed onto me by a fellow forum member who spotted the article. I called my GP surgery the next day and said nothing was on my file but it could take weeks. I didn’t want to shield, apart from being diabetic and spleenless I’m fit and healthy. After discussing it with my hubby and grown up daughters it was decided I would. I lasted three weeks! I still haven’t had “ the letter” or text or phone call and to make matters worse splenectomy patients aren’t on any list now. I’ve unshielded myself after doing my own research, according to the Haematology Society unless you have leukaemia or had your spleen removed because of cancer recently there’s no need to shield. I am self isolating and today was the first day I have stepped into a shop in 11 weeks. It was weird. I’m retired so don’t need to worry about work and I haven’t seen my children ( apart from when they have dropped our shopping off) or grandchildren for 10 weeks. Not all splenectomy patients are equal and as long as your jabs are up to date and you continue to take your prophylactic antibiotics we should be fine. Obviously I’m not medically trained and this is just my personal opinion. PS I live 9 miles from the Scottish border and it feels like a different world at the moment doesn’t it? Good luck in whatever you decide to do. Please don’t hesitate to ask me anything re this. Elaine.

Thanks Elaine, that's helpful. I had looked at the Haematology website as well and read it exactly as you have. It seems NHS England is more specific about the reasons for the lack of spleen, whereas NHS Scotland appear to have just lumped everyone together. Like you I feel pretty well but was getting spooked by some of the stuff I was reading. I do understand the additional risk but I have decided to manage it myself, otherwise I'll be stuck in the house and garden which would drive me crazy. When I do go out I purposely try to avoid other people. I'm in East Lothian so fairly rural here and I can stay clear of other people. Scotland is obviously a bit behind England in terms of the lockdown but expect we will fairly closely follow what happens South of the Border. Thanks again, Adrian

 

[Becka]

It's got confusing. Is there a difference between "shielding" and self isolating?

Self-Isolating is what you do for up to two weeks if you or someone in your household is suspected of catching the virus. This is to avoid spreading the virus to other people.

Shielding is self-isolating from the start of the lockdown until the government tells you to stop. This is for people who have a medical condition which means if they catch the virus there is a very high risk they will need hospital treatment rather than being able to shake it off at home.

 

[Maz2]

The data you refer to was presented in the media by people looking for a sensational story. It was picked up by others who clearly did not look at the data.

For a fit, non geriatric female with good glucose control and not overweight the additional risk of a poor outcome from CV as a result of being diabetic, T1 or T2, is tiny if there is any at all. Get on with your life taking the precautions everybody else takes, after all is would be daft for anybody to get CV if they can avoid it.

Probably another example of the media wanting to do their best to frighten everyone. There will be more people with mental health problems than COVID at this rate.