Covid 19 - Lifting of restrictions

[ChattyNatty01]

Hi, I’m a 37 year old relatively well controlled T1 diabetic. I have been extremely cautious since the pandemic started. I’ve kept to a very small bubble of family and opted to home school my 8 year old son last year for fear of him transmitting the virus to me. I have now had both vaccines, however, I am still struggling to adapt to the new normal and find that I am encountering increasing pressure to jump back in to society now that restrictions have been lifted here in Wales. I have been very fortunate to have worked from home during the pandemic, however my employer has now said that everyone has to return to the office for part of the working week as of September which has made me very anxious, subsequently I have noticed my sugar levels becoming more unstable. I’m also very anxious about my son returning to school in September with the covid levels being so high. Granted the vaccines have helped to reduce the risk of death but given they are not 100 percent effective I am still very nervous or contracting the virus. I’m just wondering if other T1 diabetics with young children of school age are feeling the same as me and how I should proceed going forward? Also, can my employer force me back in to the office or have I grounds to refuse given diabetics are at higher risk of severe illness from covid? Any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @ChattyNatty01 🙂 I have young children. I sent them to school and it’s all been ok. I am nervous, yes, but the school had good protections in place and there weren’t a huge number of cases locally.

We should get the 3rd booster vaccine in the Autumn so that will help. I’m at the stage now when I would feel my children are being adversely affected by being kept at home too much. So I now go out to shops, meet friends, etc. I think Covid will be here for a while and we all need to weigh up the risks v. the deprivation our children are suffering socially.

I can’t comment on work, but maybe seeing or discussing any protections at work will help reassure you? I’ve had to visit a few offices and I found they had strict hygiene and procedures.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Hello @ChattyNatty01 and welcome to the forum.
Having type1 diabetes as long as it's well controlled does not make you any more likely to end up with Covid or make you any more unwell than anyone else.
Even though it's hard as you have built this bubble around yourself you are going to have to bite the bullet and start taking small steps to start living a normal life again.
Employers will make double sure all staff are kept safe and well as it's in their best interest to do so.

 

[SuperBee]

"Employers will make double sure all staff are kept safe and well as it's in their best interest to do so"

Dream on! Diagnosed as a child and now retired I had diabetes my whole working life. Despite diabetes neber impacting on my work some employers made it an issue being obstructive about eating on time, attending clinics, carrying out discrete oid tests, etc. Yes many will but a good number who operate zero hour contracts, minimum wage and statuary sick pay environments will not do so!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @ChattyNatty01

Sorry to hear about your worries - you are not alone. Many people, particularly those who have taken greater steps to isolate themselves are feeling worried and anxious about the prospect of getting out and about.

With regards to work, your employer is obliged to carry out a risk assessment to ensure steps are taken to keep staff safe as then begin to return. There is more information and some helpful links here:

Coronavirus and diabetes updates

All the coronavirus information below applies to the whole of the UK, unless specified. We've noted where are some differences in guidance and diabetes services across the UK.

www.diabetes.org.uk

While there are no guarantees in life, the fact that you are double vaccinated should offer you a great deal of reassurance, and as your diabetes is well managed, as others have said, it should have little effect on raising your risk vs someone without diabetes, particularly if you are in your 40s or younger.

But it has been a long time, and you have made some major changes to avoid being out and mixing in public, so some worry is perfectly natural.

Keep taking reasonable precautions, but don’t allow fear to limit or restrict you. Your absolute risk of severe illness related to covid is very low now that you have been double-jabbed. Much lower than a host of other things you aren’t paying any mind to at all 🙂

 

[Maca44]

Unfortunately my Employer has been rubbish throughout the whole pandemic and this is a Pharmacy delivery service. It was a battle to get protection from the start and when we did it was cheap rubbish, they never wore masks or gloves but I did and still do. I have relaxed a little generally now but still wear a mask in shops and always use anti bac gel but my employer has been rubbish putting profit over staff safety and given I deliver to care homes they have put everyone at risk, thank god I work P/T alone in my van no way would I work in the pharmacy with the unprotected staff.

Yes relax a little but just take precautions and if you have to go back into work just wear a mask even if others don't not all employers are responsible.

 

[ChattyNatty01]

Thank you all for your advice, it is much appreciated. I agree that I need to take steps to return to some normality whilst taking precautions such as mask wearing etc. I think locking ourselves down for so long has made it even harder now to overcome my fear. I recognise though that covid is something that we all have to live from now on and so for all our wellbeing, particularly my son, I have to pluck up the courage and take steps. It’s really terrible that some employers have not taken the necessary measures to ensure the safety of their staff. I am still quite nervous of the prospect of returning to a busy office environment, especially when my immediate managers are quite dismissive of my diabetes and what is required to keep me well under normal circumstances (pre pandemic). I will request a safety assessment from the occupational health dept to ensure that I am as protected as possible. Thanks again for taking the time to post. Stay safe!

 

[Inka]

Could you request a P/T return @ChattyNatty01 ? That is, do some hours at home and some at work totalling full-time hours, and gradually ease back in?

 

[ChattyNatty01]

@Inka Yes I think I could request a phased return as they have said that staff would need to return to the office for part of the working week. I think for me at the moment though having isolated myself since the start of the pandemic, the thought of returning to an environment that could potentially put me at risk is causing me a lot of anxiety. I hope by taking baby steps this will help me to feel more confident around people again.

 

[Inka]

Choose something you enjoy first @ChattyNatty01 Maybe going to a public library? A favourite shop? Set yourself a ‘safe’ and easy task that’s fairly brief, then gradually add a few more to get you back into the swing of things.

I understand where you’re coming from. I did the same during the first lockdown but I’ve gradually become less stressed about going out. Getting both vaccines is a big part of that. Remember too that despite the diabetes, your age puts you at low risk.

 

[ChattyNatty01]

Yes, I used to love shopping with my mum, lunches out etc, would love to be able to do that again. Even food shopping (which I hated)! Thanks for your advice @Inka, it is much appreciated.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Yes, I used to love shopping with my mum, lunches out etc, would love to be able to do that again.

Then I think you should, now that you (and likely most of the other people you'd meet) are fully vaccinated.

I posted a link to an article by the chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/the-covid-vaccines-mean-we-can-start-living-again-–-in-britain-at-least.95208/

She says

We made sacrifices to buy time for a scientific solution that has now arrived. Thanks to vaccines, we are now in a position where we can make informed decisions about how to take part in previously risky activities. You might think of this like a “risk budget”; if you are doubly vaccinated and get tested regularly, you can go back to doing the things that make you happy and feel alive, deciding where and how you choose to take risks. Covid-19 has not gone away, but the vaccines allow us to think of it like the other risks we take, such as driving on motorways or travelling to foreign countries.​

My thing is social partner dancing (Argentine tango), which had to entirely stop last March because the activity is nearly ideal for spreading the infection. But now it's (slowly) restarting, so I'm going out a couple of times a week to dance (with, sometimes, strangers). (But that's pretty much all. Otherwise I'm wearing a face covering in shops, shopping locally, not using public transport that much, working from home, etc.)

 

[trophywench]

A guy we know who we haven't seen for nearly 2 years, and I had an email chat. I said well I'm still going to want a hug when we do meet again. He's a foot taller than me and I'd have to stand on a big box to exchange airborne viruses directly with him!