Life for the next year or so

[Felinia]

I think I've come to accept that my life now for at least the next year will be isolation at home, with a once a week trip out to keep my car alive and top up my food box. Social contact by phone and email only, as nobody I know from my generation wants to mix with anyone any more "just in case", even my social bubble person. My cousin, a nurse, is still double sanitising everything she touches and/or that comes into the house - including all shopping, packaging and bags - and storing most things in the shed for 7 days first.
I do miss my Aqua and meals out, but you only have to look at the rising case numbers to know that any contact - be it a staycation, eat out cheap, celebrate your footie team, immediately spreads the virus. And other European countries with higher case numbers still have a much lower death toll. How come we can't seem to save lives as well as all these other countries? I watched the Van Tulliken brothers programme on TV this week and was appalled at the suffering, in hospital and of those struggling to recover from the unexpected side effects. And amazed at the caring people doing their best to help them. Michael Mosely really hit home about the risk to diabetic and overweight people.
Come September I wonder if the schools really will return, or we'll all be locked down again. I so feel for all the people struggling with financial problems, employment problems, business problems, which is only going to get worse, and am just glad I am retired. I have refused to have the boiler serviced, go to the dentist, hairdresser, or for any routine non-essential appointments, only keeping medical appointments. This week I allowed someone into my home for the 1st time since early March, as I'd been without electricity for 30 hours. We were both masked and gloved, and as soon as he left I sanitised everything he'd been near. I'll have to repeat the procedure in 2 weeks, when BT come for an essential installation.
So if this is how it is to be from now on, I'll try and do something positive - shift the weight I've gained in lockdown. I know it's affected my diabetes and general health. Low carbs all the way and a few motivational books and cookbooks.

 

[Docb]

Hi Felina. Don't forget the forum. Posting on here is a great way to keep up contacts and share thoughts and ideas and keep the old brain going.

I share your thinking a bit but am determined to keep myself as well informed as possible and that way work out how to get on with my life in a way which reduces risks. For example, I had our boiler replaced because it was beyond servicing but used a local plumber who I knew because is a very cautious individual who has a vested interest in avoiding the virus as his 90 year old father lives with him. My hairdresser is a T1 so she has a vested interest in keeping healthy, so no problem there. On the downside I have not been to my favourite Indian takeaway for a long while because it is in the more crowded part of Preston.

You can't win them all, but I'm determined to win as many as I can.

 

[mikeyB]

Sorry to hear of your travails, @Felinia, but I don’t think you’ll be isolating in a years time, I’m sure it will be all over by then, like the economy.

I need to lose a bit of weight. It’s the recalcitrant magic belly. It’s magic because it isn’t there when I lie down.

 

[SB2015]

Hi Felina

Keep in touch, and stay positive.

 

[grovesy]

Hi Felina. Don't forget the forum. Posting on here is a great way to keep up contacts and share thoughts and ideas and keep the old brain going.

I share your thinking a bit but am determined to keep myself as well informed as possible and that way work out how to get on with my life in a way which reduces risks. For example, I had our boiler replaced because it was beyond servicing but used a local plumber who I knew because is a very cautious individual who has a vested interest in avoiding the virus as his 90 year old father lives with him. My hairdresser is a T1 so she has a vested interest in keeping healthy, so no problem there. On the downside I have not been to my favourite Indian takeaway for a long while because it is in the more crowded part of Preston.

You can't win them all, but I'm determined to win as many as I can.

I think a number of forum members have not been participating as normal as it has been to much for some.
I personally have been to the Chiropractor for treatment with both the Chiropractor and massage therapist, and know it has taken me longer to get back to my normal. Just as they reopened again I had an acute episode with my back that took longer to get back on top off. I feel the Chiropractor has done their best.
I had my hairdresser here 2 weeks ago we did things a bit different and had patio door and window open.
Not been to Doctors or Dentist yet.

 

[Madeline]

I came back for the human contact, shielding has been boring and lonely, and I think the stress has added to my BG issues.

I confess that I’m no longer shielding, or disinfecting/quarantining everything that comes into the house. I just couldn’t deal with it any longer, and if we don’t get a vaccine, well it’s not going to go away and I can’t live a half life shut away from the world. I wear a mask, wash my hands, and practice social distancing. We are pretty sure we all caught it way back anyway, all the symptoms including loss of smell etc. With knackered lungs and diabetes, if it was going to get me it would have then.

 

[SueEK]

Hi @Felinia , nice to see you posting again, though I may have missed your posts on other boards. This is by no means a criticism but I have really noticed from my friends, colleagues and conversations that those of us who worked through lockdown are very much more open to ‘going out’ albeit with caution, compared to some of those who were furloughed or had to isolate. I have some friends who are scared stiff of going out no matter what for and have become very low in themselves about it. I don’t know anybody, thankfully, who is blasé about it but who are like me and going out/having to go out/work, having bubble people round their homes etc.
I think with any scenario a fear can be very deep. My brother dangled a slow worm down my back as a child and I have a real fear of worms which I cannot overcome. I know that is a silly comparison (just showing how fear can dominate) as Covid kills but if you are doing all the necessary precautions of washing your hands, distancing and wearing a mask then you should be as safe as you can be.
I really hope you continue to post as we all have a mutual connection and are all in different positions with different thoughts on what is happening. As I said at the beginning of my post this is NOT a criticism at all just a comment from another point of view. Much love to you Felina and look after yourself.

 

[Felinia]

Thank you everyone. Hi Docb - if I remember right, Preston is the latest city with extra measures - sorry about that. SueEK you are right about loss of confidence. My friend was shielded and when she had to go to her GP after 14 weeks, her husband took her in the car, and she had such a bad panic attack she could not get out of the car. Normally she's the most outgoing person I know. mikeyB my belly is like spilt milk - it spreads everywhere when I lay down!
The first weeks were easy enough - I stayed indoors. But since easing started I've found I became more and more cautious, because of the appalling behaviour of the general public. Having no cases in our small area since mid-May we've had 8 cases in the last 10 days. For the first time today I see people in the village wearing facemasks, even outside, so I suspect I'm not the only careful person. But the sun's come out so I'm going to curl up in the garden with Michael Mosely's book. Take care everyone.

 

[trophywench]

Well we're practically stir crazy but are venturing out, very carefully now. I had to go for a CT scan a week ago (to discover whether I had a brain or not, but the radiographer didn't tell me .....) and being Saturday lunchtime it was the most painless hospital visit I've ever had. Shedloads of parking (where formerly you could be queuing on the main road for 10 minutes before you'd even get through the traffic lights at the end of the entrance road, then might have to drive around for 3 parts of an hour before you'd find a space, then walk to the main entrance (can take 10 minutes) and then from the main entrance to the Xray dept, timed myself, 8 minutes walk.

Monday I have a blood test at the Health centre a couple of miles away but no parking anywhere close, so a 10 minute-ish walk from the car park, then Wednesday morning I have my D clinic appointment at a different hospital which is usually more than OK for parking (so one of the reasons I asked to be transferred to there) however, that IS a 15-20 minute walk from the carpark anyway - you can drop off at the foot of the steep pedestrian ramp up to its first floor entrance, but that was hell when I was on crutches! (or you can go up two flights of steps) It's a very old hospital site, along the same road as Rugby School - and not all of it quite has been rebuilt !

Then Thursday we're off to a field in Leicestershire on a rally for the weekend, so socially distancing with friends as it were - though there's at least one I've long preferred to SD from !

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Glad to see your post @Felinia, but sad to hear how you are feeling.

Hope you can find some small way to keep a toe in the outside world, so that you have a way back ‘out’ when you decide you are ready.

I’m very glad that the dogs have kept me going out every day, and while I am still careful to keep distant (not always easy on narrow pavements, and especially now the traffic is returning) but I just about-face every so often and dart out between parked cars.

It certainly pays to be cautious, but I do worry about the level of fear and anxiety that are becoming normal for some people. Particularly where you were saying you went without power for a day or more

Glad to hear that you are keeping positive though. Hope the recent rise in case numbers near you is short lived, and that you find some ways to occasionally get out and about that you feel are safe.

Keep in touch!

 

[Vonny]

Hi @Felinia, working for the NHS I'm like your cousin and double sanitising everything! I've had it easy really, as I was never locked down and worked throughout. However I do have friends who have been shielding and now find it damned nigh impossible to get themselves out. They are, frankly, terrified. One has COPD and the other has Parkinsons along with psoriatic arthritis and other complex issues. The COPD friend has just started going for a (very) short walk outside occasionally, but my PD friend can't get further than 2 steps from her garden before she scuttles back in again. It was 3 months before I saw her and even now we still sit in the garden at over 2 meters distance and I no longer have a sleepover with her. I take a packed lunch and a flask of coffee to ensure I don't contaminate anything. Because of her PD, her muscles are compromised so a stint on a ventilator is almost certain to kill her. I can't wait to hug her again. I've known her for 45 years and is as close to me as my sister.

I'm convinced that, come winter, we'll have a second wave. And I'm an optimist usually! Just hoping that my weight loss will stand me in good stead if the worst happens.

Wishing you all the best and hope you can get some normality back in your life while keeping yourself safe x

 

[freesia]

I think its really sad how lockdown has made everyone feel. As humans, we need the face to face contact with others, i know i do for my own sanity. I went back to work 1st June and couldn't wait to see everyone. Since then i've been out a lot, albeit with face mask and sanitiser. As @everydayupsanddowns said its worrying how the level of fear and anxiety are becoming normal for some.

I think sometimes the media is hyping things up more. We see pictures and headlines saying how places are packed and people aren't social distancing but they never show when people are doing the right thing.

On the whole, most people i have found are following the guidelines and are social distancing. The others who aren't i stay away from. I've heard a lot of people say how difficult they are finding it to start going out again but i worry about the economy if we don't. Some people i know have already lost jobs due to business closures and its getting worse. Surely we can start to avoid this by beginning to go out, even just local. As long as we social distance, wear masks and hand wash/sanitise, we are taking every precaution we can. The more/longer we isolate we would be risking mental health problems as well. No one knows when/if there will be a second wave so lets do what we can.

I can appreciate that this is hard for some people though and i'm in no way criticising. Lets just support each other as much as we can on herr.

 

[Felinia]

I think its really sad how lockdown has made everyone feel. As humans, we need the face to face contact with others, i know i do for my own sanity. I went back to work 1st June and couldn't wait to see everyone. Since then i've been out a lot, albeit with face mask and sanitiser. As @everydayupsanddowns said its worrying how the level of fear and anxiety are becoming normal for some.

I think sometimes the media is hyping things up more. We see pictures and headlines saying how places are packed and people aren't social distancing but they never show when people are doing the right thing.

On the whole, most people i have found are following the guidelines and are social distancing. The others who aren't i stay away from. I've heard a lot of people say how difficult they are finding it to start going out again but i worry about the economy if we don't. Some people i know have already lost jobs due to business closures and its getting worse. Surely we can start to avoid this by beginning to go out, even just local. As long as we social distance, wear masks and hand wash/sanitise, we are taking every precaution we can. The more/longer we isolate we would be risking mental health problems as well. No one knows when/if there will be a second wave so lets do what we can.

I can appreciate that this is hard for some people though and i'm in no way criticising. Lets just support each other as much as we can on herr.

Logically I would agree with you, for the sake of the economy. But personally, as a 70 year old obese, hypertensive diabetic with a compromised immune system, I'm at very high risk, and just feel if I caught it I would not be able to fight it. I get every bug going and it has taken me weeks, if not months to recover. And whilst I can control what I do and where I go, I have no control over what anyone else does. But tomorrow I have to go to the vet. I leave the cat on the vet's doorstep, return to my car and phone in. Then the consult takes place over the phone, the cat will get treated and returned to the doorstep. So I suppose that's a step forward. But first catch your cat!!

 

[freesia]

Logically I would agree with you, for the sake of the economy. But personally, as a 70 year old obese, hypertensive diabetic with a compromised immune system, I'm at very high risk, and just feel if I caught it I would not be able to fight it. I get every bug going and it has taken me weeks, if not months to recover. And whilst I can control what I do and where I go, I have no control over what anyone else does. But tomorrow I have to go to the vet. I leave the cat on the vet's doorstep, return to my car and phone in. Then the consult takes place over the phone, the cat will get treated and returned to the doorstep. So I suppose that's a step forward. But first catch your cat!!

Take care of yourself. I think you'll find that the majority of people are ok. Hope the cat is ok tomorrow!

 

[Felinia]

Take care of yourself. I think you'll find that the majority of people are ok. Hope the cat is ok tomorrow!

The cat is OK, we go back in 3 weeks for another set of jabs. She just doesn't like the heat.

It's been a bad week but I'm coming out the other side now. My power is back, and I have replaced the blown items. Today my computer equipment was sorted out and my car taken away to be fixed. Next week my Digibox is being fixed and the week after my boiler is being sorted. Good job I don't need heating!!!

 

[freesia]

The cat is OK, we go back in 3 weeks for another set of jabs. She just doesn't like the heat.

It's been a bad week but I'm coming out the other side now. My power is back, and I have replaced the blown items. Today my computer equipment was sorted out and my car taken away to be fixed. Next week my Digibox is being fixed and the week after my boiler is being sorted. Good job I don't need heating!!!

Cor!! Now thats what i call a bad week! I can sympathise with the cat, its just too hot atm.

 

[Sparkle]

I have been shielding since the beginning of March. I have been advised by two of my Consultants to keep shielding and only go to essential medical appointments. One said at least until the end of the year, the other said until there is a proven effective vaccine! My husband is shielding with me to protect me. I have been ill most of the time anyway but when I was up to it he has taken me for a couple of drives, we didn't get out of the vehicle. We have a weekly grocery delivery which he sanitises or quarantines, depending what it is and we quarantine all our post. No one has been inside the house since March until a couple of weeks ago when my Carer started came back and I absolutely had to have my hair cut so a lady came to the house, washed her hands, was wearing a mask and a shield and stood behind or beside me. Then I had to have a Chiropodist out who was very good with hygiene and precautions too.
It was my birthday on 1st Aug and I was feeling quite down but then had a wonderful surprise. My son who lives about 5 hours away had driven here with his children, aged 5 and 2. They drew a chalk line around my wheelchair in the garden and wrote their names on one side and Nana on the other. It worked very well. I hadn't seen my youngest grandson for nearly half of his life! I was quite overwhelmed and so very happy, but when they left I felt terribly low and now, even though we continue to communicate via Whatsapp, I think I miss them more than ever!

 

[Felinia]

I have been shielding since the beginning of March. I have been advised by two of my Consultants to keep shielding and only go to essential medical appointments. One said at least until the end of the year, the other said until there is a proven effective vaccine! My husband is shielding with me to protect me. I have been ill most of the time anyway but when I was up to it he has taken me for a couple of drives, we didn't get out of the vehicle. We have a weekly grocery delivery which he sanitises or quarantines, depending what it is and we quarantine all our post. No one has been inside the house since March until a couple of weeks ago when my Carer started came back and I absolutely had to have my hair cut so a lady came to the house, washed her hands, was wearing a mask and a shield and stood behind or beside me. Then I had to have a Chiropodist out who was very good with hygiene and precautions too.
It was my birthday on 1st Aug and I was feeling quite down but then had a wonderful surprise. My son who lives about 5 hours away had driven here with his children, aged 5 and 2. They drew a chalk line around my wheelchair in the garden and wrote their names on one side and Nana on the other. It worked very well. I hadn't seen my youngest grandson for nearly half of his life! I was quite overwhelmed and so very happy, but when they left I felt terribly low and now, even though we continue to communicate via Whatsapp, I think I miss them more than ever!

I am glad you enjoyed your grandchildren's visit - thank goodness for modern technology which has allowed us to keep in touch. Your description of life at home sounds much like mine did for the first few months, except I am alone. I don't have things like Zoom or Whatsapp but just the phone or email. But having got really low recently I am starting to regain some confidence. I was masked and sanitised in my house when tradespeople came, and I sanitised down everything they touched.
I suppose it depends where you live - if you are in a built up area, or one of the cluster hotspots, you do have to be so careful. I read a report from New Zealand about their recent outbreak, which said there was no scientific evidence packaging needed to be sanitised. But my nurse cousin continues to follow the same precautions you and your husband do, and I figure she knows what's what. She added a "yet" to the scientific evidence bit.
You may not be able to avoid some trips out. I am starting to get medical appointments coming through. In fact I got 2 appointments the same day 60 miles apart - eye test in North Devon, and foot test in South Devon so requested a change. I will do the essential ones, but not the routine checkups. Best wishes