COPD and Bronchiectasis conflicting advice rant

[Sazza57]

Sorry for the rant,

I have severe COPD, Bronchiectasis and had a pseudomonas pneumonia last year that lasted for several months.

The government advice as you are all aware is we can go outside once a day whilst social distancing.

Many different conditions were included for shielding for good reason. However each of us have very different risks, bearing this in mind how can we all be OK as a ‘job lot’ ?

Having decided to ask my doctors surgery for advice it got really infuriating.

The receptionist didn’t want my name and just kept repeating....

Check the government website.

Great !

With the scientists disagreeing with the government advice all of us are left in limbo.

Again - sorry for the rant.

[Hidden]

I'm not relying on anyone else for advice. I'm deciding for myself.

[Sazza57 in reply to Hidden]

My instinct is to stay inside, but with my agoraphobia it is a default setting.

My other half would like me to go outside so the ‘official advice’ hasn’t been helpful

[Hidden in reply to Sazza57]

Like you I’m very vulnerable, my own feeling is I’m ok if I’m outside AND social distancing. But that means only going to very quiet places and I might as well stay in my own garden.

To be fair, the govt can’t give advice tailored to individual circumstances. But all the same I’ve no confidence in what we’re being told. Boris Johnson said on 10 May we’d have to be at level 3 before any restrictions were lifted & it’d be 1 Jun at earliest. But we’re not at level 3, apparently we’re at “4, moving towards 3”. No wonder people are confused

[Angelagone]

I gave up on the government some time ago. They're focusing on re opening the country and herd immunity by stealth in my opinion. You know your own health situation better than anyone so decide based on that. Just as I was getting ready to spread my wings a bit, theres been a sharp increase in local cases so I'm staying put.

[Sazza57 in reply to Angelagone]

I expect we will have to wait for an effective and available vaccine before feeling safer

[sassy59]

Hi Sazza, I’m shielding with my husband Pete and we’re staying home for now.

Stay safe xxxx

[Sazza57 in reply to sassy59]

Thank you- you too

[Troilus]

Hi Sazza

On the daily briefing the other day, I think it was Matt Hancock, said they were reviewing the situation for shielded people on the 15th June. He said something about the blanket approach was being reviewed now that they know more about the virus than they did when shielding was introduced as the plan is to have a more personalised system with additional support for some groups. People will be contacted after the 15 th.

[Sazza57]

That’s good news

[Hidden]

You have lots of choices, do as .gov site Guidance indicates: ttps://gov.uk/coronavirus

or disregard this.

Do as the scientist advise, or disregard this.

Do what feels right for you or disregard this.

Do what someone else advises or disregard this.

Its up to you which you choose, the government offers the guidelines, but I certainly wouldn't think its safe for anyone to behave in a manner that disregards the safeguarding in a pandemic.

I for one am not disregarding either the .gov link or the scientists, but I will do what feels right and safe for me.

[TG58]

I think the bottom line is only you can decide, rely on common sense and also the guidelines as best you feel, I did trust the government at first but I am losing confidence in them by the day, as it's quite apparent now that theirs a lot of lying going on, if you want to go out for a walk make plan of where your going to go, I have a couple of routes worked out now which cover a good couple of miles, and although I see and pass people I can social distance by quite a few metres, try to avoid popular routes i.e. lakes and parks, yes they are nice but people gather at places like that in their droves, so obviously not good for vunerable/shielding people. Good luck whatever you decide 😊

[Dedalus]

I'm sticking with my own thoughts and feeling about this - I am not changing any 'shielding' measures till end June at the earliest (once I see what is happening with the easing of lockdown measures and new infection rates). I may shield for longer than end June - better safe than sorry.