Does anyone know how the new COVID-19 affects the lungs .?
My daughter had a kidney transplant 17 years ago ,so apart from the fact it’s now failing & her immune system is compromised, three years ago she developed bronchiectasis.
We just wondered how the virus affects the lungs
.Does it cause severe inflammation which leads to pneumonia ?
With already damaged lungs,what would be her chance of survival..probably no answer to that I know 😟
Many Thanks
Regards Ros Gardiner
Hi Ros, well I would have thought that with the failing transplant and compromised immune system she would have been one of those shielded in the first round, with the bronch adding to the reasons to shield.
I have lifelong bronchiectasis and I was shielded. I am still taking strict precautions as are many on this forum.
My consultant, who is head of respiratory at a large teaching hospital told me that few with bronch had caught it ( because we were shielding?) and that those with bronch who did catch it did not seem to have faired worse than those without. There is not much data yet to confirm this or explain it.
She then went on to say of course continue to take precautions to protect myself.
That is exactly what I intend to do and so, in my opinion, should your daughter.
Thanks Littlepom.
That is a little reassuring but I guess the bottom line is “stay safe”
My daughter took her girls out of school a week before they all closed as she lives in Cheltenham & she was paranoid because the Races went ahead.
Her husband moved out on 17th March & didn’t move back until 9th August as he had his factory to run.
So she had been shielding for all that time on her own with two young children to home school .
Things have got very difficult & scary now , as after nearly 5 months of home schooling,her girls are back at school.
Her husband is still living in a different part of their house but has contingency plans should things get bad again.
It’s like playing “Russian roulette “ as to when or if she should take them out of school again.
It certainly is very difficult when you don’t have only yourself to think about.
Thanks for your help & good advice .Best regards
Ros
She and her family certainly seem to have been very sensible all along and I definitely think she did the right thing during the races. I stopped attending my volunteer tourist job three weeks before Boris told us to stay home. You just have to go with your gut feeling.
It was almost better when we were all shut in and knew everybody else was. Now I feel that your description of russian roulette is only too right. I feel that I am just as restricted but doing it in fog because I now have no idea whether people I may come up against are being sensible or engaging in risky behaviour.
It must be even more difficult with children who really need to be at school but run a small risk of bringing the virus home.
Do give our best wishes to your daughter. If she needs any support we are all here for her.
Hi Littlepom - very interested that you were shielded. As you know I have bronch and asthma but was not shielded. My daughter thought I should have been but apart from going out for a walk every day and only very recently going into our village shop and post office where everything is well organised I have not been out apart from two car trips with a friend whose family are my bubble. Her husband was shielded so I knew they had been very careful. I have heard of other people who have not been shielded and thought they should have been and others who were shielded and could not understand why. Guess there were bound to be glitches in any system. Don’t want to scupper myself but I am on the longest time for many, many years without an exacerbation. Friends have told me that is the answer, I just should not go out or be with people but what kind of life would that be long term?! Hope you are keeping well.
Everything you say sums up the confusion and rapid decisions which had to be made to protect people. Some like me were shielded I guess because we are listed as extremely vulnerable by our GP practice or have regular contact with a respiratory clinic or particular consultant. Some fell through the net, probably as you say because of not having an exacerbation for some time, they haven't been flagged up. The govt list for shielding says bronch which needs IV or the use of a nebuliser. This month it will be 1 yr since I needed abs but I neb saline and ventolin and speak to my consultant every 3 months. I also have dilated cardiomyopathy and AF. My chest has been really goid because I haven't been near other people ☺
In my opinion, not everybody who needed shielding was shielded. My grandaughter is type 1 diabetes. They now know they are at risk but she wasn't officially shielded. Her parents shielded her though. It seems as though you did and are doing everything that I did and still do.
I am a big believer in looking after ourselves. The only advantage to being shielded was priority online supermarket slots.
Maybe have a word with your GP or practice manager about your status being changed at the practice in case shielding happens again.
Do stay well x
From memory, I think that asthma with bronch was on the shielding list.
As Littlepom suggest in her 1st paragraph.
.gov link: gov.uk/government/publicati...
NHS link: gov.uk/government/publicati...
Increased risk to you and your daughter if you are in a hot spot area (local restrictions) and if you are not observiing the guidelines generally.
For local restrictions check also you local council's website.
It may seem harsh but do protect your daughter from any unecessary contact with people.
Hope your daughter has some improvement in health soon. Take good care.
Stay well and safe both of you.
Many Thanks
I too have bronchiectasis and I am 79 so it was a no brainer for me to shield myself and make very careful decision about shopping and meeting up with daughter and family. My friends are shielding too so lots of telephone calls. However I am getting really fed up with it all especially as I can’t see an end to it any time soon.
Hi there
It is getting a bit monotonous now ,especially as we were getting a little braver over the summer, but I guess we did it before, so we know we can do it again if it keeps us safe.
Of course, the downside this time around is the colder weather, but who wants to go out very much in the winter anyway! ..no different to usual..
It will be a case of resurrecting the hobbies, film nights & takeaways..not so bad ..but roll on the Spring 😊
Hi Ros, it’s so worrying isn’t it? I have Bronchiectasis, no other illnesses or ailments (touching wood!) so I can’t imagine the worry and stress you and your daughter are going through. I wasn’t shielded but chose to shield myself as much as possible. My husband continued to work and I have 2 small kids. He’d take them out for walks so always a very small risk there. I joined them a couple of times and would walk around the block on my own but that was it until August. We have to look after ourselves and do what is right for us but I have been worried sick about what happens if I get it. Reading Littlepom’s reply has once again reassured me but I will continue to be cautious as should your daughter (and it sounds like she is). Wishing you and your family well. x
Thank you for your kind words .
We can only do our best in this wretched situation ..Keep safe & well
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