Shielding

[btec]

I’m concerned that I’m having to go back to work although I’m considered high risk but not the highest risk. I haven’t had a letter from the government and my doctor won’t give me a letter for my cardiac condition. Has anybody had similar experience with this

[Manhattan1]

luckily i’m retired.. but suffer from IHD.. angina... ckd stage 3b.. type 2 diabetes..hypertension .. asthma.. as far as i know i’m high risk but not serious enough to be in the shielded group.. my grown up children haven’t allowed me go into a supermarket since lockdown started in Scotland .. but hopefully will start shopping when stage 2 opens up in Scotland next week

[MelB51 in reply to Manhattan1]

Gosh I would think you would be in the fully shielded group due to your underlying conditions. I am in the extremely vulnerable group and had the shielding letter, text updates and must this morning a call from my go making sure I was still alive and still shielding. I have heart failure, CKD stage 3 and some respiratory problems but I still feel that you should be in that group. Luckily your family have stepped up to help. I have been grateful to be on the priority delivery list with Tesco to save me going to an actual shop! Stay safe.

[Rose54]

Hi

You are in the at risks group but not high risk all you can do is ask your Doctor to sign you of sick .

Explain your concerns unfortunately if you are Furloughed at present and he agrees to do this you will only get Statutory sick .

Speak to your works and see if thay can put you somewhere the risks are less to you .

[gilreid1]

Not sure why you consider yourself to be high risk ? Everyone has a risk of catching the virus but as time is going by this is becoming less. Depending on your type of work your employer has to ensure your safety before asking you to return Your GP knows better than anyone on your health condition so I would take confidence from him or her not giving you a letter.

[btec in reply to gilreid1]

Thanks I should have said I have constant atrial fibrillation high blood pressure and moderate to severe dilated cardiomyopathy

[lettingoffsteam in reply to btec]

That sounds like a lot to cope with.What did your doctor have to say about the possibility of you going back to work?Also, have you discussed your health with your employer? It's very difficult isn't it!In an ideal world we'd all shield ourselves but there are a lot of things to weigh up.I hope you manage to sort this out with your boss.

[Edwen_]

Being concerned about returning to work with your condition is very normal. The insensitive comments posted earlier are not worth listening too. Doctors are only giving letters to a limited number of conditions and heart disease isn’t one of them. I explained my heart condition in full and quoted references from the BHF site to my employer. They agreed to continue letting me work from home. I hope you get some joy with your employer.

Best of luck

[Tracy7574 in reply to Edwen_]

I had the letter and Its only because I had a heart attack in February. Nothing else wrong with me.

[dickielex in reply to Edwen_]

I don't think that it is correct to say that heart disease does not warrant the issue of a shielding letter. It all depends upon the medical assessment of the kind of heart disease and its severity.I have both IHD and a shielding letter as have a number of other people I know.

[Elvis4]

Hi btec

What heart condition do you have? I'm surprised if you are in the risk group that your GP will not give you a letter! What job do you do? Is there any way you can social distance ?

Michele

[btec in reply to Elvis4]

I have moderate to severe dilated cardiomyopathy and chronic atrial fibrillation

[Rosanna75]

It is normal that it concerns you going back to work, but I am sure that your GP has the medical knowledge to advice you correctly.

The media and the govt have been quite heavily promoted fear in all of us.

But I guess it is time to make a safe move out of the shell.

All of us in this group has heart issues but I think what will make us stand is the control over the fear and the safety measure we are taking.

Also, I think it is very important not to feel sorry for ourselves and think that we are so sick...poor me technique is only good to drain your capability to see through the lens of true.

3 months of heavy social engineer from the media, can result into that.

Trust your GP and maybe ask your employer to make some adjustments if he can but remember that the sooner you are out there the better is for your immune system as well.

[Vespa10]

Does your employer use an Occupational Health service? If so ask for an assessment from them?i have multiple health issues, each on its own doesn’t quite reach the threshold for a government shielding letter but my GP agrees that combined they make me high risk. I had a phone assessment with Occ Health where I listed my conditions, prescriptions and hospital consultant details. They wrote to my employer and advised I am high risk and need to continue to work from home.

[ScoobyDoo71]

I agree with Vespa my occupational health doctor has done a thorough individual assessment and recommend to my employer that I continue to work from home as unless they can guarantee no exposure to the virus in the workplace the risk too great. The risk is lessening as cases declining so I’m hoping that I can get back into work and properly out and about soon but my job is with patients and in my workplace we have had 20 staff off sick with COVID. If I get a normal infection I often end up in hospital so dread to think how it would be with COVID. In last 2 years I’ve had a TIA and Sepsis along with ongoing heart issues arrhythmias valve regurgitation and deteriorating exercise tolerance yet none of this is assessed under government guidelines my underlying condition is congenital heart disease but again this would not put me in the extremely vulnerable group. If you have a diagnosis of moderate to severe cardiomyopathy that’s could come under label of heart failure which would fall into the extremely vulnerable group. At the end of the day this is your life and you should be supported to protect it and stay safe Good Luck

[Beverley25]

These letters are very confusing I have,nt had a letter even though I'm diabetic type2 I also take 80mg statin my body makes the bad cholesterol it's under 5 but mostly made up of the bad part I also have heart disease.

[Manhattan1 in reply to Beverley25]

i take 9 pills every day lol medication for hypertension. cholesterol and angina.. i’m also type 2 diabetic with chronic kidney disease.. asthma.. ihd.. NFLD .. didn’t receive a shielding letter .. so just need to get on with things lol

[Manhattan1 in reply to Manhattan1]

sorry i miscalculated.. it’s 11🤣🤣

[IsabellaHill50]

Yes I work in a school. Waiting for an angiogram. Treated for Angina I also have mild asthma. I am not classed as someone who needs to shield. Thankfully there is no pressure to return to school. Adults only at the moment. 11th Aug everyone is expected to return.

[Eadaoin]

Being in the shielding group (clinically very vulnerable, very high risk) is not about us catching the virus more easily but that if we did get it our health condition means that we would become extremely ill and may not survive. I have blood cancer, AF, a pacemaker and had a heart operation last year where I ended up seconds away from dying. My life was saved by a genius cardiac team. It is the cancer which puts me in the shielding group. Hope this helps.

[rowroann]

Hi I am considered a High Risk, I didn't get a letter, but I did get phone calls from my GP and the Government coupled with my Local Council, because I have COPD / ASTHMA and should I get the Virus I would not fare too well as this Virus attacks the Lungs. I do believe that the highest risk are people who have Cancer and any Pulmonary Lung Conditions, which is why I fall into that category. But I would have thought that if you are in any one of these categories 1 or 2 and you feel you are not well enough, I would have thought your GP should recognise this, what I would do is give your local council a call and ask to speak to the Department who are dealing with High Risk Category people, there will be a Department dealing with this as every Council has set one up and ask them for advice. Hope this helps.

[MumaLines]

I am high risk and had my letter from NHS saying stay put.

The trouble is my company has started back with social distancing and I can’t afford to receive Government sick pay.

Really worried but don’t see I have a choice but to work. 😢

[Edwen_]

Many people are vulnerable. It is best to offer supportive, informative, advice and not be judgemental.

[cjbroon]

I'm higher risk but not in the shielding group. My Cardiology Department rather than my Doctor provided me with a letter to cover things. Though my employer has been happy for me to stay off on full pay. They just contacted me and said our HR Department might want a letter to cover things and Cardiology were happy to provide it. I have been out and about to the shops etc and my work are aware of the situation. I'm probably returning to work when Phase 2 is implemented in Scotland.