From 5th January 2021, there is a national lockdown in England, in Scotland and in Wales. People who are clinically extremely vulnerable are advised to follow the shielding guidance, which is to stay at home, don’t go to work/school or to the shops.
Please stay safe yourself 🙏 I am extremely worried, obviously with all the coronavirus si but also as I have recently been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and I am very confused about what I should and should not be doing, eating, anything really. I have not been given much help or information on my condition and obviously I can't get to see a consultant/specialist face to face with all of the restrictions. Please if you have any information or advice I would be very grateful.
You will see from the webpage, If you have decompensated cirrhosis you would be classed as 'clinically extremely vulnerable' and would be advised to shield.
However, you do not mention your stage of cirrhosis or if you have any other medical complications, so we would always suggest that it is very important that you do speak with your specialist to clarify your own specific risk and what to do. If they think you should shield then they can place you on the national shielding list.
You could try to contact your specialist via their medical secretary.
Regarding your own diagnosis, here is our information on Cirrhosis of the liver
Sorry, I have been diagnosed with well compensated cirrhosis and I have tried to speak with the secretary of the gastroenterology Dr but it is easy getting an answer especially when the recorded message is 3 weeks out of date and the Dr very rarely calls back anyway. Also I have asked for information that I never received and I have asked for copies of the letters that were sent to my own GP but have not received them. When I have spoken to the secretary she has read bit's of the letter out to me but never sent me a copy. I have appointments for scans sent to me and then I get calls saying that I don't need to attend (which obviously I would really rather not at the moment with the Covid) I have spoken to a dietitian who says that I should have been referred straight away in June when I was diagnosed with cirrhosis but I never was, I called the dietitian myself to make an appointment and then I am told completely different things about diet than I have been sent in leaflets. I have been trying to research cirrhosis and diet myself but different sites say different things which only confused me. I am in the UK and I have spoken to a nurse from the British Liver Trust who was very helpful but even she said that she would need the proper information from the gastroenterology Dr before she could really help me as she would need to know more so that she could properly advise me on diet etc.
Also I do have other health issues, I have asthma, penisious anemia that I have B12 injections for, high blood pressure, and a back condition that I have morphine patches for.
You may want to consider contacting PALS (The Patient Advice and Liaison Service) at your hospital who are able to investigate concerns and may be able to get you in touch with a specialist.
Thank you for your advice, my husband and my sister have both said the same thing about getting in touch with PALS as we all feel that maybe things could have been done differently and maybe earlier. I will probably call to speak with a nurse again soon as the last time I felt much better and much more educated on the matter. Thank you again x
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