Another question for advice please.

[pet-lamb]

As my latest blood tests are possibly showing a deterioration in health (I've been looking things up) and I'm to see GP tomorrow ,I'm wondering if it will be ok wearing a face mask to go with family to see a film on Christmas eve morning.I've been told theatre will be full.If appreciated others view point .I don't want to be in the sick role and over compensate.

[scarletnoir]

There are imponderables here - how 'immunocompromised' are you? (AFAIK, this isn't something that can be measured, unfortunately). And how many audience members are likely to have COVID and be infectious? Again - we don't know... but numbers have been rising in the UK (not sure where you are).

FWIW, I'd say that as it's a film you should definitely wear a mask inside during the performance. You won't be talking during the film anyway - unless you are very rude! 😉Maybe if you are having a chat outside in the open air after the film, then you could take it off...

In the end, it'll be your own decision based on your own judgement of the risk.

[HopeME]

I’d wear a mask if I were you. I was at a hospital in Boston last week and was surprised that not many people were wearing masks. I always wear a mask in the hospital. The day after my appointment I received a blast email from the same hospital stating that effective immediately masks are mandatory. It’s that time of year in the northern hemisphere, unfortunately.

Best,

Mark

[Spark_Plug]

If you were not, "showing a deterioration in health" would it change your choice? What is the sick-role, you are sick, you have CLL.

You could change how sick you are by going or not, wearing a mask or not, nothing may happen, or something may not happen.

Respiratory illnesses are one of our biggest susceptibilities I've read here many times, I' don't know about the U. K. in the U. S. I keep reading the headlines about a resurgence in whooping cough, flu, COVID, RSV, measles, etc.

Would I get in a crowded room for two hours with people all breathing, coughing, sneezing, eating snacks, littering? No! But, everyone has to choose for themselves what is an acceptable risk, or not.

Whatever you do, enjoy your time with family. 🙂

[pet-lamb in reply to Spark_Plug]

Hi spark _plug . If I felt ok I’d go I still might I do wear masks in crowded places .as for sick role it’s a saying it means to me ,feeling sorry for myself because I have illnesses.

I try to live a normal life within reason but don’t see merit in putting myself at unreasonable risk . For instance I’m not feeling well but I still do everything I’d normally do it just takes longer I get on buses go shopping go to church but wear masks and go at times when there’s less people .

The pictures with family I was looking forward to it now because of feeling not too well and blood results I’m abit worried because it will be packed but i don’t want to let them down .

[Spark_Plug in reply to pet-lamb]

So, it sounds like we take a lot of similar precautions. I guess I don't get the letting them down part, but, I don't have to.

Maybe it's something that is that quality of life aspect we often discuss nearing treatment time (sort of like choosing the step one is going to stand on when getting on an escalator).

I hope you have a good time if it makes you feel close with your family. 😌

[Skyshark]

Your Neutrophils are acceptable. But how everything else is working and how effective your IG's are is an unknown.

Masking in the auditorium would be a good idea if you are comfortable with it. Air changes and filtration may not be that good.

You can check the COVID dashboard by various areas and individual NHS health trusts, annoyingly not in any order for easy searching and then some are University Hospital ..... Some charts are blank but there are charts of admissions and cases in hospital well down the page. UK cases being admitted in two trusts I looked at are fairly low.

ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk...

[AnneHill]

When are we ever going to feel safe? Its a while since I went but I always book an aisle seat and my daughter sits next to me. I actually felt that with the high roof there seemed space around me. I have had my vaccinations. I need ivig every 4 weeks and have low platelets and I keep my distance from others if we go for a meal or coffee. I dont want to take risks but I dont want to hide away. I have terrible fatigue but I hàve booked 3 different shows next year. I hope I am well enough.Kids are the worst risk. My Grandson is 14 and he still wipes his snotty nose on the back of his hand. I hate nagging him but giving him tissues and sending him to wash his hands before he goes home wont stop him.

I would only go if I thought I would have a great time. You can go somewhere less crowded if you are going for them.

Good luck, happy Christmas, Anne uk

[pet-lamb in reply to AnneHill]

Yes going for them it’s become abit of a tradition to go Christmas Eve to their house for a meal but husband (in lots of pain) won’t go this year and although I was ok one year a older grandchild in her 20s had Covid and we weren’t told .

So this year rather than disapoint them I said I’d go with them Christmas Eve mornings.

I was really looking to it and if my bloods hadn’t came back as they have and I’m to see dr at theirs request I’d still go .

But I’m worried now …..we’ll I’ll see what doctor says .

[Shooey]

difficult one isn’t it, I’ve had to turn down two xmas party invites this year, gutted but not worth the risk IMO. Yes, I could have attended wearing a trusty FFP3 mask but eating and drinking would have been awkward !

Saying that, I’ve done Tina the musical twice in the past twelve months whilst wearing a mask. Yes it did get a bit sweaty but well worth it. MJ is next on my list!

Bit late for you now but a Smartair Mini does give you an additional layer of protection and can be placed to direct the air flow around your face. I bought one to go to New York in May , I did mask as well and managed to get home bug free!

I guess only you can make the decision but if you do decide to go have a wonderful time and an enjoyable germ free Xmas.

Best wishes

Shooey

[pet-lamb in reply to Shooey]

Yes shooey I’ve been to pictures recently with daughter but place was nearly empty I wear a mask in church hundreds of people there and on buses I was masking all the time but thought that’s silly as my cll isn’t that bad and have become abit relaxed about it .

[AnneHill in reply to pet-lamb]

Although I would stay away from people with bugs I was diagnosed in 2001. Nobody I know wore masks. I had more problems with my back and had an operation at the end of that year. I had chemo in 2010 and went on a 5 day cruise later that year. I didnt give catching an illness any thought. We have been on a few cruises and last year we went to Sorento. I was nervous about flying and luckily I wasnt ill.

Covid has ruined everything. I have bad fatigue and my platelets are 56 which is worrying. I dont think I could cope with going abroad now.

I am really glad we had those holidays and went to lots of places. Now we worry about going out. I dont live in a crowded place, I always choose where I sit and avoid other peoples breath. I keep a couple of masks in my bag but only for unexpected problems.

I have tests at home and will ask for antiviral meds if needed. If my life is shorter, I cant hide away. Anne uk

[RZ8983DV]

My CLL isn't that bad WBC around 40 Lymphs around 36 at last count but I'm still afraid of catching covid and other infections. I don't go to the theatre or cinema and wear masks on planes and crowded trains but still go to the pub, preferably staying outside, and try and avoid crowded places. Avoiding the shops till after Xmas

[veteranoak]

It’s strange how different cultures have different approaches. Years ago on visits to Japan I saw a few people wearing masks and was told ‘people with a cold are protecting others from catching it’. Living in such a crowded country they all do it and it works! Equally, when puzzled about a Japanese person wearing a mask while out hiking in the mountains I was told ‘that’s to stop the symptoms of hayfever’ – and it works! I’d no idea, but after I told a hayfever sufferer friend who took loads of medicines with side effects in the hayfever season, he tried it when out in woods etc. He wonders why it isn’t universally known for such a nuisance condition.

At the start of covid before vaccines, I didn’t know I had CLL but was careful to protect my ’elderly’ male partner, deemed a higher risk then. We both practiced distancing and wearing masks when with others. Quite a number in the UK did neither though because it affronted their ideas about freedom, or ‘I’ll get too much carbon dioxide’ (while smoking!) Whole groups of youngsters wouldn’t wear masks: ‘I’m exempt’.

When however we got stuck in rural Italy all winter 2020-21 in the second lock-down, the Italians all wore masks, shops had rigid rules about only 2 people in at once, there were strict curfews etc. They’d had experience of a collapsed hospital system and huge numbers of deaths, but also had on-the-spot fines for not wearing a mask (40 euros), shops not preventing >2 customers at once, being out after the 10 o’clock curfew (100-400 euros!) etc. We felt so safe there, everybody just did it, end of.

I’ve kept up mask-wearing in confined spaces - all transport, indoors (except in my flat with just my partner) and crowded places - ever since, due to my CLL diagnosis. My partner does the same for my sake now. I still eat out and go to parties, briefly moving my mask off one ear and holding my breath to take a mouthful of food or drink. People accept it, and I think consistency helps. Because my partner’s had 9 covid vaccines & isn’t immunocompromised he doesn’t mask-up for eating out, just distances now; all friends and colleagues just tell us if they have a cold or something.

It works: I’ve not had covid or flu or RSV in over 4 years and only one cold I caught from my partner (his only cold too). He got his from the conductor when he was singing but got too close – now sorted. Both of us plan to continue for my sake and as it’s really great not to have colds anymore! I still get comments from strangers though: ‘It’s over you know!’ If our culture could take a leaf out of some others, normalise and feel pleased about taking health responsibility for others, would this have a significant impact on the country’s disease burden - even the economy?

This probably sounds rather ‘holier than thou’ but - apart from being hugely grateful to my partner - the rest feels like no big deal, just like my experiences of the Japanese…. My choice is to avoid infection as best I can while trying to lead a normal life and not miss out on anything.

[pet-lamb in reply to veteranoak]

Your right about masking at the start of Covid 19 and newly diagnosed I made masks for myself and family also some Neibours . But I only mask now on buses and at church.

I think I’ll need to go back to masking up as I’ve seen the doctor this morning and she’s referring me back to the hospital doctors she’s worried that although my numbers are going up steadily there not coming down at all which is a thing with cll .

She also thinks I’ve still got the ends of a viral infection from October I’m more inclined to think it’s one infection after another and requested ig bloods to check what level my immunity’s at .

I’m still not sure if I’m going with daughter and grandchildren tomorrow but doctor says no reason not to so we’ll see how I feel .

[veteranoak]

That's reassuring news from your doctor, and a good idea to ask for your ig bloods. It sounds as if you were really looking forward to seeing your family, but I can understand you being concerned that a grandchild had covid and she/they didn't tell you.

I would take that as an opportunity. Now it's out in the open that one of them had covid and you weren't told, they could be feeling a bit guilty. You wouldn't want to remind them or rub it in, but say you just need to check if anyone has a cold so you can be extra careful, and to let you know about any flu or covid as you really mustn't be at risk from this: you are already having difficulty throwing off a virus from the autumn.

I'm sure they'll be extra careful once you've discussed this. After all you're trying to visit them rather than trying to avoid this. Once the family understand from you what you might have to deal with it'll mean much more. Even the younger ones are then likely to take care to help you and understand why.

Friends of mine have covid so told me as soon as I rang yesterday to plan visiting them after Christmas. Apparently it's not nice with a very unpleasant conjunctivitis linked to it, so although I was disappointed, I was also very grateful to them for explaining it to me. We'll be reviewing this in the New Year.

[pet-lamb in reply to veteranoak]

Thank you yes I told them years ago but I think there a bit relaxed about it now . So I’m off to pictures tomorrow with me warring a mask .daughter said mam you’ll be ok you’ll be facing forward 😫germs are airborne !!!

Also family coming Boxing Day for lunch it’ll be lovely but husband was asked if another granddaughter 18 y should come she’s got a virus he said yes told me it’ll be fine she’ll have had it 5 days by then 😩