Daily walks

[Swimming20]

I am new to this forum l am really enjoying reading your posts .l was just wondering am in the high risk bracket l go out for a 30 minute walk every day is it safe to do this now

[allanah]

Hello, glad to see you here, do look at victorias post above for advice and go onto NRAS.org.ok there is a new page being updated regularly and they gave a live facebook question and answer think the next one is thursday night, so have a look. Loads of info on what drugs make you high risk and if so we stay in for 12 weeks, no walks!

[helixhelix]

Well I’m adapting the advice to circumstances. I wouldn’t go for a walk in town, or village, but we are surrounded by forest and no people. So we are walking....should I see anyone in the distance I will climb up a tree.

Balance and mental health...

[springcross in reply to helixhelix]

As you normally do. 😁

[helixhelix in reply to springcross]

In my dreams...🐒

[springcross in reply to helixhelix]

😀😀

[Dspooky01 in reply to helixhelix]

I’m good at climbing trees.....

It’s just getting back down!

[springcross in reply to Dspooky01]

😀😀

[Brychni in reply to helixhelix]

It's only happened a couple of times but I have thrown myself into a hedge!!

[lilyak]

Yes, its safe to go out for a walk, recommended in fact. Just as long as you don't stop and talk to other people, you need to keep your distance and not congregate with others

best

Lily

[lilyak]

Whether you are high risk will depend on what medications you are on. Remember, not everyone will get a letter. Some patients might be missed, its not a perfect system, so you should seek out this information yourself. Biologics and high dose prednisone are the highest risk, methotrexate is elevated risk. If you are on suflasalazine and/or plaquenil your risk is normal.

This is the matrix rheumatologists are using to identify high risk patients. Take a look, and learn your risk.

rheumatology.org.uk/Portals...

The British Society for Rheumatology has created this resource precisely to identify those who might have been missed by the NHS identification messages. From the website:

"While 900,000 adults and children across England have been identified so far through NHS digital coding, there are some patients at high risk who will not be identified via this route. A BSR working group has been working with the RCP, other societies and the CMO for England to address this by developing a risk stratification guide for rheumatology. We have also published a scoring grid to help inform this exercise."

As a partner in your health care, you should not wait for a letter to self isolate.

Best,

Lily

[TPaine in reply to lilyak]

Thanks Lily, really useful chart which has clarified my position for me as being candidate to self isolate or maintain social distance. This is what I have been doing: staying in with hubby and dog, walking dog once a day avoiding people and doing all work activities online. So that works as I live in a small town in Hertfordshire not a busy inner city area so I can walk without being closed in by people. My hubby is doing our shopping so slight risk there that he could bring it home but we can't control everything so just hope and do our best to be safe and keep well.

[lilyak]

It is FINE to go out for a walk as long as you stay away from other people. The virus is transmitted by droplets, it is NOT airborne.

Take your walk. Enjoy it. Stay away from other people.

[lilyak]

Precisely. You are fine if you stay away from other people. If you walk out your front door onto a city street full of people, no, you can't walk. If you can walk without coming in close contact with another person, you can go for a walk. You said it yourself. You CAN go out for a walk as long as you stay away from other people. How are you in danger if you are not in contact with other people???

[lilyak]

you are not allowed contact with other people. If you can go outdoors, and not contact other people, then outdoors is not only Ok, its recommended. We have to take serious precautions, but things like getting outdoors if we can are really important for mental health. So if you can get out and walk without contacting anyone else, that's a good thing. But it is very important you don't congregate with others. Honestly, i think we are saying the same thing. But you can leave the house, you just can't be in close contact with other people. Depends on where you live.

[helixhelix]

It is the no contact bit that is crucial.

If you can step outside your front door without meeting anyone or touching anything then surely no different from going into your garden?

I feel we must be careful but not work ourselves into a state of panic. Even if we did get it most of us would survive. The big issue is that as a country we need to stop the NHS being overwhelmed by too many cases at the same time, as if that happens then the mortality rate will rise.

[Brychni]

I am a huge believer in exercise and sunlight to boost immune system. We are really lucky in that we live in the middle of nowhere. People have been criticised for coming here to their caravans/second homes and reducing our local supplies/healthcare etc but I do understand why they come: It's human nature to want to get out into sunshine especially when there is a health need. It's instinctive.

[helixhelix]

No I am absolutely not going against government advice but trying to recognise that people live in different circumstances. Not everyone lives in a city, town or even village. There are no people where I live so I am not going to huddle indoors in a frightened state.

[helixhelix]

The UK is no different from other places, and we have been on lockdown here since 16th March.. I agree that you should have no contact with people but even in the UK not everyone lives in urban areas.

[AgedCrone in reply to helixhelix]

But the UK letter to the highly vulnerable has the bizarre phrase...”you can open your window”.....sure they don’t think people are going to hermetically seal their houses?

I think you use your common sense....altho sometimes I do wonder?

[helixhelix]

Yes it does sound bad in densely populated urban areas. But around 20% of the UK population don’t live in urban areas, so need to evaluate their own situation. If there is any risk outside your home you stay indoors.

I am particularly concerned about people's mental health if they stay indoors for weeks on end. We have been in lockdown for over a week now, and some people are already suffering.