Unlike you guys in the UK, Covid has only been here in Tasmania since December. The borders were so tightly controlled before then, that Covid didn't rear its ugly head. Since December I have been effectively shielding. I have everything delivered and don't go anywhere. I no longer go to family events or meet up with friends face to face (I do meet them via online video). I do gardening and I'm a writer so I work from home. Most days I can cope but sometimes like today, it overwhelms me and I feel so down. I feel so afraid all the time - I feel like everything is 'contaminated' and it makes me anxious. I am married and my husband reluctantly keeps to 'my rules' about things but this can't go on for ever. It's been 5 months now and feels like 5 years. What mechanisms do you use to help you cope with the situation that I can borrow from your experience?
Please help me cope: Unlike you guys in the UK, Covid... - NRAS
Please help me cope
Hello from the UK. Have you had your vaccine shots? I have had 4 and I’m taking calculated risks; for example going shopping at quiet times; going to events where I can distance myself. Equally some risks I will not take. I wear a mask always and a ‘please give me space lanyard’ sometimes when out. The thought of the antivirals and reading how other RA patients have come through Covid OK has given me some comfort if the worst happens.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I think I will have to be braver and go out into safe places with my mask on. Winter is coming here soon and the thought of long, cold days is daunting. I do go for early morning walks - before everyone else gets up!
I took Covid after 3 vaccines and was very frightened as my lungs are not good. I stayed in my bedroom for 10 days until negative and was ok. It is difficult to know what to do for the best I decided to get out and enjoy life, be sensible and not let fear rule my life. I put my trust in God daily as I could be run over by a bus tomorrow life is short. In all honestly you should do whatever you are comfortable and happy with.
Ask yourself the following questions? Are you vaccinated? What meds are you on? Does Australia have anti virals for Covid? What other comorbidities do you have? I suggest this as you may be shielding unnecessarily. I am on methotrexate and adalimumab, caught Covid in November,after being triple vaccinated, but it was very mild. Far less severe than many colds I have had. With modern medicine and the Omicron variant the threat is not the same as it was two years ago, as a consequence most people in the UK have chosen to live with Covid. Just like flu, we don't go out to catch it or deliberately pass it on but we dont suspend life for it either. We trust that for the majority it will be just another illness that we may catch but with the treatments now available will survive. Obviously everyone's situation is different. If someone is on rituximab then Covid vaccine is less effective and they would still be high risk. You can only judge your own risk yourself but try not to scare yourself by thinking things are the same as they were two years ago, we understand Covid so much more now.
Thank you for your reply. I am on methotrexate and Humira and prednisolone. My rheumy says antivirals will be available to me. So I think I will have to take tiny steps to get out there again.
Good plan. I ask people to give me room or move seats if I feel uncomfortable.
You see on the same meds as myself.I lead a normal life but am wary of crowded places. I wear a mask in supermarkets . I live in semi rural setting which helps . I have a small social life, eat in small restaurantd etc.
I am told I would receive medication should I get covid.
Try and relax and start to enjoy life a bit more...your husband will appreciate it having you happier. You live in a lovely place (I have visited). Good luck.
Ladyjan
Thank you for your kind words.
Completely echo this. I am on MTX and a biologic and have never shielded. I knew it would not be good for my mental health! But I am under 75, not obese, don’t smoke, don’t have diabetes heart or lung problems and take regular exercise. So I decided that my risk of dying from Covid was low, and even less so now I have had 4 vaccines.
So I am careful. Avoid very crowded situations like a football match, or pubs - especially where people are drinking as tend to then forget themselves a bit 😉. But apart from that I live pretty normally, and always have a mask with me and usually handwash.
Do try to put your fears in some perspective.
Thank you
I have had 4 vaccines and am waiting for my 5th as am immune suppressed.I did shield when told and stayed in first of all and get everything delivered but went on secret walks.I say secret as my family disapproved as we’re afraid for my safety even thou we never saw anyone else on walk.So I have had my 4th vaccine and it was only last month I got covid.I had it for 10 days and just felt dizzy and quite unwell.No we’re near as bad as flu thou.I just think now we have to get out and mix.I have missed 2 years of mixing with family .It felt like life had moved on and I couldn’t catch up.I still get nervous about catching it again but know the vaccines have kept me out of hospital so I accept them all.In Tasmania it will be just baby steps for now for you so covid numbers stay low.Be patient and all will be ok
Thank you for your support
I’m on 5 immunosuppressants including methotrexate, Etanercept, prednisolone and hydrocortisone. I also use 2 steroid inhalers. At the start of shielding I was washing fawn all my grocery deliveries, which would exhaust me and have me lying down for a few hours. I decided to do an antibody test, and was surprised that despite being on so many immunosuppressants, I had a good response. So I decided to stop all the decontaminating, especially as it’s only hubby and I at home now. That helped enormously. I did do all my shopping online, and do still occasionally order. However I’m comfortable going to the supermarkets at quieter times for my weekly shop, and it’s done me the world of good. My friends are all nurses working on covid wards, but I do meet them outdoors for coffee and catch up which has been good for my sanity. 2 of my friends spent a month on a ventilator early on in the pandemic, and they get my high risk, and do LFTs before we meet. My hubby has worked throughout the pandemic as he is classed as an essential worker, working with as a scientist with Pfizer on Covid drugs. They have been brilliant at keeping staff safe, even though all restrictions were lifted here, they continue with their strict rules, which helps me feel safer, than many others here. Most here in the U.K. are of the attitude the pandemics over and are back to normal. There is very little mask wearing or social distancing now, but I continue to follow these rules. I’ll eat out in a restaurant if their tables are well spaced out, or I can sit outdoors. Life is for living, and I decided I was going to reintegrate all be it sensibly, and it has done my mental health the works of good. I just found standard housework in my home, which has reduced my burden. The one thing I’m not ready for is a return to the gym, where some have dreadful hygiene standards, not wiping down equipment. However I have resistance bands and an exercise bike, and do online Pilates and aerobics to regain some of the fitness I lost whilst shielding. We are in a much better place than we were 2yr ago with access to antivirals. Maybe start taking baby steps. Most studies now show that covid doesn’t live on surfaces for long, and that the risk of catching it is very low from surfaces. My gp told me this after initially in the early days insisting on washing down my groceries. Good luck with moving forward 🤗
Thanks for your detailed reply. Yes I still do wash fruits etc and keep the groceries separate for a few days before using them. I know I am being over the top but I just can't help it! You are right. I will need to take a deep breath and take baby steps to getting myself over this fear.
This article might help you. Focus on ventilation and handwashing, much more effective a strategy.
nature.com/articles/d41586-...
Thank you, very kind of you to take the trouble to send me this link - yes very informative and helpful - and has made me feel a little less stressed.
As you have had excellent advice already I can't add anything but have to say I love your user name. It sums up our situation beautifully
I’ve had 3 vaccines but should be on number 5 due to immunosuppression: unfortunately, I’ve been told I can’t have any more due to severe, life-threatening reactions to both AZ and Pfizer. They won’t vaccinate me any further, so I’m now trying to get access to the pre-exposure antibody jab that’s been licensed (evusheld), but not getting very far very fast. I was advised by the medics to go back into formal shielding when omicron emerged. I also care full time for my teenage daughter with complex needs who’s been back in school for the last 12 months, and regularly spends fortnight stints in a central London hospital, meaning the only way to get up there is public transport, where 98% of people have apparently decided the ongoing guidance to continue wearing a mask doesn’t apply to them now that it’s not a legal requirement 🤷♂️
In an ideal world, I would be able to avoid risk, but the world is not ideal, and for my own sanity, being confined to the house isn’t sustainable beyond the 18 months I did initially, so all I can actually do is minimise the chances of catching it. I keep to social distancing wherever humanly possible. I wear masks in any indoor environment that’s not my home, and occasionally in my home if we have people coming in. I clean door handles and surfaces after visitors, and ask that people don’t come to see us with any signs of a respiratory/cold virus. I also have a stash of LFTs, and will occasionally post a person one to complete ahead of them coming to visit in certain circumstances. I always carry alcohol gel and use frequently when out, particularly if I’ve had to touch handles or buttons, or been handling items in shops. I also carry 4 or 5 individually wrapped sanicloths at all times and use them to wipe down tables if we go to a cafe or get lunch somewhere, or on the train, or shopping basket/trolley handles etc.. The downside to all of these precautions is the funny looks I get, and occasionally some tuts, the assumption with wearing a mask in particular often seeming to be that I must have covid, but the upside is that - touch wood, and unless I’ve had it asymptomatically - I haven’t yet caught it. That’s despite having close contact with subsequently confirmed cases twice. I also maintain the same rules/habits for my daughter, and she’s avoided it, too, even though classmates and her residential respite carers have tested positive around her.
As others have said, if you’ve been vaccinated as recommended, and there’s access to antivirals, I would say be cautious, but life does have to go on. This virus isn’t going anywhere, and life is short enough as it is, so we do have to find ways to live with it for the long term.
I have been advised to continue to shield (I’ve shielded from early March 2020) by my immunologist, rheumy and respiratory consultants. I had zero antibodies due to Rtx re my first two Pfizer’s but now B cells are back and I’ve stopped Rtx I have now just repeated those and hope to catch up with the other vaccines in the regular way. I will test for antibodies after the third primary dose in June, and if zero or low then I would be eligible for Evusheld due to that and also due to my constant low hypogamma. That is unlikely to improve much for a couple of years at least and maybe not much at all. I wish there was another vaccine available for you that didn’t give you the reactions you’ve had.
Evusheld would give the severely immunosuppressed more reassurance and confidence. If we could only get hold of it in the U.K. I understand Evusheld is still not ordered by the health sec here even though it got MHRA approval end of March. A lady I know on an immunosuppression site got a reply from Lord Kamal who told her Evusheld wasn’t effective with Omicron. I think that’s a tad premature from him tbh. I have seen people writing on American RA sites saying that it is recommended that double the Evusheld dose is needed, the medics and scientists feel, to prevent Omicron (so do we presume the government here don’t like the sound of double the cost?)
I have just emailed Mr Javid last week re this (and recently other MPs.) The Shadow Minister for the disabled responded to me and she asked some of the same questions in the HOC in late March, where she was told that a health minister would chase that up with her. Neither the PM or the health sec were in session that day.
The last I heard of SJ speaking re Evusheld was him announcing end of December that he had ordered it. Maybe he meant he’d asked the MHRA to approve it. 🤷♀️ (I’m trying to find that article. My phone deleted a lot of items I saved recently. 😑) I feel it is so unfair and neglectful to not make this a priority for the severely immunosuppressed people in the U.K. who don’t have/can't make sufficient, or any antibodies to the vaccines/don’t have a robust immune system. My local MP is also chasing this as she feels strongly also and replied to my email. I will ask again what she feels can be done to “remind” the health sec. I will contact my MP again once the local elections have happened as this is going to take headlines and focus away from health issues.
I don't think we have access to testing for antibodies here. My rheumy team have never offered this to me, so I do not know what my levels are. And I doubt if Australia has access to Evusheld either. I hope you succeed in getting it over there.
Thank you and I hope you do too. I read last week on the immunosuppression uk page that Australia has got provisional approval for Evusheld so I hope that goes ahead. Rheumy teams here don’t generally offer antibodies testing. I did my own private test and sent blood to a lab and then I started consulting an immunologist last summer and he did another antibodies test for me.
We have to pay privately for them here. Chemists will provide them. May be worthwhile investigating where you are? Certainly reassured me when I got good antibody response on my tests.
Thank you. I will.
Good luck in June. Hope you’ve had an antibody response. Keep punching. Your tenacity is admirable.
Thank you. It will be end of June before I can have my third primary dose so I’ll do the antibodies test a month later as advised. Hope you are steady.
Thank you - your comments have given me hope! I hope you and your daughter continue to stay safe.
Lots of good advice above from fellow sufferers. I’m very immune suppressed and fully vaccinated but still only mixing with people I trust completely. I would not feel comfortable going into a pub/restaurant/coffee shop to eat - I prefer to be outside and at a good safe distance from others.
If I choose to go out I wear a top quality FFP3 standard mask bought from a reputable PPE supplier. I have been going to my hair salon where they take extra precautions for me and all their staff wear masks. I’ve also been into the supermarket at a very quiet time and only for a quick dash in and out. Otherwise everything else is delivered.
I feel that we have to weigh up our own risks based on our age, health, the meds we take and any other underlying medical conditions. If you choose a relatively low risk outing at a quiet time, wear a good mask and wash/sanitise your hands frequently you will feel more comfortable.
Good luck!
Thank you. Yes I will have to take baby steps to get out there as mentally, it's killing me!
But the Covid vaccinations will give you the best protection so do please get them. Very few people have side effects other than a slightly sore arm or perhaps a mini flare. They are worth putting up with to feel protected. Getting Covid and possibly Long Covid is likely to be far worse.
Thank you
I must add that there’s no way I would contemplate going out or mixing socially if I had not been fully vaccinated. Omicron is so contagious! And although the vaccines may not stop us from getting Covid they do prevent us from becoming seriously ill with it.
The first thing you must do is to get you & your husband vaccinated.As soon as all vaccinations were rolled out ….the infection rate here in U.K. dropped.
Don’t scare yourself by believing all the figures you read in the papers about how many people have died from Covid …..sadly there have been many deaths & the truth appears to be that people have died with Covid but from another illness ….a lot of people contracted the virus in hospital having been admitted when already seriously ill.
So don’t dwell on the scary stories you see on the TV or read in your newspapers.
I am elderly….& I decided I was going to use my common sense - be careful get vaccinated asap & wear a mask when I went out ….but I was not going to shield 24/7 & lock myself away - despite the fact that I was described as clinically extremely vulnerable - because of the drugs I take & my age….by my doctors.
In fact I managed to move house during lock down….having shown strangers around my house at the height of the infection and I had no sign of catching Covid.
Of course that meant I had plenty to occupy me…. So I didn’t have much time to sit and worry about catching the virus.
So all I can say is do not lock yourself away - do not force your husband to lock himself away….. get on with your lives….take walks…..get masks & shop when your local shops are less busy, & of course take all the other recommended precautions ..wash hands regularly & keep away from crowded indoor spaces…..but don’t scare yourself into living a life of misery.
But if you haven’t already done so …..the real key is GET VACCINATED as soon as possible…..because that will mean not that you can’t catch Covid but that you are very unlikely to have it badly.
So please don’t let fear drag you down…..& once all your family have been vaccinated you can make suitable arrangements to see them, we have been through winter with Covid so I’m sure you will manage too.
Things are getting much better….don’t think back to the beginning…look forward….more suitable, longer lasting vaccines & less infection is happening all over. …..so work towards enjoying life again.
Thank you. I didn't want to mention vaccination because people react so violently if you are not. My husband simply refuses to have it and refuses to wear a mask. I can't change his views. I am not anti vax in general but I'm scared! A friend of my nephews died from the vaccine - he was only 40, fit with a family. And quite a few people on this forum have had bad reactions to the vaccine, so because Tasmania didn't have any cases of covid until December 21, I have just avoided getting it, as there was no risk at all - but now there is and the circumstances have changed, but I am still struggling with the decision.
I had a nasty reaction to the 1st two jabs…. ….my third one was fine …..it really is essential to be vaccinated .
I think that is the one thing all the scientists and clinicians are agreed upon ….vaccination is essential in case you do catch Covid.
As I said before it won’t stop you catching Covid but it will ensure that your antibodies are activated to protect you from getting it too badly.
We all have to make up our own minds whether we are going to have the injections ….maybe if you have them your husband will follow suit?
Just get vaccinated ….don’t worry what people think ….if you feel a bit rough for a few days afterwards ….just think how bad you might feel if you catch Covid & you are not vaccinated.
Good luck…keep safe.
Thank you for not judging me, as others have. I am just anxious, not a radical! My husband will never change his mind - he is absolutely adamant that he will not have it, so I have to do what I think is best for me.
It is a personal decision……harder for some.
I think most people are wary…I am still sitting on the fence about having my 4th booster jab……I’m sure my rheumy is fed up with me saying. “…but what if”…every time it’s discussed.But how long are those of us who had nasty side effects expected to voluntarily have an injection that could make us feel really awful
“just in case “?
I’m not actually anxious…I just don’t want the side effects again …..but then I don’t want Covid! Aaaaaaagh!
You do what you feel is right for you.
Between a rock and a hard place...it's difficult...I will eventually come to the right decision I guess.
Of course you will…that is all anyone can do!
I would echo everything that has been said above.If you are vaccinated and have little else in the way of comorbidities the risk is small from becoming very unwell with Covid.
I am on prednisolone, toficinitib and lefunomide. I still take care in that I wear a high grade mask when in the supermarket or buying a carry out coffeee for example, and I go to for an early lunch when the restaurants are quiet, use outside eating booths if the restaurant has them. I don't go to crowded places, but otherwise I'm just getting on with things.
I wash my hands after being out before I touch my household appliances, but I'm not obsessive about it.
Life does have to go on and we are in a much better place with the vaccination and antivirals than we were at the start of Covid, overall the risk is small even if you, like me, are immunocompromised.
I'm going on my first flight since the pandemic began, next week, I'll be wearing a mask and have booked a single seat so that I am not sitting beside some random person that I don't know 🤞 all will be well.
Thank you - and have a wonderful holiday.
I had one vaccine last may but due to my severe anxiety I couldn’t get any more. I was taking Baricitinib when I got covid at the end of December. I was told to stop the Baricitinib for 2 weeks. I wasn’t the bad, I’ve had viruses far worse than how I felt with covid. I got covid again at the beginning of April and I was taking Baricitinib and prednisone, my doctor told me to stop medication for 1 week and not to worry about the prednisone because they give them to people who are in a bad way with covid in the hospital. The second time I had covid I felt pretty much normal just felt a bit tired. My niece and my kids seemed to take it worse than I did.
Thank you. It's good to know that even though you are not vaccinated that your covid was mild - this gives me a lot of hope!
I think you need to get yourself and your husband vaccinated. That will make a huge difference to how you feel. I think the fact you know you have taken a positive step towards protecting yourself helps.
I am a real needle phobe and never even had a flu vaccination until after I braved it and had my first covid vaccination.
To be honest for myself I could have just stayed a recluse and not bothered but I did it for all the front line people who were putting themselves at colossal risk helping the public - I felt it was the one thing I could do for them.
You can still catch covid even after you have been vaccinated - my husband did a few weeks ago but he was absolutely fine - a bit of a cough but he wasn’t tired or anything like that - we’ve both had all three of our vaccinations in fact he got his fourth one last week - but I didn’t catch it from him.
We both still wear masks, wash our hands and try to keep our distance from people when we’re out. My husband has always gone shopping - me not so much although I do more now. We’ve only recently started to eat out again but I haven’t been to the cinema or anywhere like that yet and next week we’re about to go away for our first holiday since September 2019
Thank you for your comments - I hope you have a wonderful time away.
Thank you - I hope it’s good too, not sure what to expect though. We’ve got a cottage so if eating out and mingling with other people gets to be too much then we can always cook for ourselves.I hope you can find a way to come to terms with all this awful lockdown stuff. To be honest I was never all that scared of catching it but I got to the stage where I thought stuff it, if I get covid I get it and I’ll either live or die which didn’t impress my husband at all! Especially when I said I didn’t want to be resuscitated - I’m 74, got osteoporosis and inflammatory arthritis. Apart from hands, face and space you can’t really do anything else.
The worst part of it all was that I got to quite like - well I got to really like - being a recluse. We walked a lot, did the garden, read a lot, saved lots of money because we couldn’t go to shops or go out for coffee and cake - it was surprisingly pleasant although it shouldn’t have been.
I know a lot of people who just couldn’t wait to get back out there socialising but I got so used to lockdown that I just didn’t care.
Good luck with it all.
Thank you!
Well - after all the support provided here and you nice answers, it is clear that you are not vaccinated. May I ask why? The current variant of covid is so contagious, that you will end up catching it in the end. 3,5 mill danish people out of 5,5 mill had it in 3 months, and that was with vaccination.Any fear that you may have of the vaccine, the disease is worse.
Good luck
Hi I’m from central qld we were pretty much shielded from Covid to but once the borders opened the numbers went up which was expected. I don’t let it stop me from going out that will just make your life miserable. Wear a mask. Use sanitiser and don’t put yourself into really closed confined places. You’ll be ok just take precautions but don’t stay locked indoors 🙂
Thanks Sylvia
Hello, I just want you to know you’re not alone. As for coping, well, I’m not sure I’m best placed to help as I’ve not coped well myself.
I’m also a writer so like you, work from home. The last two years have been so hard & as a shielder, I’ve hardly stepped through the door of our flat. I recognise everything you say, including my husband going along with my « rules » albeit somewhat reluctantly. I don’t want to give you a tale of woe so I won’t go on about it too much, but it’s been a very hard two years (just over). Even with all this, as my husband is a teacher, a few weeks ago I tested positive for Covid. I’d had my four jabs & although scary & unpleasant, I got through it like a nasty dose of flu. Now I’m starting to go out into the world again - cautiously. I won’t be going to any book launches any time soon (I even missed the launch of my own debut novel 😔) but little by little I’m working through the fear & panic.
I’m so sorry that I’ve no real strategies for coping. I tell myself everyday that each moment counts. I try hard to stay in the moment but it’s not an easy thing when you’re alone a lot. I really just want to send a few words of solidarity from across the planet. You’re not alone in this. It’s an awful thing when you see people going about their lives & you feel trapped & helpless. I know. Honestly, I know.
All things must pass.
It does & will take time & hopefully this horrible virus is slowly becoming more controlled. Although I know that’s no help on a daily ‘living with it’ basis.
Look after yourself. Be good to yourself. Give yourself permission to be afraid but don’t let that be the only thing guiding your day. Take things one day at a time. These are all clichés, I know, but they do work.
I send you loads of empathy. Take care x
Oh thank you, thank you - for such a kind and helpful reply - it made me tear up. You understand exactly how I feel and I am so grateful that you took the time to reply. You have had to put up with it for so much longer than I have, which makes me feel a little ashamed of myself - as it's only been a short while for me so far. But I will remember your comments and will try much harder to get out there soon!
Be lovely to yourself, though. None of this is your fault. X
You need to go out for walks and get some sunlight which will greatly improve your health. I take lots of vitamin and mineral supplements like vitamin B, C, D3, K2(helps absorb D3), quercetin, selenium, magnesium, zinc, krill and fish oils for my joints. Powdered vitamin C and powdered magnesium is better as it gets absorbed faster than tablet supplements. Unfortunately other regular vitamins and minerals don't seem to come in powder form. Even if you don't socialise that much, you need to get out regularly and have a change of scenery for your mental health even if its just a cafe or the shops. Don't listen to the mainstream news too much as they tell loads of lies which promotes hysteria. The news and governments around the world have been using propaganda to terrify people into submission. Same tactics used in WW2 and communist regimes.I worked in a care home up until last year and had residents who were ill with covid coughing all over me. I was never once ill with covid. Only a very small amount of people have genuinely died from covid. Most so called covid deaths have been of patients who were already terminally ill or died from cancer, heart disease, other diseases etc and died with covid so covid was automatically put down as cause of death on the death certificate as its in the NHS excess death provision guidelines paragraph 1b whereby a medical practitioner to the best of their knowledge can write down the patient died from covid even if they haven't been tested for it, they just had some symptoms of covid. You can't make it up!
Thanks. Yes I do a lot of gardening and go for early morning walks - that does help.
I am in the same position as you I am vulnerable but my husband us a trabsplant patient and vaccines have not worked ! so more or less shielding aoart from walks on our own outside abd the odd walk outside with daughter, it's been over 2 years and struggling now as in UK feel like everyone has there life back but a few, try to keep busy with new hobbies and I think at least we are still here
Thank you for your reply. You have certainly had it much harder than me and it's been so long for you. Yes it's so hard to see everyone else out there as normal - I just hope that things get better for you - and all of us.
First and foremost...get vaccinated and boosted! This might not completely prevent you from actually getting Covid BUT it WILL (in most cases) make it milder and most people do not need hospitalization (I have a very weak immune system, got Covid and it wasn't fun but I wasn't struggling to breathe and didn't need to go to the doctor or hospital). Second, wear ONLY a KN95 mask and nothing less than that! Make sure it is KN95 or N95 BUT anything less than the "5 layers" type of masks even those surgical or medical types do NOT work well enough to keep you from getting Covid. How do I know this? My husband was the ONLY one of us who actually got Covid from the community (brought it into our home, that is how I got it) because out of ALL of us, he refused to wear the KN95 masks! He wore the 2 layers surgical type of mask (he claimed the other type was just too uncomfortable). I KNOW we would have ALL avoided getting Covid (I just know it) but he got sick, claimed it was a "sinus" thing, and within 3 days..we ALL got that "sinus" thing. Good LUCK
Thank you! Glad you are ok still.
Well, just be a little bit careful and you will all be ok. Little more hand washing, a little less social contact (more distancing), keeping yourself healthy, eating well, taking your vitamins, and hopefully, you won't get it. Wear the right type of mask and wear it properly, OVER the mouth and nose (yep, sounds silly but so many claim masks don't work and gee, I wonder why?) Here in the USA, they are saying about 75 percent or more of us have had Covid and that percentage is probably much higher given there are many people who had it and didn't know it.Wear that mask....
😉
Thanks - love the image!
Hi
When the first lockdowns started both myself ( male with RA ) and my wife were very cautious didn’t go out and used hand sanitizer - you know the whole shebang. It was extremely easy to become paranoid because of the government announcements and regular news updates about infections and deaths.
I noticed myself becoming very anxious and agoraphobic, so I decided to do something about it. We started going out to places, shopping even visiting large towns but avoiding groups of people. Nothing happened and eventually both of us have returned to normal.
We’ve both been vaccinated multiple times and don’t take unnecessary risks. I’m convinced that one of the biggest problem is the way the pandemic has been treated by the news outlets and governments is the problem of induced paranoia, which with certain personalities will reduce the quality of life.
Be prepared to rethink your present way of life, don’t let covid rob you of your quality of life.
Chris_0
Rethink is what so many sensible people have had to do. Choose places which are less crowded and shop at less peak times etc. A balance between how immunosuppressed you are, what meds you take, what comorbidites you have and what risks you want to take. I am not a risk taker in this as I have had zero antibodies and highly immunosuppressed due to medication and it’s side effects. If someone with RA/RD is on much lower spec medication and isn’t as immunosuppressed, then they will feel it isn’t as much risk. It’s primarily the advice of consultants/experts one should listen to and not those of someone who doesn’t know you, whether it is an interfering neighbour or a delivery person (yes, I’ve been bullied and ridiculed for shielding) or a scaremongering media article or badly informed politician. You’ll know yourself generally what is right for you. If in any doubt I think it best to confer with the consultant/rheumy nurse what level of risk you are.
Thank you - good, sound advice
😀💗
Yes the media has a lot to answer for. I stopped watching the news 2 years ago!
Hello. What is life if it is not lived? While shielding I realised that my mental health was deteriorating rapidly. I needed to recapture all the things that bring me joy and once found again I began to feel so much brighter and positive. Whatever brings you joy, sunshine, nature, books, writing, making positive connections, food and so on is more important than being afraid to live. I kept away from crowds and negative people, masked up, cleansed hands and moved out of the sphere of fear that I would die if I got Covid. Of course the vaccinations helped my confidence and nature is so healing. In March this year I contracted Covid and was quickly given the Antiviral, Paxlovid, and they work. I was negative in 4 days. I too have had the real flu and it was so much worse than getting Covid but that's my own personal experience and it's not so for many others.Many people here understand fully how you are feeling and I sincerely hope that you find your way forward through this difficult time, knowing you are not alone and the connections you are making now will continue to support you as you venture once more into the big wide world. Be kind to yourself.
Thank you for your kind words
It does feel like everything is contaminated in the beginning but you eventually get used to living with it.My advice is you only have one life. Don't waste it by hiding away. Be cautious. Follow your countries guidelines and then get on with living.
We are so used to it in the UK that must say I hardly think about it anymore.
Thanks - I would love to be at the stage where I stop thinking about it!
You won’t think about it so much if you aren’t so highly immunosuppressed and you are fully vaccinated (and if the vaccines worked .. that helps!) . If you are unfortunate to not have the protection of on high level meds, it’s harder to live with/negotiate, as others have said here many times. It is what is right for you and your meds, your health conditions/comorbidities and level of immunosuppression. x
I was scared stiff! I am on baricitinib sulphasalazine and blood pressure tablets and was told to shield which I did! Missed two Christmas treats three funerals and two posh holidays grew fat grew sad and then one day looked in the mirror and did not recognise the fat OLD miserable lady looking back!So gave myself a talking too.
Put on my mask and went out for a drive with my husband in the car I felt like I was off for a job interview but I got out.
Then went to nursery outside and bought plants then went to a pub and had lunch outside.
I realised life was passing me by. And I needed to try to change.
Last week I went up to London on the tube 🚇
My husband has been great over two years he goes to work comes home straight in shower clothes in the washer- never been so clean. Toilets gleam with bleach, sinks glow with hand sanitizer and windows always open.
I still caught covid on 22 December worst bloody Christmas present I have ever had- but it was a release! I caught it I survived it and i have taken the risk and been vaccinated. I am not the same person as I was still cautious going out mixing but getting there.
As a RA warrior we are made of sterner stuff. So best of luck to you. What I am trying to say in a long convoluted way is that it is human to be scared and it is human to rise up above it so take care my lovely and best of luck 💐🤞🏻
Aw...thank you so much for your comforting words - I appreciate that you took the time to write these comments.
Hi from the UK I do things that I feel I can manage, such as going to pubs at quieter times, sitting by a window, making sure I have my hand sanitizer and mask. I get in touch with my friends to make sure I feel supported. It's hard when family members are reluctant to do things for you as sometimes they just don't understand. I have also had 4 vaccinations so I keep those up to date. Take 1 day at a time and do something you really enjoy. Good luck.
Thank you - one day at a time is all I can do at the moment.
I shielded for two years, had everything delivered, only had FaceTime connections with family and friends. I didn’t want to risk getting Covid because I’m immunosuppressed. I’ve had 4 vaccinations and a blood test showed I had Covid antibodies. I ventured out occasionally to places I knew wouldn’t be busy and I’m still wearing a mask. The day my blood test came back I tested positive for Covid! My husband and daughter, who live in the same house, didn’t get it. The good thing was that because I am immunosuppressed and have severe asthma I was given an antiviral infusion. Stay safe
Thank you
It's hard. It's depressing. It's scary, lonely, and frustrating. But it gets better. Always remember, it gets better. My hope is that your country is not dealing with the first strain. Find your peace. Write, read, enjoy your hobbies. It may last a while, so find what gives you peace. It really does get better.
Thank you! It's omicron here so it's milder, so yes all I can hope for is that it WILL get better
I can appreciate its really scary for you, if you have had vaccinations then why not try and go out for a short time at a quiet time, this is what I had and I did find being out not so scary as my imagination! I have a friend who had cancer and she has had covid a number of times now but comes through, to continue with her treatments.... take one step at a time was my philosophy and like another reply I kept praying to Our God...
Thanks - yes tiny steps is what I will aim for!
In Cambodia they are talking about rolling out a 5th vaccine, I will get it as soon as I can, I've had covid once so I'm not frightened about getting it again but I'll take every vaccine they can give me.
I understand that covid is airbourne so more important to mask than wash shopping. FFP2 or FFP3 masks are the ones recommended as much more effective than "ordinary" types
theguardian.com/world/2022/...
This has helped me feel less vulnerable in slowly getting back via quieter places and times
Good Luck
Not what you're looking for?
You may also like...
Please help me with questions for the Rheumatologist
Please can someone help me?
Please help... can’t come to terms that I have RA, I don’t know how to cope, how to be me again, how to live, I feel completely lost...
Some self help for pain relief please give it a go and let me know what you think.😍😊
Can you help me with a few queries please
Rheumatoid nodules. Please help!
Living with RA please HELP!!
sulfasalazine and infection please help
Please could you help me with my query regarding MTX?
