Coronavirus : Sorry if this has been mentioned many... - PMRGCAuk

PMRGCAuk

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Coronavirus

5 years ago•6 Replies

Sorry if this has been mentioned many times before but I have just returned from 3 weeks in New Zealand. I have tapered down to 0 Prednisolone , a week ago. Any idea how long it takes for Immunoglobulin to get to normal level? Also does PMR itself make us more prone to catching Coronavirus? I am 63 don’t mind self isolating for a couple of weeks but months would be horrendous ! I have a daughter with MH issues on her own with 2 children who needs a lot of support but I’m keen on staying alive too !

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Breconblue

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DorsetLadyPMRGCAuk volunteer5 years ago

Can I suggest you have a look through the pinned post with Covid19 in the title. They should answer all your questions.

But short answers-

Having just returned to country - you should self isolate for 14days - particularly with your family issues

Can’t answer on immunoglobulin, but it can take up to a year after steroids for your body to be fully functioning.

Taking steroids has made your immune system compromised so you are more at risk,

You might think self isolating for months is horrendous, but you may not have a choice! We are all learning that.

Breconblue5 years ago

Thanks Dorset lady I will read, however re the self isolating for 2 weeks, leaflet given at Heathrow only advises this for certain countries, NZ is not one of them. Only if symptoms

HeronNS• in reply toBreconblue5 years ago

That leaflet is out of date, and your country should be doing something about that. Everyone returning from abroad should be self isolating. This is what we have (finally) been told in Canada and it applies to every country. You may have been exposed somewhere en route. Also when an entire village was tested they found that in the end as many as 75% of those who tested positive NEVER showed any symptoms, so they could under the unfortunate situation of your country and mine have been going around spreading the disease to many others. Except in that case all the positives, even asymptomatic, were placed into isolation. The disease did not spread further and the cases within the village diminished rapidly.

HeronNS• in reply toBreconblue5 years ago

The frst case in New Zealand was reported on February 28. Three weeks later there are over 50. This is how it starts everywhere.

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

PMRproAmbassador• in reply toBreconblue5 years ago

You have no idea who was on that plane with you. The UK is struggling and no-one has any idea who is infected and who not because they simply haven't been testing. The evidence suggests that something between 50 and 80% of patients display no symptoms but are able to spread the virus. If you catch it you will find out the very very hard way that the UK is not prepared at all. They don't even have protective clothing, never mind enough ventilators - I don't care what BoJo says. The UK has been behind the curve all the way along with some very doubtful science claims.

Self isolation is actually not just to protect others from you, it is also to protect you from others. I appreciate I have a slightly different view because I live in Italy, my region is not as badly affected as Lombardy but like the rest of Italy I am on lockdown and there are cases in my community. I may go to the shop for essential supplies, I may not leave my community and now must remain 3m from anyone else - which as you might imagine, makes shopping less than simple! By doing this it looks as if the infection rate is just starting to level off - after 2 weeks. The regulations are to last longer - indefinitely.

It is thought that having PMR doesn't really make you more likely to catch Covid19 - not that they really know. It does, though, increase your risk of complications if you do catch it. Being on pred increases that risk slightly so we are at an increased/high risk of problems. How soon that fades after getting off pred isn't known.

The bottom line is that YOU have to be responsible for you - and your family. In your case, I would be social distancing VERY stringently for both your safety and that of others. Once you have symptoms it is too late. And neither you nor the person you meet in the shop may demonstrate symptoms.