Hi, I am a nurse and have been diagnosed with pmr 4months ago,taking 10mgs of Prednisolone,does anyone know if I should be at work.I am 65 years old and very frightened.
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Reducer
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•
You are in.an at risk group because of PMR and pred. I am going to find sonic the discussions we have had.
healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...
healthunloceKd.com/pmrgcauk....
healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...
Blearyeyed• in reply to
Excellent choices of the selection there , Poops.
A combination of your age and current steroid dose does put you in a group whose immunity is not efficient and your risks are higher. You should definitely be social distancing in a way which may not be possible or convenient in the type of Nursing role you have.
Do you work on wards in a hospital or are you a Home Care Nurse looking after individual patients ?
I understand that the hospitals are desperate not to lose staff , but the health of the staff should also be a priority , you should seriously discuss both your condition and medications with your Manager and see if you should be doing this job at the moment.
Do not forget that the job is stressful and active no matter what type of Nursing you do , and the stress involved in worrying about an infection will not help keep you healthy either.
All of these things could cause a Flare in your PMR activity which would make you more vulnerable.
If you do continue to work it may be better to also reduce your hours , ensure your access to equipment to reduce infection, or have your role changed to work with less contact with those that may have the virus .
Thank you so much for your reply.I work in the hospital and your right in what your saying because my anxiety levels are high and this morning I have woke up really aching and wondered why,when my Pmr has been under control for a few weeks,I will definitely speak to my manager at work.So glad for your comments ,thank you.
I've just answered another Hospital Staff workers post that works on a ward , so you might want to see how my answer advises in that situation.
Basically , for the sake of other staff , to help those organising rotas , to help patients and yourself, if you are in an " at risk group " and also have symptoms of your existing illnesses occurring
At Risk . Be a Hero , Stay at Home !
Thank you for what you have done so far , and will do again in the future , just remember you will feel more guilty than anyone if continuing work means you get an infection or even a Flare and need to take up a bed yourself. And , very importantly , by taking precautions now , you will be Healthy enough to take on extra shifts after this crisis when your colleagues need to take a break from what they did. Don't feel guilty , you are protecting everybody with these choices , including the NHS.
How are you? I cannot imagine being able to work in the early days of PMR, you must be made of sterner stuff. What kind of advice are your HR people giving out? I know that the NHS are desperate to bring nurses out of retirement at this time. However, you have a disease that means your immune system is attacking itself, you are on a drug that compromises your immune system further. If you have any choice at all, in my view, it is risky and unwise, in this climate, for you to work in healthcare.
Can I just thank you for all that you and your colleagues do. Now is a time to take care of yourself.
• in reply toSheffieldJane
Agree with sjane. Thank you for frontline stays, but is is safety for you now. Please. 🌻
Thank you.Being newly diagnosed I didn't realise how serious it is ,I will definitely speak to my manager at work,no one seems to know anything about per even though I work in the hospital.Thank you.
There is a lot of good information on this site that you could print off to give them. Have a look at the pinned posts on the right of the screen.
Welcome to the site, it has been a life saver for me.
It's not the illness itself that puts you at more risk of infection but the Steroid medication use does affect your immune system.
PMR or GCA after an infection could cause you to have a more serious infection , which would be made worse by a Flare in the activity in the PMR or GCA.
That certainly is a very good question. Dissapointingley zI Tried to start a forum on this precise matter.
It was shut down immediately by whoever runs this site. Draconian.
I've examined all literature on this including speaking directly to my gp and 111.
Neither helped.
Gp said technically iam immuno suppressed.
That leaves us in limbo.
Iam a supervisor in a busy aerospace company and have similar worries.
• in reply toLadymax123
I am sorry which post did you get closed down. If it was a covid post off the daily covid chat then you were advised to ask it there and all replies turned off. If you have a problem with how the site is moderated please complain properly.
Ladymax123• in reply to
Pls dont reply again to me. You are unhelpful and repetitive.
Goodbye if you reply I shall report you to the mediator
Goodbye.
• in reply toLadymax123
I am a moderator. Please feel free to complain.
Blearyeyed• in reply to
Did that just sound like a scene from a sitcom , or was it just me ??!! Poops 😋
• in reply toBlearyeyed
Everything about it was like a badly written 70s sitcom!
If you continue to be rude dont worry about reporting anyone as i will restrict you. YBB
We are moderators not mediators and being offensive to us is a sure fired way to get yourself restricted. When you find your manners please feel free to comnent on this forum in the meantime take your rudeness else where as we really dont have the tine to deal with this. You might want to read up on our guidelines regarding acceptable behaviour. YBB
• in reply toLadymax123
If you keep looking at posts that have covid in the title....in the past 7 days there have been 2 posts with the guidelines re pred on them.
I spend 15 mins pulling material together for you 7 days ago that was up to date. I linked 4 posts that were as close to relevant at that point. It is offensive to be called Draconian after spending time in a busy day looking up thinks that you could have done yourself. If that is Draconian you and I have very different versions. You also repeated the same/similar question despite getting access to the most up to date advice at that stage. I would have direct you to the more up to date information now but you would obviously Ignore it. I am sorry I couldn't provide information that didn't exist then
That was more than I had been doing for others, as we were closing ALL covid post to one central daily message.
Sorry if you think any of the moderators actions draconian but after a lengthy discussion with our administrators it was decided that all covid posts would only be answered on the covid thread.
As we only had two moderators at the time and allowing for the fact that we HAVE to read everything posted and replies as well it was to save our own sanity as well. Plus the posts about pmr and gca were drowning under covid posts.
Both myself and Pmrpro are also members of this forum in our own right and hsve pmr ourselves. Our jobs as moderators are also voluntary. We do this job so that people like yourself have a forum to use.
If you have an issue with supposedly draconian rules i suggest you take this up with either Candy or Fran from admin. Fortunately most of our members actually appreciate us. YBB
PMRproAmbassador
Have you not been given a form to complete listing your medical problems so you can be allocated to a lower risk role? Despite Covid there are still emergency medical and surgical needs.
Both my daughters have - they are front line staff, one with respiratory ward experience although currently working in endoscopy and the other is a paramedic training as an Emergency Care Practitioner. ECPs were to be relocated to assessing and testing patients for Covid19 outside the ED. Both have asthma, the ECP also has hypertension and renal problems which makes them at least high risk - but they are still working.
In your case, having PMR makes you at increased risk should you develop Covid10, as does being on 10mg pred. You need to discuss it with Occy Health and your manager to see what role may be suitable for you.
Pro just checking can we keep posts open put up by NHS or Hospital Workers in general , as an exception as they need answers quick and fast , probably separate from the main general thread ?
I'm assuming that was the plan as the replies are still on , but I thought I'd check so others don't query why this is happening in a vital / key workers post
Maybe a quick Mod message letting everyone know that this is being done to help support them would stop questions about why they aren't using the main Covid thread .
Monday this week will be the big day for them making decisions or receiving rotas both in the NHS and across essential services in the UK.
I have done so far this morning but am considering stopping replying once the question has been answered.
If you had noticed, putting up a Mod notice is often ignored - people don't read what is already up. I posted about the Protecting the Vulnerable guidance some time ago and it has been duplicated already!!!!
I suppose you could add Mod advice at the top, " please only answer this person's question and ask your own in the Daily Covid thread to help this essential worker get what they need."
• in reply toPMRpro
Yes...the only issue I can see if mods may end up answering all the questions. Or am I missing the point. Sadly HU doesn't have the ease of use we need in such circumstances.
Blearyeyed• in reply to
That's what I thought might help , any hardworking Mod could just add the message if you had no time to answer the question , others could then answer the post but know to still discuss other Covid stuff elsewhere , leaving the person with just what they need personally.
But then people could have the option to add a big thank you reply or hug to that worker to help them feel supported and keep positive and keep going if it was left on xx
Which still adds to the amount we read! Even a simple thank you ...
From the NHS info sheet on steroids:
‘Steroids also reduce the activity of the immune system, which is the body's natural defence against illness and infection.’
The immune system is compromised. Thus, anyone taking steroids is at greater risk of any infection. As I understand it, the latest Gvt advice to protect the most vulnerable ( that includes anyone whose immune system is suppressed) is strict self isolation for a period of 12 weeks. Letters are due to be sent by GPS to those deemed highest risk.
Difficult as it may be, in your situation, I’m afraid I wouldn’t continue working. It’s your life on the line, literally in current circumstances. I wish you well.
Reducer• in reply to
Thank you so much for your comments.I knew that taking steroids affected my immune system but didn't realise how serious it was.
I don't think being on pred takes us into the 12 week self isolation group. It may be stringent self distancing. This is a link to the official specific rheumatology guidelines
england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/...
which, in your position, I would take to your manager/Occy Health when requesting the form I mentioned above if you haven't already had one. They consider 10mg and above takes you into the increased risk category.
Unfortunately , it's the combination of the steroid effect and Stress on the immunity and the type of employment, isn't it.
Not really much ability to Socially Distance as well as at home on a busy hospital ward as a Nurse , plus the potential of the virus being in your close proximity through the working day is large even with the right hygiene equipment.
You only have to see the number of normally healthy hospital staff in other countries going down with Covid 19 to know that if you already have immunity insufficiency the risk will be larger for you .
Except the medical staff here who have gone down with it were exposed to a massive viral load as well as not being provided with adequate PPE. There are jobs in the NHS that are nowhere near the Covid19 patients.
Thank you for your reply.I am going to speak with my manager at work,but no-one in my department seems to know much about pmr.Thank you for the link.
Go home and look after yourself, when I was dx 3 years age it was completely new to me and I am a retired rgn with 45 years experience! Nurses in general know little or nothing about PMR. XXX
If it makes you feel better am a nurse with PMR and contacted occ health and it’s up to you and your manager to decide what’s best.You are in the more at risk group stated in gov/uk document.I have full support of my manager to not go into work.Am 56 yrs old was on 6 mg pred but upped it to 9 mg today as having a bad flare
Hi, I am 81 years old and have been on varying doses of prednisone for over three years. Most of the time 7-8mg. I can’t seem to get below 5mg. My doc says that aging may require pred to support And supplement the cortisol that our body produces and I trust him. My point is that after the original diagnosis and stabilization (about 1 month) I have worked and led a very active life, survived and recovered from a heart attack, and continue to move at the pace of life I had prior to the onset of PMR. Don’t be frightened. Prayer helps me greatly.
Hi everyone,just wanted to thank you all for your words of advice and lovely comments.I have been informed by my manager that I am medically suspended from yesterday.I feel so much better now although my colleagues are under extreme pressure.
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