rejoining the outside world

I was diagnosed with cancer during the lockdown and had 8 sessions of chemo - wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Anyway, chemo destroys your immune system so I changed my diet, probiotics (good quality not supermarket ones), as much organic food as I can afford, fermented foods keif, sauerkraut etc and lots of fibre - All Bran for breakfast is a must, lots of fresh fruit and veg. This is the best way to rebuild your immune system. Lots of info on line.

I go out now just as before, getting fresh air and a walk does you the power of good mentally and physically.

Good luck, you can do it.

I haven’t had a cold since before lockdown. Before that I was always getting them. I wondered why my son (adult) never caught them from me, he lives at home. My diet is far healthier than his. Then I tried to figure out what he did that was different to me. The answer was that he has allergic rhinitis and uses a Beconase nose spray every day, two or three times. So the next time I got a scratchy throat and started to feel a bit unwell I got one of my own and started using it. The cold didn’t develop. Now I use it regularly, when I have my grandchildren or any other visitors I will use it for two or three days and I don’t catch their colds. Unfortunately it doesn’t stop stomach bugs though!

Know exactly how you feel

I also felt that I had lost the ability to have a conversation because i kept forgetting words.
I have since found that this skill comes back quite quickly as soon as you converse with people You ask more questions about what they have been doing in the past few years and then youy don't need to say too much.

I was the same @jojo27. A number of serious underlying conditions putting me in the clinically vulnerable category during lockdown. It didn’t help that I contracted Covid during a hospital stay and had it really badly, but this was before the vaccines were available. Once things opened up again I convinced myself I couldn’t risk going out and about as normal, but gradually over the last year I eased myself slowly back to normal life because realised isolation was having more of a detrimental effect than fear of Covid.

I’m fully vaccinated, still frequently use hand sanitiser and masks in certain circumstances, but apart from that life is pretty much normal. Family and friends come to visit and I go out and about. I’m still sent LFT kits regularly and have access to anti virals should they be needed. But having contracted Covid earlier this year with only the mildest cold symptoms, I’m now much more relaxed about things.

I think as others have suggested here, baby steps in trying to get out and about more, and maybe support from your GP in providing a bit of counselling for the anxiety. Good luck.

I have low immune system and continue to use mask in shops and where there are crowds and when people come to house. Still wear mask at GP's, hospital etc regardless of what anyone might think, most people are fine with it. Also use hand sanitiser. Compromise by going maskless in airy eating places or walks in open , uncrowded places. Go to cinema by waiting till films are near the end of their run so the audience at a showing is tiny and spaced out. Took me small steps post lockdown but you will find the level you are happy to live with.

Once again, the level of response to my problem has overwhelmed me. I shall try to follow all your good advice and will post a message when I am actually out and about again. The messages from people who have been in the same situation are inspiring. You are a wonderfully caring group of which I feel proud to be a part.
My sincere thanks and my very best wishes to all of you.
XX

If it would reassure you, could you ask your family to do a covid test before they visit so you could then allow them into the house ? It can’t be much fun for them either having to stay outside and talk to you through the windows.

Some great advice on here re getting the GP's advice and taking baby steps with a very short local walk at a quiet time. I hope you feel able to try some of the ideas, gently does it and I hope it goes well for you.

So sorry you have these fears, as so many people do. Do enquire about some counselling, as others have suggested. The way you think about your health vulnerability will be important to your recovery. Unfortunately, by avoiding people, you are disarming your immune system and making it more likely that you will catch the viruses and other bugs which are doing the rounds. One very useful way of thinking of the immune system is to think of it being like a concert orchestra. There are many different sections which act in harmony to stop you from getting sick. Like an orchestra, it needs daily practice to achieve what it needs to do. Every day, your immune system successfully neutralises hundreds of thousands of potentially harmful viruses, bacteria, fungi and other organisms. In doing so, it keeps itself fit for purpose. When you isolate yourself and do not give your immune system regular practice, you make it more likely that it will become overwhelmed and you will 'catch' something. Evolution has equipped you with a wonderful system to stay well - have confidence in it - and get some counselling to help you do so. Good luck!

You are not alone. During the pandemic I worked on a local help line and spoke to dozens of people who were told to isolate themselves because of their health issues. Many people are still struggling to find the courage to resume normal life.

There are loads of good suggestions here. Some over the phone counselling might be a good place to start. Your GP can organise that for you. It's a way to take a step forward into the world again. I wish you well.

My goodness, what a way to live your life. Besides the physical health issues you are suffering you definitely need gentle yet consistent anxiety counselling - but that is only if you have the honest desire to want to re-enter into a lifestyle that can vaguely be classified as ‘normal’. Please seek help

Hi
My husband is CEV and I understand your caution.
Nowadays he does the following:
-Out to walk the dog every morning with a coffee stop - either a flask and cakes or at a small airy cafe.
-bike rides some afternoons
- careful weighing up if he wants to come to social gatherings, tending to stick to the outdoors or only come to small indoor gatherings with people who understand his risks ( difficult for many people as immune compromised is hard for others to appreciate)
- visitors are expected to feel that they are germ free or to stay away

As others have said baby steps is the way forward, and counselling or the support of a very supportive buddy for walks might help.

Good luck!

PS even his hospital staff have stopped wearing masks now. And people who we know have had access to antivirals if they have caught covid.

Hi, I'm 69 with severe Rheumatoid Arthritis and am classed as vulnerable due to immune suppressant drugs I take, a JAK inhibitor. I was scared during covid pandemic but missed seeing my family and grandchildren enormously during that time. I've had all my vaccinations and extra boosters but think at my age life is for living, not being shut away. Please please seek advice from your GP and start going out again in a controlled way. Babysteps definitely..I go out and about every day, off to Hastings tomorrow. I do avoid crowded indoor events still but other than that want to actually live the years I have left. Courage my friend, start living a little after taking advice. Wishing you the very best.

My Aunt in Scotland was always out and about. Covid came and her family advised her to stay in. She has Type 2 diabetes but otherwise healthy. As the months passed she got very low and isolated from not socialising or just getting out.

She had a lovely big park near her with good paths all round and I suggested she wrap up warmly and went for a half hour walk each day. Her family advised against this so she didn’t. She still got covid from one of the family popping in.

So she spent the covid years stuck indoors and she found her legs were seizing up and she felt very unwell and said she felt she had aged 10 years. She got so frail that by the time she could have been safe going out, she could hardly walk.

She died last winter having only been out to the GP during that whole time. Very sad as she was such an active person.

My aunt had a friend like you and she wouldn't go out in COVID and had only just started to venture out in march and by may she had a heart attack and died. Her family wished she had started to come out a bit earlier as she had lost a lot of time and now they just grieve for her lost life

As others have said, you can still get out and about and do so in relative safety. A walk outside will help your physical and mental health.

We still don't 'socialise' or go to the theatre & other indoor events due to the risk. Where we can't avoid indoor activities, we mask (FFP2 or 3).

Personally, I wouldn’t feel safe on public transport even with a mask, certainly for any length of time, but luckily we don't need to. I'm sure if it was we would find a accommodating taxi driver who would mask & ventilate the vehicle.

The worst thing I find is that the majority of people, even the professionals, do not mask in healthcare settings. We are currently attending hospital appointments on a regular basis and one of the patients being treated has Covid - he is marched through the waiting area (wearing only a “baggy blue” mask) and although the equipment in the room where he is treated is ‘wiped down’ afterwards, the staff seem oblivious to the fact that the main method of transmission is airborne! Quite incredible and alarming in equal measure.

The majority of masks don't prevent transmission of viruses anyway. This is a medical fact.
I caught covid from a child coughing constantly in a crowded hotel lift. Despite lung disease it was only like a heavy cold.
Don't waste your life. Stay away from crowds and go for a walk every day as others have advised. Your suffering from anxiety due to all the scaremongering by the government in the past, but they've stopped now.
All the best x

sazz1

The majority of masks don't prevent transmission of viruses anyway. This is a medical fact.
I caught covid from a child coughing constantly in a crowded hotel lift. Despite lung disease it was only like a heavy cold.
Don't waste your life. Stay away from crowds and go for a walk every day as others have advised. Your suffering from anxiety due to all the scaremongering by the government in the past, but they've stopped now.
All the best x

Just because your covid was just like a heavy cold doesn’t mean that someone else’s covid won’t leave them with long covid…or worse. That’s the worst thing about it, the not knowing how it’s going to affect any one of us.

jojo27 Your advice is so helpful. That is the reason why I am turning to you to ask, what do you wonderful people do to attempt to lead ordinary lives whilst trying to stay safe?

I've a weak immune system. If I must be out, I mask and stay a good distance from others, use hand sanitiser - options for you?

We've had all vaccinations, are healthy for elderly people.

I think hollysteers is absolutely right- your level of anxiety is causing far more problems than the possibility of catching any bugs. I know there are still a lot of people who are scared - and to me, the government was too heavy handed in dishing out advice. We are both immunosuppressed - and did get Covid way back in April 2020 before there were any vaccinations. Perhaps because of that, we are unafraid- I don’t know. Perhaps it’s just us. Since then we’ve had the bug again but very lightly- it now must be treated like flu really- it will be around but it’s impossible to avoid bugs unless we retreat into ourselves and do nothing and see nobody. That isn’t life - it’s not living - so do take all the advice and gradually get used to life outside your home again. Good luck xx

I avoid crowded places if I can - I have supermarket deliveries and top up as necessary from small local shops. I still wear a mask at the doctor’s surgery. I don’t care what others think! Most of my shopping is done online because that’s been my preference for years. We have no public transport here to contend with (I would probably wear a mask if it was crowded) but wild horses wouldn’t get me on a plane or a cruise ship! We see family as normal - they are considerate and would test if they had possible covid symptoms - and happily eat out in places which aren’t crowded or offer outdoor eating. Our lives are now pretty much the same as before covid, we have lived quietly since retiring which is our preference after busy careers and we stay aware and safe but don’t live in fear as was the case before vaccinations came along. We live in a lovely holiday area and not flying isn’t a sacrifice - been there, done that!

Jojo27 please seek counselling as well as trying to build your immune system - your mental health has taken a dive and this can be more dangerous than catching Covid - you need to socialise - you won’t recognise the world if you Continue to stay inside and will lose touch with reality. Good luck - you will be OK.

How about trying some therapy to address your concerns and fears?

GoldenAge

Jojo27 please seek counselling as well as trying to build your immune system - your mental health has taken a dive and this can be more dangerous than catching Covid - you need to socialise - you won’t recognise the world if you Continue to stay inside and will lose touch with reality. Good luck - you will be OK.

But her weakened immune system is a result of her health problems, not because she has isolated herself.

I totally understand how you feel, but as has been said, baby steps are the answer. I've been so cautious for so long as I'm immunosuppressed and lived in fear of catching Covid. A year ago I booked a holiday which included a cruise and quite a lot of long haul travelling, we got home from this holiday a few weeks ago, we even wore masks on the 'planes but I was determined to try to get back to normal as I felt that I had to start living my life again and the holiday did me the world of good. Unfortunately when we got home we found out we had Covid, Mr B had no symptoms but I had a lot of them and survived. I was offered anti virals by my local hospital but my consultant didn't think I needed them so I declined. I think it is the fear of the unknown and not knowing how you will be affected should you catch the virus that makes us scared. I am now determined to get on with things. I wish you luck, one step at a time.