Advice re Covid/children/work etc

[holdem]

Hi my first post.

I am a 41 year old type 1 male.

I've been diabetic for roughly 33 years.

I'm slim and have no other complications.

I've not got the best control. I have ran a hba1c around 8.5-9 for the last 20 odd years which i always felt was a touch high but not overly. Lockdown has helped me get my Hba1c down to around 7.6 which i was exstatic about.

Ive been lurking on here for a few months looking for info re the covid and i've realised even my recent hba1c which im happy with is far from what is considered as good on here. I will endevour to work on it.

Anyway

I am asking for some advice or guidance or colour on what others in the same boat are doing.

Ive been in lock down working from home for 6 mths (this is to continue till at least december). My partner and our son (9) didnt leave the house for 4.5 months we got and still get all shopping delivered and disinfected etc everything.

The last month and a half we've had some light exercise outisde the house. Still yet to go into a shop or a barbers etc and only visted my parents 2 times.

I've taken my son to social distanced football practice for 4 weeks and played golf with him at super early oclock about 6 times now.

We took him out of school 2 weeks before lockdown started as i was conscious it was perhaps worse than we were being told. However i now want him to go back to school in september when his year starts. He is an only child and i think its too long for him to be stuck indoors with no light at the end of the tunnel and i am conscious i am filling him with a degree of fear which cant be good at such a young age.

There is information about diabetic children and school etc but i cant see much info or talk about diabetics (type 1's) with young kids and what they are doing.

I know there is no risk free solution aside from staying indoors until a potential vaccine, But what is your advice on what i should do. Do you think its ok for my son to go to school? Do you think i need to sort of be a lot more isolated within our house when this happens? Is anyone else in the same boat? What are you planning to do.

Sorry for my first post to be so needy and selfish but i am concerned about what to do.

Many thanks in advance and thanks for the various threads i've read over the last 6 mths which have at times filled me with hope other times with fear and sometimes with a kick up the bum to sort my diabetes out.

Cheers

 

[TraceyT]

I totally understand your fears. You have been really sensible during lockdown and are right to continue to be so as the virus is still lurking.
I have likewise been cautious with myself and my two sons.
However, I am going back to work in September (I’m a teacher) and I am sending my children back also.
During the last week of the Summer term I joined the rest of the school to prepare for the return of all the children. We worked incredibly hard to move the classrooms around so that each class can remain a secure bubble for the whole day.
I am sure your son’s school will be well prepared also.
My own children can’t wait to get back with their friends, and in my opinion it is the right thing to do for the sake of their learning but more importantly their mental health.
They will take care and wash their hands often, especially when they get home.
As will I!!
I really hope you feel a little reassured, and that your son enjoys being back at school very soon.

 

[Fairygodmother]

There’s a thread on Diabetes Discussions (go to main Forum and you’ll find Diabetes Discussions) that’s talking about Covid and returning to work. There’s a lot there about children going back to school. There’s also a Facebook group, BRTUS that’s looking at this which has a lot about people’s quandaries.
Our older daughter’s a teacher and our younger daughter’s two children (8 and 10) will be going back to school in September. Our older daughter’s been teaching the children of key workers too. All the meetings we’ve had with our daughters have been distanced and we probably won’t see our grandsons until there’s a vaccine.
Witty’s recent statement says there’s little risk that children under 11 will pass it on to adults but that adults are very likely to pass it to each other when they return to the office etc.
The WHO seems to be recommending that everyone over 11 should wear a mask when in a larger gathering.

 

[holdem]

Thank you Tracey and Fairy God Mother

Yup i hear this that its hard for kids to pass it on. But just don't know if there is any facts behind that or just wishful thinking.

I will have a look thru that thread that you mentioned and attempt to see if i can find the BRTUS page.

thanks

 

[Fairygodmother]

Ah, it was late and my brain was asleep even if my keyboard finger wasn’t. BRTUS is the Twitter moniker - the Facebook group is Boycot Return to Unsafe Schools.
Did you see Witty’s statement today?
I’m retired now but I’d want PPE if I were returning to work (I taught adults), and I’d want to see the school risk assessment if my children were the same age as your son.
It sounds as though you’ve been sensibly careful so far and given him good experiences.

 

[DCUKMod]

Thank you Tracey and Fairy God Mother

Yup i hear this that its hard for kids to pass it on. But just don't know if there is any facts behind that or just wishful thinking.

I will have a look thru that thread that you mentioned and attempt to see if i can find the BRTUS page.

thanks

Holden, apologies for stating the obvious, but only you can decide what to do.

I don't have children and am fortunate to find myself and my partner in very good health. Of course you want to care for your child, and I am pleased you are considering the bigger picture in making those decisions.

We have a couple of members of the Mod Team, who are T1, with school age children. I have no idea, at this stage, what thir own intentions are, but again, only you can decide what's good for you.

It could be interesting to look at how many cases are currently being found in your area, although we all need to be mindful that before the widespread testing we have available to us now, many of those cases would not have been picked up. That isn't belittle anyone finding they have COVID, just being mindful of interpretations of the numbers you encounter.

Where we live, in the Midlands, the local paper reports daily on new cases, and breaks it down into boroughs, for quite a granular view.

Good luck with whatever you decide, and well done for wrangling your bloods into a better place, during these tricky times.