Diabetic nurse opinion on corona risk

I am type 1 diabetic, but do not have good levels, last night it was on 14.9, so had to bring it down, will my nurse or doctor tell me to stay at home completely for 12 weeks, or just stay at home most of the time

 

I'm going to get some guidance tomorrow at work, I don't really want to take the full 12 weeks off but as you say Chook, better safe than sorry

 

I am a city bus driver. I am 55 years old and unfortunately type 2 diabetes. My company does nothing to protect employees. I have no gel, no gloves or masks. This I can understand because they are not available at all. I would suggest stopping the cash payment and isolating the driver's door, even with transparent foil ... they looked at me like an idiot. I feel threatened about health and my life ... does it have grounds for self-isolation?

 

The 12 weeks self isolation is only for those that are clinically immunosuppressed. It’s actually a fairly narrow group of patients and doesn’t include diabetics because they are do not fall into that group. The advice for diabetics is to strongly follow the social distancing rules, obviously self isolation is probably the safest option but not an option for everyone.

 

This.
The government information pages are very clear.
See www.gov.uk

diabetics are in the ‘at risk’ group, not the ‘extremely at risk’ group.
That means applying common sense social distancing, rigorous hygiene, working from home or social distancing at work. Employers should support their employees to do this.

it does NOT mean 12 weeks of isolation. That is for the ‘extremely at risk’ group with cancer, severe asthma, COPD and other severe conditions.

this info may change in future, especially if we continue to follow Italy, so please check the www.gov.uk website daily for updates.

 

I think that the government stance on at risk groups hasn't vhanged at all, on 15th March diabetes was on the at risk groups who were advised to self isolate for 12 weeks, hence all employers should have supported the employees at risk.

 

@alan.roberts250

This is a direct copy and paste from the current (22/3/2020) gov.uk website
(The pages are updated regularly. The last update was 10pm last night. You can register for email notifications for when the updates happen)

People with diabetes are clearly included in the ‘increased risk’ group, NOT the ‘extreme risk’ group.
Therefore they should be practicing ‘stringent social distancing’ .
Letter coming out next week will identify those at extreme risk, and will explain the further measures they need to put in place.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults
Background and scope of guidance
This guidance is for everyone, including children. It advises on social distancing measures we should all be taking to reduce social interaction between people in order to reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19). It is intended for use in situations where people are living in their own homes, with or without additional support from friends, family and carers. If you live in a residential care setting guidance is available.

We are advising those who are at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) to be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures.
This group includes those who are:

• aged 70 or older (regardless of medical conditions)
• under 70 with an underlying health condition listed below (ie anyone instructed to get a flu jab as an adult each year on medical grounds):
  • chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
  • chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
  • chronic kidney disease
  • chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
  • chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy
  • diabetes
  • problems with your spleen – for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had your spleen removed
  • a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
  • being seriously overweight (a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above)
• those who are pregnant

Note: there are some clinical conditions which put people at even higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. If you are in this category, next week the NHS in England will directly contact you with advice about the more stringent measures you should take in order to keep yourself and others safe. For now, you should rigorously follow the social distancing advice in full, outlined below.

People falling into this group are those who may be at particular risk due to complex health problems such as:

• people who have received an organ transplant and remain on ongoing immunosuppression medication
• people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia who are at any stage of treatment
• people with severe chest conditions such as cystic fibrosis or severe asthma (requiring hospital admissions or courses of steroid tablets)
• people with severe diseases of body systems, such as severe kidney disease (dialysis)

What is social distancing?
Social distancing measures are steps you can take to reduce social interaction between people. This will help reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19).

They are to:

1. Avoid contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). These symptoms include high temperature and/or new and continuous cough
2. Avoid non-essential use of public transport when possible
3. Work from home, where possible. Your employer should support you to do this. Please refer to employer guidance for more information
4. Avoid large and small gatherings in public spaces, noting that pubs, restaurants, leisure centres and similar venues are currently shut as infections spread easily in closed spaces where people gather together.
5. Avoid gatherings with friends and family. Keep in touch using remote technology such as phone, internet, and social media
6. Use telephone or online services to contact your GP or other essential services

Everyone should be trying to follow these measures as much as is practicable.

We strongly advise you to follow the above measures as much as you can and to significantly limit your face-to-face interaction with friends and family if possible, particularly if you:

• are over 70
• have an underlying health condition
• are pregnant

This advice is likely to be in place for some weeks.

 

It's not self isolation, it's "stringent social distancing", two very different things. You can still leave your house, just keep your distance from other people. Isolation is complete quarantine for those with symptoms or living with someone who does.

 

Thank you so much for posting this

 

I am going to sign up for instant update , thanks again

 

However, I am still going to be extra cautious as I have several medium to mild conditions. I am working on the cumulative effect of several conditions, not just the effect of one severe conditions.

The government advice on addresses the situation if people have one condition at a time.

 

Remember it’s 35% of deaths and not 35% of diabetics

 

My last HbA1C was lower than they wanted, but a couple of months before that it was higher, my blood sugars go up frequently and also go low frequently, so how well would my body cope with a range of high and low readings, if I was to get coronavirus

 

I think a lot of us are probably asking the same question but i doubt anyone knows the answer yet - which is why I've decided to be cautious and self isolate until its safe to go back to normal life.

 

How low is too low for your team? Just curious Lots of monitoring is key (I understand you’re T1?) - so you have a glucose sensor like a Libre to help keep track of things? Do you normally cope ok with illnesses?

 

Hi I've got Type 2 Diabetes and no covid-19 symptoms at all do I have to stay in isolation for 12 weeks..and with my wife..

 

please read post #69 above

 

I dont use a glucose sensor, but blood sugar levels can go to 3.6, occasionally lower, so have to boost it with jelly babies, and it can also go higher at times, I do not get ill a lot, although had a bad dose of the flu a few years ago, and it made my levels go extra high, dont know if this would make the coronavirus affect me more

I am also on ramipril for high blood pressure and atorvastin for high cholesterol levels, so dont know if that would make it affect me worse

 

bus driver again:
My line manager said that I am not at increased risk and that this only applies to type 1 diabetes! is he right?


my medication:

atoravastin

Fexofenadine

metformin

ramipil