• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

I'm Type 2. Should I be at work?

R

richard.ross1818

Member
Messages
7
Location
Oxfordshire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi,

I'm a Type 2 diabetic. I qualify for a free flu jab each year, which I think puts me in the 'vulnerable group' list. I'm otherwise reasonably healthy.

I work in a primary school, where increasingly, children are getting ill and being sent home or coming in to school with temperatures, rashes, stomach complaints etc.

I have a slightly tight chest at the moment, slightly stingy eyes, and a slight sore throat.

Should I be sent home? Should I self-isolate? I've spent literally hours on the phone to my surgery today on hold (not complaining - they're obviously completely stretched - just stating fact).

Thoughts?
 
Hi, I still work and I work in a confirmed space with children, so I am carrying on until told not to.
 
xfieldok said:
But no raised temperature or dry cough?
Click to expand...

No. It's not so much the symptoms (or lack of Covid-19 ones) that I'm concerned about; it's more about what I should be doing as a Type 2 diabetic who can't exactly work from home, as I'm a teacher.
I'm in the risk group, but I'm unable to follow the advice to work from home.

Should I be at home, as I'm in a vulnerable group, or at work, because I can't do my job at home...?
 
To be honest, if you have no other underlying conditions I wouldn't worry too much.
 

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/social-isolation-and-social-distancing.172865/

The official line is that you should be at work unless you are showing Covid-19 symptoms.
 
I put a similar thread up earlier today if that helps, Richard.
 
richard.ross1818 said:
I work in a primary school, where increasingly, children are getting ill and being sent home or coming in to school with temperatures, rashes, stomach complaints etc.
Click to expand...

I think you've been put in a very awkward position. I've been listening to a man who phoned into LBC to say that his 8 year old has been sent home from school with symptoms, not confirmed as anything yet, but his 2 year old who has just finished chemo for a cancer, has had to be rushed into hospital with respiratory problems. He told the school who just said something like 'oh, we had to send several kids home over the last few weeks'. Had he known, he would have kept his 8 year old at home. Not confirmed Covid19 but . . . . .

Hopefully, there will be a decision to send kids home, even if they do have better chances of surviving this particular virus, the vulnerable aren't doing so well.

I think reading the government guidelines would help: https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults

It talks about avoiding large groups of people and I'm assuming a classroom full of kids counts as a large group. I don't think feeling well comes into it, especially as from what I've read it can be 2 to 14 days before symptoms show.
 
My head has stopped me coming in from today. He is self isolating with his t1 wife.
I emailed, said I had flu and pneumonia jab and he made the call. I actually said I didn't consider my self high risk and that I'd checked with the gps last week. I told him I had no plans to stay at home but he decided I was to.

We we down by a third in terms of children yesterday and there'll be more today. It cant be long until it's not tenable to keep open.

My job is now to do all the immediate planning for my year group so they dont have to. We are planning lessons which are more revision and consolidation as there are so many missing.
 

Hi there, the problem is that the govt 'advice' about those with 'underlying health conditions' has been wishy washy at best so we are all confused! My employers had a big old meeting about Covid 19 in general (emergency services & front line workers) and in respect of those with underlying conditions, their interpretation of it was that there is currently NO blanket ban on those people remaining at home or self isolating and that each individual would have to discuss their personal circs with their Line Managers and individual decisions made as to whether they should stay at home (can't see that happening in my job) or whether action should be taken to minimise the risk by sticking them in an office in the middle of nowhere or giving them laptops to work elsewhere etc. In a way I'm lucky because I will be able to discuss very specific concerns & they will listen to my health providers but for those who are self employed or in a job with no HR or unconcerned Line Managers, what DO you do? I get that the govt won't come out with a specific list of conditions (too many probably) but at least if they said 'self isolate for 3 months if your Doctor says so' it would give us a concrete reason to do so.
 
An update...
My lovely GP phoned me at 8.30 last night, and strongly recommended that I do not go into school. He said that "as a member of a vulnerable group, you should be particularly stringent about following social distancing guidelines, and that would mean that you shouldn't be in your workplace".
My Headteacher has been great too, and supports this decision.
Relieved to have had some clear direction!
 
I have just emailed my council, because an email, after a management meeting yesterday afternoon, was supposed to be sent to all School Escorts, nothing from them and tbh I am feeling angry now, because I feel the council are putting us on the back burner.
We need decisive and bold interaction.
 

A good result for you, I hope it will be passed on to other's in a similar position.
 

I live in the South East, with the highest rate of COVID_19 confirmed diagnosis and deaths.

I am watching Prime minister's question time and has now mentioned a possible early closures of schools, the Easter hols are in 2 1/2 weeks time.
 
Hi, glad this thread is here actually as I am in the same boat.

I'm 51 and was diagnosed as Type 2 back in 2011 with an HBA1C of 45. Since Jan 2018 my results were 53, 49, 49, 48 so GP felt reasonably well controlled. Unfortunately December was a bit of a disaster as it had jumped in 6 months from 48 to 58. I can only imagine I took my eye off the ball with a stressful 6 months when my mum was diagnosed with dementia and had to go into care so egg and chips probably became the norm!! It's been highest at 64 back in 2015 and I managed to get that down so I'm trying to be a bit more careful with next test due in June. I'm on 4 tabs of 500mg metformin per day.

Anyway I also work in a school. There are three of us in the same boat because we all are Type 2 but reasonably well controlled. However the Government advice as said earlier was to self isolate if you receive the yearly flu jab. The Union apparently were pretty hot on this and diabetes - you were sent home. Work have been great actually but we all expected schools to close sooner or later. Most now have but all our students are vulnerable so we are apparently staying open!! It will be difficult as other staff have children themselves in mainstream so how will they find child care?

Anyway I digress. Obviously I am fortunate to be feeling well at the moment and I am hoping to get a GP phone appointment for clarification but are reasonably or well controlled diabetics considered at higher risk and should we be self isolating? If the school has to stay open with so many staff off I am concerned new staff will have to be brought in and thus those of us self isolating for god knows how long could be at risk of losing our jobs if, as it looks, this is going to be for the long haul.

Thoughts if anyone in the same situation would be appreciated.
 
There will be very few children who actually end up in school I think and I suspect we wont be back at school until September. That's a very long time but I dont think it will be school as we currently have it!

I'm not in school either. I suspect the children who need the support of school will be more 'child care' in an education setting staffed by very few people. I'm guessing my school would do some kind of rota for staff who were able to.

I was going to be planning for the year group if school was open but that's all changed again!
 
Not all of them. Those pupils who have parents with certain essential jobs will be at school and our school all the students have care plans (vulnerable) so are staying open. That's my dilemma!!
 
Hi Max!

My reading of it is that it doesn't matter if you are a reasonably healthy diabetic and have it fairly under control. I think the message is "if you have it, you have it, therefore you are more at risk, so you shouldn't be in school".

My Head has been supportive, as I said, and there's actually now 5-6 of us not in school, due to asthma and other conditions, as well as my diabetes.

I know what you mean about the other staff who do have young children to look after, but might be expected to come in to look after the vulnerable children and children of key workers. My Head emailed us all last night to say that the other schools in the academy chain that we're a part of are looking to pool staff, resources and physical space and provide one central hub for the kids who need to attend school. Makes sense. I'm gutted I can't actually be part of the staff rota that will support that, as I think the key workers need all the support we can give them, but I just feel I can't go against what my doctor has said, and I do have to look after my own health.

I understand your concerns about losing the job though. I'm feeling anxious cos my contract is only up to the end of August...!

Let us know how you get on - hope you get to be at home!




 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…