Just been told to shield

[lucylocket61]

Well quite, you have control of your own health as do we all. I will never say I am cured, as I personally do not believe I am or can be. But that's what I need to keep me in check.

The shielding question is still unclear, the NHS is determining diabetes flag on our records is important, but very inconsistent

It's early days with the reclassification. There may be adjustments needed. Everything is being organised in a hurry, as the situation changes.

 

[Maco]

I don’t understand what criteria they are going off for the shielding letters. I live in County Durham so at the minute quite a high risk area, my last a1c reading was 83 so I think from the diabetes uk post that puts me into the higher risk bracket. I was moved to pump therapy just after new year & my predicted a1c is now 47 and my control is really good but my GP & diabetic consultant don’t know that so as far as they are concerned my a1c is 83. I’ve never received a phone call or letter throughout any of the lockdowns telling me I’m at risk or need to shield. Strange

 

[HSSS]

My absolute risk was 0.0014% as I'm only 21 but my relative risk compared to people the same age and sex was 14 so even though I have a very low absolute risk I've still been told to shield so think they're been over cautious and take it with a pinch of salt.
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My absolute risk is 0.0152% so noticeably higher and yet no letter.

I cannot for the life of me (no pun intended or maybe totally intended I can’t decide?) understand why an absolute higher risk is not the key factor. If I am more risk of death why I am not considered more at risk?

not directed at you @Amrit1712 but I can’t ask the **** government.

 

[HSSS]

So why GD then and not prediabetics? My anxiety would significantly ease if I didn’t feel there was a huge piece of the puzzle missing that somehow makes me incredibly vulnerable to Covid.

I guess because gestational is actually a form of diabetes and prediabetes is still just a potential form? Maybe ?

 

[HSSS]

https://twitter.com/parthaskar/status/1362439443987185666?s=2

interesting video. So all diabetics now in group 6?

They always have been.

 

[HSSS]

I'm not sure I care that much how the NHS classify me though.
They have proven relatively ineffective in my personal remission.

Looks pretty likely . my only damage was mild retinopathy which has resolved itself.
I have "passed" all diagnostic tests for T2 so... am I in remission or cured.. do I care?

The algorithm doesn’t take notice if you care or agree with your coding - it’s how it is. Your have, and have exercised, the right to decline the invitation. Others in your situation would accept it. You are a huge advocate for choice. You’ve been given choice. Respect others to have the same choice.

 

[Goonergal]

Evening all.

Could we keep this topic civil and on topic, please? The OP was asking simply whether others had been asked to shield.

 

[lucylocket61]

I have not yet been asked to shield, although I was unofficially asked to shield by my GP during the first lockdown.

I cant work out how to find my absolute risk : (

 

[Amrit1712]

My absolute risk is 0.0152% so noticeably higher and yet no letter.

I cannot for the life of me (no pun intended or maybe totally intended I can’t decide?) understand why an absolute higher risk is not the key factor. If I am more risk of death why I am not considered more at risk?

not directed at you @Amrit1712 but I can’t ask the **** government.

I was under the threshold for absolute risk which was 0.5% and think you are too even but I was put on the list because of the relative risk being 14 being higher than 10 but honestly think its a ridiculous way to sort it. My risk is still very low so it should just go off absolute risk and yours is 10x higher than mine yet no letter?

Who knows anymore it's taken nearly a year for this new 'algorithm' to be put into place and it's still useless.

 

[woollygal]

I wasn’t told to shield the first lockdown but this time I’ve received an email yesterday,
I don’t understand why I’m suddenly at risk given they were happy for me to sit in an enclosed space, it’s no social distancing for months. I’m a driving instructor.
I’m happy to shield while industry is shut down, I’m doing that anyway (other than going to chemist). But other than that I’ve been shielding unofficially anyway.
problem will arise when the industry reopens. I really will need to get back to work. So can’t be having this shielding thing because then I shouldn’t be working. Although it may be my choice, when I’m doing work on behalf of the school and we have to do instructor training I don’t know whether that would stop me being chosen.

 

[HSSS]

I have not yet been asked to shield, although I was unofficially asked to shield by my GP during the first lockdown.

I cant work out how to find my absolute risk : (

This explains it and give the levels to shield and the second link is the calculator it self

https://digital.nhs.uk/coronavirus/risk-assessment/population
https://qcovid.org/Calculation

 

[HSSS]

I wasn’t told to shield the first lockdown but this time I’ve received an email yesterday,
I don’t understand why I’m suddenly at risk given they were happy for me to sit in an enclosed space, it’s no social distancing for months. I’m a driving instructor.
I’m happy to shield while industry is shut down, I’m doing that anyway (other than going to chemist). But other than that I’ve been shielding unofficially anyway.
problem will arise when the industry reopens. I really will need to get back to work. So can’t be having this shielding thing because then I shouldn’t be working. Although it may be my choice, when I’m doing work on behalf of the school and we have to do instructor training I don’t know whether that would stop me being chosen.

As you say it’s your choice. The letters are advice and options.

 

[Lemonie]

It's an interesting medical point I guess, we remain diabetic whether we are in remission or not. Some may not agree but if we start eating carbs it'll go back, therefore i believe we are. I may be nearly in remission too but will want to be monitored as a diabetic regardless, what has the impact on us been during any points our bloods haven't been controlled? Can we reverse all damage?

I think the answer is that according to the NHS, once diabetic, always diabetic, so group 6

Talking for type 2 here, I don't know about other types (does gestational diabetes reverse itself? But according to others, those are triggering the score system too)

I agree. I hate the term 'reversed' in relation to diabetes. If it is controlled by a low carb diet it's still there. It's like saying an alcoholic that doesn't drink is no longer an alcoholic.

 

[Mr_Pot]

I wasn’t told to shield the first lockdown but this time I’ve received an email yesterday,
I don’t understand why I’m suddenly at risk given they were happy for me to sit in an enclosed space, it’s no social distancing for months. I’m a driving instructor.
I’m happy to shield while industry is shut down, I’m doing that anyway (other than going to chemist). But other than that I’ve been shielding unofficially anyway.
problem will arise when the industry reopens. I really will need to get back to work. So can’t be having this shielding thing because then I shouldn’t be working. Although it may be my choice, when I’m doing work on behalf of the school and we have to do instructor training I don’t know whether that would stop me being chosen.

If they are using the algorithm it doesn't take into account your personal circumstances or employment, only your postcode. Have you tried using the calculator in post #71 to see if you have an absolute risk of 0.5% (or 5 in 1,000) or a relative risk of 10 (or 10 times the baseline risk)?

 

[Sarah69]

Hi there

There’s a new system in place as of today, which uses an algorithm. From what I can see, running my own figures through this calculator, postcode is making a big difference.

https://qcovid.org/Calculation

And this is the basis for the algorithm: https://digital.nhs.uk/coronavirus/risk-assessment/population

Editing to show my scores (with an HbA1c in the 30s for over 3 years now, I think leaving diabetes out if the equation is justified as a variable):

- Based on non-diabetic status, postcode not added (risk of contracting Covid and dying)

Absolute risk - 0.0046%, 1 in 21,739, 55/100

- Based on type 2, no postcode added

Absolute risk - 0.0224%, 1 in 4,464, 74/100

- Based on type 2 living in my postcode

Absolute risk - 0.0346%, 1 in 2,890, 79/100

I’ve just put my details in this calculator and haven’t a clue what it means or whether I should be on a shielding list or not!

 

[Mike d]

What's not to understand

 

[HSSS]

I’ve just put my details in this calculator and haven’t a clue what it means or whether I should be on a shielding list or not!

I’ve just put my details in this calculator and haven’t a clue what it means or whether I should be on a shielding list or not!

It gives you absolute and relative risks. If if you have an absolute risk of death of 0.5% or a relative risk of 10 expect a letter or speak to your gp if you don’t get one.

 

[Doireallyneedanams]

It seems they’ve changed the wording.

It now says “women with previous GD are at higher risk of type 2 or undiagnosed type 2, and are therefore at high risk and should be shielded”

Fair enough, but why high risk enough to shield if diabetics are not? I thought the new changes meant all diabetics were eligible for a vaccine now, but in group 6 (and therefore not shielding)

Over the months I thought it had been established that diabetics with good control were at no more risk than the general population?

Seemingly Covid wreaks havoc on glucose which is troublesome. A lady on one of my GD groups has annual hba1c’s which are all in the normal range however when she had Covid she decided to check her bloods and was seeing 11 & 12’s. Thinking about it, I’m not sure those numbers are actually that dangerous given the circumstances? I was expecting the issue to be much higher glucose but nonetheless it does set an example.

Maybe it is a precaution to help stop a tonne of women already prone to diabetes developing type 2 after covid, which really would be a problem not only in the short term but if covid is “something we are going to learn to live with” then allowing millions more people to fall into the high risk category would be foolish.

Given my team weren’t even certain I had gestational diabetes, this is an insane amount of guesswork for me to deal with.

After my GD “diagnosis” I became obsessed with the idea that I just have undiagnosed type 2, given I have 2 siblings recently diagnosed in their 50’s. I managed to try and rationalise it by remembering my hba1c during pregnancy was 33 and fasting always below 4.5. I figured it would be almost impossible for an undiagnosed diabetic to have a fasting of 4.5. But now, seems it doesn’t even matter anymore because I’m still at risk regardless.

I want to apologise in advance for moaning to a bunch of diabetics about my situation, I think it probably reads quite insensitive - but I’m sure you all have or had similar feelings at one time or another, and most people wouldn’t understand. Diabetes is not something that I ever thought of until my siblings were diagnosed. It was just one of those things that happened to other people. There’s definitely not enough education about it or warnings anywhere to be seen like there is with smoking etc! “Smoking kills” they say. Well, “do you have a family historic of type 2? Are you a carb fiend? Think twice - you’re at risk.” Where’s that to be seen? That’s me by the way, I was the carb fiend!

The irony is, my siblings with diabetes aren’t willing to have the vaccine. They won’t be guinea pigs, apparently. And then there’s me. Oh dear - what a year.

 

[HSSS]

Fair enough, but why high risk enough to shield if diabetics are not? I

This is the point that’s getting to me. If someone with historic GD might be at higher risk then those of with current diabetes surely must be. Yet we get less protection offered

 

[lucylocket61]

I am going to be tactless and ask, does it matter? The government may, or maybe not be getting things right, but at least they are trying.