Received my shielding letter last week.
It's the first one I've had, as during Lockdown 1.0 neither the severity of my MS nor my Tecfidera taking saw me classed in the clinically extremely vulnerable category.
This time round, Cladribine plus very low lymphocyte levels, have put me there.
It's a not altogether pleasant experience to be classed as officially extremely vulnerable.
But then I think the pandemic has put us all at risk to one degree or another.
Certainly within my friendship group we have seen job losses, deteriorating mental and physical health, relationship breakdowns and high levels of guilt and stress.
And I'm sure it's a story repeated everywhere.
There is no easy answer and there is going to be no quick fix. The repercussions of the past year (and the months to come) are going to be with us for a long time.
There are glimmers of hope - the vaccine roll-out is underway and we're heading towards the spring, a change of season which is always welcome.
But in the meantime there's nothing we can do apart from be a voice on the end of a phone line, a sender of letters, emails texts and the sharer of stupid GIFs.
We're all going through something unprecedented and actually, we're all extremely vulnerable.
Support is available at Mind and via the MS Society's wellbeing hub.
No comments:
Post a Comment