Well tomorrow marks 14 days since my family went into self shielding. So you’d probably think we should be “safe” and just need to sit it out.

But it doesn’t work that way.
(Pt 1)

Well tomorrow marks 14 days since my family went into self shielding. So you’d probably think we should be “safe” and just need to sit it out.

Tuesday will be 3 weeks since I last saw my CF team, and I won’t be seeing them again for at least 16 more weeks.

This might not sound a long time to you, but it’s the longest I will have gone without visiting a hospital in my entire life. Even at my healthiest as a child clinics were every 10-12 weeks. Nowadays they’re every 4-6 weeks.

I can’t go to my hospital because my team are busy caring for those with Corona. All non urgent services have been stripped back for the virus, especially in respiratory care.

This makes complete sense, and I wish my team well, but it does leave me and all other chronically ill patients in an uncomfortable situation. I can’t stop my bugs flaring, or my intestines having a hissy fit.

Services for the chronically ill will not resume until we’re out of this nightmare. That means everyone staying at home to stop spreading the thing.

So if you’re a clever clogs who thinks they can just sneak out, or go to your place of (non essential) work, or worse are thinking of attending a gathering this weekend, please stop and think.

I know it’s getting tough to stay in, especially when it’s nice weather, but suck it up. The longer you don’t, the longer this goes on.

No, you might not catch it yourself. You might not kill someone you don’t know by accidentally spreading corona. But you WILL be directly contributing to the unnecessary deaths of patients who have stepped to one side at a time of crisis. We need normal service to resume ASAP.

So don’t be stupid. Sit down, put your feet up and stay in.

And if your mate phones and asks you to meet up? You know what to do!

#Covid19 #juststayhome #noseriouslyitsnothard #chronicillness #cysticfibrosis