I'm high-risk with asthma. How to stay safe with viruses?

Clearly, what we do to stay safe as society emerges from lockdown will vary greatly based on each person’s specific risk factors, situation, resources, and perhaps creativity. We may not be able to do much to change the first three, and we probably can’t completely eliminate all Covid-19 risk (just as we can’t completely eliminate all risk of car accidents, or catching any other disease or malady.) But we CAN certainly think outside the box and share our own ideas and plans here that may work for someone else, perhaps with modification; or may stimulate completely new ideas and strategies for staying healthy and minimizing risk.

In that spirit, I share my plan - simply to stimulate discussion and idea generation, NOT because my plan or ideas are any better than anyone else’s! First, I am at risk because I was on chemotherapy for 11 months for a rare autoimmune disorder which now seems to be under control, at least for now. At about six weeks post-chemo, my white blood cells are now recovered to normal levels, but I have read that it can take 6-9 months post-chemo for one’s T-cells to be back to full strength. So if I’m in a store with someone who is infected with this new CoronaVirus, I’m no more likely to catch the virus than someone else, but if I do catch it, I likely won’t be able to fight it very well, and could have a more severe battle on my hands, very possibly complicated by a relapse of my rare autoimmune disorder. Given that it is rare, no one can tell me how much “at risk” I would be.

So, my plan is to not find out! I.e. to pull out all the stops and do everything I can not to catch the virus in the first place, especially for the next 7 or 8 months while my T-cells are still not back to full strength. This is a two-pronged approach:

A. Reduce exposure risk and
B. Strengthen my Immune system

Starting with the latter, I can make sure I stay on a regular sleep schedule, eat plenty of good healthy food, get moderate exercise and 15 minutes of sun every day. I can read up on what superfoods strengthen the immune system and what lousy foods weaken it (like refined sugar.)
I can use the internet and the remainder of this lockdownperiod to find, and experiment with, more highly-rated healthy recipes. In short, I can use this pandemic and my fear of it as wonderful motivation to do these things and become a healthier and stronger person. In this way I turn my enemy into my ally, my fear into empowerment!

I also have detailed plans for limiting my risk of exposure. I am incredibly fortunate that my husband is not “at risk” and is willing and able to support us on his earnings alone. Thus I can be a non-working spouse or do some work from home. Either way, this allows me to basically stay on lockdown, at least while the world figures out how to do this re-emergence thing right. I can keep ordering groceries online. I don’t “need” to go get my hair or nails done. I can stay in touch with friends and family with FaceTime, Zoom, phone calls and texts. I have a friend who is also at risk and taking as many protective measures as I am. When we are both ready to emerge from our protective little bubbles, she will be the first friend I reconnect with, as we are both at low risk given how careful we’ve been, and we will understand each other’s trepidation at first “re-rentry” in a way our non “at-risk” friends probably will not.

One other unusual strategy that has emerged for me as my husband has been working from home during the lockdown is that I have become a night owl and, (because his company headquarters is in a three-hour earlier time zone) he has become an extreme morning person. We sleep in different bedrooms and at different times of the day. This has allowed him a quiet workspace in the morning and allowed us both more personal space and “breathing room” in a relatively small house. We have agreed to continue this as he returns to his office and his job’s required travel as we think it should help reduce the risk of him bringing home the virus and giving it to me.

He has also agreed to try to be as careful with his own exposure as if HE were the one with the compromised immune system and the incurable rare disease. His co-workers and boss know my situation and so will understand if my husband doesn’t shake hands, takes the stairs instead of a crowded elevator, etc., etc. I think the fact that we were open about what I went through during my chemo and how they kind of went through it with us will help my husband keep me safer, and I hope that his continued visible efforts to distance and sanitize will help them all be a bit more careful and safer as well, which helps keep their loved ones safe in turn. So don’t be afraid to be open about your, or your family’s, “at risk” status. You’ll probably find out just about everyone knows someone at risk for one reason or another, and this could create a great teamwork dynamic where everyone works to get the job done in a way that best protects everybody’s loved ones at home.

Well, this is already waaaay too long! I look forward to hearing other people’s plans and ideas for how to deal with being “at risk” as the country emerges from lockdown.

Unfortunately, once the stay at home order is lifted, I must return to work. My heart starts racing every time I think about it. I, too, am high-risk, being 64 with COPD. I am hoping that wearing a mask and hand washing will be sufficient. Is there something else I should be doing? I plan to go to work and back home, not stopping anywhere. My wonderful husband goes to the store for me after work, then when he comes home he strips in the garage and carries his clothes directly to the washing machine before washing his hands and putting on "relax at home" clothes.

@fiesty76 I too am at high risk with the age of my triple by pass . Today I was so upset . The post office here wont deliver packages we have to go down putting me at risk I got a hugh heavy box how was I to handle this . Thank goodness I had my walker but this is ridiculous especially when Amazon said they are delivering it to my door . My chest is hurting right now . If it doesn't quit soon I will call the Dr. Im fed up with this .

I didn't mean to open a discussion about dreams, although they are so interesting to explore. This discussion is about I'm high-risk. How to stay safe when things start opening again? What are you considering?

@katimacaz- Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. - Wow, you have thought a lot through very well and have a plan! It is extremely important to be open and discuss things. My husband and I have always been that way and through 4 lung cancer treatments, it helped immensely. What or how will you know that it will be safe to adventure back into society?

Unfortunately, once the stay at home order is lifted, I must return to work. My heart starts racing every time I think about it. I, too, am high-risk, being 64 with COPD. I am hoping that wearing a mask and hand washing will be sufficient. Is there something else I should be doing? I plan to go to work and back home, not stopping anywhere. My wonderful husband goes to the store for me after work, then when he comes home he strips in the garage and carries his clothes directly to the washing machine before washing his hands and putting on "relax at home" clothes.

Such a weird question, that. My T-cells will be back to normal 9 months from my last dose of the chemotherapy. But IgA Nephropathy is considered an incurable disease, so I will have that for the rest of my life, and it puts me at risk of a flare up if I should ever get any type of respiratory infection. So I wasn't "safe" interacting with others before Covid-19 and I won't be "safe" after. There is no magic bell or milestone that will suddenly signal it's time to throw open the doors and go hug everyone in sight. When the urge to get out is stronger than the urge to protect myself, it'll be time to go out. That time is not now.

@gramajojo What kind of work will you be returning to? Will you be in close contact with a lot of people? In addition to a mask and handwashing, remember to clean frequently touched surfaces regularly with a disinfectant, alcohol or bleach. It would not be bad to ask your employer to provide this. Find out what your employer's policy will be to assure that employees stay home if they are ill or have been exposed to family members with Covid-19.
My friends who are preparing to reopen their workplace are also keeping the lunch/break room closed, asking people to bring their own food and beverages, staggering start times, limiting workers to one per vehicle, and not allowing employees to gather in groups - all meetings will remain virtual for the near future.
Sue

Unfortunately, once the stay at home order is lifted, I must return to work. My heart starts racing every time I think about it. I, too, am high-risk, being 64 with COPD. I am hoping that wearing a mask and hand washing will be sufficient. Is there something else I should be doing? I plan to go to work and back home, not stopping anywhere. My wonderful husband goes to the store for me after work, then when he comes home he strips in the garage and carries his clothes directly to the washing machine before washing his hands and putting on "relax at home" clothes.