Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Dorothy on September 15, 2020, 07:20:09 PM
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Hoping some of you can give advice with this.
I've really struggled with wearing a mask, so until recently, I've been using a visor as the next best thing when shopping. But as from yesterday, masks are mandatory in shops and other enclosed public spaces in Wales.
I've tried 4 different types of face mask so far - three, I couldn't cope with for more than a minute before my vision started to go grey and fuzzy. The fourth one, I managed to keep on for nearly 4 minutes, and I was hopeful I might be able to build up gradually, but after taking it off, I felt really sick and had chest pain/tightness for around 10 minutes after. I tried again a while later and had the same thing.
Fortunately, my husband can cope with masks so is able to do the shopping but a) I feel bad that he is going to have to do it all now as he is much busier at work than I am and b) I'm concerned that if I don't go out until the mask-wearing rule ends, I'm going to really struggle to cope with crowded areas once restrictions are lifted. But there's no way I can even think about going out wearing one when I'm still struggling so much to cope with one sitting in my living room. Any ideas on how to 'acclimatise' gratefully received - especially in dealing with the sickness & pain as it's horrible!
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If U suffer from asthma 4 example you don't have to wear a mask. You could get info from your Surgery 2 find out who is able to go without and there are specific lanyards which people exempt wear. I would have thought that a visor would be enough. What does Wales Health suggest?
There must be many in your situation. Let us know .
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Hi Dorothy, sorry to hear you are suffering with wearing a face covering. I don’t have as bad a reaction, but find if I wear one for any great length of time I get very light headed.
I discover and ordered some laser printed reusable nose/mouth cages you wear under the mask. It keeps the fabric away from your nose and mouth, allowing more space to breath.
Have a look on eBay, they might help, they weren’t expensive about £6 for 10, I’ve been giving them to friends and family to try.
Hope this helps
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Tnx. Also when out I lift my mask to allow me to breath. I know we shouldn't touch our faces but I touch mine all the while due to a background all-over itch ::).
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CLKD, I've never been diagnosed with asthma. I have had some problems with breathing following a really bad chest infection at Christmas - had an appointment to get it looked at when lockdown started, so it got cancelled and since then, it's almost impossible to see a GP. In Wales, they are saying that you need a letter from your doctor to prove exemption, which is almost impossible to get! And the amount of abuse people with exemptions are getting for not mask-wearing, I'm not sure I'd want to go out without one even if I could get an exemption letter.
Jillm, thank you for your suggestion - I'll look into those nose cages to see if they help.
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Time to make the GPs work for their livings! If the Welsh Government wants the public to wear masks they must make their GPs available for discussion about excemptions. Quite frankly, when we are away from people I lift mine which helps a lot. I have small cotton masks but require larger ears ::)
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I know someone who has had cancer twice in the same place and seen a lump growing there again that looked identical to the previous two - was told by the GP to email a photo and they'd diagnose from that. Reply came back that it was ok... Just hope the photo was clear enough for an accurate diagnosis, because otherwise...
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Why did your friend accept that? I would have been at the Surgery door! After all, we pay their wages !!! Or rung the Consultant and asked for clinical advice. This is negligence but of course, the NHS will close ranks >:(
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Elderly, in poor health and 'doesn't want to make a fuss'. It infuriates me that the sick and elderly are being treated as expendable under the guise of 'protecting' them.
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Not much to suggest 2 anyone who 'doesn't want to make a fuss'. I can't understand that attitude - we've paid in and particularly at this time, shouldn't we be putting foot down with firm hand :-\. 1 of the GPs in our surgery won't listen: what she says goes : she wasn't up for discussion. She was trying to put her experiences over as gospel and 'you must do or else'. :(
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I am going to make one I can breathe through ::)
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in my honest opinion they are extremely bad for our bodies.. we are breathing back in CO2 and nobody seems to be addressing this.. where does the stale breath go..? back into our bodies... why do you think a car has an exhaust? to eliminiate the waste.. same as our bodies.. its is bad. i wear a visor and refuse to wear a mask.
someone argued the point with me that the CO2 goes through the mask.. if thats the case, then the virus can get in right..?
a piece of cloth does not protect in my opinion.. only proper high standar medical masks might....
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in my honest opinion they are extremely bad for our bodies.. we are breathing back in CO2 and nobody seems to be addressing this.. where does the stale breath go..? back into our bodies... why do you think a car has an exhaust? to eliminiate the waste.. same as our bodies.. its is bad. i wear a visor and refuse to wear a mask.
someone argued the point with me that the CO2 goes through the mask.. if thats the case, then the virus can get in right..?
a piece of cloth does not protect in my opinion.. only proper high standar medical masks might....
Sorry, someone is right and your honest opinion is wrong. CO2 is a tiny molecule, one viral particle has thousands of molecules, including huge ones like proteins, DNA or RNA and lipids. CO2 will diffuse through the mask, same as oxygen, and the sort of masks you're using will allow lateral leaks, so no, you're not being poisoned by CO2. Carbon monoxide (CO) from motor vehicles is much more poisonous than CO2 , which is a byproduct of the breathing process.
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Crikey - that's interesting : when typing that did you visualise the chemical formulae ........
Hopefully Fedup! your mind has been put at rest?
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I've had a look at the mask brackets, but I'm not sure they'd help. Even if I hold the fabric well away from my nose and mouth, I still find it difficult to breathe.
I'm trying with one now that we bought online, and it is a little easier to breathe through, but I suspect that is because it's not thick enough - it was advertised as 3-ply, but it feels more like 2-ply. And I still can't wear it for more than about 6 minutes! I think I'll just have to resign myself to being grounded until this is over.
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That's a shame Dorothy. :(
Do persevere though. I'm okay for about 15-20 mins now. If I go on a train for longer than that, I take a bottle of water so that I can remove the mask of a quick drink and replace. Seems to help and relieves the panic.
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I will keep trying - I must admit though, I'm a bit worried about the chest pain. Never had anything like this before, so I'm hoping it's not a sign of something more serious!
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Could be stress Dorothy.
If you are worried about breathing with the mask, you will feel stressed and that will affect your breathing more. The stress could well be causing the chest pains.
Having said that perhaps you should get it checked out, just to put your mind at rest. It's easy to go round in circles, with the mind affecting the body and vice a versa.
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I wasn't stressed about wearing a mask before I tried one - I didn't expect to have any problems at all, so it was quite a shock when I tried the first one and felt ill. I assumed it was the mask (it was a homemade one that I had been given, and I know a few other people struggled with them) and that I'd be ok with a shop-bought one...but I wasn't.
I am quite stressed now when I put one on, because I know it's going to make me feel ill - but the symptoms have caused the stress, not the other way round! That's what worries me - if I'd been anxious beforehand, I'd just put it down to stress, but I wasn't.
Unfortunately, I can't get a doctor's appointment without wearing a mask, so until I can wear a mask without difficulty, I can't see the doctor...by which point, I won't need the appointment anyway ;D
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I’m asthmatic and I am really struggling with wearing a mask. I’m currently on my third type to try. I am ok if I nip into a shop but doing a supermarket shop I feel very faint and over heat. I can’t believe the experts say it doesn’t affect your oxygen levels. I’m forever pulling it away from my face for fresh air to breathe in x
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Maybe it's not the mask that decreases oxygen, maybe you're hyperventilating (anxiety, stress) and increasing CO2 levels.
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/933540
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Maybe it's not the mask that decreases oxygen, maybe you're hyperventilating (anxiety, stress) and increasing CO2 levels.
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/933540
I think that is right. That's why it seems to be people with anxiety disorders that have the most problems.
The mind and the body work together.
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My mum put a drop of eucalyptus oil on a piece of cloth inside her mask, she finds it helps ::)
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That's wonderful, Two hoots! I put lavender flowers 😁
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That's wonderful, Two hoots! I put lavender flowers 😁
That’s a good idea. I’m trying a bandana/snood next. I’m fine if there’s gaps, which defeats the object I know x
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Wouldn't do for me. Strong smells make me sneeze, repeatedly.
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What a good idea. Next time I go out, which isn't very often I admit, I'm going to put a small drop of Olbas Oil on my mask. See how that works. 👍🏼
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Hi there, So sorry to hear about people suffering like this. I can assure you, you do not have to wear a mask if you suffer from either mental or physical problems when wearing one. You do not have to explain to anyone why you aren't (apart from saying you are exempt) and you do not have to prove it. You can download 'label's that fit inside the plastic part of a lanyard from local bus companies (ours is Stagecoach) and from Asthma UK. There is also a firm for hidden disabilities (like panic attacks) that have labels - just look it up on the internet. If you look up Simon Dolan's organisation called Keep Britain Free I think they know a firm who provide lanyards with official Government wording on them. Please stop using masks if you are suffering, they are extremely bad for you and don't protect you anyway. Hope this is helpful.😊 Cheers SG
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Hi there, So sorry to hear about people suffering like this. I can assure you, you do not have to wear a mask if you suffer from either mental or physical problems when wearing one. You do not have to explain to anyone why you aren't (apart from saying you are exempt) and you do not have to prove it. You can download 'label's that fit inside the plastic part of a lanyard from local bus companies (ours is Stagecoach) and from Asthma UK. There is also a firm for hidden disabilities (like panic attacks) that have labels - just look it up on the internet. If you look up Simon Dolan's organisation called Keep Britain Free I think they know a firm who provide lanyards with official Government wording on them. Please stop using masks if you are suffering, they are extremely bad for you and don't protect you anyway. Hope this is helpful.😊 Cheers SG
In Wales, you are advised to provide proof, such as a GP letter or prescription form to prove you have an issue that would make wearing a mask difficult. But even armed with these, some local people have been subjected to verbal abuse and/or been refused entry to a food shop. I've got a lanyard stating that I don't have to wear a mask due to a hidden disability, but I'd be too scared to go out without one anyway, due to the amount of aggression aimed at anyone who doesn't wear one. So my only choices are either to stay in or get better at tolerating a mask. I'm going to give it another week, and if I still can't cope, I'll just resign myself to staying in for the foreseeable. Tough luck on my OH who is landed with all the errands though!
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Wouldn't do for me. Strong smells make me sneeze, repeatedly.
Me too, Shadyglade. I prefer to use a piece of coffee filter paper in the pocket of the mask. I think I'll give the lavender flowers a try though, their smell is not as strong as essential oils.