The outbreak of coronavirus has made life much more difficult for us all.
However, at least most of us can live safe in the knowledge that, if we catch the virus, we will most likely recover quite quickly from it and be able to continue with our lives as normal.
But for those with underlying health conditions, the last few weeks have been a time of much fear and anxiety.
Everyday of her life, Renfrew councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes endures continuous pain due to having a neurological condition called Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy.
The condition – which can be closely linked to MS- emerged from bones in her neck squashing her spinal chord, which has been left permanently damaged.
Despite surgery to insert a ‘cage’ in her neck to support it and slow down the degeneration, Lisa-Marie has been left with permanent symptoms such as chronic nerve pain in her arms, legs, feet, hands back and neck.
The Renfrew North and Braehead councillor also finds writing and things like chopping food challenging due to being left with poor fine motor skills, and she uses crutches to help with balance.
The 37-year-old manages to cope with everyday life by taking medication daily and spending some time each week working from home.
But when the news broke of the rapid outbreak of Covid-19, Lisa-Marie knew it could be disastrous if she caught it.
“I felt fear and anxiety. When you have a chronic health condition, unknowns aren’t the most pleasant thing,” said Lisa-Marie.
“I’m considered at risk because my symptoms get significantly worse if I have a virus. As with most neurological conditions, the severity of my symptoms fluctuates, but if I have a virus, they get particularly bad.
“I’ve had periods of not being able to feel my hands or grips objects and my legs not working properly when I’ve had a bad virus, so I have to be careful.”
It’s fair to say the SNP councillor has faced an even bigger emotional battle than a lot of us have in recent weeks.
While those of us in good health are despairing over where to get our next batch of toilet rolls from, Lisa-Marie is just relieved to wake up in the morning still able to move.
And, as time goes on, she is finding ways to deal with the fear which continues to rear its head now and again.
“I am a fairly practical person, so the solution to these emotions for me is to try to be as healthy as I possibly can be in case I am affected by coronavirus, and to make sure I keep up with and adhere to the guidelines set out by the Scottish Government and NHS, ” Lisa-Marie added.
“I will be honest and say I still worry about it, but being prepared relieves a lot of that. I think it’s important that those of us with existing conditions are as prepared as we can be.”
After spending several years working in social care, Lisa-Marie was already a frequent washer of door handles and light switches and, due to her condition, she started social distancing well in advance of the nation being asked to do this.
But for vulnerable people, what is most important is that everyone rallies together to protect those most at-risk from Covid-19 by staying at home as much as possible.
And Lisa-Marie admitted she has been impressed with how well people in her local area have stuck to guidance.
She said: “We are fortunate to have social media so people can still interact, and all across it I am seeing people working from home and helping their kids with learning.
“In my own area, there has been a complete change. When I walk my dog at 7.30am there are no other people out, which is encouraging.
“There are still people who are not sticking to the rules though, and it’s really important they do. The Government’s approach aims to stop a massive spike in cases so the NHS can cope with the additional pressure of dealing with coronavirus.
“Simply put, if you aren’t sticking to the rules, you are putting yourself, your family and other people in danger, including the frontline staff who look after us.”
