Covid19 12 week isolation

Hi  and welcome to our corner of the Community.

I am also in Scotland (Inverness) and I have not heard of anyone getting a text or letter. But I was talking with my team last week and because of all the treatment I have had (see my profile) I need to basically see myself High Risk Group - and try and follow the 'Shielding' advice - but it was left up to me how far I followed all the advice.

Some background - I was diagnosed in 1999 with a rare type of Skin NHL. I am now over 4 1/2 years post my last treatment and 3 1/2 years in remission. Just a few weeks back my team said   “……you need to think that you have just come through all your treatment again and take exactly the same precautions as you did then........”   so I am basically back into a three+ months isolation controlling everyone I come in contract with and where and what I do.

She also said ”……. once a blood cancer patient always a blood cancer patient"......... "All the treatment you have had has indeed had a long lasting effect on the effectiveness of your immune system even although your bloods are ok with a few at the lower limit range of acceptable, like any virus you are at risk but this one we don’t know how a post treatment patient will react - let’s be safe and not sorry”

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Hi mike 

thank you I’m stage 3 follicular lymphoma had a hard time through rituximab I have spleen involvement also had infections constantly that bad they stopped treatment for 5 months 

I spoke to our head of council who told me 200k letters will be going out in Scotland and vulnerable people will be sent to HSCP 

I’m the chair of the Scottish kinship care alliance and also my local area kinship chair (West Dunbartonshire’) so I have contact via Scot gov 

Its all very confusing but as I’m a kinship carer and raise my 2 grandchildren I’m worried about the impact 12 weeks will have on them and myself! 

It’s great this community is here as right now I’m struggling to get my head round all the do s and donts

I’ve been isolated a week tomorrow with the kids my son is allowed in and out but he’s also a frontline key worker so he’s frightened to be near me 

any advice on keeping sane will also be welcomed I’m not used to being home and I’m used to and continue to look after kinship carers throughout Scotland including a lovely one in plockton! 

Hi again it will be interesting to see if I get one.

You will see from my 'long' profile I had two Stem Cell Transplants so 6 months isolation after my first and a year after my second..... so for me 12 weeks is a walk in the park ;)

I think its all down to how much you want to push the restrictions. I was 'officially' not allowed to see our granddaughters during my isolation but once I was 3-4 months in we reduced the restrictions but were very very carful.

We may find the Government advice/restrictions are going to become even more strict.

Hi again , I just had a call from my GP confirming that I follow all the standing Government Guidelines but stopping short of total 'shielding' in the house with my wife.

Hi mike 

im glad you’ve had it clarified I’m still awaiting mines I’m hoping not to be in the 12 week but realistically I know I will be 

I’d rather suck it up and do what’s needed as you know from experience when your told to stay you do it . It won’t be a walk in the park for me more a long stroll but I’m sure I will keep busy 

glad I’ve linked back in here I may have to annoy you from time to time  thanks you’ve been a good help I will let you know what my criteria is when I know x

Yes, do see it as a long stroll and you will find that you will start doing positive things that will surprise you.

We have been in basic isolation 2 weeks, just a long walk every day and Fiona getting some essentials.

We are part of a team that run a large Community Church/Community Facility along with two coffee shops and a very large children’s/family play/support group so we obviously had to close everything down and 12 of our staff are now on the Governments furlough 80% scheme..... sad to see such a well used facility sitting empty but this is temporary. My wife does all the admin and finances so she is still working along with our pastoral team.

The interesting thing that has come out of this is we are feeling fitter and have lost weight.

After having my bloods done for my Late Effects Clinic over 2 weeks back I got a letter from my GP highlighting that my Cholesterol was up and I was per-diabetic....... “review your diet and life style and we will retest you in a year”

So for the last 12 days we have done that, cut out snacks, bread, pasta, potatoes and increased our 5 a day and one long walk a day - to date I have lost 6.2kgs - Just under one stone

I had an email to that effect, closely followed by the one inviting me back to the NHS for a bit of maximum exposure!  I'm in Scotland too.

Sounds like you've already found out about the persistance of the effects on our immune systems the hard way!  I sympathise, but we have to understand that we're likely to be more vulnerable to 'normal' infections for what seems to be an indefinite period of time.  I had expected to be bulletproof six weeks after finishing chemo, but this is how it is.  Plus, this is very very effective virus and spreads faster than gossip in a Welsh village.

I think you ought to consider yourself grounded for the 3 months.  The guidance does say blood cancers remain vulnerable at any stage.  Remission is a stage.  Hopefully, a nice long troublefree one!

Cecren

Well I got the dreaded today and a call from gp to do a form over the phone I can honestly admit although I feel I’m very strong I burst into tears straight after call 

go whom I’ve had 14 years is great but I could even hear the sadness in her voice asking me the worst questions do you want to goto hospital if you become seriously ill ,do you want resuscitated if your heart stops but worse was what’s your back up plan for the 2 kids ? I must admit  I think I really haven’t given my mortality a thought since I stopped treatment but today made me feel extremely vulnerable and overwhelmed 

glad I have cane back in here with people that understand 

Hi , sorry to hear that you had to have this conversation and the reality about how vulnerable we all are. 

Your post transported me back 6 years when I had the first meeting with my Stem Cell Transplant and their words were a wake up call as to what could happen during the process.....”get your affairs in order” makes you look at life in a different way.

We all need to do the best we can to control our environment and more importantly think about these words I read in a book yesterday “..... pause, be still, breathe slowly then re-centre my scattered senses upon the good that is out there”

I have to say that I continue to enjoy opening my eyes every new day and see the sun rising.

((hugs)) from a safe distance.

I would consider it a form of abuse myself.

Hope you answered yes to all (as in yes, I want you to do everything to save my life)

Don’t make it easy for them.