This is a question I have been pondering this week in light of the government guidance regarding extremely vulnerable patients. Unfortunately, it seems that as myeloma patients we are unlucky in that our immune systems are permanently weakened by the disease. It’s not really a thought I wanted to contemplate but it does seem to be the thinking of Myeloma UK who are instructing the government re: the COVID-19 guidance.
Thanks for that Greg. Guess we are just unlucky, as my consultant said to me one day! One other question - we are told to go out for exercise, are we ok to go for a short walk in the fresh air as long as we keep 6ft away from everyone? Not that there are many people about where I live.!
I asked this question to my team as well. The NHS text I got said I wasn’t allowed to leave my house, just open a window. That sent me into a bit of a panic, so I contacted my team to check if the government advice was serious. The response I got said “we strongly advise you to follow the guidelines as much as possible”. I then got the letter and it said I can go out in the garden. I think the bottom line is it is an individual choice about what risk you’re willing to take on. For example, I’ve decided not to follow the shielding guidance within the house - I just couldn’t face staying 2 metres away from my kids all the time.
