Thanks for your replies everyone. He got notified by post last time so hopefully something is winging its way but he’s getting a bit angsty about it. His workplace has at least now said they’re amenable to putting him on furlough when he does get proof of being in the CEV group, so that’s a big relief.
2 Likes
I got mine by email as well on Wednesday evening. If your husband needs a proof of the letter, then I would encourage to get in touch with the GP or the Hospital team and update email address details. Considering how people got their letters last time around, they are relying on the emails now. I’m sure the Gov is getting email addresses from these two resources.
3 Likes
Hello @Groves1103, really glad your employers are allowing you to work from home, though live streaming five lessons a day sounds tiring! Really hope it’s going well 
@Jill1 really glad your husband’s employer is open to putting him on furlough. Just re the emails/letters, in case it’s helpful for people, the Department of Health have said
“Emails have been sent to those who have email addresses registered to their NHS patient records, but we are writing to everybody as well. So someone shouldn’t be worried if they haven’t received an email, if they’re on the shielded patient list, they will receive a letter in the coming days.”
2 Likes
Hi @Jill1, Blood Cancer UK have the guidance on their website if you need it.
1 Like
Thanks MoMo. He rang the GP surgery this afternoon as I had heard they could help but they said they couldn’t. I’m thinking if the e-mails were sent out on Wednesday/Thursday hopefully the letters were too.
2 Likes
Hi All,
When I spoke to my consultant last lockdown, she said they had no input into the list of patients that were being written to.
Also I spoke to my GP during lockdown & informed her that I was on the Extremely Vulnerable list & she didn’t know either!
Goodness knows where they’re getting the names, addresses, email addresses & mobile numbers from?
I’m back in isolation, with my husband, as he had heart attack 5 weeks ago.
Keep safe everyone.
2 Likes
@Kitchengardener2
Good luck tomorrow.
1 Like
Hi @Corfu80, I am so sorry to hear that your husband had a heart attack 5 weeks ago, how are you both now?
Hi @Corfu80, we’re so sorry to hear of your husbands heart attack 5 weeks ago. How are you coping? If you would like to speak to someone from our support team, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Best Wishes
Bav
1 Like
@Chrissy I know how you feel. I had started to go to local shops and back volunteering and even a tai chi class very socially distanced. However I have decided to stop going to shops, and the class and volunteering have been cancelled. I am however going to the opticians today.
I still keep fit by doing both tai and Zumba vi Zoom but it isn’t the same. To stop me from going mad I go for walks with a friend as otherwise am in the house. Although I am in remission I am aware that locally the infection rates are very high.
I have also had the letter after having had an email a couple of days before. I ignored the advice before about keeping two metres apart from my husband though we use separate bathrooms but that has always been the case because I am on dialysis and the waste fluid drains into the toilet. If he goes to the toilet whilst it is draining out the machine alarms! I didn’t read the letter that closely this time but the earlier one suggested we cooked and ate separately too!
Anyway keep safe everyone.
1 Like
Hi @Joan, I am impressed with your keep fit regime. I do pilates DVD’s.
So you also have other challenges being on dialysis, not easy.
This letter is slightly more practical, but again includes the 2 metre away from others at home, which is slightly impractical in our flat, we would need sets of traffic lights, there is no room for roundabouts !!
I think the main thing is that we use common sense and reasonable measures to keep safe in our circumstances. Stay safe.
Glad to hear your husband can stay home and doesn’t have to go into work. Hope you’re both doing okay!
1 Like
Sorry they weren’t much help! If you want to talk anything through please do feel free to give us a call if you want to talk anything through. I hope your husband gets his letter soon"
In the meantime though your husband might find it helpful to share some information around blood cancer and Coronavirus with his employer - https://bloodcancer.org.uk/support-for-you/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-blood-cancer/
Here’s our factsheet for employers -https://media.bloodcancer.org.uk/documents/Employer-fact-sheet-Living-well-Blood-Cancer-UK-Nov-2020.pdf
1 Like
Alice, thank you. I’ve suggested he makes an online GP appointment in the hope that they’ll be more forthcoming than the receptionist. He’s convinced himself the letter won’t arrive and has been fretting so much that he looked ill yesterday so I feel it would be justified to ask for help again. The NHS site does seem to say that GPs can help the process. Also, he’s on immunotherapy which makes his classification as CEV very clear and simple so I wondered if his company’s HR department would consider an appointment letter to be proof.
I had also thought he might benefit from ringing your helpline. I’ll tell him you suggested it too. He seems a bit calmer today but I hate seeing his energy taken up by it. Thanks also for the links. I’ll go and have a read now.
2 Likes
Hi @Jill1, so many people have not received ‘the letter’, the same thing happened during the original lockdown, so you tell your husband that.
I believe many of us have experienced that our emotions have been heightened during lockdown, I remember getting so excited about getting an on line grocery slot, so angry at trivial things and bursting into tears the next minute. Since diagnosis I do not deal with what personally stresses me well and my fatigue sets in if I overdo it emotionally, physically or practically.
@Alice_BloodCancerUK has given you brilliant links and everyone on the support line are lovely and you can contact the Support Services Team on 0808 2080 888 (10am-7pm Monday-Friday, and 10am-1pm Saturday and Sunday) or via email at support@bloodcancer.org.uk.
I am also concerned about you, I bet you are exhausted as your role can be so hard.
Look after yourselves and spoil yourselves…
Erica, I think I have more of those post-diagnosis symptoms than he does usually. My brain suddenly fries and refuses to function again until I rest it somewhere quiet. But for both of us various Covid related worries have caused more trouble than his chemo. He sailed through R-CHOP and was so calm about everything, only to be unravelled by Matt and his missing missive!
1 Like
Hi @Jill1, I agree I expect you do have all those symptoms because perhaps you are completely exhausted keeping everything together and running smoothly. I have to wait till my body hits me with a sledge hammer before I realise I need to stop.
Perhaps with your husband it the missing missive that is the final straw, hence the unravelling.
Just be kind to yourselves, you are both doing brilliantly and Matt is now off your Christmas card list.
1 Like
Hi @Erica, things are quite worrying here to be honest. I started displaying symptoms of a virus last week and went for a covid test on Sunday so John and I are both isolating as we are still waiting for the results. John is quite laid-back about it and says it probably isn’t covid but I’m terrified it is and that John will get it. I wish had Johns optimism and positivity. I’m sure we’ll get the results soon and we can go from there but its such a worrying time. I hope you are keeping well Erica xxx
1 Like
Yes, @Mandypandy, the waiting is the worst, please look after yourselves and let us know how you are both doing.
1 Like
@Mandypandy We hope you and John are okay, and ditto to what @Erica rightly said, we can only imagine how much the waiting adds to an already anxious situation. Hope you’ve been okay whilst self-isolating and the forum is always here to support you 
1 Like