CLL & Coronavirus

[Nickos66]

I'll get right to the point,I'm worried,but not scared.In the course of the last 15 years since initial diagnosis of CLL,I've had 3 different Chemotherapy courses, each harsher than the last,resulting in a 2nd bout if pneumonia that damaged a lung causing bronchiecstsis.Now I'm on Ibrutinib,I pick everything up going,colds,viruses.My immune system is totally compromised,hopefully this virus doesn't hit around where I live.

[Davdow]

Hi @Nickos66 I understand your concern. I started ibrutinib last December and now feel more vulnerable to infections than before, even if, arguably, my immune system has been compromised ever since my initial treatment quite a few years back. I started working from home, initially for reasons nothing to do with coronavirus, but am beginning to wonder if I should stay home even though my line manager is giving hints he would prefer me back in the office. Like you, I look at the news with concern rather than fear. Risk is hard for humans to judge objectively. e.g more people worry about flying than driving, even though the former is safer, at least from the viewpoint of the chances of having an accident (and ignoring the fact that you have less chance of getting an infection when driving!)

My doctors / nurses tell me I should be more concerned about getting flu. On the other hand, the NHS / Scientific designation of the current risk as 'moderate' might mainly apply to the general population for whom this is not a dangerous virus. Or it could also be related to the need not to cause further panic. My conclusion is that the risk is slightly higher for immune compromised people. The statistics would probably indicate that we are currently more likely to get a flu, and many people point out that the no of deaths per year from flu is far higher, yet nobody ever worries about that. Yet that leaves out the fact that this is more infectious than flu as Jm954 recently pointed out. So I think we need to be vigilent and this has potential to be more problematic than flu. I do not want to spread anxiety (sorry for the pun!), and I do not think we need to over stress over this, but I also think it is wise to err on the side of caution. So I am not self isolating, but I am trying to avoid crowded places (e.g doing shopping at quieter times). We need to keep listening to what the experts tell us, but also be prepared to make our own judgements about the risk. I find it quite interesting that the media, and even many of the scientists, have mainly listed the most vulnerable as a) ederly (not defined what age is elederly) b) People with respiratory diseases, heart conditions, diabetes - big c (or indeed blood cancer) rarely gets a mention, Some have said anyone with compromised immune system, but not all. The sound bites cannot be relied upon.

So we need to rely on more reliable sources of information (I suppose WHO, NHS, official updates) and not the opinions of people e.g do not rely on my opionion, I am not an expert, so I am just sharing my perceptions on the issue. Hopefuly it will all turn out to be a big scare about nothing, but so far the news is not getting any more encouraging.

[Nickos66 in reply to Davdow]

Absolutely spot on thanks,my biggest concern would be trying to fight it,if I do catch it! But hopefully I won't with the precautions I'm taking.