COVID-19 and Follicular Lymphoma

I've been considering writing about COVID-19/Corona Virus for a week or so. It seems like the last 24 hours have really changed the way people are looking at it, at least in the part of the USA that I live in.

I'm working from home. I've been told I will work be working from home for about 3 weeks, at least. It might be more.

This morning, my wife and I drove to get my daughter, who is in her first year of college, to bring her home. She's not too far away, so that wasn't too bad. She's on a planned break next week, and then she'll be home with us for two weeks, taking her classes online.

My middle child is also away at school, about 6 hours away from us. He's coming home Saturday, and then it's the same thing as my daughter -- a week of planned break, and then two weeks of online classes, staying at home with us.

My wife is encouraging us all to play "The Glad Game." There's lots to be worried about, or inconvenienced by, or just unsure of. So we're focusing on things that make us glad. We'll have our kids home with us. It's less worrying when they're in our sight. And we get to spend some unexpected time with them, which is always great.

Our oldest just graduated from college a few months ago. He lives nearby. We'll have him over, too. His band was supposed to play a gig tonight, and it got cancelled. He could probably use a lift. (And a meal.)

I had thought about giving some advice about dealing with this whole situation, but my guess is that no one reading this would need that advice. Those of us who have had treatment have been immuno-compromised at some point or other, or maybe still are. That's unavoidable. Our cancer involves cells that are part of the immune system, so treatments (no matter what they are, from Rituxan to chemo to Stem Cell Transplants) end up wiping out some immune cells. So a common side effect is a less effective immune system, at least for a while. So we're used to being careful in situations like this -- staying away from sick people, washing our hands, etc.

And I also know how I feel now -- the same feeling of being "in between" that comes with being a Follicular Lymphoma patient/survivor/whatever label you want to use. I haven't had treatment in 10 years, so I'm not in that state of immuno-compromise that cancer patients are in when they are actively going through treatment. But I'm also not sure that I'm someone with a completely healthy immune system. And I'm certainly not one of those young healthy people who supposedly "don't have anything to worry about."

So what to do?

Well, I plan to keep up the good habits I've had for 10 years -- washing my hands a lot, staying away from sick people, and generally being careful.

And trying not to worry too much. Trying, as best as I can, to live my life, while still staying careful. I can't keep myself shut up inside my house. I'm not in a place now where I think I have to, so I won't. But I won't do anything crazy, either. And that includes obsessing over the news, or over what people have to say on Twitter or Facebook, either about our overall behavior being too much of an over-reaction, or that we're all doomed because we're not taking it seriously enough. I've been dealing with being a sick person for a long time. I trust that I'll now how to behave.

And if you are looking for advice, be sure to focus on reputable sources. Like One Cancer Voice, a group of cancer organizations in the UK. And in the USA, The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).  Or from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Or from this doctor who is also a cancer patient.

You'll probably see that the advice is all very similar. And worth taking.

Take care of yourselves, everyone. Physically and mentally. We're probably in for a long haul here, but there are plenty of things we can control.

As always, stay hopeful.