Support
If you have Thalassaemia there are lots of people around to support you, both with the management of your condition and also the impact that this has on how you feel or decisions that you need to make about what you want to do in life.
The paediatric team will support you as you start to think about transition - the team includes doctors, clinical nurse specialists, a Family Support Worker and alongside this a psychologist. There is a clinical psychologist in the team because it is recognised that having Thalassaemia can be stressful, worrying, get you down and at times be frustrating. All of these feelings are normal and not everyone will need or want to see a psychologist. You or your family members may, however, find it beneficial to meet with the psychologist if the feelings are severe or have persisted over a long period of time. Please speak to your team if you think seeing a psychologist could be beneficial.
You can contact the children's Haematology team on 0117 3428721 or 0117 3428145 on weekdays. If you need support at night or weekends then you can contact the hospital on 0117 9230000 and ask for the on call haematology specialist registrar or our Emergency Department on 0117 3428666 for advice and to let them know you need to attend.
When you are ready and move to the adult Haematology team you will meet members of the adult team. This also includes doctors, clinical nurse specialists, pharmacists and a patient support worker and psychologist. If you need to contact the team then during the week you can phone 0117 3422774 or at night and weekends contact 0117 3422011. You can also contact the team through the main hospital number 0117 9230000.
Alongside your teams you can find out more about having Thalassaemia and find support from the Thalassaemia Society