CANCER SUPPORT THREAD 60! Here we are again... join us if you have any sort of cancer (or if you're waiting for cancer test results)

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Welcome everyone to a shiny new thread :)

It's a club nobody wants to join, but if you need us, you are more than welcome. If you're waiting to find out if you have cancer or not then pull up a chair. We hope you won't need to be here long, but we are here as long as you need us. And if you do have cancer then this is the place for you. Swear, rant, scream, laugh, cry... someone will have at least an inkling of what you're going through!

We only have one rule, which is do not Google. Though perhaps we should update that to please Google responsibly as few can resist completely!

I hope this thread will be a source of support for all who need it

Our previous thread can be found here

Thanks Nicky, we will definitely check with her. I'm sure she'll tell us to come anyway and we'll just have to slather DD in alcohol rub haha.

Hi Stitch as Nicky says, chemo effects take a while to kick in so I very much doubt her immune system is compromised at this stage. She may well feel rubbish - tired and nauseous though - but if she's happy for you all to go then I would. I hope you have a lovely time.

mamia and Oakthorn how did it go today? I've been thinking of you both, but had my head in my sick bucket so didn't get round to posting

KittiKat you've absolutely come to the right place. How was the second mammogram?

Sorry not to reply to all. Feeling a bit grim. I've had really bad stomach cramps again and been throwing up a bit. Thankfully, touch wood, seems to be improving a bit. My chemo has been postponed until next week.

I hope everyone is OK

Hi Leslie I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling rubbish again. I'm keeping everything crossed for you that you improve over the weekend so you can enjoy Christmas.

I'm enjoying my chemo break and feeling pretty good physically, though not mentally. I've just about finished buying all my presents and I finished work yesterday. Still trying to get my head around a) not working anymore b) more chemo c) cancer growing again.

I hope everyone else on here is coping and managing to extract some joy and happiness from the darkness.

Hope your feeling better soon Leslie I'll never take feeling well for granted again. I had my first bad night on Monday after chemo, felt really shaky and really unwell. Luckily I managed to sleep it off and have started to feel a bit more human.

My tastebuds have totally gone to pot and I've constantly got a bad taste in my mouth which only goes away when I'm eating. Mainly toast slathered in real butter, not the healthiest thing to be eating but never mind

Poor you Leslie :( you're having a rough time of it.

Another one here who will never take feeling well or my health for granted again - had the best news from my consultant, clear margins and no sign of cancer in the lymph nodes so its just a course of radiotherapy and hormone therapy before I can be discharged.

That's fantastic news Mamia! I'm so pleased for you glad you can have a fantastic Christmas without worrying about it x

Thanks Twitter. We've woken up this morning to hear she's been taken into hospital in the early hours. Sounds like with the kind of joint pain that was what initially put her in hospital in September and led to them finding the cancer. No idea if she will be home by Monday.

Everyone worried now that her chemo drugs will be reduced and be less effective - apparently the hospital said it might be a reaction to the drugs.
Urff

Oh no Stitch, so sorry to hear that. It may well be a reaction to the drugs, in which case they will swap her onto a different one but not until after Christmas now. I hope she recovers quickly.

I felt terrible after my first chemo - like the worst flu ever - I couldn't move, everything hurt, I couldn't eat... Thankfully it didn't last long, just a few days, and I continued on the same drugs. It was never as bad as that again.

Morning! I went for my second mammogram. They can see something on my left breast that was not there 3 years ago. I had an ultrasound and another mammogram but the result is that they are not sure but it does not look suspicious. They are passing the mammogram photos to a senior consultant for a second opinion who will only call me back again if he is concerned but they are almost definite it is nothing to worry about.

That's very positive news KittiKat! Hopefully you can relax and enjoy Christmas now.

Bit of an update; I have been back for my biopsy results. They showed no cancer but some 'changes' so have to have another biopsy and the consultant said I may need surgery. So im a bit confused tbh. I know it's great it shows no cancer but what are they looking for now??

Glad to hear that you have all had good news Mamia, KittiKat and MyGuide - such a bonus, especially at this time of year. The best kind of Xmas gift.
Sorry to hear that you're feeling poorly again Leslie - do you think it's from all the coughing, or another bout of what you felt before? I really hope it's resolved before the big ho ho ho so you get to relax and have some fun with your family. Will your chemo move to the 28th? That's the last one of this treatment for me, so I'll be dripping with you if so. Lots of feel better wishes to you .
Glad you are feeling physically better TQ - I think the other stuff is always a work in progress, isn't it! Have you got a start date for the new regime? I always feel better when I have a plan. Hopefully Christmas and feeling physically good will be a nice distraction until then xx Stitch best wishes for your MIL - the first chemo can make you feel very fluey as TQ says - you think you've dodged a bullet for a few days and then when the steroids wear off, it lays you pretty low for a day or two. There are also other options if a certain drug doesn't suit you - ways to mitigate effects or a different drug altogether - so there's stuff they can do to help her. Wishing everyone a good few days

I just wanted wanted to offer solidarity to all the ladies feeling crappy this time of year.

Whether it's waiting for results and not being able to concentrate on anything else.

Or like me if you are feeling ill from treatments or cancer itself.

It's so bloody hard. I've just forced myself to go shopping and was so desperately jealous of others running round doing last minute bits whilst I hung on to my trolley feeling sick and tired.

How I took it for granted last year that I organised everything, bought and wrapped for my 5 children and wider family.

I have tried this year, especaillly to get organised since I had my first chemo date. But since I got diagnosed end of November it's all been different and it's shitty. I bet we all feel the same that we just want everything to go back to normal and this time of year makes it so much worse.

Well done for managing it at all Betty

I felt tired and weird yesterday, but didn’t run a temperature I’d have any of the other ‘bing bong’ symptoms, so just went to bed earlt, then slept really badly. Drat.

Still tired today, but not weird. Xmas shopping all done. Just wrapping to go, and I’m putting that off until tomorrow. Right now i’m trying to muster the energy/motivation to go for a walk, as that nearly always makes me feel better,

Hi everyone, hope all sorted for Christmas
Was having a good week, had a nice trip to London with dd1 and went out today with the family but I seem to have hit a wall, skin feels terrible and awful cystitis plus so tired so I've got my painkillers and have retreated to bed now. Thank goodness dh is here to help the children with their present wrapping

Brilliant update kittikat that's what happened to me! But then they called me for a biopsy, then another biopsy
They say there's no cancer there but want to double check the changing cells. So now I wait again.......

Hi my mum has been diagnosed with reptroneium? liposarcoma everything I've read about it is not good, and that it has a very high chance of reocurring, has anyone had this?

Twitter it's hard to process, especially when you feel quite "normal". I still often feel incredulous that I have cancer. It seems completely laughable. Are you girls home for Christmas?

purple sorry you had a rough night. Sleep is definitely the best treatment for almost any ailment!

Mamia excellent news when will you start radiotherapy?

Stitch I hope they were able to sort the pain quickly. They may just need to tweak the dosages a bit, but it's nothing to worry about. Many, many people have their dose adjusted after the first cycle. It's a balance between long term benefit and potential harm. But it will still be effective

Phew Kittikat that sounds very reassuring

nicky it's the same as I had a month or so ago, probably adhesions. Though I wonder if it's actually gynae related as it is right down in my pelvis. Who knows. At least it's wearing off now. I think I'm going in on 28th so we can be chemo buddies again any plans to celebrate your final one of this batch?!

Betty absolutely re wanting to go back to normal! And clinging to the trolley for dear life I hope you manage to enjoy Christmas. How's the treatment going?

iVampire I hope you got out for a walk and that it helped. I hope you slept better last night and have more energy today, ready for the Christmas wrapping!

I'm not bothering with wrapping this year. Just shoving everything in gift bags!

ILoveDolly ugh cystitis is awful. I hope it clears up quickly

MyGuideJools could it be DCIS? Only guessing as I really have no experience of breast cancer, except from reading this thread!

par05 sorry about your mum's diagnosis. Sorry I've no experience of it

I hope everyone is managing to enjoy the run up to Christmas (assuming everyone here celebrates Christmas, apologies if not!). My pain is improving which is a relief. I've spent the last couple of days mostly lying on the sofa with my hot wheat bag.

Lots of love to everyone

Thanks mummylin DCIS was mentioned. I'm just blanking it out now until my appointment for results. Not sure that's the right attitude but it's all I can do right now!
Thank you for being so supportive on this thread. I hope you have a happy xmas🎅🎄

Leslie - thanks, I see my oncologist on the 28th to start planning radiotherapy (and probably hormone therapy as well). Will be thinking of you then as you restart your chemo

Oakthorn - hope you are ok?

Hi

Just wanted to wish everyone as good a Christmas as possible. I'm starting bisophosphates in early Jan. An injection every six months for three years. Has anyone had this? Anything I need to know?

Good idea MyGuideJools there's no point worrying about it, though that's sometimes easier said than done. Enjoy your Christmas

Mamia what a fun way to start the New Year I'm often a bit too out of it to post on chemo days, but I will be thinking of you too

Also hoping you're OK oakthorn

Flying happy Christmas. I vaguely recall some discussion a few threads ago, but I'm afraid I can't remember who it was. Hopefully one of our "oldies" is lurking and will spot your post :)

Pain continuing to improvement but I'm still clutching my faithful wheat bag most of the time. It didn't stop me winning two board games earlier though

Good work on the board games Leslie - if I ever win anything these days, the family always dismiss my victory as enhanced by steroids! Hope you continue to improve. I have a CT on the 27th to check out the hernia/ascites/xmas snack combo, so in the meantime I'll be clutching warm pillows in spirit.

Wishing you all the happiest possible festive times in the circumstances. xx

Just checking in after massive break because DD has been so very poorly. I hope everyone is as well as is possand will have an ‘okay’ if not fabulous day tomorrow. DD and therefore me too is in hospital having cycle 3 of her chemotherapy. They hope She may be able to come home on Thursday but she is waiting for a blood transfusion today and if things go in a similar fashion as cycle 2 she may be too unwell for discharge . But DH will be coming in and the hospital do a big chrdinner fr all patients and relatives! Her treatment is going okay though we have had huge dramas with local communservices not being very helpful to date, hoping that for my pressie this year that will get sorted so we can get her home more days than she is in hospital.