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

Fingers crossed for her not working that day then whojamaflip! otherwise is there another hospital nearby that you could ask to go to? I would like to think that anyone who works in a healthcare setting would respect someone's privacy even if they didn't like them, but of course that's not always the case

nicky that's definitely a bit off

Hello everyone. I have finished my petit tour of Leeds and Stamford visiting relatives and now returned home. It was not as bad as I feared re questions about me, the future, treatment etc. In fact I had a lovely relaxing time with meals cooked for me! Yay! No awkward questions that I was unable to deflect, although my DSM (stepmum) did say how glad she was that I'd visited and how my DF worries about me).

But contrarily I am now pissed off because at another family function today my other DB did not once ask how I am, comment on my hair (lack of it / sexy Judi Dench cut / how much it suits me), ask about future treatment, how my DDs are getting on, etc etc. Nothing. Nada. I think my expectations are unrealistic. But DB really, really pissed me off today. Not a single iota of recognition or interest or compassion or anything....

Twitter That sounds crappy

Leslie I am hoping to be in hospital for no more than 4 days. They advocate an enhanced recovery scheme (ERAS) at the hospital.

I'm popping in to wish everyone a peaceful and uneventful new year.
Thank you for the support I have had on here and I'll be back after my operation

Good luck Wombat! Will be thinking of you. Is it a long op?

Sending everyone best wishes for health and peace for 2018.

wombat fingers crossed for you being out by the weekend then! I wish you a very speedy recovery

Twitter I'm glad most of the trip was relaxing. Are you close enough to your brother to tell him what support you want from him?

You'll all be in my thoughts this evening. Some of you are probably very happy to be leaving 2017 behind, but others may be anxious or sad about what the new year might bring

I'm also thinking of all those who are no longer with us and their loved ones, especially chewing

Happy New Year lacies thank you for your support and kindness over the past year (and before that)

Evening all. Just popping in to wish everyone a peaceful New Year.
I have a quick question, anyone on letrozole had a bleed after a year on them?
I have a feeling someone on here did have, obviously I'll contact my BCN on Tuesday, but there was I thinking that truly the only silver lining to a chemo induced menopause was no more periods.....
Waves to everyone, Leslie, I hope you are still snuggled up!
I have about 100 posts to catch up on!

Hi all

I started lurking on this thread some time ago when my relative had cancer. I also wanted to just pop on to honour those no longer with us and to send best wishes to all here.

High fives to you all for supporting each other so fantastically. Wishing everyone a peaceful new year x

Thanks all for the warm welcome. It means a lot to know I’m not alone.

All the best everyone due to have treatment and those waiting for results

pepper how frustrating! I hope your BCN is helpful tomorrow.

1234 high five and new year wishes to you too

Ghoul you're definitely not alone :)

I hope everyone is having a good first day of January

Thinking of you today wombat

Hi everyone, and a very happy New year.
I've not been around the past couple of weeks as the children have been poorly so trying to keep them happy over the festive season has been hard work! Have been thinking about you all though. Sorry to see a few new names popping up. Hope the waits aren't too unbearable.
I saw my onc last Thursday and am off to my pre-chemo meeting next week with a view to starting the following week. Which, all being well, should mean I'm just coming to an end for next Christmas! So I think 2018 is going to be hard work but hopefully the year that gets rid of what's hanging out in my head!

LittleGreyCat sorry to hear you didn't get a very relaxing Christmas! I hope you managed to avoid any bugs and that they're feeling better now fingers crossed for your appointment next week

nicky holding your hand for today :)

I had chemo yesterday so I'm being very lazy today. I hope everyone is warm and cosy!

Thank you for the hand hold today Leslie, much appreciated. I hope you've had a good post-chemo day today. Scan shows that Chemo has worked to a degree on the solid stuff, but there's obviously some diffuse patches of peritoneal disease that aren't visible on the scan that are causing the fluid build up. So I'm having the ascites drained this Friday and then starting Carboplatin/Caelyx next Thursday, all being well. TQ - I think Caelyx is what you're having next, is it? Hopefully it's good stuff!

I hope everyone has had a positive start to the year; love and strength to everyone that hasn't and to us all

Hi Nicky
Yes, Caelxy is next for me. I start on 11th Jan. I see my consultant on Friday so I will sign the consent forms then and find out more. I will also ask abut zejula.

I have some ascites too apparently, around the spleen area, but I don't think there's enough to warrant draining at the moment.

Hey Nicky - we're both on Thursday. You're not RBH are you? Leslie you're Tuesdays? I was Wednesday all last year.

Calling all Thursday chemo people! we should have a chemo-in! I get to choose my time so I'll probably go for 12ish so I don't have to get up too early.

Hey! I'm the original Thursday chemo-er well, nicky might've started before me actually...

This Tuesday was a one-off as it had already been postponed twice due to illness and then the post-Christmas chaos so they wanted to get it done ASAP. I'll be back to Thursday next time :)

nicky grrrr to the ascites/sneaky peritoneal bits. I was firmly rooting for it being too many Christmas treats like me hopefully you'll be much more comfortable when they've drained it. Will you be on two or three weekly cycles with the new combo? I'm a bit all over the place at the moment trying to fit it with my more hectic than usual (i.e. more than one event per quarter) social life but I'm sure we will sync up again at some point :)

It sounds like you'll be starting together so you can compare notes hopefully it will work its magic on you both quickly

Are you two friends on Facebook? If not I can hook you up if you'd like. Yes, I do sound like a sleazy matchmaker I can confirm that you are both perfectly lovely humans and not weirdos (well, nicky is a bit questionable... )

Twitter 12 ish sounds like a good time slot. No early morning rush but hopefully finished before the end of the day, and you might even get some lunch!

You might've guessed that I am steroided-up. I will stop there before I get toooooo carried away and use up the whole world's daily exclamation mark allowance. I hope everyone is having a relaxing evening!

I'll let you have the original Thursday chemo title Leslie - even if you think I might be a bit dodgy!! This one is an every 4 weeks regime, so that's a new one on me. I'm sure we'll sync up again soon - if your hectic social life allows! I'm in Kent TQ so we'll have to do our chemo-ins virtually. It's my spleen too that's dodgy from a tumour pov, but it's fair to say the ascites has travelled and I cannot wait for it to be drained. Fingers crossed Caelyx is the business. x

It definitely sounds like the business. Very swish name.

I've been a Thursday girl since June 2016. When did you start?

Four weeks will hopefully give a decent break from any side effects and more time for fun! :)

I bow to you Thursday vets! I'm a newbie. I'm just used to seeing my Wednesday people - including my health visitor from 20-odd years ago when DD2 was born. Even though we don't speak I like seeing familiar faces.

I've always attended consultant appts on my own but tomorrow I am taking an old friend who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer around 2 years ago (stage 1a). She's having her 6 month monitoring appt and I've invited her to come into my discussion. I'm going to ask about Zejula.

The name is fancy, isn't it! I've been a Thursday girl since Feb '15 - with a little bit of time off for good behaviour! Good luck with your appointment tomorrow TQ. I talked to my onc about niraparib as a maintenance option; even though I successfully completed my last platinum based therapy to NED (second line treatment), because I relapsed within 6 months I technically count as platinum resistant which discounts me from having it. I think that's why this time, he's adding Carbo back into the mix, to see if it works for me and thereby qualifies me for maintenance. From my understanding, niraparib requires a response to platinum therapies because they work by destroying DNA and the parp inhibits DNA repair, so they work like a pair. I'd be interested to hear what your consultant says about it, as it seems like a good option. Hope it goes well for your friend too.

Ah nicky is the Thursday Chemo Queen then!

I hope the Thursday faces are just as friendly Twitter :) and good luck tomorrow. I hope it helps to have your friend with you.

All the fancy drug names sound like characters from Game of thrones or something

Thinking of those waiting for appointments and results

FatMe good luck with today's appointment

nicky I hope this afternoon's draining goes well!

Waving to everyone

Hi everyone , I thought I would update. I had a screening mammogram before Xmas and was called back as they found 'calcification' I had a biopsy and was then called back for another biopsy.
Today I had my results appointment. They are happy it's not cancer and want me to have a yearly mammogram. Although the breast they wernt concerned with has a cyst so they want to investigate that now
I feel a bit of a fraud being on here but I want to thank you all for your support. It's a great thread and I wish you all the very best⚘

MyGuideJools good to hear that it is not cancer, but sorry that you'll need more investigations. You're not a fraud at all - we are always glad when someone gets good news! :)