Crack open the wine... it's CANCER SUPPORT THREAD 61!

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Some of us have been here a while and others have only just joined. If you're lurking, feel free to say hello. We are quite friendly really.

You are welcome to join us, whatever sort of cancer you have, or if you're waiting for tests to find out whether you have cancer or not (we hope not!)

Our previous thread is here. Do check it out if you're new as there's lots of useful information in the first few posts.

Best wishes to everyone who finds themselves here

freddie I remember many years ago when my dd1 was at infant school that she announced the evening we had moved house that tomorrow was world book day. As we sat in a grotty house thinking what have we done, with our life in boxes around us, a visiting friend set to work with scissors and a large cardboard box and some electrical wire and created butterfly wings. She found crayons in her school bag and she went as the hungry caterpillar. Better be quick with ToysRUs, haven't they officially gone bust today? I hope you get something sorted.

tayto when I first read your post I thought you had been discharged from hospital on the day of your surgery. I'm sorry t hear you've been re admitted.

We have quite a good covering of snow today in Yorkshire, it's much too bad for me to get to the gym...

leslie how are you today?

Hello to everyone else

Mrs R...could you send your friend down here?!!! I need a shield, scabbard, sword and um some other things....
Soooo much snow now, just rang my gym in the hope that my pilates class was cancelled...sadly not....so I'm about to venture bravely forth.....help!

Almost a foot of snow here, I was supposed to be going to the look good feel better workshop at the hospital today but it's been cancelled. I'm not complaining, I really wasn't looking forward to attempting to drive in this

Waves to everyone

Hope your home Leslie or at least being well looked after and being fed lots of cake

Leslie, I hope you're doing ok and that you get home soon.

Mrsrhod, glad to hear your insurance is still in place. Let's hope it's a bit more straightforward from now on. I'm pretty much sure I'm going to have my ovaries removed too. It will mean that I don't have to have a 4 weekly injection and I'll have a little bit of peace of mind from it I think. Because it's just over 6 months since I saw a gynae, I have to get another referral, but I'm not in a massive rush.

We've got lots of snow (Scotland). I'm due to see my plastic surgeon tomorrow for a nipple tattoo (eep), but not sure if that will go ahead as we have a red weather warning and I'm expecting school to be closed too.

Just to say to anyone who's worrying about money - please speak to Macmillan and/or Maggie's. Both have really good benefits advisers. I got a grant from Macmillan which I used for a weekend away with DS, and they helped me with a PIP application. I honestly didn't expect to get anything, but I got the full enhanced amounts, it makes quite a difference, as does the blue badge. I also get more tax credits. Happy to answer any questions about it if I can.

Hope everyone is doing ok and staying cosy xx

No snow here though I believe we're getting a load from storm Emma tomorrow and Friday.

Freddie I'm coping very well with not working thanks! I am watching rubbish on TV, crocheting squares for woolly hugs, scanning many years' worth of old holiday photo negatives onto the PC and going for walks. I need to put stuff in order, which is harder to get my head around.

I always hated World Book Day - along with 'wear what you like (which caused huge angst in our house)'. I am totally unable to sew or craft and could never produce anything good!

Hi everyone. Sorry I fell off the board for a while, trying to keep my head down and spirits up! Love to everyone going through this shit.
Recap: mysterious lung growth, operated on Nov 17, turned out to be cancer, which had mostly been removed. I've been on Afatinib since then. Just had a scan and review, so far its all worked out well and nothing to report apart from a) endless niggling side effects b) the fear.

I tried to book a fabulous once in a lifetime type holiday but apparently travel insurance company wants all my money and part of my soul before agreeing to let me travel, which is not affordable. This is very sad as I really do have a bucket list......

On a side note, World Book Day has been postponed here due to fears about the precious darlings getting too cold so that's a win.

oooh hello dolly...lovely to see you...bugger about the holiday, isn't there a special cancer insurance place...oh god I can't remember it's name but I was going to Vietnam (now not because of pesky work etc) and looked at the insurance and there was quite a reasonable one, though realise we're at different stages of treatment etc...will see if I can find it for you later..but am very jealous about your cancelled world book day...lucky lucky you! Still panicking about mine, and er doing nothing about it..hopeless.
Twitter..so pleased you're enjoying the not working...though realise it must be very bittersweet sorting the photographs and indeed everything else out....have a hug..and some gin
Unicorns..a foot of snow..blimey..where do you live...my brother keeps reminding me of the saying...."It's cold out, southerners, stay inside, northerners put on your big coat"....I made it to pilates, wearing a hat that a friend of my son's left behind, my husband's ski socks and my other son's welly boots...i looked very um fetching...there were other items of clothing too, but they were mine!
Flippy..haven't seen you for ages...hope all is well..and er good luck for the tattoo thing...
I realise I'm writing a lot on here today and you're probably all longing for me to shut up...but but but, I've got a really boring article I should be writing....and I'm so uninspired on that one....(and here I hear you all saying!)
will shut up....still thinking of you Leslie, but no need at all to post...just rest, eat cake and you know things like that...

dolly...it was Insure With xx

I live in the north east Freddie, almost big coat weather up here

Good news that you have nothing to report Dolly although it's ridiculous the price of travel insurance when you have cancer. There's some information here, not sure how useful it will be www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/coping/practically/travelling-with-cancer/travel-insurance

Don't stop posting freddie I find your writing very entertaining and we are allowed to laugh still. It sounds like you could do with a big cardboard box too.

freddie I'm sure it's not quite coat weather in the NE is it? Are you all going soft?

flippy enquire about tubes when you go to discuss ovaries, I think they come as a package. I also read something recently about a new theory that ovarian cancer may start in the tubes.

My surgery could be 27 March but they're looking for an earlier slot. I think it will mean a night in hospital even though it's classed as day surgery because it will be an afternoon operation about 15 miles away. I felt grim after my breast surgery anaesthetic and just about managed the ten minute drive home. I'm going to ask for anti sickness drugs this time.

Thanks everyone for your advice. My Macmillan nurse has done a referral to their in-unit CAB team at the hospital as she thinks i might qualify for PIP which would help! I guess I just feel like i should be able to cope better... I've never been ill before (i mean like 5 days off sick between my first job 2001 and diagnosis in 2016) and now I've been off since September after being on maternity leave for all but 6 weeks of the previous year.

Grrr, that should be purple in the NE. I don't have Leslie's powers of recall

I think it's just me getting soft MrsRhod, the postman's just been round and he's wearing shorts At least if you do have to stay in hospital you'll have plenty of painkillers/antisickness on hand

Sorry - DD2 posted too soon! I'll let her off as she's a baby...

Just want to thank everyone for the support. I really do appreciate it

Hello everyone had pretty rubbish night with lots of pain and nausea - and when I finally did manage to sleep a disturbing dream about Stephen Fry eating a kitten (I'd been listening to the calm app which I think someone mentioned on here - thanks whoever you were as it did get me off to sleep - I should say there is no actual kitten eating involved in the app!).

Commiserations to everyone on world book Day. Carnival week at my littles school (five days of dressing up - silly hat, pyjama day, pink shirt day etc etc) not that i got readmitted just to avoid it!.

Hello Freddy nice to meet you - well spotted on name i think everyone else just thinks I can't spell.

Dollyhope you get your bucket list trip. I certainly have a few I am going to take when I get through this.

Mrsrhod I didn't get out quite that quickly but was out 3 days after surgery. Just a shame I bounced back in. They now think there might be a blockage so have given me a rather nasty tasting drink to try and clear it. Apparently it will either work or cause more pain - Er thanks . Fingers crossed. Hope you get your earlier surgery date and definitely push for all the drugs. I now have two different nausea drips and am going to ask about the tablets ggirl mentioned too.

Hope everyone is wrapped up warm in their big coats - or strange borrowed clothing assortments .

Littlegreycat...it's weird isn't it...i was NEVER ill before, was known as "Metal" in the office for my lack of sick days. I have to admit I felt fairly smug and invincible..that will teach me. And I definitely feel sort of less confident in my body's ability to heal now...after all it did let me down quite badly with the whole cancer malarkey. I think you're doing brilliantly, what with the whole looking after a baby while going through chemo, I absolutely know i couldn't have done that...so you should be proud of yourself. and brilliant re MacMillan referral...fingers firmly crossed for that.
Mrs R, sounds very sensible to me to stay in over night
and Purple....your postman ....please tell me you aren't teasing my southern sensibilities and he really is in shorts...
and er can someone tell me how to do that clever bold thing with the names....?

littlegrey I so agree this having time off sick feels strange , I too haven't had time off other than a few odd days in my 35 yr working life but now I'm in to my 4 week after surgery and I can feel the guilt building up..I don't feel ready to go back to work , I'm still pathetically weak after doing bugger all but trying to build it up. I'm signed off until march 19th which is looming in my mind.

tayto poor you ! hope the drink will unblock you . I remember having very strange dreams in hospital ..must have been the morphine I was on..quite entertaining though. Fingers crossed you improve soon.

freddie - you need to put an asterisk immediately before and after the word you want to bold. No space between the and the word. Give it a try on here.

ILoveDolly I would also recommend the company called insurewith. I have read really good reports on a cancer forum. Good luck.

wombat22 thank you...er if this has worked...!!!

tayto stephen fry/kittens/nasty drink...that is some nightmare. Is it very wrong that I'm already looking forward to hearing what you dream about tonight...er yes it is, sorry! Wonder if there's an app that could make nasty medicine taste like gin...now that WOULD be worth downloading.
In all seriousness i hope the vile drink does its job...must be horrible, fingers very very firmly crossed for you....

mrsrhodg I can't believe you drove yourself home after your BC surgery! I was just about able to wobble into a taxi leaning on DH's arm. I normally get very sick from anaesthetic, so this time I told the anaesthesiologist beforehand and she was able to administer IV antiemetics during the surgery itself. Voila - no illness/nausea at all afterward.

and tayto wishing you an easier night with less pain and definitely no Stephen Fry kitten-eating nightmares!

Littlegrey and Freddie (and anyone else) Please do carry on posting! I am on here an awful lot and I do like to hear what everyone is up to and how you're you're all feeling. You all contribute towards making me feel just that little bit calmer each day.

Leslie ZZZZZZzzzzzzz shhhh.... hope you're having a good rest..

ah twitter we are all tucked in beside you...shuffle up, I've bought gin and crumpets...a strange combination but i think it will work. Now what trash are we watching on telly tonight? Reruns of Love at First Sight? Jeremy Kyle (many of the subjects of my articles end up on there!!!!) Or shall i choose what colour wool for your next square...we can make up those ridiculous farrow and ball names....you know the elephant's breath ones....I can start with otter whisker!!!
Careful tayto i might come and tickle your toes next....
er you're right...I'm STILL wrestling with my article....not flowing at all today...
Leslie you're exempt from my visits until you've washed your hair!!

I am home and I have clean hair!

to everyone.

That's about all I can manage today. Just going to have another dose of oramorph and go to bed I think! :)

leslie yipppppeeeeeeeeeee!! Sleep tight...with no dreams of Stephen fry eating kittens!