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

Hello everyone

penguins I'm glad you were well looked after. It sounds like that nurse had too much time on her hands I'm glad the pancake making didn't result in disaster. Rest up today :) good that they're expecting the biopsy to be OK. Will this procedure have sorted out your symptoms or was it just to have a look/biopsy? Sorry I've got a bit muddled with what's going on for everyone recently

mrsrhod how frustrating after all the effort you've made to get the surgery I hope they call you back soon and that they're able to reschedule quickly

TQ I hope you've had a reasonable journey up north :)

LittleGreyCat hurrah! What a relief I hope the babies settled down and you managed to sleep

pepoer thanks. I'm much perkier now :) how are you?

I've had some mild discomfort but I'm hoping that will settle soon. Apparently it can take at least 48 hours for the slow release morphine to reach a constant level. I've been approved for chemo tomorrow though. My oncologist doesn't seem at all fussed about any of this! The nurse did the usual questions over the phone and he approved me without me needing to go and see him. I will be glad to get back onto the old chemo horse. It's always much harder to go back after a break!

Also grr about lack of sleep pepper I hope that eases quickly

mrsrhod interesting you say that. I'm on Anastrazole and Zoladex and had my blood pressure routinely taken at an appointment at the menopause clinic before seeing the consultant (what a waste of time that was*). It was so high that they insisted on taking it again after my appointment, when they sent me straight to A&E. Was rushed me straight through (at which point I wondered whether my demise was imminent!), and saw a lovely Dr, who must have been trained to talk to blood pressure patients in the most calming manner, and I swear I could feel my blood pressure lowering as he spoke. Wasn't allowed to take him home but he prescribed Ramipril which I was to collect from the pharmacy and start taking right away - it seems to have done the trick.

*The menopause clinic was pointless because the only thing they can offer to treat the symptoms of menopause caused by Zoladex and AIs, are hormone based treatments. And of course we can't have those, as we're taking the medications to stop the hormones that are feeding the cancer. Duh.

Mrsrhod Sorry to hear they are cancelling surgery. My blood pressure and oxygen levels were checked about every 15 minutes.

Leslie Glad your chemo will go ahead and hope it's not too awful. I really feel for you going through so much at such a young age. I think you follow really well, I get completely lost and also something I just don't know about. I'm seeing hospitals for gynae and urology / physio (3 hospitals in all) - this should be the last gynae thing apart from an appointment in 2 months as long as biopsy is clear which should be. Urology / Physio is ongoing and should go on for a further 6 months / year and they aren't sure what the issue is, 4 doctors all saying different, some complete opposites but cystoscopy appear to rule cancer out and I can work from home as long as I am having tests so its more a nuisance. This operation should stop my anaemia. I'm on liquid iron (contains other things) and this is reducing the bone/muscle aches but dizzy all the time since September, it could just be anxiety though. One of the surgeries for urology is 3 weeks in hospital so hoping its not that but main thing is they don't think its anything life threatening. Kidney results weren't right either. Used to be so healthy, now I'm like an 80 year old and my weight was 1.5 stone higher than when I last took it (admittedly about 10 years ago but I am still same clothes size but maybe sizing has increased!) though BMI still healthy at 24, used to be 19. Though as I have the loveliest employers and a lovely family looking after me (well DH has been asleep all day looking after me!) it's nothing really, certainly nothing compared to what you are going through. Not slept yet but will keep trying.

Better news, the nurse in the pre op department has told me to go in tomorrow and have the checks. She sounded quite calm about it all and said as long as my readings are below a particular level they will go ahead plus I have another few days for the new tablets to work. So all is not lost.

penguins it's very frustrating when several doctors become involved, I'd love to sit them all down in a room with me to thrash it out.

standby that sounds very scary, I'm glad you got meds straight away. I'm going to keep a much closer eye on my own bp now because the doctors just don't bother.

leslie as ever I hope you are painfree soon

Hello to everyone else, I'm trying to follow everyone but I don't have Leslie's incredible memory

I'm kind of thinking that the renewed hot flushes are a good thing as they must mean a) the zoladex is working and b) my body must have started generating oestrogen again for it to make such a difference so it's the best treatment.
I would say cold comfort but that's not quite the right temperature!
I read an article a week or so ago about a girl with endometriosis who had zoladex and it gradually became less effective for her over time, so I imagine that's why they say you can't just stay on it.
How frustrating mrsrhod did you have high blood pressure before this all started? No one has taken mine since my zoledronic acid in early Jan
Will they give you a chance to see if its dropped to the magic 95 or would it be too late for the pre op stuff?

Argh! Crossed post mrs! Must type faster
Glad to hear better news.

A very tentative :) for that news mrsrhod. That sounds like a sensible plan. Fingers crossed for the tablets!

penguins it's an awful lot to get your head round then. But good that they don't think it's cancer. I hope you don't need the extreme urology operation. That's a very long hospital stay I hope yo7ve managed some sleep now

StandBy how terrifying! Glad that the ramipril has worked for you

I went to the supermarket earlier. I haven't really been out for ages so it was quite a treat

pepper that's a good way to look at it :)

MrsRHod Glad you are getting further and fingers cross it can go ahead. My reading was 86 and they were saying that was higher than they were happy with but after surgery was 75ish. One of the doctors offered to have an argument with the others but not sure its going to help. So far its 4 different doctors I have seen, all adamant they are right, all saying differently. Gynae has been so much better one doctor who did the surgery too but is at a different hospital.

Leslie Glad you got out the house. With working from home I hardly get out now. Two of the doctors think I have that condition, two and the gynae doctor don't and cystoscopy didn't show it but misses small ones. They are arguing about doing the other test though, I would like it just to rule it definitely in or out but a 3 week hospital stay 😱 that will teach me not to google operations!

Work have just sent me flowers, they are so nice.

Only managed about an hours sleep and DH was grumpy, think flowers woke him up but it was 5pm.

penguins I hope you slept better last night I hope they do the other test so you have a definite answer either way!

Waving to everyone.

I’m having chemo today and have reached the bleurgh stage.

Thanks Leslie Finally got some sleep last night and just been watching lots of silly Australian animal videos like this quokka one: m.youtube.com/watch?v=MHViAyKHvFo and rock wallabies ones on Magnetic Island. I am pretending I am on holiday with cute animals in the sun not the reality of I am in bed all day and its raining 😂

Sorry to hear you are feeling rubbish with the chemo, hope you start to feel better soon. Thinking of you.

On holiday with exotic animals sounds good. I’m glad you finally got some sleep :)

It’s sunny here by the looks of it. I hope it lasts until I can get outside.

I already feel a bit better as the effect of the worst drug have worn off a bit. Now on the boring two hour infusion!

There’s another patient here nearly as young as me. It’s nice but obviously not nice for her to have cancer. I have smiled at her. Maybe next time I’ll get up the courage to say hello

Thank you for sharing the video by the way I’m looking forward to watching that when I get home

Did your DS watch Kangaroo Dundee? It was on BBC a while ago but might be on iplayer still. It was about a man in the outback who rescued orphaned kangaroos. He even let them sleep in his bed. They were basically his life. He was just so kind and lovely. There was also a lady with wallabies or similar. They were very naughty. At least one of the kangaroo babies did die, so I don’t know if it would be too upsetting, but maybe worth a watch if you can avoid that episode if necessary.

You should go and say hello and ask her something - I'm sure she would be happy to have someone to chat to. I know I would in hospital and the worst that can happen is she doesn't say hello back.

Hope you can get outside soon.

That one is only a few minutes long but its cute. If you put in rock wallabies Magnetic Island into google or whatever there are loads of rock wallaby ones too and they are so cute, they remind me of DS as they hide in rocks then come bouncing out. We haven't watched Kangaroo Dundee, thanks for telling me about that, it sounds like the sort of thing we would love. He probably would be sad about one dying but he's not too bothered my death, infact when DH's Dad died (his granddad) he just said people die all the time.

I said goodbye when she left I’m painfully shy. Though I did give her partner directions to the pharmacy. Assuming neither of us are delayed we will be on the same day next time so I’ll try and be a bit more outgoing :)

Thank you I will probably spend the evening watching rock wallabies

If I remember correctly (no guarantee of that!) they didn’t show her dying but she was very poorly and went to the vets then the man said she had died and he cried. So sad, but hopefully not traumatising! I hope you enjoy it if you do watch it :)

This one is quite cute the way the baby holds her hand:

www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rock+wallabies+magnetic+island&&view=detail&mid=F9FB70A1C4B41824647FF9FB70A1C4B41824647F&rvsmid=DDACEA162432005C41DCDDACEA162432005C41DC&FORM=VDQVAP

That’s my evening sorted

WARNING: your heart might explode from the cuteness

I'm very shy too, have improved a little after children, well done on saying goodbye and hopefully you will be able to chat more another time.

This one is cute too though only a minute:
www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tree+kangaroo&&view=detail&mid=0776823655B7344F932C0776823655B7344F932C&&FORM=VRDGAR

With apologies for taking over the thread with cute animals but sometimes distraction is good. Really bizarre when I woke up from op dreaming of rock wallabies jumping towards me.

Those otters are adorable. I know an 11 year old boy who will be very happy to watch that, it's what he's like with me.

I couldn’t resist any longer so I’m watching with the sound off. The tree kangaroos are beautiful. So fluffy! :)

I’m glad DS will enjoy the video. He sounds like a lovely boy :)

Just said to DS would you like to see a cute otter video and he said yes definitely yes. Told him about Kangaroo Dundee and he said what channel, what time? I have sent him links, thanks so much Leslie. I would watch with sound on next time, you might get people come for a chat then. 😉