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 - thank you for all the lovely messages. My appointment went about as well as it could have. (Will I now always have that superstitious urge to knock wood when I say optimistic things? ) They decided to run three tests on the two nodes they removed last week, as I have lobular as well as ductal BC and they want to be extra careful. Fine with me - better an excess of caution, even if it means waiting another several days for the results of the third test. The first two tests on the nodes were negative. The little satellite mass that showed on the MRI was cellular changes, not (yet) cancer, and the surgeon decided to remove that too, since it was so close to the tumour. I am meeting with the radiation oncologist tomorrow to make a provisional plan; I believe the idea is that if the third test on the nodes is negative, we'll go forward with radiotherapy starting in a couple of weeks. Thank you for the Leslie Knope meme, Leslie - I loved it! I think about all of you while I am in the waiting room now, and feel that you are with me in a funny way. Happy Valentine's / Galentine's Day and I hope everyone is ending the day feeling all right.

Hi genie I keep checking back to see if you've posted, I was getting worried. I'll say very cautiously that it sounds like good news so I hope your rads plans don't get interrupted. Keep on going and hopefully all these hospital visits will be over soon. It's a whirlwind for a while, sleep well.

thank you mrs rhodg I'm so sorry to have worried you! I wasn't home til late afternoon, and then I was answering texts from friends, talking to teenage DD about my appt, making dinner and doing all the evening things. I really should have posted here when I walked in the door. I can't tell you how nice it is to know that people here are waiting on my news.

genie that sounds positive :) fingers crossed for the third test. Good luck with the radiotherapy plannng today

nicky I did wonder after I'd posted it whether it was insensitive frankly ovaries and uteruses seem to cause even more trouble than brovaries and duderuses. Sorry you need draining again. Hopefully that means you'll be much more comfortable by the weekend

I should get my results next Wednesday :)

I hope everyone has a good day. Me and my manky toe are going to the podiatrist again. My other toe is starting to go a bit manky too so hopefully she can nip that in the bud!

Leslie good luck at the podiatrist today; it all sounds unpleasant, so I hope they will be able to sort that for you.
Nicky I think you are getting your ascites drained tomorrow? I will be thinking of you and hoping all goes smoothly.
Twitter any updates on your daughter?
Wishing you all a good day. The sun is shining a bit here right now, which always seems to make everything feel just a bit better.

Oh don't apologise genie we all have a life to carry on with and your friends and family are far more important.

TQ how is your daughter?

nicky hope it goes smoothly today

We actually gassed some sun here in Yorkshire, amazing

Morning all! Thanks for the concern about my DD. Still no news. She had repeat tests yesterday - still blood / protein in the urine. We're waiting to hear... And she's still full of cold and phlegm.

Nicky I'm more tired this time around - though the flit to Exeter obviously didn't help. Sorry to hear about the ascites - though at least they can drain it off quickly and easily - even if it does keep coming back :(. I'm eating too much sugar and carbs - I need comfort food and salad just isn't doing it for me. I don't feel sick exactly, just a bit bleugh.

Genie sounds like good news! Keeping everything cautiously crossed.

Leslie Toes are SUCH a nuisance aren't they? I'm relishing my ability to wear shoes again. I may even try wellies today with dog-walking friends. Will be keeping everything crossed for you too, ref your results next week.

Have sun!!!

Not insensitive at all Leslie - but you're right that I might have been in less trouble with brovaries! Good luck with your toes!
Thanks everyone for your good wishes for the 'swamp draining' - it'll be nice to know that by Saturday, what remains of my swinging gut is all my own work. Agree TQ on the comfort food - a bit bleurgh is exactly how I feel and it seems that the odd digestive biscuit is just the ticket! Hoping your daughter is feeling better soon. Enjoy the sunshine everyone - I'm just off to deliver dry socks and trousers to dh and kids who went for a muddy walk and discovered it was muddier than they anticipated! x

Got to be at the hospital for 7am for my biopsy/excision.

Is yours tomorrow as well, mumpel?

I'll let you know how I get on.

Sweet dreams!

Leslie how did you get on with the podiatrist? Any improvement?

Miles will be thinking of you.

Waving to all.

Good luck Miles I hope it goes well and that you get a nice sleep afterwards!

nicky my toe-varies have been snipped and bandaged up! I hope your rescue mission was successful

TQ did you wear your wellies? I hope you enjoyed your walkies :)

I'm quite pleased as I walked home from the podiatrist. Only about a mile, but more than I've managed in a while. This warmer weather is better for my breathing. Phew. I had to get antibiotics as one toe is infected, but both are much more comfortable after having bits snipped off.

Love to all lacies

Good luck @MilesJuppIsMyBitch

nicky I will be thinking of you tomorrow. Miles you too. It's good to get things out of the way early - then collapse and sleep and let everyone take care of you the rest of the day. Wishing you the best of luck.
Leslie good to hear about your walk, and I really hope your toesies are on the mend now!
Twitter hope you managed a good stomp today with your friends.
Had a good chat today with the oncologist and we made a plan for going forward if the third lymph node test comes up clear. In the meantime I am looking forward to going away for a week starting Saturday and trying to empty my overly busy brain a bit. My nurse said the test results might not be in til end of next week anyway. I think she just doesn't want me to worry about going away. :)
Night night all

Hello :)

I have a nice fat bruise all over my jaw and up onto my face. @MilesJuppIsMyBitch good luck for tomorrow!

I've still not heard from the pathology team. Apparently they need 3 to sign it off. But I've seen my consultant again and he gave me some leaflets on lymphoma, and talked through treatment options and fertility shizz.. if it's all 'happy' there shouldn't be much impact on my fertility but if it's not a treatable type it's a 50% chance of loss of fertility.

I visited the teenage cancer ward today- as the one in Leeds is for young adults and apparently I count as one so I get to use the jukebox and games room hilarious! 😂- on a happier note though all the beds are in rooms and all the rooms have beds for a visitor.

I don't know whether to be happy they're being overly honest because they know I work with them and I know what the options are. Or if they're doing it because it's a foregone conclusion?

Thank you for this thread it's wonderful

Hi Leslie and gang. Diagnosed with stage 2 invasive ductal bc in early April. Had lumpectomy and SNB in May. Margin not clear, op in June. Margin not clear so op in July. Margin not clear so op in August. Then radiotherapy in Oct. just on letrazole snd calcium/vitD now.

Bisophosphonates (sp?) was fine but they weren't wrong about the flu like symptoms. Really horrible night and next day but then able to go back to work. Just had a bit of a hoo haa getting the brand of letrazole that doesn't give me many side affects but Lovely Chemist has turned up trumps on that one. Had bloods done re funny heart palpatations abd those came back all clear. Some liver raised thingy but 'nothing that gave any concern' and it was lowering from previous tests. Just waiting for 24 hour ecg test. I think it is all related to fatigue and the pills. Think if heart was going to conk out it would have done by now as sometimes it feels like it is jumping out of chest.

One good thing. Just come back from a three day spa stay. I managed loads of treatments, lying on my front too. Survived a pilates class and the rowing machine in the gym. I really need to exercise more and start stretching.

Now just getting slightly wobbly every now and again as coming up to the anniversary in late !March. Because I had so many margin reexcisions and therefore three lots of bad news, I just keep refering back to lovely surgeons face and how she looks when I walk through the door.

Every good wish to everyone stuck in the jaws of the lion called cancer.

Hi mumpel

How long until they have the definitive results? It took 10 days for all of mine to be back.

Some forms of lymphoma are very treatable, so I am really holding my breath for you and miles to get the ‘good’ news (as far as ever being told you have a blood cancer can ever be ‘good’)

Hope the biopsy goes well today, miles - I think they sometimes snaffled the whole node if it’s small and easy to get at but still call if biopsy - may have got that wrong, as it’s based on waiting room chatter. Hope your waiting room is as friendly as mine - I found that reassuring.

to everyone else!

Good morning all

wombat are you seeing your surgeon today or have I plucked this date out of thin air? Good luck if you are

Miles hopefully your procedure is all done now and you are resting

genie I'm glad you have a provisional plan. Fingers crossed for the last results. Enjoy your break :)

mump sorry to hear about the bruising! I hope it goes down quickly. It's a bit weird being lumped in with teenagers isn't it. I was 21 when I was first diagnosed so all the support was from CLIC Sargent. They were lovely, but I felt very old! It's good you'll be able to have visitors. Do you know how long you're likely to be in for? Also good they've considered fertility - is there the option to freeze eggs/embryos if it's the sort that might affect it?

Flyingpretty that's great about the gym/spa :) well deserved, especially after all the tests etc. Good luck with the 24 hour ecg.

Waving to everyone!

Hi all

I'm pleased to report the lump on my leg is just that a lump, nothing to worry about which is great news!

See the Thyroid dr next week and hopefully that will also be something and nothing.

I finally got some letters and scan reports from the hospital which I'm pleased about (maybe I'm strange!). Although I've not had any sent from before surgery which is annoying as I really want to know how big my tumour was and no one is telling me, I know it's gone now and I should just move on but I am really interested.

DD (11) has a lesion growing that the local dermatologists don't know what it is so we went to see a surgeon at the big hospital and they don't know either so need to remove it "soon". Please keep your fingers crossed for me that it is also nothing.

TQ hope your daughter is feeling ok with everything going on.

I hope all waiting for tests and results are bearing up, sorry I tried to remember names but am on the app and can't remember detail or see it. Is it different on the computer? I'll have to try and see.

Hi Zebra Great news about your lump! How is the pain? I hope that has eased off.
Not so good about your DD... Fingers firmly crossed.

My DD is much the same. No results yet, which I take to be a good sign. She's back next weekend for a few days - though it may be longer as it appears the lecturers are definitely going on strike so I think I'll have DD2 back too.

Interesting reading today that the ovarian cancer gene can also be passed down through the paternal line. Did you see that Nicky? Have you been tested for BRCA? I'm waiting for my results to come back (though I thought they'd been sent off last year..). With 3 DDs this is pretty important. My dad's mother had BC many years ago. My MIL has also had BC. Leukemia runs on both sides in immediate family.

Afternoon!

In bed watching Shetland now. A dose of Dougie cheers me right up.

iVampire: they did indeed snaffle the whole node under the guise of a biopsy

They're welcome to it as far as I'm concerned.

I think they're sending it off to the Royal Marsden to be diced & sautéed, so we'll see what comes of that.

Having got up at 5:30, I of course wasn't taken down to surgery until 11:00.

Very comfy waiting room, though, so I slept for about two hours.

The anaesthetic was fine, & I didn't have any nausea when I woke up.

Can't wash my armpit for five days, though, which is ewww.

Does anyone here fast before surgery/chemo? I know it's beneficial for mice, and the evidence is so far only anecdotal for us humans, but would be interested to hear if anyone's tried it.

Will catch up with all your news tomorrow xx

zebra that's excellent news about your leg lump. Fingers crossed for your thyroid and your daughter's lesion if you're strange then I'm strange too. I have a copy of the photos of my tumour from my colonoscopy

TQ I hope you get your BRCA results soon and that you're negative. And I hope your daughter is back to her usual self soon :)

Miles I'm glad it went OK. Do you know when you'll get the results? I've never fasted (apart from the usual pre-GA fast). I think it would cause havoc with my replumbed digestive system! And I just can't be arsed to be honest

Thanks for good wishes - drainage went ok and I'm back home now. I did do BRCA testing TQ and they were more interested in my dad's side, even though my maternal grandmother had OC. I tested negative but they asked if I'd take part in another screening to try to find patterns from non BRCA patients who look like there should be a genetic component. No news from that though.

I haven't ever deliberately fasted before chemo - hoping that if you try, you don't have to preload steroids as they turn me into the Hungry Caterpillar! Hope everyone's procedures went ok this week x

Hi all. Haven't posted for a bit. I've got my appointment on Wednesday and I'm now in a right state. My anxiety is through the roof. Finding it difficult to eat and feeling sick all the time. I've got low level period pains but not bleeding. Just had a normal period. Please help me, I don't know what to do with myself. I'm sorry for sounding so pathetic when most of you have much bigger problems. Been having spiralling thoughts and trying so hard to keep a lid on it. I don't know how you amazing ladies do it. Been thinking about you all and hope all good tonight.

nicky I'm glad you've been successfully drained :)

Furry sending a huge hug I hope Wednesday's appointment gives you some reassurance. Is it for tests or a consultation? You're not pathetic. This is such a tough time. When you have no idea what's going on and just lots of possible explanations your mind can go completely wild. To be honest there's no secret to how we do it, it's just that we don't have any choice. There's all sorts of bollocks about cancer patients being brave or strong or whatever. It really is bollocks. All sorts of people get cancer. We are no more brave or strong than anyone else. Like everything in life, there's no choice but to play the cards you've been dealt. Sometimes it's easy enough and sometimes it's bloody tough and we eat cake or swear or whatever it takes to get through the next day or hour or minute. Anyway try and distract yourself if you can, or maybe try some soothing music, or a podcast or something. Is there anyone in real life you can talk to?