Cancer support thread 62 - here comes the sun (hopefully)

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Good evening

Our previous thread is here

If you've got cancer, this is the thread for you. Introduce yourself and feel free to ask any questions. We also welcome anyone who is waiting for cancer tests. We know how scary it can be. So don't be shy. We will happily hold your hand and hopefully wave goodbye when you get good news :)

Morning all! Did far too much yesterday and went to bed in agony but luckily I don't feel too bad this morning though still planning a day in mince I've walked my dog and shopped for dinner.

Good luck MissRG and Penguins. Hope you get answers and good ones.

Good luck too for MiniPenguins.. Due to my dd having to change schools she didn't do year 6 SATS which makes her predicted grade form interesting. She has another RS GCSE paper today.

NewnameforMay - I think exams are stressful for everyone whether they are academically challenged or gifted. I just wish the schools would back off with the pressure, especially when the papers are remarked and the grades are increased. If the exams are so important get the markers better trained.

penguins I hope your scans go OK. Sounds like getting signed off might be less stress!

Newname hopefully it'll turn out not to be cancer. There's another poster whose daughter has lymphoma, I think. She doesn't post very often though. And somewhere there used to be a support thread for parents of children with cancer, but I'm not entirely sure where it is! Also it's worth him speaking to student support services at his uni if he hasn't already done so. I found mine very helpful after my diagnosis :)

Year I hope you get a decent rest today

Thinking of you today Regina

Thanks whatwouldleslie. I had a look for any threads for parents of children with cancer but didn't spot one under Children's Health. It was all full of threads about chicken pox and other not-so-scary things. He has spoken to student services now, and filled in some form to get an extension on his coursework. Fortunately this is his first year and the exams don't count so long as you pass. He's been doing brilliantly academically so far, so that side of things should be ok. Knowing whether to sign up to a private rented tenancy for next year is trickier though as not sure whether he'd be able to cope with studying on top of chemo or whether he'd need to take a year out. Diagnosis has dragged on for weeks and weeks - I was thinking we'd know by now.

Yearofyou Yes you're right that exams can be stressful for kids even if they're very bright and on track for top grades. But I think they're tougher on parents when kids are struggling or just not working. It's hard for schools to get it right with the pressure - some kids, like your DD maybe, just don't need it. But others - like my DS - could have done with a bit more pressure earlier on. He managed GCSEs by getting his act together and studying hard only when exams were looming. But it's not looking as if A-levels are going to be manageable that way.

Thanks ladies was an odd visit . She thinks some issues are bowel ones so has dosed me up on laxatives for a week to see if they make any difference. Need to go for a coloscopy as my cervix looked abnormal. Also not ruling out gynae issues for the pain probably gonna need another lap. So mixed visit really. Not liking the abnormal cervix crack tho

Hi all, sorry I dont remember names well but please know I read all your posts and am thinking of you.
MissRP hopefully youre starting to get somewhere. Fingers crossed for everything to turn out well.
I'm going out of my mind worrying now, it's been 2 weeks today since my biopsy and I haven't heard a thing. Is no news good news, or am I just over thinking this? I'm hyper-aware of all the symptoms and am noticing things now that I'd passed off as my age or 'one of those things' before. DS is in the middle of A levels for which he has done little revision but doesn't really care as he has an Unconditional for Uni. I keep on at him that these results will matter to future employers but he is in love and I'm irrelevant. DD is doing GCSEs, working like a Trojan but getting stressed with lots of bitchy things going on at school. And to cap it all my eldest showed me her latest pregnancy test at the weekend but she thinks she is now miscarrying, for the third time in 15 months. None of them know what is going on with me at the moment and H is a waste of space, he knows but buries his head in the sand and won't discuss anything. Sorry to vent when so many of you are going through so much worse, but here feels like my safe space.

to all

Normally no news is good news - I didn't get the results of my biopsy for almost 2 months and all clear, if you are worried phone and chase but generally they chase you with bad news. Though always check as sometimes its lost / forgotten but if over the time they said then its almost always good news.

Had kidney scan and CT today - the CT scan was fine, the kidney scan they could only do about a third of it, rest couldn't do as can't fill bladder but they knew that before. Hopefully the CT overrides, there must be an alternative method.

Regina Hope you get some answers soon. Find it hard to believe you would get that level of pain from bowel issues, surely a gynae issue but they are the experts.

Thanks Year Hope you get a good rest today.

Thanks ladies . Im.actually more concerned about the abnormal cervix more than anything but guess tjats what the coloscopy is for. I think I know it isn't bowel issues however I think they are trying process of elimination as I'm young it feels hard to get thrm to take me seriously

@penguins sounds like good news so far
@fresh tart keeping m6 fingers crossed for you tjat no news is good news

Hi all.
Just checking in to say my MRI for the neck is a week today, trying to keep busy with work etc. Thanks for the best wishes x

@mczeba sending lots of love. Drink wine eat chocolate and do anything else that keeps you going , and keeps your mind off it xx

Regina I hope you get your colposcopy appointment quickly. It sounds like they're being thorough, which is good

McZeba sorry you've still got a bit of a wait. Keeping busy seems a good plan :)

FreshTart I think it's worth chasing up after two weeks to be honest, not least for the sake of your nerves!

penguins do you know when you'll get the results?

Newname maybe it has fizzled out then. I suppose it's a good thing if not many people need the thread, but a shame for those who would benefit from it! Hopefully he will get a definite answer soon so he can make arrangements :)

I hope everyone's had a good ish day. I'm worn out after a quick trip to the supermarket

Sorry you're exhausted Leslie I nearly fell asleep during my CT may have been the nice bed, lovely clouds on the sky - I think I get results at follow up on Saturday though what they will do about kidney scan I don't know but maybe if other results are fine we don't need it.

Regina I struggle to get some doctors to take me seriously and I'm mid 40s. Thankfully most are good but only do their symptoms so if you have multiple symptoms its very difficult.

Vent away freshtart, everyone on here knows what it feels like and how worrying it is when waiting for results. I don't think people who haven't been through it really understand how scary it all is

Penguins good news about the ct scan

Good luck with the MRI McZeba, I've lost count of how many of those I've had

Did anyone else have really achy/stiff legs after finishing chemo? I can hardly walk if I've been sat in one place too long

I don't have any results yet, when I said it was fine, I just meant I had it

Sorry to hear you are feeling rough after chemo Purple

Hi everyone sorry I have been checking the board but really busy trying to get organised for first chemo today so have hardly sat down!

Purple sorry to hear you’re feeling rough after chemo - hope that is improving?

MissRP I hope the colposcopy comes through quickly and that gets you sorted - they can treat some things at colposcopy, as well as just looking

Fingers crossed for all those waiting for results and in the meantime x

See you all after the first poisoning session

And leslie I know what you mean about the supermarket - but I get worn out there and haven’t even started chemo yet!

Hope all goes well today addle - the first time is always the worst as you never know quite what's going to happen next. It'll be fine, honestly. I hope you've got a kindle or similar to keep yourself occupied.

Leslie hope you're feeling better. I was exhausted yesterday too - I did a Gatwick drop-off and it really took it out of me (possibly also the return Nottingham trip on Monday had something to do with things too). I'm also on antibiotics, which I hate, for an infection in those troublesome toes.

Good luck today addled I hope it all goes smoothly.

TQ I hope you have a more restful day today. Are the antibiotics helping? Sending manky toe solidarity

purple aches seem to be quite common after chemo also did your treatment bring on the menopause?

Hope chemo goes well addledbrain if you get bad side effects afterwards make sure you report to your chemo team as they may be able to help (I should have done this earlier with my 'dire rear'!).

to MissRP tart purple and anyone else waiting for tests or results. Belated congratulations on the moonwalk Freddie.

I'm really enjoying being back at work. So nice not to feel like a sick person (even though I am - on round two of chemo at the moment but only initial IV then just pills so manageable), psychologically it's been great as I've had far less time to think about cancer. At an international conference this week and no-one here apart from my close colleagues know. Being liberal with hand gel and running away from obviously sick people but (touch wood!) feeling pretty good so far.

Morning all.

Sorry for recent radio silence. I seem to have been super busy while not doing anything... Not sure how that works? Really sorry to hear about Nicky.

Lots of new people since I was last here. Sorry you've joined us.

Quick summary. Diagnosed with a brain tumour (initially 'probable' benign) in may 2016 aged 31. I was 13w pregnant and had a 13m old. They are now 18m and 3. I eventually had surgery in August 2017 to remove the tumour but it was found to be malignant. So Oct/Nov last year I had 33 RT session, and now am coming to the end of cycle 4 of a 12-cycle chemo programme. Chemo has been hard so far because they weren't expecting much impact on WBC but neutrophils have been really low so have had a dose reduction of the chemo to help and feeling much better for it!

Addled Hope todays chemo isn't too bad, first one must be really scary but hopefully its poisioning the cancer as hard as it can.

TQ Hope you get some rest from your taxi services. I find some antibiotics are much better than others for side effects, always say i am allergic to amoxocillin and then i get better ones.

Purple If the aches are menopause i get aches and Feroglobin takes them away, presume its the magnesium though docs reckon i dont have peri menopause but i have the symptoms. Its just otc but check first as contains iron and too much can be bad, not sure if you can have too much magnesium. It works after a few hours for me otherwise I have muscle and bone ache.

Tayto Glad you are enjoying being back at work.

Welcome back lgcat, remember you from our swimming team, hope you are OK.

Hope you are OK too Leslie. Just wfh today, OH now on 31

Ah I must have read it wrong penguins, fingers crossed the results are ok

Hope all goes well today addle, the first one is the worst as you're not sure what to expect. It normally takes the longest too as they need to make sure your dose is right and that doesn't make you ill. Make sure they give you antisickness pills before you leave

I worked through my chemo too tayto, it really does help to have a sense of normality although I told everyone at work just in case I did have a bad day as I didn't want them to think I was just being lazy

Littlegrey glad they reduced the chemo and you're feeling a bit better. Fingers crossed that this will be the last of any treatments needed

I'm not sure if the aches are menopause related or not. My periods stopped a few month ago when I was having treatment but I haven't had any of the usual symptoms such as hot flushes. And I don't think I'm any more grumpy than usual They did say the treatment would bring on menopause, is there a test for it?

Hello LittleGrey glad to hear you're OK. Those WBC and Neut counts are always a worry.... I was half-hoping mine would warrant a blood transfusion after last month, as I felt like a new woman when I had one after my op, but they seem to have picked up a bit this month.

Tayto glad you felt better for being at the conference. I had the opposite feeling when I attended one in November - it just made me wish I was 'normal' again...

I think they do blood tests for menopause maybe FSH but your doctor will know. I think I had FSH and LH but they lost the test. They are supposed to be unreliable though so go on symptoms.