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 :)

Thanks. Yes, we all heartily recommend Look Good Feel Better they're brilliant.

I’m booked for a LGFB later this month, and have heard so many good things about it that I’m excited already. I feel a bit of a fraud, because my cancer doesn’t ravage your appearance, but everyone says that doesn’t actually matter. I’ve never been that much into make up, so I’m seeing it as a whole new adventure!

And because this thread is lovely, I feel safe to tell you all how ridiculously proud I am of my DS today. I can never give blood again. But today he did for the first time, whilst still at the minimum age for donors.

iVampire well done to young Master Vampire :) and enjoy LGFB. I don't really use make up much either so I found the tips very useful. And it's just a nice thing to do that isn't medical!

Dulce I'm glad you enjoyed LGFB. I did it about five years ago now and I still have my free Chanel lipstick! I use it very sparingly, but I always feel rather fancy when I do

I never bother with make up either and equally don't feel my cancer or my chemo have affected my appearance (although I have lost quite a bit of weight - but that was welcome!) but I have really enjoyed it. So no need to feel guilty.
Do any of you have young children? How much have you told them?

Hello, just found this thread. On Thursday I found a breast lump at work, within the hour I was seeing my dr in my worst bra and wishing I'd shaved under my arms a little more recently. Tomorrow I am at hospital and been told it will be a long morning.
My dh knows and my boss at work as I've had to tell her to get time off but no one else, I'm not good with fuss. I'm going alone, my youngest has complex SEN and our leave is precious.
Taken me best part of week to open this thread but reading some posts has been empowering. Thank you

Apologies, tibni but I just read your post and felt compelled to offer to come with you for quiet company and support.

Thank you Year for your kind offer. I was with my dad and many years later stepdad when they had the first hospital appointments and know it will be a lot of waiting around. My dh said he'd come and I know if I told friends they would offer too but I am waiting to see what I am dealing with first. My dh works 15 mins from hospital and if I need him will be straight with me.
I know tomorrow will be physically uncomfortable, the lump hurts which is how I discovered it and the thought of it being prodded and poked yuk! I'm staying away from dr google as it will not help.

tibni good luck tomorrow definitely wise to ignore Dr Google!

Good luck tomorrow tibni

Hi Dulce - yes you are in a similar boat to me and further in your chemo than me (second cycle starts on Thursday). I have a 4 year old and a 7 year old.

I read a book on cancer called ‘the secret C’ with my eldest. I got it from the cancer centre. He read it but I’m not sure what effect it has had! He knew what cancer was before that and said ‘but doesn’t everyone with cancer die?’ And I just said ‘well I had the treatment to try and avoid that so hopefully I won’t!’ And he seems to have taken it all in but I think is still processing.

I haven’t planned a funeral but I have had some thoughts about it. I ever from ‘I’ll be fine and back to work as if it never happened in no time!’ to ‘yes I’d better get my affairs in order and I wonder whether this song would be appropriate at my funeral’ - it is exhausting! I’m not sure whether that’s normal and I’m not depressed so I feel I’m just reacting and I’ll see how things are when chemo ends...

I have LGFB booked in but it’s right at the end of July! I will just have finished chemo, so may be in need of a pick me up!!!

Good luck to all awaiting test result - have appointment with oncologist tomorrow and hopefully get results of last CT scan. Feeling when I think about it...so no thinking about it! Can’t do anything about it yet anyway!!

So glad you’re feeling better Leslie - asthma/hay fever is rubbish but added to cancer and anxiety about any symptoms at all it is worse so - yay to montelukast!!

*veer - not ever!!

Hi Dulce yes I'm in a similar boat too. Stage 3 (T3, n1, m0) and on cycle 3 of 4 of Capox. I have twin 5 year olds. Must have been a relief to find you were stage 3 not 4. I have been quite open with my kids about being ill and having 'naughty cells' and having to take medicine to get rid of them but haven't mentioned cancer as they associate it with Terry Fox who lost his leg to it (learned about in school) so would probably think I was going to be hopping about. Psychologically I've been ok so far but think that is mainly because I've been taking each stage at a time and just coping with that rather than thinking about the big picture. Suspect I may wobble when chemo ends.
iVampire that's great about your son. I've had to avail of blood during chemo so very appreciative of donors. I used to give blood but can't here as I lived in UK during BSE.

Good luck tomorrow tibni.

P.s fantastic news that the asthma meds are working Leslie. Great it was that and not the cancer.

Morning ladies and wow adle and Tabot we are on similar journeys indeed and even with small kids!
I'm T3/N2/M0. I have an EBUS next week (a bronchoscopy) in which they will take some cells from my lungs. Has anyone had that? There's some shadows on my lungs and he wants to be sure it's nothing. I feel very nervous.
Waiting for test results is just a bastard isn't it? I find that the hardest thing to cope with. Hope all of you get yours soon and with good news of course.

Thank you for your kind words. Just put my ds in his school taxi and will be heading off in an hour. Work colleagues will no doubt be speculating I'm at an interview with sudden unexplained day off when I worked all half term due to lack of leave!
Dd is still in bed, she's working until late today with a lot of travelling. She's at uni, we are very close but I don't want to worry her unnecessarily.
Had some good news, quick check on work emails and someone I sometimes work with is starting her phased reintroduction to work, she found a lump last summer and had to have surgery / chemo etc.
Once I've got through today I will look properly at the thread. I supported my stepdad a couple of years ago, he had oral cancer, and we learnt a few things along the way that might be of use.
Thank you once again for your kind wishes

I hope your appointment goes well addle :) I think those thoughts are normal, as long as they're not dominating your life and it doesn't sound like they are at the moment.

Thinking of you too tibni

Dulce is that done under GA? I've never had one. I hope it goes well you're right. Waiting for results sucks!

Waving to everyone else

WWLK it's done with sedation and I've been told to expect to be in hospital for half a day. I think you do have the option to have general but that would mean stay overnight which would worry my dd so I'll just have to brave it off.
Had my eyebrows threaded this morning for the first time in 3 months. Maybe effects of LGFB.
Good luck with your app adle and everyone else.

Tayto sorry but I now have a mental picture of every single one of us hopping around on one leg only....

sometimes you have to laugh (no disrespect to those with one leg....)

tibni - hope everything is going okay.

Glad you're feeling better Leslie

Vampire I went on LGFB workshop but I didn't have any obvious cancer symptoms such as hair loss etc. You're not a fraud, when I was there only 2 people had hairloss from the chemo and the rest looked like average women. It's definitely worth going to

Tibni I hope today's gone well for you

I've just had a phone call about my last MRI scan, the consultant said there's a definite change and she wants me to go for a PET scan next week. Ugh this is not good news is it? The weird thing is that I feel better now than I have done in months apart a bit of hip pain

Hope its nothing Purple, I think sometimes you get doctors who like running tests so hopefully there's nothing sinister behind it.

I'm currently refusing more tests - I'm all tested out - but they are trying to do a brain MRI and a cystoscopy under general. I'm ignoring them as I've just started feeling better though today got a phone call from hospital saying I have infection so back on antibiotics. I'm trying to do 20 mins exercise a day as apparently helps with hormone imbalances and seems to work. OH said to sign me off, work have set me work for next 2 months Past caring which it is.

Glad they sorted your asthma Leslie and glad you got all clear Flourella

Love to everyone else.

purple it might be nothing - I'm not sure they'd bother with a PET scan if they knew for definite that it was cancer. Have you had a PET scan before?

I'm on a rather bumpy bus so can't reply properly but just wanted to send lots of love and a big squeezy hug to purple

It's weird feeling so well when your so ill isn't it penguins if you don't feel like working (and could manage without the money) then I think I'd take the advice of OH and get signed off. I'm glad your feeling a bit better anyway. Did they say why you need a brain MRI? Do you suffer from headaches often?

Aw thanks Leslie squeezy hugs are very much appreciated No, I've never had a PET scan. Although I have googled and apparently they can take an hour, hopefully it's not as noisy as an MRI and I might get a bit of sleep

Thanks Purple Glad you are feeling healthier at least. Not entirely sure why Occ Health says I need a brain scan (DD asked if it was because they thought I was mad ) - I think its the constant dizziness and the suddeness first symptoms came on with - I said someone else had said MS and she said that's what she is thinking. But rare for me to have headaches and my doctor was a bit puzzled my the request /demand. Only have rare numbness which you normally have a lot more with MS so 99.9% certain it isn't. Dizziness comes from hormone imbalances, anemia and anxiety. Get 3 months sick pay so would mainly be paid anyway, but don't feel ill enough at moment though is tempting.

Do you have to take meds for MRI? The CT one didn't bother me at all but GA and the colonoscopy meds make me ill. I'm claustrophic as well not sure how I would get on, if it was 100% necessary I would do it.

The only thing I had for the MRI was buscopan to slow my bowels down so they could get clearer pictures (I went in up to my chest, feet first) Luckily I'm not in the slightest claustrophobic, I quite like being all squished in the MRI machine is very noisy but they give you big headphones to block some of the noise out. If you're worried about claustrophobia speak to your doctor and they should be able to prescribe you something to calm you a bit, when you're in the machine the nurses can see you and speak to you at all times and they give you a ball thing to squeeze if you need them to come back in.
Mine took about 25 minutes but that was a full pelvic scan so I'm guessing a brain one wouldn't be as long as that.
You can take someone in with you if that would help calm you

I've got another 6 weeks sick pay left but I'm keeping them just incase I physically can't get to work if the treatment gets too much

Thank you all and sorry for delay but once ds is home it's full on.
All is well, it was a very long day and initially a lot of uncertainty because of unusual presentation but it turns out I had very large stacked cysts like a big cottage loaf but 3 of them so it was difficult to determine what was underneath. They have drained them all using ultrasound for guidance and it was a lot of gunk! Top 1 was 5x4x3 cm and they got bigger.
There were 4 of us there for duration and we ended up looking after and supporting each other.
Thank you once again for the good wishes, carried me through some worrying times today