CANCER SUPPORT THREAD 65 - for anyone with cancer or waiting for cancer tests (pets welcome!)

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Good morning everyone,

Welcome to the new thread, and the club that nobody wants to join. Our previous thread is here.

Anyone with any type of cancer is welcome. And we will hold your hand if you're waiting to find out whether or not you have cancer at all.

If you've got a loved one with cancer then you can get support here.

Please feel free to reintroduce yourself so we don't all have to remember from the previous thread!

iVampire good luck tomorrow!

Pandora does your medical team know how badly it is affecting you? You might need a dose reduction.

Fuzzy I hope the transfusion helps. I always feel much perkier after one :)

noodles I hope you get some sleep tonight.

addle I'm sure people will be happy to help when they know what's going on :) you can return the favour another time.

I hope everyone sleeps well

Addle it's not being in debt. Ask yourself if it was someone else what would you do? If anyone asked me to help out to make life a bit easier while they have cancer treatment then I'd do it in a heartbeat. Honestly people are much more willing to help than you'd think, but sometimes they don't offer as they don't want to assume you need help and they don't want to offend you

I've just been diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. There are metastatic growths in my bones, but no major organs as yet. It's oestrogen positive, so I'm getting hormone therapy and radiotherapy on my spine.

I'm a bit bewildered, to be honest, so having a place to chat here will be good.

@BitOfFun I'm sorry your here. I've also got breast cancer but not stage 4.
We're a lovely supportive bunch and I'm sure someone will be along with more advice than me. Have you managed to get some RL support?

Hiiiii BitOfFun I have stage 4 bowel cancer (probably the least glamorous cancer available ) and was diagnosed last year. I still get totally bewildered sometimes.

This thread is great. You can moan, laugh at some of the more ridiculous side effects, get support through some of the scariest bits (for me, first go at a new treatment, and scan results but we’re all different), anything really. It’s not all cancer, but sadly that is what we have in common.

So welcome!

Hi BitofFun - welcome although sorry you’re here. I also have bc - stage 3. Do you have family around to support you?

I am recently diagnosed and did round one of chemo just over a week ago. Still in a bit of a haze but glad I’m taking action. Happy Sunday lacies

You're right namechange Leslie and purple - I would do the same and it is different! People seem very nice here - I don't want to be a charity case in my new neighbourhood but as you rightly say I would do the same and it's all in my head anyway! Managed a little bit of a lie in and an attempt at meditation with the headspace app this morning so feeling less exhausted so far!

Hi bitofun sorry you're here too - rant away if you need to! I'm a bowel person like Leslie but there are lots of fellow BC buddies who are lovely if you have questions

Hi BitOfFun - sorry to see you here, but welcome - this is a wonderful thread, even if it is the club no one wants to be part of! I also have BC; was diagnosed in May and am having chemo and waiting on surgery. Have you started treatment yet? It seems like the waiting periods are the worst for a lot of us here!

Addle I am so lucky to have an amazing partner around, unfortunately he actually lives and works mostly in the US and will be heading back there after Xmas... so I have also had to get used to asking for help from other people... I have to say that the people who have been most helpful (school mums and neighbours I didn’t really ‘know’ before who have put their money where their mouth is having offered help!) have been those I didn’t necessarily expect (equally I have at least one ‘friend’ who hasn’t so much as messaged me never mind visited since my diagnosis - so 🤷🏻‍♀️... you find who your friends are I guess!!)

Hello Bitoffun but sorry you need to be here. Do you have a start date for treatment yet? I've had radiotherapy and I had no side effects at all from it. You will feel so much better and more in control once treatment starts

Hi BitofFun I'm stage IV too, but bowel cancer. Sorry you've had to join us, but welcome

I hope everyone has a relaxing Sunday.

Thank you all for the welcome! Things have moved pretty quickly and I have got every confidence in my medical team, they seem brilliant. I've had my first of four-weekly injections to put me into menopause, and I also have tamoxifen tablets, steroid tablets and a shedload of kick-ass painkillers . I'll be starting radiotherapy on my spine this Wednesday.

I am really looking forward to an overnight spa trip with a close friend on Monday- perhaps this is one of the few times when a spa day actually IS the answer to a problem on mumsnet

Hi bit of fun

I have found everyone really supportive on this thread. It can move quickly but everyone just seems to dip in and out as and when they feel like it which is great.

I have breast cancer too. I’m having chemo and other drugs too.

I’m about to have my 4th round of chemo this week but it’s a new drug combo so it’s a bit like starting again really.

Yes a spa day does actually sound good! Hope you enjoy it.

Bitoffun try and take the steroids as early in the day as you can otherwise you won't sleep. I'm speaking from experience 
Hope you enjoy your spa day, I've never been to a spa but there's a posh one pretty close to me so I might make some enquiries

Hi BoF shame you’re over here but welcome,

I have leukaemia (CML) which is responding to treatment. So I’m in quite good nick at the moment.

There were actual pom poms at the event! It was raining, but not all the time. You lot have been a great virtual cheer squad! I ran a Personal Best, and was under my ‘target’ time too.

I shall not try to restrain myself from being the Perfect Twat (about this, on here at least) because although I will be continuing to run I haven’t got any fundraising coming up (didn’t get a London Marathon place, which is a pity as I do feel strong enough to step up a level now, but who knows if that would apply again. Carpe diem!)

Wooooo iVampire you are amazing!

How are you celebrating the PB?

Yay! Go you iVampire! well done. You make me feel better because I am now internalising this as "Well, someone I know (ok, virtual, online ) did a half and I was there in spirit. Oh how we deceive ourselves...

I did the Asics 10k in London about 10 years ago? It was amazing - about 27k people running in unison. I don't recall any pom poms though .

BoF (call me TQ), sorry you find yourself here. I'm probably of no use to you - I have stage 4 ovarian cancer and will soon start 3rd line chemo. I'm waiting to hear about potential trials.

I'm going on a roadtrip tomorrow - off to York to spend a few days with Newcastle uni friend. We've known each other for 40 years...

Well done @iVampire, you never know you may get a place for the marathon. I'm a big believer in fate.
I really want to start exercising again, I'm going to speak to the nurses tomorrow when I have my picc line cleaned. I used to spin 4 times a week before diagnosis so I'm missing the exercise and the people from my class!
Bit tired today (chemo was last Tuesday), mentioned to DH that I'll ask them about my iron levels, he said "oh, shall I pop out and get some steaks". Good try DH!
Hope everyone having an ok weekend

Woohoo! Well done iVampire that's absolutely fantastic.

TQ enjoy your trip :)

BitofFun have a lovely time at the spa

I miss exercise too. I used to run and occasionally, on a very good day, if the stars were aligned in the constellation, I could manage 10k.

Well done on your PB iVampire.

At the moment I'd settle just for being able to climb the stairs comfortably

Hi BitOfFun. I start radiotherapy for BC next week too. I'm stage 1, so I'll be done then. Aside from the tamoxifen.

That's brilliant iVampire! A bugger about London though. Are there any other British marathons you could aim for?

That's fantastic ivampire! Well done! I hope you're celebrating now. I'm with Leslie on this, climbing the stairs without complaining would be quite the achievement for me 

Hello @BitOfFun sorry to see you here but welcome. I'm sure you and I used to converse often when I had a different name here years ago. I used to go by Dizzydixies but that was a looooong time ago...

I haven't been here long and my head is still mince but these guys are a fab point of all information/support & advice.

Hello all else. I'm literally doing nothing but reading books as being here on holiday is giving me too much time to think before I head home and get started properly. What a waste, am almost ashamed of myself at the lack of doing something/anything!

Am not even managing to keep up with this thread, sorry!

What a waste, am almost ashamed of myself at the lack of doing something/anything!

Nooooo don’t feel guilty! You are resting and strengthening ready for a difficult time. It’s exactly what you need!

Oh love, reading books is never a bad use of your time!

Thanks again for the welcome. Good tip about the steroids too, thank you!

I thought you guys might appreciate the notebook I'm taking to all my appointments.