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!

Pandora I'm sure your husband will understand if you don't want sex. I've had 25 lots of pelvic radiotherapy and 4 internal radiotherapy and I honestly don't think I'll ever have sex again. I'm constantly tired all the time too. It sucks doesn't it? But try to keep in mind it won't be for forever and you will be better once treatment is finished

Simmi DO NOT google statistics, nearly all of them online are out of date

Aimless chemo brain is an actual thing, it takes around 3/4 weeks after the last chemo for your brain to start functioning properly again

Thanks Leslie I'd love to come to a hugathon when I feel better, it would be great to meet you and the lovely TQ too

Chemo at 10:00 and I'm going by myself for the first time as DH is at work. I have my kindle and crochet at the ready

Leslie - Sorry but that made me chuckle thinking of you wondering if you had a name too 😁

Pandora - I’m sure your DH completely understands. Have you spoken to him about how you feel. DP and I haven’t had sex since before Christmas (Appendix pain started late last year then burst in January and I was in discomfort till op in May. But I still feel bleaugh. Part of my vagina was cut away during op so I don’t want anything to poke about in there, if you see what I mean.) I have told him how I feel and he’s being lovely about it. I would definitely recommend talking to your DH rather than quietly worrying. x

Purple- I hope your chemo went ok and you’re now tucked up warm at home. How was it on your own? What are you crocheting?

Simmi - So pleased to read everyone at work was kind and supportive. They’ll all look after you I’m sure

Hello to everyone else Hope you’re all having a good day. x

KeepCalm so, so sorry about your dog. She looks so beautiful. I lost mine in Jan 17 and I was and still am, devastated. And that was after only 8 years. She was my rock.

Leslie and I had a very lovely Sunday in Portsmouth with the Woolly Hugs brigade.

Thanks Aimless, it went surprisingly well this time. One attempt to get the cannula in and I was all finished by 3:00. The mother in law dropped me off and stayed for half an hour just to make sure I was ok, bless her.
I'm currently crocheting a cushion cover, attempting a blanket and my son bought me some crochet coasters that are supposed to look like the back end of a pig but they have somehow ended up looking like boobs

Laughing at Leslie forgetting her name the worst thing I've done is spent ages looking for my car in the car park before realising that I'd bought a new one the day before and I was looking for my old one

Ugh I've been wide awake since 2:30 thanks to the steroids

Morning all. Anyone else up early to shave their legs before an MRI & CT Scan? No, just me

Amazing the things you worry about and I'm not remotely vain at all.

I've also booked in to have my very long hair chopped tomorrow so I can donate it before chemo starts. It's only long as it's easy for my job just to throw it up out the way. The lovely chemo nurse thought I was going to be distraught bless her.

Hope you're all feeling well today.

How funny keepcalm - I did shave my legs this morning as I’m wearing a dress but thought to myself I probably won’t need to do that for a while given chemo starting soon. I didn’t bother shaving armpits for boob checking appointments and now I’m put off going near there! Good luck with your scans. Will you try the cold cap to avoid losing hair? I don’t have long luscious hair anyway so am going to try and retain what I have.

I wouldn't count on it Simmi my underarm and leg hair stayed whilst my head hair and eyebrows fell out

KeepCalm that's a great idea to donate your hair :) good luck with your scans

purple sorry you've not got much sleep oops to the boob coasters!

Waving to everyone.

My adhesions are misbehaving. Grr. I wish they'd sort themselves out. I am having to take Oramorph again, though at least it's not as bad as it has been. I think I will ask if I can have a higher strength of the fentanyl patches for when the pain is worse, but I'm not sure if that's how it works.

Hi all, I've posted here before but since NC. I have a host of gyne symptoms but yet to have a diagnosis. I've finally been give a date for an MRI and I'm really scared.

So far I've had a smear and ultrasound that have come back normal but my symptoms include lower back pain, painful sex, general pelvic pain, a constant ache deep inside my vagina and more recently breathlessness. My GP said my cervix looked normal and swabs have come back clear. I've asked whether there could be something higher up in my cervix that the smear missed but GP thinks this isnt likely.

I'm scared this MRI will reveal something sinister that has spread as it's taken so long to get anywhere but I suppose it's best to know. I'm 28 and have three children aged 8, 3 and 8 months. My MRI is booked for October 20th.

Hello PepperAnne. Have they given you any idea what they are looking for? Good luck with your MRI

Loving the boob coasters @purpleunicorns
@WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo are you getting anywhere with your pain relief? Glad you had a good time with @TwitterQueen1 sounds like fun.
I still need to focus on my craft been too busy running around.
I should have had chemo no 3 this morning but they called this morning and said my bloods were too low. Could fighting off my DSs cold have caused that? I'm already on antibiotics for it so fingers crossed next week should be ok.
I've taken to bed after cheese and beans on toast with a, wait for it ..... mince pie, I'm sure that will help with my blood count!
Waves to everyone else

@Simmi1 they offered it but my hair grows very quickly and the cold cap means spending longer in for chemo so I said no.

Am going for crop tomorrow night and pixie when I get home from holiday.

@PepperAnne hope your scans come back with lovely positive news

MRI done and now waiting on CT scan before heading round to genetics.

I. Am. Starving

@ranoutofquinoaandprosecco you've just solved my dilemma of what i want to eat when I get out of here.

Cheesybeano it is!

Hope your bloods behave soon

KeepCalm one down! And CTs are much easier than MRIs. Good luck at the genetics appointment too. Hopefully you'll get a chance to eat between your MRI and genetics?! My hospital actually has quite nice food in the café.

ranout was it cheese on toast with beans on, or beans on toast with cheese? (I like both, just curious ) I especially like it with cucumber. It goes nicely with bean juice. Sorry your chemo has been delayed. Hopefully your bloods will improve quickly :)

My pain relief is much better thank you. Just a bit of final tweaking needed/a plan for when it flares up :)

@WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo glad your getting your pain under control. It was cheese on top with beans on (the ones that are good for you, kidney beans etc in tomato sauce) and brown sauce. Never tried them with cucumber will do next time!
I've been felting a hare to keep me out of mischief, keep stabbing myself in the process which isn't great!

Aw a felted hare :) hopefully it'll be worth all the stabbing when it is finished!

I've just had call from the Macmillan benefits team. They're contacting my CNS to ask for a DS1500. If she will do that then they'll be able to do the disability benefit application for me. They might be able to help you too TQ. They're based at RBH. The lady I spoke to was absolutely lovely.

First try of felting! Could be very addictive.

He’s absolutely beautiful Ranout! Really really lovely. You are clever.

Purple - Love the booby coasters!

Really pleased to hear chemo went well. How are you feeling today?

Leslie - So sorry to read you’re in pain. Hopefully, as you say, a bit of med tweaking will help.

Fridays chemo postponed as port site is still red, itchy and inflamed. More antibiotics and another check up on Monday and chemo on Tuesday (If there’s a slot. If not then Wednesday). Chemo in a vein again if port site still iffy and if it is still iffy then it’ll have to come out. Bloomin’ nuisance.

How is everyone today?

Re crafts - Lovely Auntie sent me this card crafting magazine in the post and it was waiting for me when I got home from hospital today. I’m not terribly arty but looking forward to giving the card making a go.

Ha ha I tried felting once and all but took my hand off, so I could not be more impressed with that hare.

Hugs for the postponed chemo. It’s not like we look forward to chemo but you do psych yourself up a bit so I find it throws you when it gets put back.

Looks like you've got a little helper there too Aimlessly :) enjoy your card making. That's a bummer about your port and the chemo delay I hope that it's sorted by next week.

ranout that's fantastic :) do you plan to do more felting?

I've got a choir rehearsal tonight and we are starting our Christmas concert songs so I hope that my pain has improved by then it's not bad bad. Just enough to make me feel a bit sick, and I don't want to throw up at rehearsal!

Afternoon lovely people.

I got my appointment today, next Friday. Bang on the 2 weeks deadline.

Feeling more relaxed now I know when it is, I can relax a bit knowing that there is nothing I can do in the mean time.

Fingers crossed for you for Friday mrsemcgregor hopefully you have plenty of distractions until then

Thank you whatwouldleslieknopedo

I hope you manage choir tonight, I looooove Christmas carols.

Ranout that hare is gorgeous!

Aimless That is a bugger about chemo, but at least you'll have a bit more time feeling normal. I feel absolutely awful today, I've been up since 3:00 so I've just been napping all day

Sorry you're feeling grim purple