CANCER SUPPORT THREAD 66 for those with cancer or awaiting cancer test results. Rant, rave, laugh, cry, joke, scream - whatever gets you through the day.

[TwitterQueen1]

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 have a loved one with cancer you can get support on a different thread here

For old and new posters it's very helpful if you (re)introduce yourself in your first post with a summary of your diagnosis (chemo brain is a real thing and my memory isn't what it used to be!).

KBG I’m having 18 weekday radio sessions I think. I haven’t got all the info yet though.

The brilliant chemo nurse I had yesterday said that sometimes the first lot of Docetaxal can be the worst. If your sickness meds are good then it makes a huge difference. I had Domperidone for the EC and it was fine but it was useless for this combination. I’ve was given various others but Ondansetron fixed me. I found EC fairly easy, I had a bit of sickness with round 3 but nothing bad. It was consistent that all the side effects lifted on day 6, with a bit of a mini dip around day 9, but nothing awful.

Thanks Mysillydog, Macmillan have sent me a letter explaining that I need to be put in the support group so hopefully that will help

I'm back in hospital again, blocked stoma this time so I'm just waiting for the CT scan results to come back to decide what's happening next and wether it's down to the chemo or the cancer. Something's gone wrong everytime I've has chemo so my oncologist is getting a bit twitchy about me having the last 2 rounds.
I'm currently sat with a tube up my nose draining off the contents of my stomach. Pretty grim

Thinking of you Leslie and fingers crossed the chemo tablets do the job

Oh no Purple you poor thing, that’s grim

Oh no! Poor you, purple. You've really been through the mill with this chemo. I hope they can get the blockage sorted ASAP and get you more comfortable. Nasal tubes are horrid. Try not to look at the contents! and fingers crossed for the benefits.

Symphony sorry you had such a long day. I hope this cycle is less disastrous for you do you have Dioralyte or similar just in case? You could drink that if you start being sick (or just a non-sugar-free squash and salty snacks) to reduce risk of losing salt.

Oops to the MRI leak iVampire. And good luck with the rest of the tests.

KBG yes, some of the wig/hat mannequins are terrifying

ranout hopefully cells have died even though the lump hasn't visibly shrunk.

Tayto fingers crossed for your colonoscopy. I don't envy you the prep

BOF I've never had radiotherapy, but friends have been utterly exhausted afterwards. I hope it improves soon

Thanks everyone for the validation re. crispy seaweed and to TQ for a recipe that actually makes kale sound tempting. I think this "seaweed" was kale or similar anyway.

I'm still on my nasal prongs. And yes, they are a bit like a Mediaeval torture instrument. But I'm getting used to them. I'm lubing my nose up with KY jelly to help with the dryness!

KGB everyone reacts differently but IME the 1st 2 days after chemo are fine, but then the next 2 or 3 are less fine. Not awful, just a bit bleugh. Having said that though, the very 1st chemo I had was awful after those first couple of days. It felt like I had the worst flu ever - every single part of body ached terribly, including my ears. It was never as bad as that again thankfully!

Purple sorry to hear you're in hospital again. It does sound grim.

Leslie does going on Lonserf mean you're not having any more chemo? How are you getting on regaining your strength?

Well, it's another type of chemo. But yes, no more IV chemo. So that's a positive :) without treatment my oncologist reckons about 3 months (assuming I avoided infections) so hopefully this will buy me a bit more time. I have so much knitting/crocheting to do!

And yes, I felt like that my first chemo too. I woke up one morning and thought I must've fallen out of bed in the night or something as I felt so bruised it eased up with subsequent cycles.

Leslie I found Aveeno brilliant for all soreness, including the sore nose. I’ve stocked up on crackers and Dairylea and also sherbet fruit sweets, just in case.

That's certainly a 'frank' discussion Leslie. Get those needles whirring. Have you spotted Kirstie Allsop's Home Made Christmas on Channel 4 at 1pm? Loads of knitting on that. Though I got a bit cross today because they gave the prize for the best Christmas jumper to someone who spent 6 hours kitting a jumper (which, to be fair, was lovely) with super extra large needles, and not to John who spent 170 hours on the most amazing, beautiful jumper that also had dachsunds on it... humph.

Just got a phone call from the Churchill, booking me in for another chat on Tuesday pm to run through the paperwork. This is brilliant as it means it's all kicking off! I'll then consent and get another appt for scans before the treatment starts. I was beginning to get seriously worried about left in limbo...

No, I haven't seen that TQ. Kirstie annoys me though, so might be best for my rage. And now I'm sad for dachshund jumper man

Good news that things are progressing with the Churchill. Limbo sucks

Dairylea is an excellent choice Symphony. I hope that you get to enjoy it :)

Evening all, just popping in with for leslie after a pretty shit conversation with your oncologist.
I have my next check up with the oncologist next week, had a few months off since my oophorectomy which has been nice. DH turns 50 (!) tomorrow and we have a party on Sat so much to distract me in the meantime.
Hugs to all.

Evening ladies. 12hr work day has me cream crackered but I am reading and trying to keep up and thinking of you all

KeepCalm I’m exhausted just reading that!

Up with the dreaded dire rear but the tablets work given time.

Can I ask if anyone else struggles to find things to drink? I’ve gone off coffee and anything fizzy so now it’s just weak squash. When I was in hospital I found that water wasn’t quenching my thirst due to the meds aftertaste so I was adding a dash of lime cordial which did the trick. I’m getting fed up with that now though.

@SymphonyofShadows and naturally am still wide awake at 6

Only thing I can drink is pink grapefruit squash! Someone on here recommended it and it's f*cking ace. I would never have picked it ever as was a total Robinson's Orange girl (I don't drink tea/coffee) but DD3 and I went to the shops and picked bottles of stuff I'd never had before and this is my absolute fave.

77p a bottle in Asda or Tesco do the Robinson's Barley & Pink Grapefruit.

Hope that helps a little and your stomach feels a little better today

@leslie thinking of you today too

Thanks KeepCalm M&S do a nice pink grapefruit if memory serves. I will get DP to pick some up.

Leslie also thinking of you.

No idea what happened with my 'bold' chat there lol

Crazy work week here too- almost pleases that I have clinic and scans today for a break. Am looking forward to a nice lie down in a scanner...is that sad?

Drinking is the hardest thing I think. Water isn’t doing it for me as I hate the taste of chemo in my mouth and it seems to make it more obvious. Lime cordial I love but you do get fed up of the same thing. Fizzy drinks weren’t helping the tummy bloating or pain I think. I’m on the hot spiced berry cordial this morning. I keep trying new things so I have the most extensive collection of half drunk cordials ever!

to everyone especially Leslie. When will the Longsurf start?

Morning ladies hot spiced berry cordial sounds good. I've found I can't have anything cold anymore, food or drink everything has to be lukewarm!
@Namechangeforthiscancershit I love a lie down on the scanner! I nearly went to sleep on Tuesday, they said I wouldn't have been the first!
Hope everyone has a good day. It's pretty miserable here in Yorkshire but I'm meeting a school mum for a little walk and a coffee then I've got my DBIL, DSIL and they scrumptious 2 year coming for a couple of days.
I can't remember who said they were car shopping but we did and my car will be ready for collection on Monday, I think it's my DH says balls if you want something have it, we've spent too many years having savings "just in case" then the cancer happened. So lacies if you fancy something and it will give you pleasure go for it! (Ps that sounded a bit carry on style!)

@ranoutofquinoaandprosecco
@Namechangeforthiscancershit

Morning ladies

Pretty bloody miserable here in Scotland too. Considering I'll be locked in a room with the accountant from 9.30 I don't suppose it matters....

DH moaning about my long stint yesterday. Still, didn't get him up out of bed to see the oldest two DDs away to school now did it .

Totally agree quinoa. In fact I’ve just bought myself a Sonos speaker in the Black Friday reductions. Glad I did as it was £160 off! DP is buying me a new turntable for Christmas, I may as well make the most of all this enforced downtime!

Party at @SymphonyofShadows

Whoop I’ll bring the hot berry cordial. I might be wearing slippers. That’s ok for parties right?

This is my current fav hot cordial if anyone is interested

Hey lacies!! Sorry I've been mia but the new chemo drugs really hit me for six so all I do all day is doze, run to the loo and doze some more. Herceptin/perjecta and something else.

I've got one more chemo on the 6th December then a breast team appointment to hopefully make a date for the mastectomy in the new year. But I'm so tired, I can't even wander round town any more and my concentration is near non existent so can't read or follow films any more.

One of the chemo nurses has wound me up by saying I shouldn't be purposefully losing weight at a time like this and I should be going out of the house every day. Yeah right love, I consider it a fucking good day if I've managed to get dressed in pj let alone coat and shoes and leave the house. Going up stairs knackers me out, the last two rounds have just hit me so hard.
And I swear if she tilts her head at me one more time I may swing for her.

Namechange slippers are positively encouraged. I wore my slipper boots to chemo the other day as my soles are sore if I wear shoes. In fact I’ve bought another pair for ‘inside’ and just brazen out wearing the original ones if I go anywhere now, not that I go far! I might end up collecting my M&S Christmas food order in them too.

Symphony, I went to chemo and my consultants appointment in my pj(trackie bottoms and vest top)it was so liberating!!! But of course I bumped into every single person that I have ever known. I've not got any slippers. Hope Santa brings me some nice ones.