New year, new thread - cancer support thread 68 - join us if you have cancer, or are waiting for cancer-related tests

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the new thread. Our previous one is here.

Anyone with any cancer is welcome, or anyone waiting for tests because they might have cancer. If you're new, just jump in wherever. Don't feel you need to catch up with previous posts. We talk a lot! Ask any questions you need to. Someone will hopefully have an answer. And feel free to post photos of cute pets too.

Whether you're new or not, it's helpful to post a little introduction on the new thread to save people trying to remember everyone's different diagnosis and treatment.

Well done Mrs T ! Sending you calming vibes for a peaceful night . Which I hope everyone has . Though I know some won't .

Yay MrsT another big hurdles you can put behind you. Rest, rest and then some more rest

Thanks Leslie and Noodles. Someone else has also recommended Neutrogena so I'll go and buy some tomorrow - and collect my blood pressure pills.
This is my equivalent of chemo - both drugs are PARP inhibitors - they prevent cells repairing themselves (all cells) and the Cedirinab cuts off the blood supply to the cancerous cells (it's a next gen Avastin).
The good thing is that it's not rare at all (not sure where they get that from - it's very common so I suspect they'll just reduce the dose.

Glad you’ve made it home MrsT

Glad you're home Mrstraveller hopefully all tucked up in bed with your pillow.

Thinking of purple and hoping you have a peaceful night.

Sleep well lacies

Morning all!

Delighted you're home @Mrstraveller absolutely delighted 

How are you @WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo ? I hope you managed a restful night. I can't seem to catch a break with the old sleeping but I imagine that's down to stress than anything else

I have a meeting today regards selling the business but the boy who has valued it isn't coming close to what I wanted for it. Am absolutely gutted. 8yrs of 80hrs+ a week, I'd have been better off not doing it

Anyway anyway. Let's just wait and see. I suppose it's like a house. Someone will only pay what they think it's worth.....

Glad you got home last night in the end mrsT but that was one long day for you.

How are you doing purple? Any sign of being able to escape hospital yet? Thinking of you & hope you are still improving.

keepcalm that must be soul destroying to have put so much effort in to your business to find it undervalued when you come to sell. ESP as you probably don't really want to sell, but are forced to by your circumstances of being ill. Who is the boy doing the valuing? I hope someone else comes along with a more sensible/realistic offer more in line with what you are after.

That is good that the dose will just be tweaked a bit hopefully TQ I hope the cream works...

Morning all, poorly kids still here (well the youngest is probably OK but hasn't really eaten since getting the virus, eldest has a uti following the virus of last week) am hoping one more day off will do the job. A day of jigsaw puzzles, getting as much fluid down their necks and some food too!

Have a good day lacies

Well done Mrs T, and thanks Leslie.

Also thinking of purple and hoping that you have continued to feel a bit better. TQ hope your symptoms start to improve and that a slightly reduced dose proves to be the answer.

Wishing all the lacies a good day.

Keepcalm how frustrating that your hard work is so undervalued. Hoping you get a sensible offer x

MrsT pleased your home and hopefully not in too much discomfort x

Waves to everyone else, hope the dau treats you all kindly xx

Sorry to hear about your hand problem TQ sounds uncomfortable. Hope the suggested hand cream will help.

Keep Calm. do you think he's making a deliberately low offer and would come back with more if you turned it down initially. I guess it's difficult to gauge how much he really wants to buy it?

For those about to have mastectomy just a quick summary below re my experience.

I was in pain in recovery room and was given morphine and pethidine (sp?). Thought I might as well have the good stuff whilst it was on offer .

Breast care nurse came. to see me on the ward and brought a softie thing to go in my bra and a drain bag. She suggested that it's best to have two drain bags - one for each bottle and either carry them on the shoulder or cross body. She also brought with her a spare drain bottle kit for me to take home. I think in case the District Nurses forget to bring one.

Apparently I will get an appointment in about 6 weeks to have some sort of silicone breast form made.

Pain today has not been too bad and I have just taken paracetamol so far. It's obviously sore and bruised mostly under the armpit where the lymph nodes have been removed but starting to get a bit of pain lower down around the rib area now.

I don't feel ill as such like I did after chemo.

My breast care nurse said I can shower as the dressing is waterproof and I can take the drain bottles into the shower with me! This seems to be different to the advice some people have been given not to shower until the drains come out.

I did ask her about exercise longer term and she did say I should be able to do anything but not to lift weights more than about 5 kilos. I am hoping she just meant hand weights.

I have been given a sheet of exercises to do to prevent frozen shoulder developing but it's just a print out from breast cancer care so you can probably go on their website to get it.

I was given anti DVT stockings and told to just keep them on for a couple of days if I am walking around normally.

Apparently District Nurses are supposed to come out daily to measure the content of the drain bottles and I've been given a form for this. However called earlier to check they have the referral and of course they don't so not sure about that now.

I think the most annoying thing is going to be carrying these drain bottles around.

Last night I felt a bit awkward with them in bed as I keep touching the plastic of the drains so in the end I put them on one of those small steps that I use in the kitchen for reaching into high cupboards. This was more comfortable as I could just droop the plastic tubes down over the side of the bed and was at risk of lying on them.

Getting a bit tired now so am going for a lie down and watch a bit of TV

PS District Nurse just been and from now on I will measure the drains daily and she will call for the results. I think when it gets to less than 30 mils a day they consider removing them. She said whilst I can have a shower to be careful. So for the next few days might just do a wash over the sink!

KeepCalm luckily after a few disturbed nights I've been sleeping really well. I slept through until 6am when I woke with a cough. Then after I'd done my injection and tablets and stuff I went back to sleep until 10 :) sorry you're not sleeping well. Do you have sleeping tablets? I hope you get a more reasonable offer for your business

noodles I hope everyone feels better after your jigsaw day

Thinking of you purple

Speedy recovery Mrstraveller

Waving to everyone

Interesting about the District Nurse Mrs: I was left to empty and measure my drain daily. Got sent home with a measuring jug and syringe...

Glad you're all done and dusted now though

Glad it went well MrsT

I hope they get to the bottom of things on Friday Peapod, I think not knowing is worse as all the worst case scenarios go through your head. Hopefully you'll get a definite answer and get it sorted

Oh Keepcalm that must be tough after all the work you've put into the business. Can you get another valuation?

I should be home in the next couple of days once my antibiotics are finished and once I know how to change my nephrostomy bags. I've got the palliative team coming to see me today to try and sort the pain out in my leg, the X-ray I had was clear so they think it's sciatica but it's sooo painful and weirdly the only thing that seems to help is paracetamol
My heart rate is hovering around 135 so I think I'll be on tablets for that too

Glad you're sleeping well Leslie. I think days are much better once you've had a decent nights sleep

Aghh I had forgotten measuring the drain output (liver not boobs but I guess same difference). I was weirdly fascinated by what was coming out!

@Mrstraveller thank you for that brilliant update. I will admit I've avoided researching Thursday and pathetically head in the sand about it all. DH has a big interview tomorrow so am just trying to get past that first! Am hoping you're recovering well and not in too much pain.

Have told DH I fancy playing 'BMI Bingo' to see how often then mention my BMI 

I strangely have pain in my clavicle area?! All very bizarre.

@WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo I don't have sleeping tablets. I think am just thinking too much. Will try to get some more fresh air to see if that knocks me out!

Thank you all for kind thoughts re the business. I really don't want to sell but the oncologist has made me aware that even if the mastectomy is a success I'll be on chemo for the rest of my life and to get rid of anything that causes undue stress/worry. If we get a decent amount for the business we can settle the credit cards etc and catch our breath. Every month is a sleepless night before payday and don't even mention VAT. The chap that valued it was from a broker that did it as a paper exercise from his office. He's never even stepped foot in my place so have discounted him. A more fruitful meeting was had this afternoon but it'll still be a reluctant sale. Fucking cancer

I think I was a bit gung ho about lack of pain earlier. Feeling quite sore now so might be on the stronger stuff by bedtime.

By the way my hospital exit plan went fine. Didn’t bother with a bra -would have been too painful. Just wore my pyjamas with big parka over the top, socks and Skechers and was fine to walk to the car like that.

Oh @KeepCalm fecking cancer. You need someone else interested in buying. Do you have any competitors? Or someone that's in the same business but not local who may look to expand and buy you out? Could your staff buy you out? I bet you've already thought of all these things.
@Mrstraveller I'm so pleased you home a getting some rest. I hope you've managed to sort your pain relief out. I spoke to my BC nurse and the manager of the haven centre I've been to today re taking arnica before and after the op to help with bruising and they said it's worth trying. I'm just trying to figure out how to get them out of the container. I'll post a photo, all suggestions welcome!
Big waves to everyone.

@ranoutofquinoaandprosecco same as mine. Screw off blue top and click them into cap like a sweetener....

Just to be clear. I haven't advertised the business for sale etc. We're just speaking to accountants to gauge prices ....

Thanks purple. I think if the tests don't show anything I will probably be referred on, possibly to gastroenterology, but hoping to get some clarity one way or another on Friday. Good to hear that there is an end to your hospital stay in sight. Hope they sort you out with what's needed for you to be able to go home soon.

KeepCalm, as others have said, it must be so tough to be selling your business under these circumstances after putting your life into it for all those years .

Mrs T I hope the stronger painkillers do the trick this evening and that you feel more comfortable again.

Glad that you are sleeping better Leslie.

Waving also to everyone.

Hi all, ive posted this in general health and in chat. Ive posted on this thread a few times I think.
I'm 33 years old. I went to the doctors about prolonged bleeding which lasted for 6 weeks. They done all the usual tests on me - ultrasound and internal scan which showed I have a 6CM cyst on my right ovary (it used to be only small but has grown. They've done the CA125 blood test which came back normal range but I'm aware that it's possible to have cancer with a normal range result. I've had a MRI scan which I think the results were ok, I say I think because the nurse who explained the results to me wasn't the best at speaking English (I mean no disrespect at all to other cultures or races). I've had 2 more tumour markers blood tests which assume were ok and I had a hysterscopy and biopsy done last week under general anaesthetic. Again, I had great difficulty in understanding the nurse who explained my results of the Hysteroscopy but all I could gather was that they couldn't see anything nasty or shouldn't be there and my womb lining was of normal thickness of 6mm. I'm still waiting on my results of my biopsy and the nerves have really started to kick in now.

What are the chances of it coming back abnormal after everything (I think!) is clear?

MrsT I have a mental image of you as a criminal, planning your exit from jail and wearing a black balaclava, black everything and whispering "you ain't seen me...".

KeepCalm Fucking fucking cancer. I wish I had some brilliant ideas but I expect you've thought of them already.

Purple glad to hear you might be out soon. Are you out of solitary now? How do you change a bag if it's coming out of your back?

My tiny weeny Boots, which was an independent chemist, gave me great advice on ointments & cream and told me to go to the big Boots to get Eucarin ointment, not lotion. They have a Macmillan-trained assistant. Big Tesco and Big Boots had no idea what I was talking about. Tesco assistant was bloody rude.

TQ

Yes I escaped under cover of darkness .

That’s annoying about the pharmacists.

Keep Calm. I don’t know what to say about the business apart from the obvious that it’s truly shit you have to sell because of cancer

Re the drains. I don’t have to empty them thank God. It’s some sort of closed system where the District Nurses just swap the bottles for new ones when they get full.

@Chickenwings85 sorry to hear you're going through all this but am afraid I've no knowledge regards your specific situation. Can your medical team not answer your questions

Morning all. Am hoping you've all had a restful night.

DH made me laugh this morning as I didn't want to get up straight away. He then produced this worried face asking what was wrong. I replied that I was just actually 'resting' like everyone keeps telling me to and he said that made him even more worried as I never rest and I never do what I'm told

@Mrstraveller I hope you know what a massive help you're being with all the information. I hate the 'not knowing' and this has helped massively thank you x

And regards the business we're just getting all the financials for year end and will look at it all in February. No point in getting my knickers in a twist now.....

Keep Calm

You will need to rest after this op! Plus movement is a bit restricted through having to carry round these blimmin drain bags everywhere. I certainly can’t move with any speed as I have to pick the drain bags up first .

Xx

@Mrstraveller am not built for speed don't you worry