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.

Oh that's brilliant news Tahiti! I bet you can't wait. Fingers crossed you tolerate the chemo and don't have to stay in for another 2 weeks

Glad you're feeling slightly better Leslie. Doing a jigsaw blindfolded would keep me busy for a while

I've had a letter telling me I need to go for a flexible cystoscopy to check my bladder out on Friday, it doesn't sound fun

And it's next Tuesday I find out about the trial, I'm getting ahead of myself. At least it's another week for my kidneys to get a bit better

Good news @Tahitiitsamagicalplace
Bloody hell @WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo your still keeping up with the thread blinking well.
The doing a jigsaw blindfolded idea has got to be done!
Waves to everyone else!

I’ve been feeling sorry for myself today as just a bit rough and going outside in this pretty white stuff makes my cough so much worse...so looking for a saturday night activity and definitely tempted by a blindfolded jigsaw

Love to everyone

I also posted a couple of years ago and Leslie I really appreciate the support you gave and everyone else on this thread too, I was in australia at the time with my own BC diagnosis and treatment but am in the UK now to be with my sis who has BC but now in the brain and really not very well so I am glad to be here. When you see so many people suffering this awful disease it is so sad , hopefully on day soon more can be done but its so amazing all the helping and support within this community , lots of love from me xxx

Namechange this weather is awful for breathing

purple I had one a few years back as I have urine retention after my surgery. Mine was under GA and over very quickly. The first wee afterwards stings a bit, but no worse than a UTI.

Looking forward to the lacies blindfolded jigsaw tournament

Cross-posted aussie I remember your posts. I'm so sorry your sister is not doing well. I hope that she has all the medical support that she needs

Hope you get on the trial Purple and I hope you've told some people in RL so you've got support though can understand its hard with your son, he's got GCSEs this year if my memory serves me right but I am a sievebrain atm

Hi Leslie - not been on here for a long while but as others have said you have been an immense support during the dark times.
I'm lucky to have met you in 'real life' several times which makes the impending goodbye so difficult to accept. Feels so wrong to even say it.
I am currently reading 'with the end in mind' by Kathryn Mannix. It really is giving me some comfort to read the usual sequence of changes that happen in those of us with cancer when our bodies can't go on.
I'm sure you're receiving lots of messages but I am thinking of you very often ❤️

Leslie - I'm a very long time lurker on these threads. I first started reading them when one of my first MN 'friends' (MaryAnnSingleton) sadly ended up posting here. Sadly, she died, almost 2 years ago now. But for some reason, I still feel the need to check out these threads.

More recently I was sad to know that wombat had arrived here, although I'm glad to see that she'd doing well.

But I feel a bit guilty about just being in the background, almost like I'm a voyeur. I've followed your posts, and would just like to say how sorry I am that you are coming to the end of your life. You have obviously given a huge amount to other people on MN who are cancer sufferers.

I was quite shocked when I realised how young you are, and I'm so sorry for your parents. My DS1 is about your age, and I just can't imagine how I would feel if it was him who was going through this.

You write so well, and with much compassion for others. You are a total inspiration, and I wish you well, and hope that the time you have left is as manageable and pain-free as it possibly can be.

with love
xxx

Thank you rocket. I had heard of it, but not read it. But I've just Googled it and found this excerpt, which includes the stuff you mention about changes to the body (around page 18) if anyone is interested. I found it very reassuring. Thank you very much I am certainly starting to sleep more.

keepcalm sorry your DH didn’t get the promotion. You’re overdue some good luck, so perhaps something nice will happen soon!

Hello BIWI :) I was friends with MAS too. It's hard to believe it's been so long. (For newer posters, she actually started these threads, when she posted to see if anyone else was taking Tamoxifen for breast cancer. Others replied and then gradually it evolved into the thread it is now. For quite a while it was called the Tamoxifen/Tamoxigang thread, but that was putting off posters who had other types of cancer. MAS stopped posting on here quite a few years ago now for various reasons, but would occasionally pop up, especially when we had problems with a troll!)

Sorry, I got a bit distracted there, but it's lovely to "meet" you officially BIWI. I recognise your name from other threads. Thank you for your kind words.

Oh @BIWI am so sorry to hear about maryannsingleton. I 'knew' on here when I had a different name when I first came to MN >11yrs ago but I haven't been posting for so long and only returned to MN to get some support through this cancer shit. Nice to 'see' you again.

Am full of the bloody cold (again) and have coughed so hard I've hurt my chest. Right in the middle as if I've 'pulled' something

I'm at that stage in life when I sneeze I now have to concentrate on catching my sneeze, not wetting myself AND holding my sore boobless chest

Good night all. I hope you have a more settled night Leslie

Another lurker here Lesley. Have followed this thread and especially your wise compassionate and thoughtful posts since my own brother got a bowel cancer diagnoses. Sadly he died 2 weeks ago and I am supporting my mother as best I can. A previous poster is so right, that people all over the country are thinking of you and all the support you've given to others. Your thoughtful posts and responses to others helped me so much in learning to be supportive but not overwhelming. Thank you so much.

Thanks Penguin, it's good to hear from you! My sons finished his GCSES and is doing an apprenticeship, he's such a good kid I'm dreading telling him if I don't manage to get on this trial. I hope you're well

Hope you feel better soon Keepcalm although a vision of you catching a sneeze, trying not to wet yourself and grabbing a non existing boob made me chuckle

Sorry to hear about your brother Shining

Good morning everyone.

I hope everyone has a good day (according to whatever good means for them right now)

It’s the CRUK Winter 10k run today, so I’m up early and having the perennial ‘but what do I wear?’ debate. App says it’s -1C in central London and feeling colder than that, so either I freeze whilst waiting for the start or I’ll be too hot when moving

Good luck for your run today ivampire

So sorry about your brother shining 

@iVampire very best of luck today!

@purpleunicorns glad it gave you a giggle I'm taking it as a personal victory that I didn't pish myself

Morning all else. DH back to work today and my dogs are assholes. Other than that my cousin is coming to visit so I'm going to make soup.

Photo of 5.30am wanker dogs after they'd run themselves knackered. Did I mention they're wankers.

iVampire good luck! I’m full of admiration (though I also think you’re slightly nuts)

KeepCalm I have exactly that. Right between my ribs is so so painful when I cough. My muscles have definitely had enough.

And your dogs are very very cute wankers! My cat’s been out for 24 hours now which I’m moderately stressed about given the snow, but most likely she is making herself at home somewhere else on the road and is being fed tuna by a lovely old lady

iVampire - hope the run goes well. It’s a beautiful morning in London (I have a very good view from my hospital room).

keepcalm - oh my goodness -sneezing! I sneezed once last night and it was agony!

I’m so frustrated - although in theory I can move now, I still have the pumping things on my calves so I’m stuck unless someone unplugs me. I’m hopelessly constipated (sorry!), but at least I can wriggle onto my left side which helps with the wind. To add insult to injury, I had a general yesterday so the plastic surgeon could check my grafts but she also moved my catheter into a really odd position - it sort of folded back on itself so at 2am I had this awful burning sensation as it wasn’t clearing - the nurse has re-angled but now I’ve lost a bit of confidence.

On the plus side, a lovely health care assistance washed my hair yesterday - first time in a week. Felt much more human!

keepcalm love the dogs! I’m jealous- have always wanted one, but never got round to it. Had one in childhood and she was just the greatest comfort. Looks like yours are, too, no matter what you might say about them

baba everyone says you have a moment of sudden clarity and insight when you have a life changing diagnosis. Mine wasn’t “oh god I’m never going to get married or have a family” or anything proufound to do with working less, living in the moment etc. I just though “oh shit I never had my OWN dog”. Loved my childhood dogs so much but never one of my own. So now I have this monster. He’s the best thing I’ve ever done. Other than at 3 am when he jumps on my head.

My legs, armpits, etc. have been feeling swollen for the last few days, though they look normal. Now I’ve just found a lump in my groin. It’s where I had lymph nodes removed as a precaution during cervical cancer surgery some years ago. If it’s back and has spread into lymph nodes this time, I know from the stats that I am not long for this world... It’s definitely not an infection as my stool was tested for infections and came back clear. Goodbye, cruel world! Am so terrified, I can’t go downstairs and face DP. I just hope it’s all relatively quick, don’t want it to drag on for years.

baba that must be so worrying. Do you have an appt to see anyone about the swelling? I'll be crossing my fingers that it's nothing as serious as you're imagining.

Good afternoon everyone. I'm sending you all the usual positive vibes. Great news tahiti and fingers crossed for you purple. You are long overdue some good news

waving to BIWI