Cancer Support Thread #71 - here to help if you’re dealing with cancer in any shape or form, come in and say hello.

[Brassica]

Hi again everyone and welcome to the 71st new thread for cancer support.

All those who are currently being treated, have been treated in the past, have worries and concerns and/or are having tests are very welcome to pull up a chair and chat, vent, rant, pour hearts out, share milestones and anything else! We are a very friendly and all-too experienced bunch on here and there are no questions too small or silly to ask.

Our previous thread is here .

Anyone with any type of cancer (female or male) 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 your best place for support is probably on the Life-Limiting Illness board.

Please can I invite current members to reintroduce yourselves below for latest situations and stories so far.

meercat hope you're ok. Sometimes it's good to let it out. You've been through such a lot and I know that I feel like I have to hold it together just so I can keep putting one foot in front of the other.. but every now and then i have to have a little sob....its ok.
skap and ellen uncertainty is tough but I guess something that we all live with now. I hope you get your plans soon and a degree of certainty to hold on to.
snows sorry for my appalling lack of memory....what's happening this week? Strange to think you're in Sydney....not strange at all for you obvs!

Thanks everyone, corrugated cardboard is a perfect description meercat, I feel like ripping the bloody thing off today, I won't though, Queen and gin sounds like the perfect way to let it all out.

WTF, yep I need a plan, our house is run on routine for ds2 benefit and I'll be much happier when I know what I need to do,

Best of luck with the surgery snows.

Skap hope your mri goes well fingers crossed for you

Good wishes to all who are waiting for information or a plan.
It sounds like you are prepared for the surgery snows - I hope that it will feel like step forward for you.
I'm sure that letting the emotions out has been a god thing meercat. From what I have learned since having to deal with this I understand that coming to the end of a course of treatment can often make you feel that way.
I've had a rubbish weekend with the chemo side effects. I'm having chemo every Wednesday and radio every weekday. Both times so far I've felt ok (probably due to steroids) on Thursday but then felt hellish from Friday afternoon for 24 hours - bad nausea, headache and back pain. Unable to get out of bed. I've felt a bit better today but still pretty shit. What's getting me down at the moment is that I don't really have time to recover before the next dose on Wednesday. And I still have the radio side effects to cope with - they haven't kicked in yet. I'll tell the chemo nurses on Wednesday, perhaps they might be able to tweak the medication.

Bloodybridget I'm so glad your neutrophils are behaving themselves now

I hope all of you having chemo/rads/dealing with dressings are finding some relief now the heat has eased up.

I'm freaking out a bit here, as I've found a lump on the back of my neck. For those of you who don't know, I have marginal zone lymphoma, and had chemo last year to push it back. It was stage four then, but they got rid of all the lumps.

I felt the lump on the back of my neck this afternoon, and won't have a chance to talk to DH about it until DS goes to bed at about 9:30.

This is supposed to be my recovery year. Just a light bit of immunitherapy. I'm spiralling a bit, thinking I may have to have chemo again, or worse.

redspook. That sounds rough especially as you are having rads at the same time. I hope they can tweak it for you or add something to help

miles So sorry to hear that. I hope they can get it checked out very quickly for you so that you know what you are dealing with.

Oh Miles, I do hope it's not the start of something more that needs treatment. How soon can you get it checked out?

And big sympathy to redspook too, that does sound very grim. I've felt nauseous a lot of the time since chemo on Friday, but nothing as bad as that. Definitely worth seeing if your oncologist can prescribe other meds to make things a bit easier.

WTF surgery is double mastectomy. Mastectomy non negotiable with inflammatory BC, double at my insistence as I think I would drive myself crazy with anxiety if there was one left!

Redspook serious sympathy, I thought fortnightly Chemo was bad, there is not much chance for good days with weekly.

Miles how awful to think that you might be back on the roller coaster just when you thought you were done.

Morning everyone.
Sorry I didn’t update earlier but had a hectic weekend including the christening of our 10th grandchild yesterday. It was a lovely day and I admit to shedding a few tears in church during the hymns and I said a prayer for all of us. (I hope that was ok )
The colonoscopy went well. My consultant was true to his word regarding sedation and pain relief and he even managed to use a full size scope I stood the planned paediatric one.
He had a good look at all my bowel including his sewing skills and was very pleased with what he was able to view.
Nothing was seen apart from diverticular disease which we already knew about.
I was very relieved but understood things can change in an instant.
Love to you all x x

Miles shit, sorry that you’re having a scare. I take it the lump feels like something you have had previously? Have you been able to get hold of anyone today to get an appointment? It goes without saying I hope it turns out to be nothing.

Born super news, and does that mean now everyone has a clear picture of what needs doing and are treatment plans clear?

Redspook hope you are feeling much better today. Have they told you to expect more bad days as you go along? Obviously you need recovery time to be able to sustain a weekly protocol so let’s hope you’ve had a blip this week and/or they can help manage the side effects.

I have a CEA blood test on Thursday to look for cancer markers and I’ve told them I will phone on Friday for the results. No doubt I’ll be a nervous wreck - I’m dreadful getting results but quite calm during more invasive procedures! X

Born, so far so good! Fingers crossed for Friday. I'm very happy to be prayed for, even though I have no religious beliefs myself.

I'm having a horribly nauseous day, feeling sorry for myself. Hope tomorrow will be better. I am so not stoical.

Wishing everyone here respite from pain, fatigue, sickness, anxiety and general cancer buggerification!

Bridget I sincerely hope the nausea passes swiftly. I can cope with most things except nausea.
X

Born. Fingers firmly crossed for results

Bridget. Hope the nausea passes really quickly. I would rather actually be sick. At least that is over quickly but nausea can keep you feeling awful for ages

bridget nausea is so horrible....I've had it a lot on FEC....hope it passed quickly for you

Thank you so much for kind messages.

I hope you’re feeling a little better this morning Bridget 💐

Thanks for your messages everyone.

I spoke to the cancer nurse yesterday, & she's bringing me in in Friday for a chat & a look at the lump, and she thinks they'll probably book me in for a scan.

It feels a bit different to lumps I had before, but similar enough that I am quite frightened.

Born I hope you're coping with your results wait ok.

BloodyBridget sorry to her about your nausea: I found that the single hardest thing to cope with.

Hope everyone's feeling ok today

MilesJupp - managed to wrestle DS's iPad off him to post this

DS (17) had an enlarged lymph node which was scanned and luckily nothing sinister . He then found a lump on the back of his neck. His consultant said that it was very unlikely to be anything as there's "nothing important back there"
Another scan showed it was a fatty deposit.

Hopefully you can get some answers very soon.

Hugs to anyone who needs them today.

Hope the nausea has passed Bridget xx

I'm having a down day. It's my good week this week and I usually put plans in place to do stuff but i kind of forgot to do that so have nothing at all planned for today. I live on my own and chances are I'll see nobody at all today. I feel utterly alone and have had a little cry.
It'll be better tomorrow...

Oh WTF sorry to hear that you are feeling so down. It is all a lot to cope with and mostly we all just plod on through it but just now and again it side swipes you. I am sure it will be better tomorrow, meanwhile for you

Oh WTF. I'm very new to this cancer thing and don't want to say the wrong thing / platitudes but this may be an internet website but all the people on this thread are real people wishing each other well.

Ah WTF, really sorry you are feeling miserable. As Skap said, we are all real people here who care about each other even though we have never met. You are so kind and supportive to everyone else here, I think of you very warmly. Sending a virtual hug, hope tomorrow is a better day.

Miles, glad you can get the blasted lump looked at soon.

I'm not feeling too good still, have slept a lot today. Hopefully this is the low point and I'll start to perk up tomorrow . . The weather is in sympathy too! I do very much appreciate the friendliness and support here, thank you all.

I've got a bit more info today. It seems that due to my other health issues they now favour surgery first then chemo / radio. A final decision will be made at MDT next week when they should have scan results of MRI/CT.
I had not thought about the surgery as I wasn't expecting it to happen until the end of the year. Now it will be next month.
I haven't slept for a week and need to give myself a talking to as it's not helpful. No problem was ever solved by 3am worrying.

Bloodybridget the weather feels oppressive doesn't it. I hope tomorrow is a better day for you.