Cancer support thread #73 - come in, we're here for you.

[Trumpton]

Welcome to the new support thread for anyone who has cancer, at whatever stage of treatment, is worried about symptoms, or is waiting for tests or results.

This is the place to worry, moan, ask questions, share experiences and good and bad news, and celebrate milestones!

If you've got a loved one with cancer then your best place for support is probably on the Life-Limiting Illness board.

Our previous thread is HERE

Current members, please do introduce yourselves smile

Harvest festival pants. I need some of those. Love it

Ah ! Listen to the sound of falling snow ....
No ! Wait it’s my hair !
It could have waited another week !
Ah well I will give it until tomorrow and then get DD to clipper it for me !

Ohhh the pants mine came down below my knees.

No fancy pants here although I have put weight on during chemo, only half a stone but for comfort I had to buy bigger pants. .

I now have poorly DS1 at home. Hoping to contain germs as much as possible. I have a box of face masks which I bought for some unknown reason last year so we are both masked, hand gelled and keeping our distance while DS2 goes round disinfecting everything DS1 has touched.

@Skap . I hope your germ control works . Smallest gc threw up again yesterday at 3am but DD thinks it was a very late night and too much chocolate cake . She seems fine now .
I have said that if I quarantine myself upstairs I still want them here as all the prep is done and I would miss them so much .
Managed a gentle out last night to a neighbours where I plonked myself in a comfy chair and drank my no alcohol g&t . It was lovely .
Tired day today .

Warm wishes to all going through the various pains and upsets of treatment. Daisy it’s good you are being allowed to take your holiday and I hope you can all relax a bit and adjust to the diagnosis. When is your CT scan? Good luck for it though we can understand why you’re apprehensive.

Well done on your prize win Skap! Sounds lovely.

Sorry to hear the hair is coming out Trumpton and Zorgoth. It’s one of the more difficult things about treatment, or at least it was for me. I don’t think it’s vain to feel that way.

Just to clarify a misleading statement by me on Friday - I’m not standing up for radiotherapy. I’m lying down but I was saying I can only stand/bear 15 minutes on that board. As you were!

@Trumpton and @Zorgothslugofdoom awful for you. There's no consolation to be given, people keep telling me it's grows back quickly - when I've said it's a major worry in the future - not helpful
I'm desperately trying to get all the house jobs done that further treatment will put the kibosh on. Need to lay lino in the bathroom but that might be a bit much, to be done next week hopefully
Sending everyone warm wishes

@Trumpton - sorry about the poorly-timed hair loss, but I thought your wig looked fabulous.

@Skap - tricky having an ill DS1 in the house. I guess if it were any other time of year he could have convalesced elsewhere rather than bringing his bugs home. Hope he's better for Christmas Day.

@Brassica - I was a bit surprised about the standing up thing... it all makes sense now.

Dignity pants update!😂 They did indeed reach my knees but on the plus side colonoscopy was all clear. Very relieved. Today brings me again to hospital as I developed a stitch sinus from my surgery so today 11 months to the day I am back for surgery to sort it out.
Hope the bugs/ viruses are staying away for everyone.
Thanks for everyone’s support, it really helps x

Allnightlong great news that the colonoscopy was clear. Not so good that you need some more surgery but at east it will be sorted out. I hope the surgery is fairly minor and that it wont stop you having a great Christmas.

All my Christmas hard work is done and dusted now. We are visiting my DS and family on Christmas Day so no more dashing about or hours of cooking

Just back from my hospital appt. I have a dermoid cyst on each ovary (one has teeth apparently!!) 11cms and 6cms. No wonder I look like a weeble. Booked in for total hysterectomy and removal of the both ovaries in early Feb. Chances of the cyst being malignant are low, so I'm v relieved.
Thank you all so much for the hand holds and talking me down throughout the waiting period. Patience Inn indeed!!
Much love to you all and hope we all have a smashing festive period xx

Allnightlong and TenaKween* that's (relatively) good news for both of you, I am very glad!
My last batch of mince pies made this morning, and last bits of shopping done (I think).
Is anyone watching White Christmas on C4?

I spoke to my consultant this afternoon, following my post treatment CT and MRI scans.
The primary tumour is much reduced (from 5cm to 1cm) and may reduce further. Importantly, there is no "restricted diffusion". He didn't explain in detail what that means, but said that it indicates no cancerous activity. The lymph nodes look ok.
The back pain I have right now may be unrelated, or it may be caused by the radiotherapy. He advised me to see my GP about that, and we will talk about it at my appointment in February.
I know that this is good news, and he said that the outcome so far exceeds his original expectations. However, I feel odd about it. I feel that I should be dancing with joy, but I'm not. That in turn makes me feel guilty as so many others would love to receive such encouraging news.
It's like there's now a dormant volcano inside me which may erupt again at any time, so I don't know when I'll be able to feel settled.
This cancer business doesn't half fuck with your head, doesn't it?

redspook, yes it does fuck with your head. And if you read back through this thread, and the previous one, you'll see quite a few posts from people who have finished treatment or had good results from scans who are feeling anxious, depressed etc.
Honestly, you don't need to feel guilty about it. No reaction is unreasonable or wrong. You're entitled to your feelings, just do whatever you need to, to get your life as good as it can be. Is it that the people you're close to are unsympathetic to your fears?
You know you can say whatever you want to here and get support and a sympathetic ear, whatever is going on .

@TenaKween - glad you have a diagnosis and a plan, and the news is good! Best of luck for February; should you need it there's a Hysterectomy support thread on MN, which had lots of useful tips and support (have been on it myself in recent weeks!).

I'll definitely check out the hysterectomy thread cointreau, I already have a couple of things that I forgot to ask at my appt today. Thanks.

Hi all....I posted a few weeks ago, on the last thread...sorry to see so many new people being diagnosed and struggling.
I had my surgery on the 12th, wide local excision and sentinel node biopsy and results today confirmed no lymph involvement and I won't need chemotherapy, will have radiotherapy and tamaxofen . I have developed cording pretty quickly...by day 5 it was there despite the exercises and it may be a month before I get to see a physio. Does anyone know of what I can do myself to ease it in the meantime?
I also have a deeply uncomfortable itching sensation, deep in the breast..maybe just healing but feels horrid. I should start radiotherapy around the 26th January, so I want to get on top of the cording issue before that. Does anyone know if it usually completely resolves or is long term ?

Thanks bloodybridget, I think I needed to hear that.
I have a lot to be thankful for, I know.
I'm exhausted today - still at work but finishing at lunchtime. I may collapse face down into the sofa after I've done the cooking prep this afternoon. Particularly as I am going for ONE drink after work. Only one. Them's the rules.
All the good wishes to everyone waiting for results/waiting to start treatment/in the middle of treatment/whatever stage we are all at x.

Ok

Here is the state of the nation,

Hair practically gone.

Love my wig though, so that helps.

Need to wrap some gifts, make some pigs in blankets and chop and sweat an onion and make some stuffing.

And then sit down and do nada...

I received a card today from my 11 year old nephew adressed to all of us with a PS at the bottom, that said Lovely Naomi, I don't care that your hair is falling out and will go, you are still my beautiful aunt.

He signed it with the nickname I had for him when he was a little fella.

Reader I shed my first Christmas tear. and then rejoiced that I have such a lovely family.

@sparkysalmon
Ouch that looks painful . I didn’t get any cording after my excision but the physio who I saw straight away advised quite hard massage to free it up but please ring your help line and ask them . Other advice I have heard is to sit with your arm wrapped over your head and also stretch it along the back of the couch . Hope it gets sorted for you , as I said ring your bc nurse .

Thanks Trumpton...I saw the team yesterday for my results and showed them, and unfortunately they had no advice, other than to say they will refer to 1-1 physio...I did ask the nurse what else I should do, but she just said the physio will tell me.
I'm using ice packs down my bra as it hurts!

Oh that’s poor !
Normally it’s don't ask google but it might be worth it in your case .

sparkysalmon I had cording that looked exactly like that. It hurts! I was able to see a physio within days. She did 20 minutes massage herself, gave me exercises and showed DH how to massage.
It's virtually impossible to massage properly yourself so get someone to do this for you several times a day. At first I was extremely painful, physio said take painkillers before you do it.
Lie down arm raised. The massager uses the flat palm of their hand very firmly on the cording press and rub for a minute or two then move along to the next spot. Repeat.Mine went to my elbow.

Exercises - continue with all the stretches you were given after surgery. Use a stretchy band or scarf. Hold in each hand with elbows at side and pull apart. 10 times.

Stand on one end of band and pull up above your head with bad arm. 10 times. Does this sideways and forwards.
I didn't think the exercises helped the cording that much but the massage definitely did, unfortunately it did take weeks. Though after about 3 weeks I was no longer in quite so much pain.

@NaomiFromMilkShake

I have this week off chemo due to xmas. I had MRI yesterday for unrelated gynae thing that I refuse to worry about. Got oncology radio appointment this afternoon.
I have antibiotics for possible chest infection and I'm deaf in one ear.
Poorly DS is improving but his voice is quiet and pitched at whatever the opposite of bat sound waves is. I cannot hear a word he says which is annoying us both. The boy needs sub-titles.

Housework standards are never that high here but I have lowered them and I'm so glad I have no visitors apart from DC. I've been baking, tidying, changing bed, doing pulled pork for Xmas eve. I'm totally exhausted and still have presents to sort. First have to drive to hospital and find car parking spot which will be impossible.

Slap...thank you so much, that's exactly the type of information I need! I have looked online, hoping for YouTube videos of massage etc, but not really much out there. The band exercises I hadn't thought of, so off to dig those out right now