Cancer support thread #74 - come in, we're here for you.

[Hippiechick162]

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 iswww.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/3760336-Cancer-support-thread-73-come-in-were-here-for-you

Current members, please do introduce yourselves smile

Well , life continues to be interesting .
Phone call from surgeon this morning .
Mastectomy to still go ahead . Reconstruction will be on hold . There is a risk of a long anaesthetic and longer recovery on my depleted body and age and due to Coronavirus they are happier to wait And get me out of hospital after one night.
I can only agree .
So they have found me a room in relatives quarters for Wednesday night ( so only one night on ward ) and DH flies over Thursday morn as planned . We stay in hotel in Liverpool Thursday night and fly back together on Friday morning drains and all !

Hey ho. Just finished repacking and rearranging lovely friends who were having me to stay the second week .

Trumpton. Less time in hospital is definitely a good thing right now and great that you will be back home much sooner. Thinking if you and hoping everything goes smoothly

My biopsy's been deferred as blood sugar too high. Dammit. Onto new drugs and low carb.

@ Babysharkdoodoodood
So frustrating !
Wishing you all well !

@Trumpton so sorry! This is all a bloody nightmare, blows the visitation out of the water! I hope you heal well. Take care lovely xx

Aaaand the new drugs are out of stock. Sigh

Good luck everyone else

Aaaand .... I am at airport and they can’t find my booking !
Meanwhile .....MIL personal care alarm is going off at the call centre and she is not answering her phone !
We have sent son in law to investigate MIL and the flight people assure me they will get me away .
DH is looking harassed !

So good news here today. Results back from pathology showing no spread from original tumour. Which means they got it all out in the operation and hopefully that's that done!

That’s brilliant @BrowniesAreSuper, I’m so pleased for you.

@Trumpton I hope they’ve got you on a plane now and there are no more surprises, you’ve had quite a day!

Really, really hope you have managed to travel smoothly in the end @Trumpton. But have you double checked they will let you fly with drains attached?

@peaceanddove
Yes that’s ok with a letter from the hospital . We tend to use planes like buses !
But the Isle of Man has now said that anyone arriving on island after midnight on Thursday has to self quarantine for 14 days .
So that’s me .
DH now not coming to get me as he has to look after MIL (96) and can’t do that if he is quarantined.
So I have another lovely friend who is going to scoop me up from hospital and stay overnight with me at Liverpool hotel and see me onto flight in morning .
I could write a book about today !

@trumpton sounds like quite the day. Hope everything goes smoothly from now.

Does anyone know officially if those having chemo are on the list of people that are about to be told to stay inside for 12 weeks??
Is your immune system compromised just while you are actively having chemo or does it last for some time after?

I was told that my immune system would start to recover after 4 weeks but who knows ?
I have been fairly hung-ho about not going out during chemo and got away with it apart from at the very beginning when I was quite poorly after a theatre visit .

I would never usually advocate anything herbal but I have heard very encouraging things about echanechia (so?) to help boost your immune system. Also drinking organic Kambucha x

Gosh @Trumpton you have had a rollercoaster! I do hope everything goes smoothly from now on.

@BrowniesAreSuper very glad to hear your news!

Hello lovely ladies.

I don't have cancer but my wonderful dh (39) does, stage 4 terminal bowel cancer with 12 months life expectancy. I do lurk and read the thread to look for any information or help with symptoms etc. Anyway we have been sent this by a friend and thought it might be useful for you all, it's a more comprehensive list of the isolation process for CV-19.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-social-distancing-and-for-vulnerable-people/guidance-on-social-distancing-for-everyone-in-the-uk-and-protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults

Hope you are all doing as well as can be.

@lubie sorry to hear about your DH xx

Tomorrow is my pre chemo treatment appointment . Thursday I actually start. I've face masks, wipes and gloves thanks to my wonderful family and friends who sent them over. Tonight I'm having the hair cut off and will be donated. I am so scared with everything going on, but I'm telling myself no matter what happens, if it's my time, it's my time. So that's kinda keeping me going.

How's everyone doing?

@Nonotmenori I start on Friday. Just back from meeting a wig specialist and had 6 inches cut off my hair. Its all I could take 😞. I'm planning on cold capping but in the light of coronavirus this may be deemed a non essential service here. Not that there is a good time for this to happen but it couldnt happen at a worse time. This is all very surreal. Just typing this feels like its not really me. I wish I could feel more positive about things. My DD is spending a lot of time with DP and she now doesnt seem to want me.

@citybumpkin how did the wig appointment go? I've mine 2 hours before chemo starts.
6 inches is still a lot. I'll try and take photos this evening. I've never had short in my life so this is going to feel strange, but a lot of people have said you'll be amazed at how lovely having short hair is, so I'm trying to be positive.

Sorry about your little girl. Mines acting up today and being really badly behaved. If she doesn't stop she's going into the garage 😂

@Nonotmenori Wig appointment was okay. Chose two that were shoulder length and lighter than my current hair colour. I figured I will end up paler than pale during chemo so had better choose a less drastic colour. I wasn't planning on getting a haircut today but just decided its now or never. It will be hard to see my hair fall out but felt that watching very long hair disappear would be horrific. It sounds shallow but I've always had long hair and it defines me.

Psychologist phoned me and she has decided that I need more than phone help. I can't get away from thinking I'm going to die. My DP keeps saying I need to live in the present but its very difficult for me. My mind is racing months/years ahead and I'm not here for DD and him. I want to live. I've had such a shit few years, I want to live a happy life.

On ward .
Surgeon put expander in and will have me back ASAP
Lovely nurse gave me tangfastic . Ooh nice !

@citybumpkin maybe see your doc about some support with the negative emotions and thoughts. I personally hate it when people tell me to think positive but slipping the other way into depression would be awful.

@trumpton so glad you're back on the ward. Take care and keep us posted. I'm hoping to get my results this week...despite treatment and being told I'll need chemo and radio I know nothing about my cancer and what I'm I'm fighting.

Trumpton been watching to see you back on the ward. I hope they are keeping you comfortable.

Citybumpkin I hope that your psychologist will be able to put in some proper support for you. I am sure your DH means it for the best but really really hard to think positive or live in the present when you are going through it all.

My oncologist has just contacted me. The stats from China regarding chemo patients with coronavirus aren't good. She has given me the option of having a lumpectomy then RT then chemo. I'm stage 1 triple negative. This means chemo really is the only means of stemming/removing all the cancerous cells. The issue with chemo after surgery is that they will have no idea of pathological response on my cancer.

I've really restricted my outings to those that are essential and from now will be walking to hospital appointments wearing a mask. My partner will be staying in the house with DD.

She has said the decision is mine. Previously TNBC was treated with chemo adjuvantly. Its only in recent years that the medical profession have opted for the chemo, surgery then RT route.

I don't know what to do

@Nonotmenori I am thinking of you. Try and see the chemo as you being very thoroughly cleansed from a nasty illness and that you're coming out the other side fully reconditioned and raring to go.

From a very selfish POV I am quite upset that the therapeutic reduction mammoplasty on my healthy boob will probably get put back to the end of the queue as it's not 'necessary' surgery just cosmetic. But my boobs look frankly bizarre with one smaller and perky and the other much bigger and definitely saggy. It's making me feel very self conscious But I know I'm being selfish.