Cancer Support Thread 83 - Here comes the sun (hopefully)

[Silkierabbit]

Welcome to a supportive thread for anyone with cancer to discuss how things are going, ask for advice etc or discuss life in general.

Please feel free to join if you are going through tests as well, hopefully they will come back all clear but if not we are here to hold your hand through the journey.

Named the thread in honour of the lovely LeslieKnope who did thread 62 in the same title who is sadly no longer with us but inspired me with how she was so lovely and kind with stage 4 cancer in her 20s and also the lovely PurpleUnicorns. Thinking of you both. Hopefully there will be some sun inbetween the difficult days.

May be useful to do introductions at start of thread. I am 49, lobular breast cancer, diagnosed Nov 21, after sent for tests then after being dismissed as nothing by GP in June. 46mm and 17mm tumours with 1 lymph node involved. Had 2 surgeries, currently doing chemotherapy, radio next then hormone tablets. 1 husband and 2 kids 16 doing gcses and 15 with SN and mute. 1 Maine Coone kitten, 3 silkie chickens and 1 indoor rabbit.

God that’s a lot of tablets. I find my premeds and vitamins difficult and that only about 11 pills a day. I hate taking pills.

I’m not Sierra but I’m under a cancer centre, and the thing I like best is the face I know were all in the same boat. Yesterday was the first time I went to the supermarket with my chemo hat on, I hated it. Saw so many people looking at me then looking away when they realised I had seen. I hate the whole “cancer patient” thing. I mainly only want a wig so I can do normal things and not be marked out as that.

Hi everyone. I’ve just found out I have breast cancer. I’m 37 and have a 19 week old baby. I have surgery on 15th which I’m not worried about but I am worried about finding out what stage it is, and the radiotherapy and the tamoxifen 😞

@AGreatUsername hi! I can only imagine. I'm sure you look pretty cool in your hat though - what kind do you have? I saw an image of someone in a good sloppy lightweight kind that looked a bit skate boarder style that I thought might look ok, though probably not at my age! Guess it's finding something that suits you -
I'm not a hat person. I'm usually down to about 15-20
Tablets a day for my kidneys etc but I'm on 24 extra for 4 days for steroids etc

I’m not a hat person at all, I look ridiculous I think 😂. I have a couple of turban types, 2 silk lined with a knot on the front and 2 plain black thin ones with a triangle front line. I also have 3/4 beanies and bobble hats lined up for winter.

Hi @WorryMcGee , welcome to the most supportive thread, sorry you find yourself here. I am also 37 but have stage 3 ovarian cancer. The wait is the worst bit. You can do this! Once you have a plan you will have moments of being okay with it, mixed with moments of floor-opening horror at the future we all face.

I have some buffs and Seasalt handybands as I think they look more sporty. I also have a halo of hair to wear under them in mine goes. I'm not a hat person either!

I take quite a lot of supplements, some quite large, and I can do a couple at once but more than that they can get stuck. It's a pain though before bed because of having to drink lots of water.

@SierraSapphire do the handy bands cover all your head? I guess I had better start looking, my hair is already thinner post transplant because of my drugs so I am expecting the worst.

Do you take vitamins etc? I'm on vitamin d prescribed but I've always been discouraged from taking anything else so will enquire next time I see them.

@bodiddly I'm just wearing it as a headband today but there's a good video here about how to wear it different ways including covering your head - I like the one where you put it on the top of your head inside out then pull the top layer over for complete coverage m.youtube.com/watch?v=sSvRm4CHmvE&t=29s

I do take various supplements etc. because I've seen integrative practitioners, no one in the NHS I've asked has taken any interest in whether or not I'm taking anything. They all target different cancer pathways, e.g. oestrogen, blood sugar, histamines etc. and have been reviewed not to interfere with chemo - in fact some amplify the effects of chemo and reduce side effects. I've had to do a lot of research myself and pay privately though and I've read a lot of medical journal papers!

Thanks so much for the replies, so much info to take on board. The hospital rang not long ago and my MRI is on Monday at 9am, wich means I can't take my 7 year old to school wich is a shame but, never mind, he'll have nanny taking him so he's happy

@SierraSapphire sounds impressive. I need to do the same once I've been given a formal diagnosis as a result of the PET scan

@Chocolateismyfavourite hi, have you had MRIs before? You are probably an old hand. If you haven't the biggest tip I was given by someone was to close your eyes before you go into the machine and keep them closed until you come back out - helps avoid any feeling of claustrophobia massively!

Can I just perch myself here for a bit please? I became ill suddenly at the beginning of August with waves of severe abdominal pain. At that point my bowel function was normal. After four days I went to A&E where I had x-rays and an ECG and was told that they could find no obvious cause for the pain. They gave me codeine and said I should go back to my GP and ask for an ultrasound. I did this and had the ultrasound yesterday, privately because of the wait on the NHS. In the meantime I had had a couple of episodes of passing nothing but bloodstained mucus every few minutes for about five hours at a time. Over the last 10 days things have got better and I now feel basically alright, although my bowel function is not entirely back to normal. I have done a fit test which was clear.

Having waited nearly four weeks , it turns out that ultrasound is not good for gut issues. My liver, kidneys, gallbladder, stomach and spleen are fine but the sonographer said she could see something in my bowel . She said that she could not tell what it was and that her report will say that bowel cancer cannot be ruled out.

So, now I am worried. I have to wait ten days or so for the report to reach the GP and to find out where we go from here.

Breast MRIs are like a spa day - on your stomach and boobs dropped below the table!

@bodiddly you may want to give needle felting a try for a small portable hobby. I hate knitting but found I needed something to do after diagnosis to take my mind off it all. The stabbing motion of the wool and making some cute animals really helped. There are small kits you can get for about 15 quid to try it out - i liked hawthorne handmade kits.

@HerbalRefreshment thank you, I will look those up. I'd be fine with the knitting if I had someone I could ask for help but no one near me knits. Definitely need something stimulating as I find with colouring etc I get bored pretty quickly.

@DeedIDo sorry to hear you are going through that horrible wait as well. I just try and take each day as it comes and keep myself as busy as I feel well enough to cope with. You've got a fair few days to get through and probably further tests
ahead of you. Do you have anything to keep you occupied as much as possible?

@bodiddly no I've only had one before. Thanks for the tip.

@HerbalRefreshment 😂 that sounds interesting, my boobs won't be resting in anything unless it's close up. They're small lol

Hi everyone I feel a bit of a fraud posting in here, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the end of 2020 and as my consultant tells me its the best cancer to get!
So Ive just had my first illness since my diagnosis and treatment which is iron deficiency anaemia and the symptoms have been very similar to how I felt after my diagnosis and surgery.
It has bought all the memories back and I'm struggling a bit 😢

@user19208833 so sorry to hear you are struggling. You are perfectly entitled to feel, however, you feel - it's something that is with us forever I believe and doesn't end just because you have a reprieve. I know I've never processed anything that's happened to me properly over the last 5 years and I get bouts of down patches when I least expect it. The rest of the time I try to deal with every day as it comes and tackle the next hurdle.

Ready for a crazy Sunday morning question?

Has anyone had a green scalp during chemo?! My husband pointed out my head looked a little green last week, I ignored him because that’s stupid. But now, my pillow definitely has a very sickly green tinge to it. Not like the usual yellow sweat. Defo green.

What on Earth is this fresh hell?

@AGreatUsername sorry no experience of this yet but sounds grim! Is it sore or weeping?

@AGreatUsername could it be breakdown products of drugs being excreted through sweat??

I don’t know! It’s bizarre! I am getting some head sweats due to the surgically induced menopause so quite possibly it could be that? Like I need anything else to make me more conscious of myself, I’ve now got Hulk Head 😂

@AGreatUsername if it’s glow in the dark you’ll save on your electric bills as well as your heating bills this winter.

That’s very true! Unexpected silver linings hey. Hope the kids like reading by the light of my radioactive head.

😂.

Oh joy @AGreatUsername another thing to look forward to. Glowing green head!
@user19208833 welcome. Since my first cancer I really don’t trust my body and as it turns out I was right not to. After my right boob tried to kill me and failed now my left one is having a go. I shall never relax again! I am taking life a day at a time now