Cancer Support Thread 92 - Christmas Happy Hour at the Patience Inn 7pm tonight 🎄

[LemonDrizzle10]

Old thread nearly full!

@ShalommJackie You won't be bothering your Gp you will be going to see them with a very real concern and a understandable fear.
You have dealt with so much, for your peace of mind you need to go xx

@ShalommJackie I just thought would it be worth going straight to your oncology team? X

Definitely"bother" someone @ShalommJackie. When I had breast cancer last year (not the cancer I currently have) I went to the doctor with a lump which turned out to be a cyst but when I went to the breast clinic they found a cancerous lump directly underneath the cyst. The point I'm making is it's pretty impossible for an unqualified person to know what it might be and you should definitely get a referral to be sure.

I'm so sorry to hear about your cancer, and your family history @ShalommJackie . I'm another one jumping on to say get it checked, not just for your benefit but for anxious lurkers. I convinced myself my breast tumour couldn't possibly be anything sinister because extensive googling told me that it wasn't typical of a tumour for various reasons (painful, smooth, not completely hard). But it's always better to get it checked, and I still can't believe I was stupid enough to put it off for months because of some random stuff I read on the internet. Sending strength - I know it's not easy.

@dotty2 don't blame yourself! I was a GP and well used to checking breasts and referring lumps. I convinced myself my lump was harmless too. DH made me get it checked out and they confirmed it was breast cancer. But nine out of ten referrals are for benign conditions. So lurkers needn’t panic, just get on with it!

Hello, I was wondering if I could join this thread - diagnosed last autumn with stage 1 grade 3 breast cancer - hormone negative, strongly her2 positive. Am coming to the end of chemo (docetaxel) which has brought lots of side effects and am having a mastectomy next month. I've been warned the staging may change depending on what is found at surgery. Any tips on what to expect from surgery/recovery would be gratefully received - thank you! And sympathies to everyone who finds themselves here.

@demivolte huge welcome and sorry you're here . I've also just finished chemo and waiting for mastectomy. But have been complicated as seem to have another immune disorder which lit up the pet scan like a Christmas tree..
@ShalommJackie get it checked, whoever will be quicker to action. GP can do a 2 week wait, oncologist may be faster? Then hopefully please one less worry.... As sounds like you're dealing with more than enough

@nappybrained thank you, and sorry to hear about the further findings on the pet scan - not what you need.

Hi @demivolte and welcome. I had a triple positive grade 3 stage 2 BC (T2 N1 M0) back in 2020 and had treatment with FEC and docetaxel and Herceptin/ pertuzamab before surgery. I had a wide local excision and axillary lymph node clearance which showed a complete pathological response to chemotherapy. This downgraded my staging to T0 N0 M0 post chemo.
I carried on with Herceptin for a complete year and now am just on a hormone blocker which you probably won’t need if you are Estrogen negative. I’m three years out and all clear on that side. The breast surgery was very straightforward and healed quickly, the axillary clearance not so much! Radiotherapy was a breeze and I recovered quickly.
What do you want to know about? Somebody here will know.

Hi getting my ct scan for my tumour in my Medistinum tomorrow. Scan is to see if it’s grown any bigger than my last scan in holloween. They are just monitoring it just now, but any change it will need to come out. paranoid as Iv had some coughing and breathlessness, but just finished chemo for colon cancer so could be that. Tumor unrelated to colon cancer. Totally shiting a brick for this scan!! Not to much the scan it’s waiting for a phone call to come in and discuss. What if they phone the next day? Or tell me to bring in a partner? God im not a strong person, I’m not dealing with this at all. Just getting over my colon cancer from august, which Iv just finished treatment. They found this tumour from a routine scan on the day I was being discharged from hospital.

Took them 3 bloody weeks to report back on my scan!
(Lung cancer across the mediastinal area) so hope yours is faster and more positive

HELP!

Zomorph 20mg twice a day

Can I boost the oramorph - am taking 2.5ml x 4 times a day
Thinking of making it 5ml - I remember the pharmacist saying it was still a small dose (of the 10ml / 5mg)

But this pain is awful, every movement/breath
I forgot my 3pm paracetamol and I’m paying for it now!

Sorry @Tilllly no idea but can you send me some - my joints are killing me- guess a novilumab side effect 😕

Tried gin?!

Yes @Tilllly that’s a tiny dose. You can slowly increase it until it works for you. Eg 10ml four times a day. Obviously the more you take the more side effects you will get. These include nausea, constipation, drowsiness and maybe confusion. If you need help ring 111. Sending peace xx

Thanks @TopOfTheCliff

Will go to 3.75 and see how it is

I've apparently got a high pain threshold but this has floored me

It's odd, I can wait on either morphine, tablet / liquid
But I know about it when I miss paracetamol

Ooooh there's a thought now!!

Tilllly · Today 21:23
Thats a long time to wait! Hope you’re ok.
They thought I’d problems with thyroid and had my thyroid uptake in holloween. Never got my results back for 7 weeks. The consultant says I have a tumor in my right anterior Medistinum.
options were take it out or monitor it, which I chose monitor at the moment. They says it’s been there a long time. The options were paraganglioma, thymoma or lymphoma? Lungs were clear. So scan tomorrow and if no growth, the next scan will be 6 months.
i have convinced myself it’s grown .

Well I'm convinced it hasn't!

Tilllly · Today 22:58
💕

I womaned up and told my oncologist. I have an ultrasound on Friday. Thanks for the pep talk!

Good

Fingers crossed 🤞 it's nothing tho
Let us know how you get on

I have myvappointment with oncology today. This is the first time I’m going on my own I hope it’s not a bad sign. My friend comes to all these appointments but she’s just text to say she can’t today. Fingers crossed I’m not going back on the chemo. We will see. Has anyone been to the big appointments on their own?

I have, @EachandEveryone
You'll be fine 💪🏻

I'm going on my own for the first time today, too, @EachandEveryone ! I'm quite nervous!