Cancer Support Thread 93 - The Thread for the Dread and the Not Yet Dead? Everything you need to know about Cancer but didn’t want to know

[LemonDrizzle10]

Shiny new thread.

@JlL2013 It's for staging from what I assume, I doubt I'll have the planning one till I've given consent to the oncologist as not seen them yet.

I'm pretty sure I did the planning scan before I saw the oncologist but it's all a bit of a blur to be honest,

@JlL2013 Don't you have to give consent before they can do the planning tattoo? I'll double check when the nurse calls me tomorrow.

@catmomof3 a PET scan puts a radioactive glucose into your blood stream. It takes that long to circulate and for any active areas to suck up enough contrast to show. They usually allow no one with you as it is radiation, you will be asked to sit in the back opposite seat on your way home with your mum and to keep away for pregnant women or small children for several hours.

I've had a few PETs and they take a while but I don't find them any worse than a CT, I just close my eyes and daydream. Good luck.

@catmomof3 possibly but I remember it taking me by surprise, everything happened so fast the order of it all is a bit blurry

@AGreatUsername I can be around my cats though? And my mum will leave as soon as they have injected me and remove the cannula. I saw you have to lay quietly in a room for a while before they do the scan, so I'm guessing no tiktok scrolling for me lol. Might aswell try and take a nap.

I can't recall the rules, but you'll probably need to maintain a distance for a few hours. Social distance type, 6ft.

You can definitely scroll while you wait! Take a drink with you and you just get a nice peaceful hour by yourself in a room to scroll on your phone or listen to an audiobook or whatever.

Ps yes I would assume it is for staging not planning just yet, they need to have a complete picture of any active areas before finalising a treatment plan possibly. The results are usually quite quick with the PETs too, they have radiographers sitting in rooms reading them as they come through so hopefully only a few days for you to wait.

@AGreatUsername Oh that's good to know because I did read you cannot do anything in that hour to relax your brain and I just thought my brain isn't normal though lol. Hopefully I'll see my oncologist soon after to go over the treatment plan once the scan is done.

Looks like the 6 week pre chemo is part of my treatment, spoke again with my nurse, she's requested my kidney test which will take place a week or 10 days after my pet scan and hopefully in between I'll meet my oncologist who will go over it all with me. Feeling rather positive today so hopefully I can remain like that. I don't know my staging and tbh I didn't ask but the nurse said my tumour is between 4-6cm and she laughed when I said I thought it was the size of a basketball lol.

Been feeling swollen and lumpy and sore under my arm and painful shoulder. My breast surgery was in August and I had 9 lymph nodes taken out. 1 was cancerous. My McMillan nurse isn't very helpful to me so I thought I'd ask on here if anyone has an idea of what is happening.

@1Strawberrycat could it possibly be lymphoedema ? This can sometimes occur in the affected arm? I've never experienced it, but it's a possibility?

I had my 'sort out' operation last May after a lumpectomy the previous September. The wound opened and wouldn't heal after radiotherapy. The area still feels lumpy and tender and I too have been wondering at what point I should raise it as a potential issue. Doesn't stop me doing anything but I'm conscious it's there. I shall be watching the answers to your question @1Strawberrycat !

@1Strawberrycat I had the same after axillary clearance. As the nerves started to recover it was very uncomfortable, a bit like nettle rash. I also get swelling which I think is local lymphoedema possibly due to radiation damage as my whole breast gets sore sometimes. Massage and a hot bath seems to help, even though the advice is avoid heat! Exercise seems to help me, yoga and swimming and cycling. If there are any discrete lumps you can feel, get them checked out by the Breast Care nurses.

@LemonDrizzle10 we are getting close to the end of the thread. Should our next one be a homage to our beloved Princess @Tilllly ? She hasn’t posted since she went into the hospice with severe breathing difficulties and I fear we may have lost her. I think of her and her lovely Daisy dog a lot at the moment. There was a suggestion we use Sweetness and Light as well, but I have forgotten the phrase.

I’m sore and grumpy with my cracked ribs. The bruising has cleared but every move still hurts. I’m just going to have to be patient aren’t I? DH is having a lovely time with my mates cycling in France

@1Strawberrycat I’m still getting soreness at times. Stress makes it worse, trying to not get stressed is a challenge.

@TopOfTheCliff it’s sad that Princess @Tilllly has gone quiet.
Any suggestions for thread name?
Perhaps ‘Princess Tilllly, Daisy dog and other marvellous people’ ?

My daughter is going to a concert in London in June and I'm going to assume I'll be way into my treatment by then. I did book us a hotel for one night by Kings Cross as the trains home on a Sunday seem to end early due to engineering works. I wasn't going to the concert I was just going to meet her at the venue after because it's in a dodgy area. Do you think I'll be ok to do this, I'll be wearing a mask and I'll stay at the hotel till I need to go meet her then travel home Monday morning. I will obv check this with my oncologist but I'd hate for her to miss out because of me.

@catmomof3 think you'll need to play it by ear. I would have been fine to do that. Might depend on what day is chemo day I guess or what time your radiation appointment is, although mine were happy to change the appointment to one that suits. I guess it depends on the trust though.

@JlL2013 Yeah I will deffo ask, I should hopefully be ok. Also might be nice to look at 4 different walls lol

@TopOfTheCliff
I've been out of it and here for a while and saw your post ....hoping for ease and Daisy
How are your cracked ribs?

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/general_health/5059016-cancer-support-thread-94-sweetness-and-light-the-two-noblest-of-things

new thread - we’re nearly full up here.
I'll head over and put the kettle on for us all. X

O