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.

Thanks for sharing the mountain lion story @TopOfTheCliff, I loved it. I have a kale cure friend at the minute & I’m just nodding & smiling as I’m not sure what else to do. Also, I once went walking in Yosemite with a friend when we were holidaying in America. At the end of the day, she shared with me that she’d been really scared about encountering a mountain lion, it hadn’t even occurred to me to that we would see one even though we’d been warned!! Well, that’s come back to bite me metaphorically.

Anyway, I’m currently hooked up to chemo in week 2 of treatment and still really feeling like it is all a weird dream.

Really sorry to read your news @EweCee. I hope you can fit in a walk & a wallow around your work schedule.

Hello to everyone else on the thread too.

Lots going on here this week- sorry I've been quiet! I have to admit I'm just a bit overwhelmed with being back at work (and they've announced mega redundancies this week - that's probably outing - so it's all very depressing, even though my team and I seem to be safe at the moment), and I'm also solo parenting this week as DH is at a conference.

@Enigma52 How are you getting on?

@tilly I am so sorry you experienced such trauma. Have you recovered?

@lucysmam I. Can't. Even. Definitely schedule ALL future appointment for work days and repeat "I have cancer. This is life saving treatment. Are you really asking me to delay this so that you can [insert rubbish reason here]." Make them feel really, really, really guilty when they're being arses. (And don't get me started on your dental appointment, I just can't.)

@TopOfTheCliff Thank you for the Mountain Lion Story again - so powerful. I had forgotten about that!

To all the new joiners and re-joiners: I am so sorry you are here, but hang in there and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. The diagnosis stage is SO much worse than treatment or aftermath. It will get easier.

Hi everyone, just checking in on day #2 of knowing I have cancer! Didn't get much sleep last night at all, but despite this I randomly feel a lot more positive today. DH took me out for lunch which was lovely as the kids are at school so it was just us. We had a totally normal conversation over lunch (not cancer related!) which was just what I needed.

@TopOfTheCliff thanks for the Mountain Lion. Such a good analogy! I've read it a couple of times now.

@KentishMama it sounds like you have a lot on your plate! Fingers crossed the solo parenting is not too stressful (sounds like you have more than enough stress already!)

@Yorkshiregold how are you feeling on week 2 of Chemo? I assume you have been diagnosed recently?

Thanks again for everyone's positive messages, they are really helpful at a scary time. I don't have my appointment to discuss my treatment plan until next Friday so am hoping that I will feel better then.

The kale cure friend made me smile. I have a well meaning friend who keeps referring me to mindfulness practices . I know she's trying to help so don't want to shoot her down unkindly but the approach simply isn't for me and she isn't taking the hint!

Radiotherapy consultation start of next week.

I wish we were here talking about something nice happening but it is such a comfort not feeling alone x

@Catunderling I was being pushed to have something called Havening?

Sounds like they stroke your arms to readjust your aura or something

And so many people suggested turmeric

So my oncologist can't cure me, but some spice from Asda and a couple of strokes of my arm can

🙄

Well @Tilllly you should know by now it’s all about being positive. The positivity stops the cancer cells dividing. Along with Turkey tail mushrooms and apricot kernels.

Of course

Silly me @TopOfTheCliff , thanks for the reminder

Obviously I need to "fight it"

Yep, get that Toxic Positivity going! (FFS)

I love the mountain lion 🦁

I think you may all be forgetting the sugar free diet that prevents cancer cells returning after all a fondness for cake causes cancer🙄

Did I ever tell you all about my team member, who told me that I need to delete the word Cancer from my mental dictionary because I'm allowing the cancer energy into my mind and body, causing it to manifest in the body eventually... ?

Avoid Sugar it makes cancer grow, Be Positive, eat tumeric, garlic, etc etc I've heard them all several times...

if it's unsolicited dietary advice, I reply that if they're interested in the optimal diet for cancer patients I'd be happy to email them the PPT slides from Cedars Sinai - Royal Marsden on their research. It shuts them up, thank goodness and stops me losing the plot with rage.

I'm sure that if I can find the perfect note to hum the resulting vibrations running through my body will rouse the cell goblin army to attack the cancer. Like how cat purring attacks the hypertension gremlins and makes your blood pressure drop.

Ooo Ive just had that one from a colleague!

The being told how you should feel is also a classic. I am intermittently a bit miserable about my radiotherapy tattoos as the one in my cleavage came out as a giant lopsided blob. I was looking for advice on another forum but gave up when somebody popped up to say that we should feel positive about the tattoos because her daughter felt positive about the ones she'd had. FFS. The good thing about this thread is that no one tries to police how you feel.

The Look Good Feel Better man (he's a hairdresser) at Maggies finished our make up workshop with his pearls of wisdom: remember don't eat sugar it feeds cancer and drink lots of water with lemon juice it stops cancer from growing. Us participants all looked at each other with massive eye rolls.

🙄

Blimey. That's very poor. Kind of feel Maggies should really know better than to allow that crap under their roof.

@dotty2 yes it wasn't good. He came out with other classics too, like we should always wear sunscreen because "we don't want secondaries ladies" (there were three ladies there who were stage IV).

Hope theyre not saying my Mini Egg Therapy won't work!

Personal favourite from a very woo friend (to be fair not advice to me regarding this) was that cancer is an fungal infection best cured by drinking alkaline liquids (bleach?!)

To be fair though @Florsilvestredelcampo death by cake would be a great way to go at 90! I think that has been my PILs plan as cake was their dietary staple.
My usual response to these unwanted pearls of wisdom has been “Don’t you think that if there was a shred of evidence that worked the NHS would be prescribing it instead of a bunch of expensive poisonous chemicals?” Like they are now recommending exercise and refraining from alcohol, because the science supports that.

I hope someone has reported it to Maggie's, they need to be aware.

I'd have spoken up with dripping sarcasm, but I'm a cantankerous bitch when it comes to useless/dangerous/thoughtless unsolicited advice.

@ProperPickle I’m having a good day, thanks for asking, in comparison to the emotional pits of yesterday & the day before anyway.

Chemo 2 went well but I feel like I smell of chemo now. My friend assured me that I didn’t but I don’t think I believe her! Is weird chemo smell a thing? Eau de chemo?

I got diagnosed back in November so it’s been a bit of a drawn out process to get to here. The waiting is really hard but you’ve been given the best advice already of not to google.

I’ve had a good laugh at all the kale advice but am most shocked at what you had to deal with @KentishMama , what did you say to that team member??!! I’m pretty sure I would’ve suggested manifesting something all together different.

@Yorkshiregold

I definitely can smell and taste EC chemo. I absolutely hate it. Day 3 after I feel like I want to climb out of my body.

@SummerCycling

What does the research from Ceders and the Marsden say?

I feel bad when I eat sugar!

@tothelefttotheleft Can other people smell it? Or just us? The dog doesn’t seem to be offended by me but he enjoys sniffing poo so I don’t think he’s the most reliable witness.