Cancer Support Thread

Mrs_Optimist

I was meant to add, thank you for this thread, it is exactly what I was looking for.

Indie_Kid

Mrs_Optimist wrote: »

I started a thread a year ago when fil was diagnosed with terminal throat & lung cancer - totally out of the blue.

First of all, sorry to hear that.

Granddad had mouth and throat (non terminal) cancer in 2010. 2 years later, he was given the all clear. In 2013, he was then diagnosed with terminal cancer of the spine, which later spread to his lungs. He was given 1-2 years and was then told they didn't know how long he was going to live. That was 2013. He died in February 2014.

Hard_Up_Hester

Hi all
It's a !!!!!!! of a disease isn't it, I lost mum, dad & grandparents to it, MIL was diagnosed last year & told she wouldn't make it to Christmas but she is still here.
We went to see her today & she's not doing too badly, FIL, on the other hand is not coping neither are 3 of MIL's 4 sons.
Hester

bouicca21

Jozxyqk, worth remembering that radiotherapy can be very debilitating. When I went through mine, it initially took about ten minutes from station to hospital, by the time I'd finished It took twice that to get back from hospital to station and I had to get a coffee to have an excuse to sit down for a while before getting the train home.

vintagebrighton

Goodness, this thread's come at the right time (so to speak). I am sorry though that we need it! As they say, it's the club no one wants to belong to.....

I posted a while back as I was feeling a bit lost. Everyone seemed to know what they were doing and where they were going, but not me. I had a diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer in 2013 and had some pretty nasty treatment, almost a year of it. It took me a year to feel even half like my old self but with the added stress of dealing with the long term apparently permanent affects of the treatment. The worst of which is peripheral neuropathy (but other things too)

Anyway, long story short, I was diagnosed for the second time 6 weeks ago. Massive shock. I thought I'd had all the treatment, thrown everything at it so it should be ok....... I now know different and am more realistic.

So, I had a full masectomy 4 weeks ago. I'm ok about it but I've certainly changed.

I know the odds are that cancer could come back and I accept that now. I don't have time to waste. I don't care what anyone's expectations of me are any more, I'm going to do what I want. I'm not returning to work full time, ever. I've signed up for some courses in Scotland which are completely frivolous and I'm excited about that. We're moving in less than 4 weeks and that's scarey but also exciting. I'm going to take every opportunity to enjoy doing things that make me happy. Spending time with my family and friends, learning new things, exploring Scotland and then trying to decide whether to make the move permanent or not.

Think I've rambled enough now..... I hope everyone manages the best they can ..... and thanks for starting this thread OP

VB xx

Mrs_Ryan

Thank you so much for starting this thread, Gigervamp.
Sorry to hear your story and everyone else's.

My story is that I was diagnosed with stage 1, grade 1a endometrial carcinoma three years ago when I was thirty one following a routine op to remove a troublesome fibroid. I had a full radical hysterectomy, and three years on although I'm in remission from the cancer it has totally wrecked my life. I now have fibromyalgia and severe mental health problems including PTSD due to the cancer and the treatment, or should I say lack of it. It was denied I could have anything wrong as I was 'too young' and neither could I have any treatment 'until I had children' which the hospital knew was impossible as I had had PCOS for years and had suffered six miscarriages. I was losing a lot of blood and in a lot of pain and it took mum threatening to sue before they would consider any investigations.

I received no support post op- they didn't know what to do with someone of my age- my consultant said she had only seen one other case in someone so young in her 17 years of practice. I caught a hospital acquired infection and the whole experience was very traumatic. I'm in therapy now and as I said in my PIP application my life has changed dramatically. While physically I recovered reasonably quickly mentally my psychiatrist thinks I may possibly be damaged for life- but it could have been avoided which does annoy me.

Thoughts are with you all xx

elisebutt65

I posted about my experiences https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4488771
I was diagnosed with BC 3 days after I got married in 2012' had my mastectomy just before Xmas, followed by 6 cycles of chemo. Had to have a Hickman etc. Then I had to go back to work as they were putting me on half pay. So I had my radiotherapy in the school hols.
I'm on Tamoxifen for the foreseeable future and Gabapentin for the hot flushes (doesn't work )
I've
I've changed my role at college from September this year as I get more money (& rest) teaching 2.5 days per week instead of full time as student adviser. 2 years on and it's like everything from back then has just hit me over the head. I'm suddenly exhausted all the time: I only sleep for 3 hours at a time due to these hot flushes and I get horrible leg cramps at around 2am.
OH has bought a sofa bed for downstairs so I can escape the hot room & I just doze on & off from 2am onwards until it's morning.

I try and keep schtum about how crappy I feel still as it doesn't not want anyone else to know, but I occasionally pop on here for a whinge

I know I should be grateful that I'm still here & alive, but sometimes I just want to scream & shout that I want my pre-BC life back!

System

Spinkz wrote: »

I lost my best friend to cancer. She was only 17 when she died it will be 11 years in December since she died but i'm still unable to talk about it.

I'm sorry to hear of your diagnosis.

It's 14 years since i lost my Grandad to lung cancer, and its still something i struggle with. *hugs* It was so sudden. I remember being told and seeing him before he passed. And within 2 weeks we'd lost him. I've also lost an Aunty to stomach cancer, she left behind 3 children, the youngest was only 12.

I'll be honest cancer scares the hell out of me. I'm scared of the possibility of developing it and scared of losing anymore people i love to it. Though in hindsight it must be much harder when you're the one going through it.

System

I lost my Dad when i was 18.

I discovered him walking around the house in his dressing gown but not making any sense. He was admitted into hospital on the Friday. We were told he'd got cancer on the Saturday evening and he was dead on the Sunday evening. Cancer of the bone marrow we were told but his death certificate said Multiple Myeloma.

The only thing he's been complaining of over the previous months was a backache which suddenly increased after the death of my daughter.

I have regrets... he died on his own.

Georgiegirl256

I lost my Dad on the 29th December last year. By the time they discovered he had bowel cancer it had spread to his liver and there was nothing they could do for him. They said he had 6 months max, possibly weeks, in the end up he lasted for 13 months. He was a fighter!

For 12 months you basically wouldn't have known he had anything wrong with him, he just carried on as normal and the cancer was never talked about. Not that is was "the thing that shall never be mentioned" or anything, it just sort of never was and everything (to a certain extent) just carried on as usual, it was how he (we) dealt with it. Apart from obviously looking a lot thinner, he still looked healthy and was fit and active, didn't have any pain....he was so brave and such an inspiration.

The last month however he started to go downhill fast, and the last week especially was really hard. But, through it all he still maintained his wicked sense of humour!

He got his wish to die at home surrounded by family, but like Judi I have regrets about things too.

The year before that, my cousin was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Thankfully it was caught early before it spread and was treated and now he's fit and well and doing great.

It's great that you have started this thread Gingervamp. I feel it will be a great support for a lot of people (I know I would have used it if it'd have been last year) to be able to talk about things freely and honestly that they might not be able to do in real life.

I wish you all the best and to everyone else too who is affected in some way by this horrible disease.