Hello - Stage 4 CUP

Hi, I'm Shelley, diagnosed in April with Stage 4 Mets in liver, lung, lymph and bone of Unknown Primary.

I've always been fit and healthy, a personal trainer and rowing coach and have done lots of endurance rowing events, setting records, winning races, being "the first" so it's been quite a blow.  

After several rounds of Carbo/Taxol chemo some of the cancer has responded but not my liver. But the C/T stuff got me strong enough so that I can now handle ECX chemo which I started last Friday. A few rounds are scheduled and then more scans to see if this stuff will work. I'm confident it will, apparently it's the big guns. :)

It's a horrible game being played with all of us but I can only be positive and look forward and enjoy the life that I have. I call it my "new normal" because it is just life as I've always known it but within a new set of parameters: hospital appointments and endless handfulls of pills and IVs of chemo.

Chin up. :)

 

 

  • Hi Shelz. So glad and happy o hear your news, it has really made my day. Keep going girl you are doing well. How was the wedding last Sat?    I am ok ,had a day of real tiredness yesterday, but have bounced back this morning.Next week is my week off medication before the next iv starts,hoping for no bad reaction this time. Keep in touch. Suex

  • Hi Sue, sorry it's been so long but chemo has hit hard and I've been completely exhausted. For three days this last week I didn't even lift my head, just stayed in bed and slept. On the first of the three days I didn't even have the energy to feed myself and when I had no water left on the side table I just slept through a revolting dry mouth until my boyfriend came home! Have never felt that bad but have been up and out this weekend, though not doing anything too strenuous.

    The wedding was brilliant and apparently I looked "radiant", the bride has even commented on it in her thankyou note to us. It was such a beautiful wedding and we all had an amazing time.

    I saw a consultant in London (Hammersmith) and talked about medical trials and possible future options. He was fabulous and although he didn't have any immediate good news options and was in fact very realistic about any change in my prognosis he was very interesting to talk to and I felt more informed by the chat.

    Last weekend I hosted a Macmillan coffee morning which raised £1,100 so I'm very very chuffed. That wasn't all through cake sales (although there was a LOT of cake and well over 100 people!) but I set up an online page for people to donate the value of a coffee if they couldn't be there on the day and the page generated hundreds of pounds from friends and business associates out of my area.

    How are you doing now Sue? 

    Shel x

     

  • Dear Shelley

    Lovely to hear from you,sorry it has taken me so long to reply,have been having a bad time with side effects of the drug for the past couple of weeks. Had bad colitis which has thankfully gone away now. Chemo will be changed as apparently I am metabolising it too quickly. As this is my week off have been eating lots of cakes. Great news regarding your Macmillan coffee morning, that is really great to have raised so much. I used to always do a coffee morning even before I became ill. Again lovely to hear from you ,keep in touch.aall the best Sue