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Hello-New to the Forum

Minska
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Hello-new to the forum and hoping to connect with others to share experience and chat, I’ve just finished treatment-chemo and radio-and currently waiting impatiently for my first check up with my oncologist. Waiting is tough, but you all know that already! 

  • Offline in reply to Jolamine

    Hi Jolamine

    i agree-I’ve been very lucky. I was actually due to be admitted to hospital the day after it happened where I was scheduled to have a general anaesthetic for some treatment. It’s better it happened when it did, although I wasn’t able to have my treatment. 

    My heart looked ok on the scan according to the doctor, but I had raised levels of some enzyme, the name of which I forget, that indicated some damage. 

    I got off lightly I think, and I know things could have been much worse. The paramedics were fantastic and the hospital did act quickly to check everything out.xx

  • Offline in reply to MiGi

     

     

    Hi Tracy,

    I fully agree. This forum is a fantastic support for us all. I personally have found it invaluable since I had my first cancer in 2010. This is my third bout. The first 2 were breast cancer, so this is a new field for me this time.

    I am so sorry to hear about your dad. I have lost both parents, several relatives and close friends to cancer and know just how devastating it can be. It is terrible that your dad’s GP cannot agree with his palliative care team over medication. Have you spoken to them since to tell them this? It may well be worth doing, as they have a lot of clout. They may need to approach your GP to agree on a treatment that will suit your dad. You are travelling a difficult road and I feel for you.

    What a pity that you never got to your new job. If finances are tight, you should be entitled to a carer’s allowance, possibly for both parents. This will be allocated to your parents, but should help to ease the financial burden.

    There is usually an information centre within the hospital to give you advice about benefits. Some of these are non-contributary and although you won’t get a lot of money, any additional income is always welcome. If there isn’t an advice centre in the hospital, you will find that by contacting Macmillan, they will come out to see you and advise on any benefits you may qualify for. Your local Citizens’ Advice Bureau can also help you.

    We lost my 97 year old father-in-law on 23rd January. He had been failing fast and he has had 3 different GPs out from his practice several times in the past few months. They did a series of blood tests and said that he was anaemic and, prescribed iron tablets. He was eventually sent to the day hospital for assessment. He was admitted to hospital there and then and, we were told that afternoon that he had cancer throughout his body and only had a couple of weeks to live.

    He went in on the Wednesday, had an x-ray, ECG and bloods taken that morning and, we got the diagnosis that afternoon. On the Thursday, they did a CT scan an announced that they thought it might have started in his upper gastro-intestinal tract, but was in his stomach, bowel, brain and Thoracic area. They said that he was too frail to do any invasive tests and, that there would be no point in doing them anyway, as it was inoperable and untreatable. They said that they were sure that it had spread elsewhere too. He stayed in hospital for 5 days, getting frailer by the day. On the sixth day he was transferred to the hospice in the morning and died in his sleep in the early hours of the following morning. We are holding his funeral this coming Friday. Sadly, we lost his 94 year old wife 3 months ago to the very day, so it has been a sad time.

    Thinking of you and your family and, wishing you the strength to see this through.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx

  • Offline in reply to Minska

     

    Hi Minska,

    Wow, you were even luckier than I realised. It's great to hear that the paramedics and hospital worked well together to pull you through. Our wonderful NHS doesn't always get the praise that it deserves.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx

  • Offline in reply to Minska

    Just caught up with this, blimey....it's such a scary time, such a relief your ok now.....so many things can go wrong can't it? Sending love and strength xxxxx

  • Offline in reply to Marlyn

    Hi Marlyn-yes, scary times! But I saw a hospital doctor yesterday to check on progress and he was lovely. So helpful and informative, and I wish my oncologist had some of this doctor’s bedside manner!

    Anyway he has prescribed me tablets to replace daily injections, and suggested I stay on tablets for 5 months. But I don’t need to see him again, and I can fly so will be able to go on my holiday. Flying long haul is also not a problem so that was good to hear. He showed me the ct scan of my lung on the screen which was fascinating! He was astonished that I only had one episode of chest pain/shortness of breath on the evening I had the embolism and nothing since. It was so good to have some good news for a change. Now I can focus on hopefully getting some positive news from the next appointment with my oncologist. xx

  • Offline in reply to Minska

    Hi Minska 

    Nice to know you had some good news at your hospital appointment.I am really happy for you.

    There is some light at the end of the tunnel right!!

    Hope your oncology appointment goes well too.

    Regards

    Radley

     

  • Offline in reply to Minska

    Thank goodness you got sorted! It's scary enough as it is without these little gems coming along the way xxxx

  • Offline in reply to Minska

     

    Hi Minska,

    i am so glad to hear that you have now been given tablets to take instead of daily injections.The fact that you can now fly is also good news and, I hope that you really enjoy your holiday.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx

     

  • Offline in reply to radley

    Hi Radley

    it seems like a while since there’s been any good news so it was lovely. Oncology appointment tomorrow, so hope all goes well there too! Thank you. x

  • Offline in reply to Jolamine

    Hi Jolamine

    It’s so nice to be taking tablets and not having to be stabbed every day. I got a copy of the letter sent by that doctor to my surgery today and he said I could finish medication at the end of May and “get on with my life”. That made me smile-he was a lovely chap.

    Hopefully can start to look forward to holidays now. 

    Thank you. xx

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