Hello Teresa

I'm sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. I know that many of our members here will understand the feelings that come with a cancer diagnosis. 

I'm going to tag in one of our lovely members [@Minska]‍ who has experience with this diagnosis and treatment. I'm sure that she will pop along and say Hello when she gets the chance. 

You're most welcome to call our team of nurses to talk things through with them if you would like to chat. They're available Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm on 0808 800 4040 and I'm sure that they will be happy to offer any advice, information, and support that they can ahead of you starting treatment. 

You might also like to have a look at the Jo's Trust website which has lots of information and support options available. 

In the meantime, be kind to yourself Teresa. You have had a lot to take on board and it's easy to feel overwhelmed by things. Take it a day at a time. Keep in touch here on the forum if it helps and we'll do our best to support you. 

Best wishes, 
Jenn
Cancer Chat moderator 

Hi Teresa

I’m sorry to see you’ve had this diagnosis. As Jenn said, I have been through the same treatment you are now facing.

It is pretty intense treatment, but the chemotherapy for me didn’t cause any issues. If you are on the standard chemo, it is a low dose of Cisplatin, which is designed to make the radiotherapy more effective and it doesn’t make you lose your hair. The chemo is delivered via an infusion through a cannula into your arm with other drugs like an anti sickness and it does take several hours. It doesn’t hurt and didn’t cause me any side effects.

The radiotherapy did make me very tired, and as the weeks went on, I suffered from diarrhoea and cystitis, but these effects disappeared quickly after treatment ended. The tiny little tattoo markings are to make sure the radiotherapy is delivered in exactly the right places.

What stage is your cancer? I was stage 2b. If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to help based on my experiences. My treatment was 3.5 years ago. x