Welcome to Cancer Chat Shaun although I'm really sorry to hear you've been diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer.

I can't begin to imagine the thoughts and feelings you must be contending with at the moment but I'm glad you've joined us as our members know how tough receiving a diagnosis like this can be, so you are not alone and I'm sure it won't be long until you receive some support and advice.

You can find out more about your diagnosis on our website but if you'd like to talk any of this through with one of our cancer nurses, you can give them a call on 0808 800 4040, Monday - Friday (except bank holidays) between 9a.m - 5p.m. They're very friendly, and knowledgeable, and will do all they can to support you and answer any questions you may have at this time.

We're here for you Shaun and wishing you all the best with the start of your chemo next week.

Kind regards,

Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator

Thank you Steph that really is a comfort to me xxxx

Hi Shaun,

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Of course you're scared, it's a scary time. The thing to hang onto though, is that terminal is not the same as untreatable. There are people on this forum (and others) who have been living with a terminal diagnosis for years and years. It must be difficult to see the positive in anything right now, but maintenance treatments (all treatments actually) have come such a long way and are improving all the time. The fact you're having a PICC line fitted and will be having chemo, means your Doctors have a treatment plan for you and a way forward. My friends say I am relentlessly positive(!) and I apologise if you[re not in that place right now, but I just wanted to stop by and say I'm here for you - as are all the wonderful people on this forum.

Sue x  

Hi Sue, that means a lot, thank you so so much 

It means so much to have someone at the moment 

love and hugs 

Shaun xx

Hi Shaun

Like Sue, I just wanted to say hello as quite a long time member of the forum and to say how sorry I was to read of your diagnosis. I had a different cancer, but can still appreciate how difficult those words would be to hear and how scary the situation is for you.

I'm 4 years out from my original diagnosis, but like Sue I would try to focus on the fact that there is a treatment plan in place to start quickly. Personally I neither like nor use the term "terminal" and would use incurable instead, which doesn't mean it can't be treated. I see many people living with a stage 4 diagnosis, and being treated, and treatments are improving all the time. There will be some lovely people on the forum to help support you, and I hope you will feel some comfort from that in that you are not alone. xx

Hello Shaun,

                     l am sorry to read that you find yourself in such a desperate situation, having been through bowel cancer with spread to the liver l understand how dire the black hole you now occupy.. There is no escape from this fact,but its what and where you go from here that is your real issue.The sooner you are able to reach acceptance of your current position,the sooner you are able to stop looking back. Thats really important as you will need all your energies focused on looking forward to give yourself the very best chance in the future

l could come in and post platitudes,nice as they are, they will not be the most important weapon at your disposal, that will be your own clear sighted untrammelled self determination to keep moving forward..Hold on to this through the upcoming periods of utter exhaustion, the times ahead when sprinting through waist high treacle appears a  doddle in comparison, and above all limit the time set aside for despair to as little as possible.

Nothing in your forthcoming journey will be easy, but you have it within you to make it easier,neither is your destination known at this point, all you have been given is the understanding that the road you have to travel is tough and difficult. Step forth with all the positivity you can assemble,for this is the only thing you can contribute, accept every helping hand along the way with enthusism,it will be rewarded with greater efforts by those that offer,and never ever lose sight of the horizon, for that is .

experience in so many beneficial ways trying too, 

                                                                                            l hope you are able to do the same,

                                                                                                                                                      David

Hi welcome to the forum the club nobody wants to join. 

Alot of good information has been passed on to you just hope you can take Alot on board what our forum friends say, we try to think of ourselves as a big family and look after each other however we can  .

Im not terminal, started as uncurable,feb 2016 ,2 years later palative care ,I'm still positive and keeping going living on meds that keep changing im managing ok gardening and housework looking after my wife who has dementia and other problems. 

Good luck with chemotherapy.

Billy 

Thank you to everyone who has posted it means so much. Have to have a picc line fitted on Tuesday morning and then start my first dose of chemotherapy the same afternoon ffs, do they give you anti sickness drugs as I have really really bad vomit phobia ???
 

love and hugs 

Shaun 

xxxxxxxxxx

Yes, they give you anti sick meds. They give you them prior, as it's easier to treat before it appears than it is to get on top of it. However, not all chemo causes nausea.

My wife was never ever bothered by nausea as the meds did their job. The second type of chemo she was given didn't require any ay all. There are times the meds they give you may not be very effective, but you then contact your team and they prescribe another brand,

With the meds nowadays, you shouldn't vomit. They will want to know if you're vomiting. As tough as it will be, it's not as bad as it's depicted on TV. That's all that was going through my minds when they were discussing chemo. How sick these people were. We got told it's not like that, and it wasn't.

Hi i was given various anti sickness tablets from oncology and Dr but didn't work very well or they helped and i couldn't tell, as i have hiatus hernia (where some of my stomach has come through my diaphragm  )my stomach acid level is higher than normal so things come back up easier. I had over a week of sickness out of three. 

My taste buds went on holiday till i finished chemo. Ginger ale, and strong food didn't taste bad, others taste like cardboard. 

Keep clear of citrus fruit and bio things like live yougart ,if you're not sure just try a very little bit. 

Take something with you to read eat and drink as things can drag out for hours sometimes. 

Good luck with treatment. 

Billy