Where do you find support online?

I’ve received so much support from Macmillan. I would be lost without them.I was just diagnosed three weeks ago with breast cancer.

Not so much now because I'm now getting out and about - at least walking around town and taking photos to post on my Facebook page and those of the photography groups I belong to on Facebook - but during my 20 week enforced lockdown I found a lot of support from the Zoom chats I had with befrienders from Wessex Cancer Trust. I used to drop into their centre regularly for coffee and chat before Covid shut everything down but Zoom was a great solution. I live on my own and even half an hour once or twice a week of chatting was good for my morale. They also have a Facebook page so I can "chat" to them there as well.

I find this group good for asking more medically specific questions relating to my condition (Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma) but not so much for emotional and personal support. People here are kind and understanding but the online forum format means that there is a delay in responses to posts and I don't have the instant feedback of actually talking to people - even virtually.

I'm not having treatment at the moment - I'm just on "watch and wait". I have a phone consultation with my consultant in a couple of days time so she'll tell me the results of my latest blood tests. Last time I talked to her (a couple of months ago) she said that I was "relatively stable", despite some levels which have gone up which shouldn't have and some which have gone down that shouldn't have, so she's reluctant to begin treatment unless it's absolutely necessary. I find it difficult to talk to her over the phone so, as I said earlier, this group helps with some of the medical queries I have but from a morale point of view it's much better to actually TALK to someone because we can have a real conversation and talk about other things than our medical problems. 

I find Wessex Cancer Trust a great support. Before Covid shut everything down I used to drop into my local centre for coffee and a chat. They set up Zoom sessions, which were especially helpful during my 20 week enforced lockdown because they were twice a week half hour real chats. I live on my own and it was good to talk to people I could actually see and hear - even just through a laptop webcam and mic. They have a Facebook page too.

Online forum groups are fine but they're necessarily somewhat distant and remote because, although everyone here is friendly, there's a delay in getting a response. This forum is great for asking medical questions which I forget to ask my consultant during the phone consultations I have with her but the Zoom meetings gave me an opportunity just to TALK to people - and not just about our problems. We could have a good laugh and we all felt better for it.