Community News - Macmillan Online Community

Cancer and me 35 years on - Vol 8 - Lanzarote & Menorca

On a very cold and grey January afternoon during a national lockdown, thinking about holiday memories can be a lovely pass time. National travel restrictions mean it may be a while before we can pack our suitcases excitedly again, but luckily today our guest blogger Willo, known on the Community as patsyann85 , is here to tell us about her first holiday in Europe after recovering from her Abdominoperineal Resection procedure. To catch up with the rest of Willo’s blog series, ‘Cancer & me 35 years’ on, click here . Lanzarote & Menorca At the end of April and beginning of May, my friend Alma invited me to spend two weeks with her at her time-share in Lanzarote – and another friend offered to pay my airfare, so footloose and fancy free for the first time since I was 14, off I went for my first…

Former Member
Cancer and food - how the Community can help

We hear that many of you come to the Community looking for help around taking control of your diet, or worried that you might not be eating the right foods. Cancer or treatments can sometimes cause problems with eating, or may restrict what you can eat. Whatever your situation around food, there is usually some support to be found in the Community. Sugar-awareness is important to a healthy diet, but perhaps not for the reasons you might have seen on social media. We hear there can be lots of misleading information around about sugar and cancer. Community member Harri53 had started drinking more fruit juice and came to the Community for advice about the amount of sugar this contained. “I am concerned that this sugar intake may be worsening my condition.” - Community member Harri53 in…

Steph - Online Community Team
Cervical cancer Prevention week

This week is Cervical cancer prevention week. We wanted to share some information and resources to help answer many of the questions asked here on the Community. Please remember that you are welcome to post in our Ask a Nurse section or contact the Macmillan Support Line if you need some additional guidance. Very early stage Cervical cancer may not cause any symptoms. It is usually found and treated because of Cervical screening tests. What are the symptoms of Cervical cancer and when should you get tested? It’s good to know the potential symptoms of cervical cancer. Whilst many of them can be symptoms of other conditions it is important that we speak to our GP with any of the following; Heavier periods that you normally would have Vaginal bleeding between periods, after sex or…

Megan- Online Community Team
Make Blue Monday a You Monday

Today is known to be the bluest day of the year, so why not make your Blue Monday a YOU Monday. Last year Jimmy published ' Blue Monday is the most depressing day of the year? Only if you insist! ' in the Community News Blog. Here he talks about the formula that explains why we feel so depressed on this day. Click here to read more. What is Blue Monday? If you don’t know what ‘Blue Monday’ is, it is known to be a day where people feel at their lowest. After the recent festivities and the new hope of a new year, the annual ‘winter blues’ creep up on us. It is ok to feel down, but when we feel this way often it may be a time to practice some self-care. Sometimes we can feel guilty for wanting or taking some time for ourselves as our day to day lives can demand so much of our time or we are focussed…

Megan- Online Community Team
Exercise and moving your body

Audrey who is a Macmillan Nurse Specialist on the Support Line, and in our Ask an Nurse section, has been speaking to people living with cancer about staying active and exercising. In today’s Community News Blog, Audrey is sharing information and some resources at the end to help you move your body. You will find the resource links at the bottom of the page. In a time where we are all trying to adjust to the constant changes that covid-19 is having on our lives, it is hard to keep up with it all. Having a cancer diagnosis and treatment during the covid-19 pandemic can be scary, lonely and life-altering. Trying to keep a routine and remain active can be even more difficult for people living with cancer. Knowing how best to stay safe and remain active is a common question cancer patients…

Megan- Online Community Team
Waiting for results and dealing with the unknown

We know from our members that the waiting and uncertainty around test results and worrying symptoms can be one of the hardest things to deal with. "The waiting really is the worst part" Xxnataliexx "If you read the posts for all the ladies of this forum, we all agree, that the hardest thing is the waiting between tests and results and worrying." MrsBJH The coronavirus pandemic has unfortunately had a big impact on diagnosis and treatment for people affected by cancer. This has made waiting times longer, and unfortunately for some people the anxiety that comes with it is extended too. "I was due to have a liver resection at Addenbrookes but learnt today that they have stopped, for covid, all liver cancer surgery." Elley019 For concerns around cancer and covid-19, you can find Macmillan…

Tom C - Online Community team
Radiotherapy: Tips from the Community

Radiotherapy is part of many people’s experiences with cancer, and lots of members talk about Radiotherapy here in the Online Community. No matter what treatment you’re experiencing, here in the Community there might be someone who really understands. We’ve collated some of our members’ tips and support below. Radiotherapy uses high-energy rays, such as x-rays, to treat cancer. People can have radiotherapy for different reasons, and you can read more about how radiotherapy works, side effects and more on Macmillan’s information and support website . It’s important to remember that the tips below are from Community members’ personal experiences. Everyone’s experience of cancer and radiotherapy can be different. If you have any questions or concerns about radiotherapy, it’s important to seek…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Supporting yourself while supporting someone with incurable cancer (Part 2)

A loved one’s cancer diagnosis can have just as large an impact as a personal diagnosis. Our Cancer Information and Support Advisor, Jenna, is here to talk through some of the complicated emotions you might feel, and ways you can help yourself cope. If you missed the Jenna’s first blog post, you can read it here . In Part 1 of this blog series, I talked through the huge emotional impact coping with the incurable diagnosis of a loved one can have. We discussed the importance of being gentle with yourself and listening to your emotions to help you understand what you need. In Part 2, I hope to share some ways to support yourself through what can be such a difficult time. Just as everyone’s emotional response is individual, what each person needs to help them find their way through is also…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Cancer & me 35 years on - Vol 7 - The recovery

Today in our Community News blog we are very pleased to welcome our guest blogger, Willo, back with the seventh instalment of her blog series called ‘Cancer & me 35 years on’ . In this series, Willo, known on the Community as patsyann85 , tells us about her experience of being diagnosed with Anal cancer in 1986 while living in Zambia. We will be sharing more of Willo’s writing and incredible artwork throughout the next few months in the Community News . If you missed Vol 6 – ‘ The Abdominoperineal Resection with Colostomy ’ you can click here to catch up. Vol 7 - The recovery As you may have seen in the last chapter, my abdominoperineal resection was in November 1987 and coming round from the procedure (as everyone who has had major surgery will know) found tubes feeding in or out of every…

Former Member
The power of peer support

As cliched as it might sound, this year has certainly been unprecedented. COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the cancer Community, affecting diagnosis, treatment, and causing many to have to shield or self-isolate away from loved ones. Yet despite all that 2020 has thrown at us, here on the Community we have seen our members pulling together to support each other through what has been an incredibly difficult year for many. At a time where face-to-face support hasn’t been possible, our Community cancer forum has been there night and day as a safe space for anyone who needed comfort, or just a place to be with others walking a similar road. Here on the team we wanted to thank each and every one of our members for all the amazing support they have provided to one another through one of the toughest…

Former Member
2020 on the Online Community

Picture from , as part of 2020’s Winter Picture Festival Looking back on this year, life might feel very different now than it did a year ago. One thing hasn’t changed: the Online Community is still here for you as a source of support. Here in the Community team, we are so proud of all of our members for sharing their experiences, and offering support to others. We wanted to reflect on everything that the Online Community has achieved in 2020. Our Community Champions won the Vicky Clement-Jones Award Here in the Community team, our volunteers winning the Vicky Clement-Jones Award was an absolute highlight of 2020. The Vicky Clement-Jones Award is for individuals or groups who use their own cancer experiences to improve the lives of other people affected by cancer. We’re sure you’ll agree…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Meet Amy, Part 2: Introducing Stoic Philosophy

In a recent Community News Blog we met our new guest blogger Amy, who struggled with her emotions after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Amy has since used this experience to write a blog to help others manage their mental health through cancer and is keen to share some of the resources which helped her. If you missed the first part of the blog, ‘Meet Amy – Finding a way to move towards acceptance and peace’, you can find it by clicking here. Amy told us about a time when she felt that cancer brought a lot of uncomfortable emotions to the surface. She says, “I was tempting to stuff them back down and pretend I was OK. Maybe I did this a little bit on the surface. Sometimes you don’t feel comfortable sharing your darkest thoughts. Maybe you feel a need to protect your loved ones. But I…

Steph - Online Community Team

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