Blogging can be a great way to journal your experiences and share with others. Why not create your own cancer journey blog, or have a read of other blogs created by our members?
Unsure how to get started? Take a look at our help pages on blogs.
My chemotherapy journey (6 cycles of O-CHOP) began in earnest at 6.30pm on the evening of 25th November 2019 when I received a call from the hospital to go in to prepare for treatment the following day. It may seem strange, but I had actually been looking forward to spending a night or two in hospital as it was going to be a new experience. Although we had been expecting the call, it came as we were watching the final 10 minutes of the final episode of the final series of ‘Engrenages’, one of the...
The digital clock above the bed showed 8.43pm at the devastating, heart-breaking time when Julie Marie Lea took her final breath. The date was Thursday, June 20, 2019 – coincidentally, my soulmate had died on my 45th birthday. I was holding her left hand gently and stroking her. One last kiss on her forehead to say goodbye.
On the other side of the bed was her older brother David. He had been sitting loyally next to Julie almost entirely for those 36 hours when she was finally out of pain...
Since my mastectomy i do check regularly for any changes though it isn’t very easy as my left arm and hand are badly affected by MS. My husband checks for any changes too. I’ve just had my 6 monthly CLL check. Apart from the white blood cells everything was normal. The w.b.c. is 13 this time. Even though only 3 above the accepted level it has suddenly brought everything back and my brain is working overtime! Before lockdown I felt so healthy and upbeat too. I think because I’m classed as elderly...
I had a lot of questions , ranging from the wider ‘why has this happened to me’ through to more practical matters such as whether I could exercise during treatment and what to do if the side effects were bad. My advice would be to always ask questions during consultant appointments and make use of the Clinical Nurse Specialist team who in my hospital were available during office hours Monday-Friday. The consultant may not always be able to clear up all questions as in many cases there are no absolute...
Telling people you have cancer is not an easy thing to do as it is not just something you slip into a conversation. Starting a conversation in this way is fraught with difficulty too. I told my wife as soon as I got home from the neck biopsy and she was predictably shocked but immediately adopted a ‘we’ll get through this together’ approach which was very comforting. We told our daughter, who is 17, a few days later. She had a wee tear but otherwise seemed fine. Even though she is a resilient child...
Before treatment started I underwent regular blood tests, CT and PET scans and a bone marrow biopsy so the medical team knew exactly how my non-Hodgkin lymphoma was progressing, where it was located and whether I was fit enough to undergo treatment. I was shocked to see how much cancer there was in my body when I got the results of the PET scan. For me, the worst part of the whole experience was the bone marrow biopsy. The information booklet the hospital sent me stated ‘the procedure can be uncomfortable...
I was told I had cancer during a neck biopsy procedure on 29th October 2019. However I though this moment should have played out, this wasn’t it. In TV programmes and films you are summoned into an office, told to take a seat and soothingly informed by a doctor that ‘they have some bad news to tell you’. In my case, the radiologist simply asked me if I was aware my lymph nodes were abnormally long, proceeded to take some samples from my neck using a clicking device then told me a course of chemotherapy...
On 26th November 2019 I embarked on a course of chemotherapy treatment for non Hodgkin lymphoma that would last 129 days, and this blog chronicles my journey through that process. I hope that it will provide an interesting and informative read for anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer and is about to undergo, is undergoing or has completed a course of chemotherapy, or people who may not have cancer but know someone who has, or are simply interested in finding out more about it. By using my own...
As you may be aware, the Online Community wasn’t quite working this morning (20 June). The Community is now back up and running and should be working as normal for everyone. We're so sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused as we really understand that the Community is an important source of support for many members.
If you are continuing to have any technical problems, such as being unable to post on the site, please let the Community team know via email to community@macmillan...
The month of June has been celebrated as Pride month for the LGBT+ community for decades. For the first time in recent memory, there will be no Pride marches across the UK this year. We didn’t want to let that stop us celebrating this important time, alongside recognising how much there is still to do to support equality. Macmillan and the Online Community are here for everyone affected by cancer, no matter how you identify or who you love.
If you’re wondering why we’re talking about Pride...
