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.
A cancer diagnosis can have a devastating & debilitating effect on your mental health, plunging you into a darkness that only you can see.
I'm not crazy but I've spent a lifetime, since childhood, struggling with extreme depression, anxiety & panic attacks which believe me, at times, makes you feel crazy. Its extremely difficult for someone who has never experienced mental illness to truly understand it & it is equally as difficult for a person with a mental illness to fully describe the daily...
I've been absent from the site for a while but always feel like I have a home here. As with many others, "No news is good news", right? That's the case more than not; so, I'm no different in that regard I suppose. Things, since I last "blogged" an update of sorts about my husband's Non-Hodgkin's Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (late Stage III/Stage IV) remission have been good. We managed to have a great summer this past year and have been able to celebrate birthdays...
Last week on the Community, we spotted this response from Thehighlander, one of our dedicated Community Champions. We couldn’t help but share it, it epitomises the very essence of peer support and that’s what the Community is all about. Enjoy…
On the 10th May 1999 I was told that I had a rare type of Skin Lymphoma, so for over 20 years I have lived all the levels of acuity and stress so do understand the 'low' moments a cancer diagnosis brings... what did I do to overcome them?...
I had an appointment in the ENT Dept after my tonsillectomy wound had healed a bit, and had to go in to get the results of histology from the removed tonsil. Feeling a bit nervous I was a little shocked to see the Oncologist sitting in ENT. Not a good sign really is it, along with a gaggle of support staff (Trials people, Clinical Nurse Specialists, etc) . Dr D. fairly quickly and efficiently gave me the bad news- it was cancer in the tonsil - of the HPV16 type.
Discussion swiftly moved onto treatment...
We wanted to take some time today to really focus on thanking each and every one of you for the support that you all give on the Community. Below are a few of many examples of the ways that members of the Community provide truly wonderful support to each other every single day in what may be an incredibly difficult time. Why not take a look through?
'You have found this amazing support group and there is always someone here to answer your questions no matter how trivial you may think it is. ...someone...
October seems to have flown by in a flurry of multi-coloured leaves and soggy misty mornings. Here’s our ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ summary to ease us into the beginning of November. So put your feet up and have a scroll through some wonderful wellbeing tips from the Community.
"...if the event is in our control we can do it, and if it’s not in our control we can decide how we respond to it.’
‘The old adage “Life is what you make it” really is very true, because even...
This week (26th October – 2nd November) marks International Brain Tumour Awareness Week. To highlight this in today’s Community News Blog Laura is sharing her story about how she coped when she faced a brain tumour diagnosis in 2016. Laura has also been helping support people by sharing her experience of diagnosis on the Brain Tumour Research website. Brain Tumour Research is a national charity which is dedicated to raising funds for scientific research into brain tumours. You can fi...
In this blog post, I am going to share a number of reflections on my grieving process with you.
1. Anticipatory grief.
Shortly after Paul's death, people would say to me that I was now in the early stages of my bereavement. And I realised that that wasn't true. I had been grieving for Paul since the moment we got the diagnosis of liver secondaries.
This phenomenon is called "anticipatory grief".
I cried on the evening of the day we learned about Paul's liver secondaries. I couldn...
'The emotional journey of coming to a decision to undergo risk-reducing surgery.'
By Clarissa.
As many of you may be aware October marks Breast cancer awareness month. This is a month of raising awareness and funds for a variety of breast cancer charities that provide lifesaving research and support to people affected by breast cancer. As the month draws to a close, we are pleased to have as a guest blogger in today's Community news, Clarissa, author of ‘Understanding BRCA.’ Clarissa...
In my previous blog posts, I have told you about the time when my man was sick, our journey through this very difficult time and the end of his life. In this blog post, I would like to tell you what I feel I have learned from the time when I cared for him. My hope is that some of the things I am going to write will help some of you who are still in the role of a carer and make some things a little easier for you. But, before I tell you what I have learned, I want to emphasise that I am not medically...
