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.
I've revisited my blog once more, such harrowing reading it makes. It brings it all back to me, just how intense and suffocating the cancer journey was , resulting in me loosing my darling husband. Five years - in some ways it feels like yesterday but in other aspects it seems like it happened in another life time . I'm so glad I kept the blog though, it reminded me that I did all that I could to help Bryan on his final journey. I've often wondered if I could have done more but I know in my heart...
June’s here, and with it the Great British Summer...there’s still time for it to arrive, it's just over a week ‘til Summer officially begins.
Here's something to brighten your day, our favourite wellbeing tips from you, our members, over the past month…
“We all deal with this horrible situation in our own ways, but we all do understand. But I think for all of us the term taking life one hour at a time is never truer than in the first few weeks.”
Mush...
It’s Carers Week! A time to celebrate carers, but also recognise the potential impact of being a carer, and ensure they’re aware of and able to access support available to them. Caring for someone with cancer can be emotionally and physically exhausting – it’s important for carers to take time to look after themselves, and get support if it’s needed.
To recognise the above, I thought I’d share a few highlights from our Carers only group, where there’s an astounding...
So, as an aftercare precaution Rich was given a C.T scan of his whole body to check for any signs that the cancer had spread.
Whilst we were sat in the waiting area of the C.T unit, there were some lovely people also waiting for the same thing. One of them was a lady that had been diagnosed with breast cancer three weeks before and had not yet had any treatment although she had just been advised that the cancer had spread to her bones. Whilst chatting with her she said that her husband had cancer...
On 24th May this year (2019) we arrived at Birmingham City Hospital for Rich's surgery. The whole transition from admittance to bed was seamless and at 9am I was allowed in to sit with him. He was so nervous but the McMillan nurse Emma put his mind at rest and talked him through the whole process, being sure to answer any questions we may have. She then left her number if we thought of any questions afterwards. Obviously in that moment, you forget the 300 questions you had carefully prepared in the...
So on the 22nd of May this year (2019), our worlds were turned upside down. After attending a GP appointment two weeks before, for a swollen testicle, my partner Rich (Stricky1979 on here), was referred to the Birmingham City Hospital Urology department. Upon arrival he was given a hospital gown, a consultant examined him and immediately gave him forms and asked him to go down to the x-ray and blood test departments.
This was at 9:15am and by 11am, we were in the consultants room hearing those dreaded...
Well I had my mastectomy on 10th May which went as well as can be expected. Turns out me and general anaesthetic don't mix!
Onwards we went - now had two aspirations for seroma but otherwise everything seems to be going okay.
Had my first meeting with my oncologist on 25th May, was told of the chemo treatment plan being either a) 6 cycles over 18 weeks or b) 4 cycles over 8 weeks followed by 4 cycles over 12 weeks.
But then, at the follow up meeting on 31st May, the treatment changed. Now "signed...
I'm a few months into my single drug immunotherapy treatment with Nivolumab and my most recent CT scan back in April showed further reduction in size of the growths I have. I'm told they've all reduced by a third from the previous CT scan, and that scan had shown some had reduced by a half, whilst the others had stabilised, compared to the one before that. So it seems like good progress.
It's a very positive sign and I've been lucky to respond well to the treatment with very little side...
Debbie, our resident ‘chef to the Ostomates’, is back this month with another tasty and nutritious recipe she’s been making following an ileostomy earlier this year. This week’s recipe is a tasty looking butternut squash and sage risotto.
“Squash is easily digested from early on as an Ostomate, and makes a nice change from carrot or parsnip!”
Debbie
The health benefits of butternut squash are pretty well documented – they’re rich in fibre, vitamins (including...
Off the back of rily’s Bladder Cancer Awareness Month piece last Monday, I thought I’d also throw a spotlight recognising the cancer by highlighting a few positive, helpful and interesting bits and pieces from our Bladder cancer group, as well as a little feedback received for the group.
If you’re affected by bladder cancer, go ahead and share your tips of thoughts with us using the comments section below.
Discussions:
An Introduction – nickfreckle was diagnosed at the start...
