Heya

Hi AllotmentGal, and a very warm welcome to our little family, we have a couple of Aussies and Kiwis on board so everyone is always welcome 

Great to hear how positive and active you are,  that's so important to us all. But I am sorry you have found yourself here because of your diagnosis, it's a buggar going from a care free, active life to be told a couple of months later you have terminal cancer, an experience I share with you.

The guys on here are wonderful, happy to support each other anyway they can, so feel free to ask anything, your welcome to rant, scream, just chat, have a laugh or a shoulder to cry on.

Eddie xx 

Hi Allotment Gal

And a warm welcome from me too!

Although we all have different cancers, we are all in the same leaky boat, and most of the time we do OK. 

It took me a while to come to terms with my diagnosis, but now I feel more accepting of it. At first, it's all a shock, and very scary, but in my experience it does calm down.

My mantra is 'I'm still here'.....and I hope to be for a long time yet!

I hope you are managing your treatment without any unpleasant side effects, and have been able to continue with most of your usual activities.

I love having a good rant too! It's good to let go of any negative stuff, and get on with living.

i also enjoy the chats and banter on here....there are some lovely people you'll get to know!

xxx Kate

Hi

I am 48 and also have incurable stage 4 bowel cancer. I had multiple operations and the surgeon bless him really tried. I am on Folfiri and Avastin, just had my first cycle. I already had Folfox as my first line when I was stage 3 back in 2020.

I definitely know people had very good responses to chemotherapy and make it to the operation for peritoneal. Hopefully It can happen for you too. 

Are you still working? I can’t any more and that has been difficult for me. Keep up with the exercises and talk to you soon. X

Thankyou for the welcome :-) 

I am not able to do anything like what I could before due to massive stomach bloating and pain ….. but still targeting making it back to the gym in the new year even if it is just for a stretch class. Might wear my boxing gloves for nostalgia reasons anyway - that will give the gals at the gym a giggle lol  

I have also swapped my motorbike for a mobility scooter (with a top speed of 4mph lol -but it does mean I can go further as I can’t walk that far at the moment) and am doing my utmost to get out and about when possible (having dogs hugely helps with this too - although bending to pick up poo is a proper challenge :) I have been signed off work - and to be fair - they have been absolutely brilliant with everything which really helps. I do miss it though (and travelled a lot with it too - so to suddenly find yourself at home nearly all the time has definitely taken some adjustment). 

But guessing these are things lots of people on here have tackled too - so really appreciate the kind words and looking forward to some good banter

xxxx

Hi again allotmentgirl, I think your probably right, I doubt anyone on here can do anything like the things they used to  do, but it doesn't stop us making the most of the things we can do, its best to focus on what you can still do and try to maintain or if possible improve on this. Soon after treatment, I could walk 40 yards at most, the stairs were daunting and fatigue made me feel awful.  But pushing myself, PS, I have a dog too, Poppy, who was my motivation to push myself, I felt so bad not being able to walk her, anyway just trying to walk 1 minute longer every week, doing a few light exercises and my spine strengthening exercises,I  got to where I could do most things pretty quickly, and soon I was doing 3 light exercise groups weekly, and today things are ok, 100% independent and life is ok, apart from the bloody disease, Poppy 

Hiya 

Do you also have an allotment?  Had to ask!  

I love your positive attitude.  I hope it's a long time before you need the room, if ever!  

Hi Allotment Gal and a belated welcome from me! When you said you had swapped your motorbike for a mobility scooter, I wondered why not swap for a mobility car? It is a bit faster than a scooter and also keeps you dry!!

Yes, I would say most of us here have swapped what was an active life for a different type of life and it takes a bit of getting used to. There are lots of us here who have outlived our ‘predicted’ sell by date with the help of immunotherapy, chemo, trial drugs or whatever but the main thing that helps is a PMA positive mental attitude and you have that already, so you are half way there! Since you started your treatment, I hope you have avoided the side effects!

Love, love, love Poppy 

These two are Jelly and Wren …. Both getting on a bit now (14 and 9) …. 

lol - I used to have an allotment, but the last few years have grown veggies in the garden … courgettes, runner beans, beetroot, rainbow chard, toms, peas etc etc We also do quite a bit of foraging (elderflowers, hawthorn berries, blackberries etc) and make syrups and yep, have been known to make the odd homebrew as well 

Loving the dogs and the attitude. Welcome, and feel free to rant as much as you like. We are all in more or less the same boat, some of us clinging onto more dry land than others. There will always be someone here with something in common with you. Mine is a different cancer but I am a veteran of Pembrolizumab immunotherapy combined with NAB-Paclitaxel, if that’s your poison of choice.