Stomach cancer

Hello  , I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis, and how you’re coping at the moment. There are so many feelings that rush through our heads when we get a cancer diagnosis, I embarrassingly laughed in disbelief when I heard my cancer diagnosis and it took a while to sink in, then there came a search for trying to make sense of it. So I am glad you found your way here, and a lot quicker I think than I did.

You say you would like things to finish quicker and put your loved ones out of their suffering, I going to retranslate that into ....Ive just been diagnosed, I haven’t started my treatment yet so I’m scared and I care a lot for my family and don’t want to see them upset. Waiting for treatment to start is a really anxious time probably the most anxious as your head spins with worst case scenarios. I’m sure your family will want to keep you around for as well as you can be and for as long as you can be to make special memories, and with new advances in treatments some including me live a good quality of life. 

I haven’t got your type of cancer so I would like to direct you to a group that has where you could seek their experiences, and it’s sometimes helpful to complete your profile and look at the profile of others answering you. Click on the user name and find the edit button to put a bit in. 

https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/stomach-cancer/discussions

and perhaps read a bit more about your cancer type from this link.

https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/stomach-cancer/

The shock of diagnosis and the uncertainty of what lies ahead throws up a lot of anxiety as we work our way through it and find a way to cope. So you might want to read through the section below as it really helped me.

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/stomach-cancer/coping/your-emotions 

You might find a call to the helpline useful or a notebook to write down how you are feeling, I found if I did that and read my concerns back I could see if my concerns were real or things that might never happen, things that I had no control over or things where I could get help or find better ways of coping. The helpline details are after my signature.

Best wishes

Hi Dee  and welcome to the Online Community, although I am sorry to see you finding us and so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Thos must have come as such a shock to you and the family. A cancer diagnosis brings a lot of stress and confusion but talking with people who are on the same journey can help a lot and will reduce the whirlwind wind that is rushing in your head.

I was told 5 years back to get my affairs in order - but the goal posts moved and I am still around. But the one thing I did learn then was live every days as if it was my last and enjoy the moment.

As my cancer journey was rather different you may like to follow this link to our Stomach cancer and Living with incurable cancer - incurable patients only Forums where you will connect with people who understand the journey you and your family is on. You can ask the folks questions about tests, treatments and what to expect during the months ahead. 

Follow the link above and join the group by hitting the ‘Join the Group’ tab just under the main group name. At this point select how you want to receive email notifications when someone answers your posts.

You can either go to the 'Start a Discussion' tab just under the main group name. Set up your own Discussion and introduce yourself to the group - you could just copy an paste what you have in this first post. You can also have a look through the various threads by going into the ‘Discussions’ section.

You may find our various Macmillan Support Line Services to be helpful - call them on 0808 808 00 00 This free service covers Emotional Support, Practical Information. Clinical Information, Financial Support and Work Guidance mostly open 8.00 to 8.00 but check the link.

We also have our ‘Ask an Expert’. section where you can post questions to our mostly Volunteer Experts but please allow 2 working days to get a reply.

Our Online Information and Support Section  is a good place to find information covering cancer diagnosis, treatments and pages covering most types of cancers.

Talking to people face to face can help a lot so check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support Groups in your area or a Maggie’s Centre as these folks are amazing.

All the very best and a big Thehighlander ((hug))