Hello, I am new here. I am a 52 year old female who has recently been diagnosed with gall bladder cancer. I quit smoking 2 years ago, I don't drink, I walk my dog everyday, I'm not obese but I am slightly overweight. So considering everything I really feel its not fair and why is this happening to me.
12 months ago I received all clear from tongue cancer. I had tongue reconstruction surgery using skin from my leg. A neck dissection where they removed 46 lymph nodes. 30 sessions of radiotherapy, 2 sessions of cisplatin chemotherapy. I ended up back in hospital with toxicity poisoning and with naso gastric feeding tube. It took quite some time to recover from all that but was feeling great just before this latest diagnosis of gallbladder cancer.
When I was told I had gall bladder cancer I could not believe what I was hearing, I am so angry and I have been told it is incurable and they said its not beneficial to me to have surgery. They also informed me that i have 2 enlarged lymph nodes near to my gallbladder. I am so confused as have read online that gallbladder cancer takes 5 to 15 years to get to stage of being incurable. Can anyone clarify this for me? And if it is correct why wasn't it detected when I was undergoing my tongue cancer treatment?
I am waiting to have a needle biopsy on my gallbladder and waiting to receive a plan to have chemotherapy, which oncology doctor told me it will give me more time and may reduce the tumor. How successful is chemotherapy on gallbladder cancer. Next appointment with the oncologist, he is going to discuss my life expectancy. This is worrying me so much.
I am so scared as have read that gall bladder cancer has a very poor outcome. I don't want to die and I can't stop crying.
My so called friends ghosted me when I had my tongue cancer, so I have not been in touch with them for months. My partner was brilliant with my tongue cancer but this time he is different towards me, we just seem to argue all the time. I can't burden my mum as we have just lost dad to brain cancer and my brother lives miles away. I don't have any other family.
Sorry for my rant but I just needed to let everything out as I feel like my heads going to explode and not sure how much more I can take.
I would love to hear from anyone who can give me any advise of how to get through this without breaking down in tears all the time and also any information about gallbladder cancer as I can't seem to find much about it.
Thanks D x
Hi Dondon1970 and welcome to the Online Community but I am sorry to hear about your diagnoses. You have been on such a rollercoaster with your initial fight with your tongue cancer and now this.
You already know that navigating the cancer journey can be such a stressful and challenging time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer type can help a lot.
I see you have already joined and posted in our Gall bladder cancer support group. This is a safe place to talk to others with a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support.
You may also want to look to join our Living with incurable cancer - incurable patients only (Please join the group but this will then have to be approved by the Macmillan Community Team so will not happen immediately) as this is a place to connect you with others dealing with the uncertainty of an incurable diagnosis.
I have lived and been treated for an incurable blood cancer for over 23 years so in part I understand the journey you are on and although it is all so unfair it is what it is so my focus is living life to the full as long as I can.
Our Support Line teams are available 7 days a week, 8am-8pm on freephone 0808 808 00 00, email or live webchat where you will find one of team there to help you out. We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.
Talking to people face to face can be very helpful so do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area, do also check for a local Maggie's Centre as these folks are amazing.
Do get back to me if you need further hel
In my book there is always Hope until Hope runs out and so far so good ((hugs))
