I have recently been diagnosed with lung cancer, which has spread elsewhere in my body. This has all come as a total shock as I am a non-smoker in my mid/late-thirties, and otherwise fit and healthy.
We are still waiting on the pathology results to tell us exactly what's going and to determine what the treatment is going to be. I am avoiding googling anything and I don't want to learn more about my cancer until my oncologist can give me something factual and definitive, as a few things I have stumbled across online have been very upsetting. I'm not sure it's helpful to read about statistics etc until I know how critical my own situation is.
I am fortunate to be covered with Bupa for my cancer treatment. I did ask my oncologist about my fertility and options for egg freezing, and he referred me to a clinic but unfortunately this is not covered by Bupa. I then tried phoning my GP to talk to them about options, as I understand the NHS might sometimes offer egg freezing for women with cancer, but my GP can't offer me an appointment for a week and despite my pleas to the reception team I could get not a GP to consider my question as it wasn't an emergency.
I am conscious that I may need to move very quickly on this if I want to do egg freezing before any cancer treatment starts and don't know where to turn. I could possibly self-fund, but I understand this is circa £10K so I really need to know I've explored all options first, and make sure I can definitely complete the full process without detrimenting my cancer treatment. I would appreciate any advice about navigating what feels like a very ambigious but time-sensitive situation.
Another question I have is about pain and symptoms. The mild pains I was experiencing a few weeks ago are now getting worse and starting to impact my sleep and daily life. I'm not due to see my oncologist until we have the final test results, which may be another week, and I dont think he's the right person to talk to about this. But I'm not sure who can help? Or should he be aware of changes in symptoms? I feel he's too senior and busy to be dealing with my small questions of this nature, but at this stage there's no 'team' to talk to and I do need help.
Thank you so much
Hi k86125 and a very warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but sorry to hear about your diagnoses.
Navigating the cancer journey can be such a stressful and challenging time but getting support from people who have walked the ‘exact same' cancer type journey can help a lot (I have a completely different type of cancer)
The Community is divided into dedicated Cancer Specific Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you join and post in our dedicated Lung Cancer and Lung, secondary cancer support groups. These groups are safe places to talk to others with a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support.
To connect in with the group click on this links> Lung Cancer and Lung, secondary cancer then once the group pages open click on “Click to Join” when the black banner appears or “Join” under “Group Tools” (this all depends on the device you are using)
When you are ready you can introduce yourself by clicking “+new” or “+” in the top right next to the group title. You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.
The Macmillan Support Line is open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00. This service provides cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.
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 and give support to all the family.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
