Hi,
I was diagnosed 3 weeks ago with nose cancer. I knew for a while that there was something wrong with me but it took me a while to go to the GP as I didn't want to hear what I suspected already. It's all gone very fast since then and I am waiting to hear about treatment plan. I know I have to have chemo pretty soon as what I have is aggressive. The last few weeks have been very confusing and stressful, particularly being at work and struggling to keep things going. I'm also the kind of person who avoids doctors and I'd never had any big tests like MRI or PET scans before. I had my first ever surgery under general anaesthetic on Wednesday to remove part of the tumour to help me breathe better.
I'm not sure how I feel right now. I have finally told my mum and brothers this weekend and I feel better for it - they all live in France so it was easy not to let them know to begin with. I live on my own and I'm not sure if it is better or worse when dealing with cancer - its all very new to me...
Hi Drine 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 cancer).
The Community is divided into dedicated Cancer Specific Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you join and post in our dedicated Head and Neck Cancer support group. This is a safe place 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 link> Head and neck cancer then once the group page opens 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.
