Newly diagnosed.

Hi LCraig

Welcome to the club no one wants to join. Everything you are feeling is totally normal. I'm obviously not a doctor but from my own journey as i understand it this is a normally a curable cancer. Once you get a treatment plan you will feel more in control. I understand your worry about finances, but we all react differently with treatment, some can work all the way through and if you can't macmillan and lots of other places can give you advice on financial help you can get. Sending hugs. Xx

Thank you so much, that means a lot. I’m only just starting on this journey so hearing positive messages really helps.

Your welcome. This is a pretty responsive forum with people who want the best for you, I'm sure others will reply to you soon. Everyone is either going through it or been through it and stayed around to help others. When you get to treatment stage people will give you advice and tips if you want them, just run anything past your medical team as different hospitals ok different stuff and things change with time. If you need to unload or ask questions just come on the forum, people discuss allsorts. My first tip would be stay of doctor google. Xx

Hi LCraig ,

Firstly welcome to our little corner of the MacMillan Online Community although I’m so sorry to learn of your recent diagnosis. 

Immediately after diagnosis really is the worst place, the rollercoaster of emotions you are feeling is completely normal & I think everyone here can sympathise with this as we’ve all been where you are right now. 

You’ll have a barrage of of appointments ahead of you to agree on & prepare a treatment plan & although I’m sure it’s not of much comfort at the moment like Bungle1 has said once you begin your treatment you’ll hopefully find things settle into more of a routine & become a little calmer, this was definitely my experience, I felt I regained a little more control if that makes sense. 

Regarding financial worries if you have any local cancer charities near to you they often have benefit advisors, if not have a look where your nearest Maggies centre is as they offer great financial advice too as well as the financial advice that MacMillan can offer. When I was going through my diagnosis & treatment I lived alone with my then 15 year old daughter, I worked part-time & didn’t qualify for statutory sick pay (although my employers did paid me company sick pay). I was off work for a total of 6 months, finances were a major concern for me, I visited a local cancer charity where their benefit advisor took me through a PIP application which was successful & eased the financial worries until I felt well enough to return to work. Please look into this, nobody should be worried about losing their home whilst going through this. 

Please let us know if you’ve any questions you think we may be able to help with, we’re here to support you however we can. 

Nicola 

Hi L Craig!

welcome to the forum! I am 3 days post treatment and feeling a bit sore ( to be expected) but fine. This group has proved to be invaluable to me. We all know exactly how this journey feels- although we are all different . Once you start treatment the days will fly by. So a combination of your treatment team at the hospital and this forum- you are in safe hands. Before you know it  you will be the one ready to give advice and support. 
keep us posted.

Hugs

Happyflower xx

Hi Happyflower 

Wondered how you were getting on, good to here you are doing ok.  Xx

Hi Bungle! 
yes I’m doing ok. My daughter had the all clear so that’s made me feel a whole lot better! 
Thanks! Bungle! 
love from Happyflower xx

Thank you very much Happyflower.

This forums feels both hopeful and helpful. I really appreciate it.

I hope you feel more comfortable very soon.

Big hugs back to you. xx

Hi Nikki65 and everyone else who has responded,

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me so this is a very empowering process.

I am very much in an up and down place at the moment. On the one hand I am relieved to finally know that I am not mad and there was something more than just a simple polyp (although that’s not to say that had I been wrong, I would not have been elated). It feels very challenging to keep being fobbed off by clinicians. Anyway I got here in the end and it was certainly not a surprise or a shock.

I missed a call from the hospital this morning and they neither left a call back number or a message about the reason for their call. It’s frustrating because I just want to know what the next steps are and now I’ll have to wait until after the weekend.

The reality is a couple of extra days will make no difference and eventually everything will fall into place.

Sending everyone positive thoughts. Thank you and have the weekend you want.

Thank you Dan the man,

Your positive comments are really welcome.

I hope you feel more comfortable soon.

It’s a journey none of us want to go on and I know it will take over my life when I had wanted something very different (recently retired). But, I am up for it and keen to get started.