Hello

Hi Jools1908,

Firstly I’d like to offer you a warm welcome to our little corner of the Macmillan online community although I’m really sorry you’ve had the need to find us. 

You’ll find lots of support here from people that have been where you are now. Myself I was diagnosed with anal cancer February 2018 & am now almost 4 years post treatment, cancer free to date & doing well. If you click on my username you can read a little about my journey on my profile, it’s always handy to put a little about yourself on your profile so it gives others a bit of an idea of your story without you having to repeat yourself all the time, you can also update this as your journey progresses. 

Chemoradiotherapy is pretty much the standard treatment for anal cancer & you’ll find the majority of members here have had or are going through this treatment. Most of our active members are happy to share their stories & between us we’ve lots of tips on getting through treatment. This treatment is generally very effective & there are many of us here that are testament to this. 

A cancer diagnosis brings with it many different emotions, so how you’re feeling now is completely normal, sometimes I just felt like it wasn’t happening to me almost like I was watching it happening to someone else & other times the enormity of the whole situation hit me like a truck! Once I had a treatment plan & even more so once my treatment started things settled down though & I began to relax a bit. 

I hope your PET scan & gastroscopy appointments come through quickly, the waiting for appointments at this stage is difficult. If you have any questions, no matter how personal it may sound, please just ask, I can guarantee we’ve all asked the same questions along the way.

Nicola 

Hello Jools,

Welcome, this is a really helpful group and you will find a lot of useful information and support here. At least you have a diagnosis now and are under the care of the right people, so once you have some dates to start things should all move quite quickly. The treatment is very effective - good news. You might find some side effects but the team who look after you are familiar with them all and so have a supply of pills and creams that will help you if you need them. 

I finished my treatment at Christmas and have recovered really well. Oncologist said I have had total response to the treatment and tumour has gone so they will scan and monitor for the next few years but fingers crossed.

Good luck!

Hi Jools1908, you will find lots of useful tips on here from those who have gone through treatment. As Nikki said, the waiting can be the hardest. I am eight months post treatment and found loads of help and support on here. I found the search box useful too if you wanted to find out something in particular 

Hello and sorry you find yourself here. This is a great group for support. You can ask any question without any embarrassment as it will have been asked before. The hardest part for me is what you are going through now. Xx

hello.

I have been recently diagnosed with T2 anal cancer and will be starting chemo and radiotherapy on April 6th. I am so scared.

Hi, it's a very scary time. I have 2 treatments left and by far the waiting before starting treatment and the fear of the treatment is far worse then the treatment itself. I never thought I would get to the stage that u had 2 treatments left but here I am. It won't be long before you are here. This is a great supportive group. Good luck

Hi bluebelle,

Welcome to the Macmillan online community although as with Jools1908, I’m really sorry that you find yourself here. As Watto78 has said the wait for treatment to start & the fear that you feel for the treatment is worse than the reality. I remember being terrified before I began my treatment, I couldn’t eat or sleep! My oncologist put it to me in a nutshell when I voiced to him my fears of some of the horror stories I’d heard, he said the stories you hear/read are usually from people that have suffered a bad reaction to the treatment as those that have been through it with few issues don’t tend to need support/advice outside of their treatment team & family etc. Once you begin treatment you’ll find you’ll relax a little & you’ll deal with any side effects if or as they arise. Please don’t hesitate to ask on the forum if you have any questions, nothing is taboo here. 

Nicola 

Thank you so much for welcoming me to the group. it is wonderful to have this support as I have felt so isolated . I have already taken notes down of all your great tips and recommendations. Does anybody have advice about food, gentle exercise, possible hair loss etc. Definitely getting the big knickers!Thank you again.

I used to be very active and wpuld love to go for a run. Through treatment I have just been going for a walk everyday to keep active. Its slowed down in my last week as my red bits rub a little when I walk and I dint want to aggravate them. I haven't had any hair loss at all on my chemo tablets. I got some big knickers but also some mens loose boxers. I'm commando now in my last week and it feels great. Diet wise I have just been eating how I normally would x

Hi Nicola Sorry it's taken me so long to reply but trying to get my head around my diagnosis and lots of phone calls from the hospital. I have seen the Consultant he was so kind and really took his time explaining to me and my son what  the treatment would entail and he allied a lot of my fears. I am having my imaging scan tomorrow for my radiotherapy tomorrow and have all of my radiotherapy dates first session 20th April and last session 27th May. I have my  PET scan on Saturday. It now is feeling more real and I just want to get on with my treatment. Though at times I can't believe it's happening.

I have had a few difficult years my son and his three children moved in with us three years ago, which has been a blessing in disguise as my husband was in very poor health and my son helped me care for him until he passed away 15 months ago. Having Rich and the children here has helped me with coping with my grief. There isn't a dull moment in our house! Rich is being so supportive as is my other son........i feel very blessed. 

Reading all of the comments have been very comforting and I'm sure I'll be asking for lots of advice. I have already bought some boxer short type pants and some harem trousers as well as water wipes. Any other suggestion will be gratefully received!

Thank you to you and all of the other contributors for your support.

Julie x