Another Newbie

Hello Jeenie2001

A warm welcome to the forum, although I am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis.  Hearing the word cancer is terrifying and I am sure each of us remember exactly that moment, I know I did and moved around in this huge bubble of fear and bewilderment.  But once I had a treatment plan, things did start to look up a bit, there was an end in sight and I knew getting through this treatment, although tough, was taking me to a much better place health-wise.  

I had an elective stoma formed this summer and manage really well with it, and my recovery was really quick.  It may well really help you during treatment especially towards the end when opening bowels can be really painful due to the radiotherapy side effects.

You aren't having a pity-fest at all, please don't ever feel the need to apologise for feeling low and full of fear.  Absolutely no one will judge you on here, we have all been through or are going through treatment and your feelings are totally understandable.  I am really so very sorry that your husband isn't being supportive; a cancer diagnosis often puts people in touch with their own mortality but you need him on board in every way.  I think perhaps you need some help here, are you near a Maggie's?  I went with my husband in the very early days and it is a lovely calm place staffed by cancer professionals and they could well help your husband too.  And there is also the MacMillan help-line who may be able to give you some pointers.

We have lots of tips and coping strategies we can share to help you through this, so please let us know when your chemo/radiotherapy treatment is due to start.  And good luck getting a quick date for your op.  

And we are always here to offer support should you need it.

Love to you too, brave Jeenie

Irene xx

Hi 

Welcome to the club no one wants to join. Everything you are feeling is totally normal and you are allowed to feel sorry for yourself. You will get through it because you have to, try to do things you enjoy to take your mind of Everything. Sending hugs. Xx

Hi Jeenie,

It is a big shock having the cancer diagnosis and it's hard on loved ones too - they are just as worried but completely helpless. You will probably begin to feel better once you get started; then you can allow yourself to feel that you are moving forward and making some progress.

I had similar treatment to you but no stoma. Some here have had it and some not, I guess it depends on your individual circumstances. The chemo and radiotherapy are considered to be very effective.

Let us know how you get on, and ask anything you need to know - someone here will probably have been in a similar situation so be able to offer you some support.

Thanks everyone for your kind and supportive words,  yes it was such a shock, I was hoping against hope that I wouldn't hear those words! 

I'm sure I'll get my head around it, it has to be done and I have to do it, I've got a date for my stoma, it's Tuesday next week, the first step in my journey!

My whole family are with me and although hubby doesn't want to talk about it he is there for me , one step behind me to make sure I'm OK.

Thanks again and hugs to you all xxx

Hi Jeenie, 

Sorry to hear of your diagnosis, you have come to the right place for support. 

How you have described your journey so far sounds exactly like mine. 

Once I was told I had Anal cancer in November 21 by The beginning of December I had to have a stoma, I didn’t want it and refused but once they told me I had to have it because the tumour was  blocking me for being able to go to the toilet which it was I hadn’t pooed for about 3 months it was horrid, had the stoma fitted and not gonna lie I was petrified of it, I couldn’t look at it or touch it but after a few days  had to get my head around it and start learning to be able to look after it as they wouldn’t let me home until I did this, so I just got on with it within 2 days i told them I’m going home, my husband was so good and helped me every time I needed to change it, and after about a couple of weeks it just became second nature. 

I had exactly the same treatment as you and started my treatment February 22, however 4 day in, I started feeling unwell in the night chest pains which I thought was heartburn anyway this made me sick by the time I got to the hospital to have my radiotherapy, I was gray, sick bent over clutching my chest, I was sent straight over to another hospital that deals with heart attacks, spent  a week in there on a heart monitor, bloody tests, chest X-rays , had an angiogram to find I hadn’t had a heart attack it was the Chemo it makes your heart go in to spasms or something like that, anyway I came home, then continued my radiotherapy I was taken off the chemo, so only had the radiotherapy which my oncologist assured me that this was my main treatment. 

Everyday I bathed in Epsom salts the one for psoriasis, eczema and dry skin, I used E45 to wipe myself with its very soothing on that area and then after I put on Cavilon which was given to me by my oncologist  nurse, a couple of weeks in I started feeling sore and  itchy I used antihistamines for the itching this is all part of the side affects that you may or may not experience, apart from this my skin went brown and peeled but that was it, and then right a the end of my treatment I had a sore bit at the top of my bum which they gave me dressing for and I used antihistamines for the itching and I used my stoma powder to keep the sore dry which by the way is like a miracle powder so get some I used it everyday around my stoma stitches and it’s all healed in a couple of weeks, I have used the powder on all sorts of things i recommend getting some. 

I think the worse part for me was the going to the hospital everyday, I would come home and go to bed it made me fatigued and I sleeper quite a lot, but after 6 weeks of treatment finished I went back to work. 

My staging was Advanced T4 N1, I had quite a bit of pain from my bum so was given Oramorph which I still take a couple of mls in the mornings, I have my stoma for life as I have 2 lumps of scar tissue formed from the radiotherapy which is coursing a stricture so I can’t poo probably, and I have a parastomal hernia which I’m on a waiting list to have repaired.

After treatment I had a 3 month MRI scan and was told my tumour had more or less gone, I continued having 3 monthly MRIs for about 15 months but after my second one I was told  it was gone, I think I only had 1 6 monthly MRIs and then went on to a yearly one so this Jan 25 will be my first yearly scan.

Sorry if iv over loaded you but just wanted to you to know my story, apart  from the waiting for results, the anxiousness which is all part of it and rightly so, I felt my journey has been  a breeze especially when you read what others have gone through with their side affects etc 

I hope all gos well hun and if you want to know about anything I’m always here along with everyone else 

Bug hugs 

Laura x x