New Diagnosis

Hi

A very warm welcome to the forum . So glad your Macmillan nurse encouraged you to reach out . Lots of people will have been on the chemotherapy you are going to have and will be able to answer any questions you might have as they come up .

I am not the patient but came here around ten years ago when my mum was diagnosed. If you click on my user name you can read my mum’s journey . Whilst it’s not an exact match you will see she also had a spread to her liver at the point of diagnosis.

We also had to navigate a very direct oncologist in the beginning and you will read on here how hard that can be right before treatment starts . It’s not easy to pull yourself back up after that to face treatment but you do get there . Chemotherapy actually did a very good job on my mum’s mets and it allowed her to get to surgery . It actually did it twice . A few bumps along the way and a further lung met . Far from straightforward but all very much worth it and she continues to keep well .

Some people go on to have Hipec surgery . You might also benefit from searching out the forum on Bowel Cancer Uk just to encourage you on how some people have managed their condition .

It does get easier when treatment starts  in terms of feeling something is actually been done . 
Chemotherapy can be incredibly powerful as a treatment . It was certainly a game changer for my mum.

In time we adjusted to the oncologist as we heard he was very good with cells and research and ahead of the game . In the end my mum was sad when he left to join a big pharmaceutical company in America .

Please feel free to ask anything . Everyone is very friendly and supportive.

You have had a few bumps along the way to get started but all the very best with your first round of chemo. May the shrinkage begin. We thought initially in terms of reducing the tumour load . It was a good plan .

Take care ,

 Court 
 

Thankyou so much for your reply, Im so happy to see your mom is enjoying life to the full.  I think once I start treatment I will be able to mentally deal with my diagnosis. 

The whole diagnosis part is really difficult and stressful . However it shifts gear and it might surprise you but you get into a routine .

My mum had chemo two years in a row . It took a couple of cycles to iron out side effects and manage daily routines. Once she got her confidence in the process and in the staff it developed its own flow . The staff in the chemo unit were much more up beat and quite informative at giving an overview of the success other patients were experiencing. This gave my such a lift . 

take care ,

Court