My mom recently got diagnosed with cancer

Hi LilZoe  and welcome to our group.

I’m sorry to read of your mum’s recent diagnosis, and can appreciate this will be a very scary time for you all.

Many of us have been through the chemo radiation treatment which your mum is facing, and I’m going to tag in a couple of ladies who were diagnosed at the same stage who have successfully completed their treatment. Lulabell Snobird 

I hope they will come along and share their experiences with you and offer their support. I was diagnosed at stage 2b but also successfully completed chemoradiation 4years ago. 

There will lots of support we can give going through this, so please feel free to ask any questions as you think of them. It’s a difficult time waiting for the treatment plan, but it’s good you will have this next week and can get started. It would be helpful to know which chemo your mum will be getting as they can differ and have different effects. 

You are very welcome to be part of our group, and we have some lovely members who will help you through.

Take care of yourself too.

Sarah xx

Hi sarah thank you for getting back to me and i appreciate everything and just hearing that other women have gone through the same and have won, i am proud of each and everyone of you! I need help reassuring her because shes thinking the worse as im sure alot of people think the same when hearing them words, my moms also going on hoilday in july do you guys think she will still be able to go its the only thing shes really looking forward to and will be gutted if she cant go? How long of treatments will she need i hope someone can help with my questions sorry to be a pain im just worried, you take care also sarah thanks again xx

Hi LilZoe 

I think most of us have our thoughts running away to worst case scenario when we hear the word cancer, so it’s very understandable. However, I have learned since my diagnosis to focus on what you know, rather than the “what if” situations. It can be hard but it’s useful just to just take things day by day, one step at a time, and deal with what the situation is right now. 

The treatment plan will be specific to your mum, as it’s tailored to each individual, so we won’t be able to say with any certainty how long the treatment will last. Typically it is quite intense with daily radiotherapy over 5 weeks, with chemotherapy once a week over the 5 weeks, but it will depend on which chemotherapy is used, and how the doctors decide to treat this. So you mum’s plan may well differ from this generic plan. 

I think it’s important to have something like a holiday to look forward to, but none of us would be able to say if this would be possible as it depends on if your mum needs follow up treatment, and how she gets on with the first lot of treatment. The best people to advise are her doctors, but I would suspect it will depend on how she copes with treatment in general.

Sarah xx

Hi LilZoe.. I was diagnosed at the same stage as your mum and completed treatment in March last year.  This is very treatable and there are lots of ladies who have been through this treatment.  It sounds like your mum will have probably the standard 25 (ish) Radiotherapy and 5 Chemo followed by Brachytherapy.  It is all very doable.  Please don't worry - the medical teams are fantastic and so kind and caring and if your mum has any problems they will tweak her medication to cope.  It is full on once the treatment starts but it is also soon over.  A holiday may be good for your mum after the treatment.  Any side effects from the treatment usually subside within a few weeks of finishing. Please ask anything you're not sure of and we'll all do our best to help.  Wishing you and your mum the best xxx

Hi Snobird thank you so much for replying and making me feel at ease, with the brachytherapy whats that like? Will it be painful for her? Ive read abit about it but sounds so uncomfortable, will she lose her hair and will this treatment make her really unwell? I live with my mom and 2 kids when she has her treatment will i have to keep my kids away from her? Sorry to ask so much im just worried and i dont know what to expect xx

Hi LilZoe... Your mum will be completely numb for the brachytherapy and for me it was no problem at all.  If she has the standard Chemo which is Cisplatin, she won't lose her hair.  Medically she should be fine to have the kids around unless she's had a PET scan that day but also she may feel a little tired.  The radiotherapy can cause bowel problems from about the third week in but I was given Loperamide for that and it worked a treat.  The Chemo may cause some nausea (it didn't for me) but you go home armed with  your "survival kit" of medication.  The medical team will tweak it for your mum if necessary.  She may also go off certain food/drink for a while.  Please try not to worry and take everything just one step at a time.  You will both feel much better when treatment starts and you will meet some lovely people.  I'm sure she will cope just fine xxx

 Snobird thank you for everything you have made me feel 10 times better in myself and makes it easier to comfort my mom aswell. I will update you next week on what they say. Again thank you so much! Look after yourself xxx

Hi LilZoe  I am so pleased that you are feeling a little better and it would be great to hear your updates, thank you xxx

Hi Snobird we got the results yesterday with treatment plan they will be doing cemo, radiotherapy and brachytherapy to but she has to go for a certain scan first i think its a ct scan but its to know were they need to do the radiotherapy did u have this? And he also said her survival rate is 60% did they give you a survival rate? My mom is heartbroken and keeps thinking the worse, what shell we expect from now on? My mom is diabetic but shes type 2 and doesnt have insulin she takes tablets and she smokes to but he said she can be high risk at side affects did they say anything like this to you about side effects? Xx

Hi LilZoe, yes I had this scan, it is called a planning scan and they will put some "tattooes" on your mum's skin to help with her treatment.  They are almost invisible, painless and they help to position her when they are giving her the radiation so they get it absolutely accurate.  I did not want or receive a survival rate but this treatment has a high success rate.  There very well may be side effects from the treatment.  I think it is very rare that anybody gets away without any but as I said the medical team will be able to tweak her medication for the side effects.  Please try not to worry and trust your team.  Your mum will probably start her treatment very soon after the planning scan.  Good luck and please keep us all posted on her progress xxx