Hello all

Hello Hooky56

Welcome to the online community and I hope that you find it as supportive and informative as I have.

A diagnosis of cancer is hard and it is natural to feel scared and worried and to have questions. I remember how overwhelming all the appointments were to begin with, especially when they were changed. 

There are people on the Melanoma group who will have been on a similar journey to you and will understand how you are feeling. Please reach out to them. You are not alone.

You have mentioned that you have worries about finances. This was also a worry of mine when I first got diagnosed. Please reach out to Macmillan as they can give you advice on this. You can call the phone number at the bottom of this and ask for advice. They will be able to direct you to support.

I did the online chat version and spent around 20 minutes talking to an advisor who was very helpful in looking at my finances and what I could be entitled to claim. (before diagnosis I was working 40 hours a week and was put on state sick pay) I came away from it with a grant, advice on how to claim universal credit and PIP. He also told me how to claim free prescriptions. Just knowing there was help out there put my mind at rest. You mention having a pension but they will be able to look for you and see what other help you can get. They will be able to look at energy bills, cost of living and any other support you may be entitled to. I was entitled to council tax relief as well. I do recommend calling or doing the online chat as they can work out exact figures for you by looking at your personal circumstances.

There is also an ask the expert section on here that you may be interested in looking at. On here you can also ask questions.

(+) Ask a Financial Guide - Macmillan Online Community

Regarding getting to the hospital and relying on others- this was also a concern of mine. I found a lot of people were happy to help but it was difficult when they were working or had family commitments. Have you spoken to your hospital to see if you can get hospital transport? I had a red cross driver who took me to my daily radiotherapy appointments (25 of them) and it was free of charge. I spoke to my Cancer Nurse Specialist and she directed me to my Macmillan support worker who arranged it for me. 

I hope this helps

Jane

Thank you Jane I will look at some of the advise I hating asking  for help as I have always worked and been on my own for 25 years and independent 

Hi, I just wanted to reach out to you as I too felt totally overwhelmed when I was diagnosed in Nov 22. Things were delayed because of Christmas and then the nurses strike and I found the waiting the worst. I am also retired, and we've just moved to a new area so I felt really isolated.  My hubby still works but he's setting up his business in a new area so is away a lot. I've had my WLE and my SLNB in March, they removed 4 lymph nodes. I received the all clear and I'm just trying to recover from the surgery. I started a journal where I wrote everything I felt, it's been good looking back on that journey and realise how far I've come. I too have a dog and going for a walk has really helped. I know macmillan can support with financial information and also counselling  so i hope you find some help. Please keep in touch and good luck 

Thank you for replying I will keep in touch