Newbie

Hello Emzie

Welcome to the Online Community and the Peritoneal forum.

I am very sorry to hear about your Mum's diagnosis. I understand what a worrying time it is for you all and if you feel like talking things through would help, then please give the Support Line a call. The number is at the end of this and they are lovely on there.

I had chemo myself and it can be tough to go through as a person but also for the people around you. I tried to think of it in terms that if it was causing such side effects and making me feel really unwell, then it was hopefully doing the same to the cancer cells. 

I also had bone pain and it can be really uncomfortable. Mum should have a 24 hour number for the cancer nurses and it would be worth giving them a call to explain about the pain. Some chemos are known to cause bone pain and I was given medication that helped.

Mum is likely to have been given a book to use and I would suggest that she notes in it each day how she is feeling. I found it helpful as my chemo cycles tended to follow a pattern. So if for instance I had bone pain from days 1-3 in the first cycle, then it tended to happen in a similar way in the follow up cycles. This enabled me to be prepared with meds but also helped to know when it would pass. I found that most side effects could be managed with rest, medication and reassurance from my CNS team. Never be afraid to call them- I did often- and they never minded. 

It is very natural to feel scared of losing Mum but I found just having family and friends around that cared- did help me get through things. You will be making a difference just by being there. It is important not to overlook your own needs as it can be hard to offer support to others if you are not coping yourself. If you do call the Support Line they may be able to have a look to see what support may be available to you and your family close to home. 

It is natural to want more information when a family member is diagnosed but I would advise staying away from google. It's often not accurate and it does not know Mum's personal circumstances. I will pop a link to some Macmillan information that may be of help. There is some info about the treatments and also some advice at the end about different ways that you can contact us if needed.

Understanding cancer of the ovary, fallopian tube and peritoneum | Macmillan Cancer Support

I hope this helps a bit but if there is anything else you need, then please do ask.

I wish your Mum well with her chemotherapy.

Jane

Hi Emzie 

Welcome to our community though we are always a little sorry to see anyone needing to join.

I have no experience of that form of cancer, my wife has Leiomyosarcoma and has had that now for over 10 years.

If we look at your feelings when someone has cancer we can see how typical your emotions are. So glad you reached out on here - it took me a long time before I asked for any support.

If it helps you you might like to look in on our Family and friends forum and remember you are more that welcome to ring the helpline here 0808 808 0000 - I have certainly cried at them in the past and they are both very patient and very knowledgeable. If some face to face might help you could look at our in your area tool 

hope some of that helps

<<hugs>>

Steve

Thank you so much for your reply ️ 

I really appreciate it! Chemo seems pretty rough.

Thank you so much for your reply! I will have a look into this. 

It can be, but they can also support Mum and offer medication to help. I found the first one the worst as you don't know what to expect. It did get easier after that. Please let us know if we can help you or Mum in anyway

Jane

Thank you so much.

The weekend was horrendous, she had such bad legs pain, now they just ache she was very weak. 

It broke my heart. X

I bet it did, It is such a hard thing to watch someone go through. I am gad that the bad pain has gone. I used to find hot water bottles alternated with ice packs helped. And sometimes warm baths. Massaging can help. But if Mum does have anything like that again, give the hospital number a call. Mine was great.