Hi my name is Sandra I have in the past 10 days been told by gp over the phone that mri shows tumour on my spine, 6 herniated discs, and narrowing of my spinal chord.
I have spondylosis C5-7 T1 and 2 L3-L5 and S1 and S2 which was diagnosed after TIA in 2016 and been treated with painkillers gabapentin and steroid epidural on my lumbar and sacrum
Due to increased pain and legs going numb with what feels like electric shocks going through them, I was sent a letter stating URGENT SUSPECTED CANCER.
No one has told me anything other than that, and I've recently had a casting scan blood test and radioactive scan 3 days later.
I'm now waiting for the results and me and my husband our beside ourselves with worry.
I am 48 this year and just become a professional singer.
No idea what to expect what treatment if it can be treated or how to cope. Some days I feel fine others I fall apart.
I cant sleep. Dr yesterday said and I quote why worry when you can't change the diagnosis? Then prescribed me anti depressants which take 6-8 weeks to work.
Has anyone got any coping techniques or know how long it takes for results to come back please?
Everything has moved so fast and I'm really scared unsure where tumour is as he didn't say and couldn't understand him properly (he snapped when I asked him to repeat himself)
Has anyone else had ir got this at all please?
Don't want to be a burden
Hi Sandra and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.
Waiting for results of tests can be a very difficult time. I found that doing things that I enjoy really helped to take my mind off the 'what ifs'. Lots of people find mindfulness helps them and, if this is something that interests you, clicking here will take you to more information. You might also find this information on how to ease worry when waiting for medical results useful.
Although I think you weren't impressed by your doctor saying "why worry when you can't change the diagnosis" you will find that that is exactly what most cancer patients will tell you. Worrying about something that you can't change just ruins the enjoyment that you can find in the present.
I had different types of cancer so can't help with your questions about the length of time the results for your type of cancer are currently taking to come back but responding to you will 'bump' your post back to the top of the discussion list and hopefully someone from the forum will pop on to answer you.
Have you been allocated a CNS (cancer nurse specialist), sometimes referred to as a keyworker or Macmillan nurse, yet? If so they're usually a fountain of knowledge and can help you with your questions about length of time for results and how soon you'll know what your treatment plan is. If you don't have their contact details you could speak to your consultant's secretary and she should be able to provide you with them.
While you're waiting for replies, it would be great if you could put something about your diagnosis and test so far into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
Sending virtual ((hugs))
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
