Here we go again

[Bindy]

I was ten days shy of six year remission mark. I started to feel unwell, night sweats, fatigue, itchy skin etc. Rang my oncologist to get earlier appointment. Its back again. Had PET scan yesterday and Peter Mac hospital put it on a disk. My sister and her husband kept being dismissive. Saying well I had a lump it was benign, I get hot at night and have fan on every night etc, etc. So I showed them my PET scan and they just went "Oh Shit". Few more tests this week and chemo should be start in about two weeks with a stem cell transplant as well.

[maddie86]

im really sorry to hear that! how frustrating it must be for you.. hopefully this time round you'l know what to expect... even though i doubt it'l be any easier.. what kind of cancer do you have? best of luck with your treatment 🙂

[Bindy]

I have hodgkin's Lymphoma. This time round kind of know what to expect. The stem cell transplant is new. This time my daughter is ten so she is more aware than last time when she was three and a half. A nurse has put us onto canteen for my daughter to get some support

[Rachel_C]

Hi Bindy, I had a stem cell transplant last year, Oct 2010 for Multiple Myeloma. I am now back at work 3 days a week and my strength is returning. I am happy to answer any questions you might have. I think transplant makes it sound so drastic. The procedure is quite straight forward its more that it knocks your body around quite a bit. I was quite lucky as I was not too badly affected by all the side effects they said could happen. Please feel free to ask me any questions.

[Bindy]

I have been reading all the information that I got from the Peter Mac hospital. I think the hardest thing is explaining it to my daughter who is ten. My sister has offered her stem cells if needed which is nice to know she would do that. The stem cell transplant does sound a bit scary.

[Rachel_C]

Hi Bindi, Will you be using your own stem cells or a relatives? I want to also tell you that all the written info is really scary and covers every possible side effect under the sun. With your daughter you might have to assure her you are going to be ok, you will be knocked around for a few months, but as long as your family/partner shows her she is safe and loved she will also be ok. I was also very worried about my family and even though my kids are older,21 and 19 it is still very difficult for a child to watch their mother being sick. I tried to be as positive as I could, got counselling and psychological help. They can sometimes help you with wording for your daughter. But just remember, you have a job to do now and that is to get better. Children are more resilient than you think and she may amaze you. This is what happened with my family.

[Bindy]

They will be using my own stem cells. My sister has volunteered her stem cells if neeeded. The support nurse has been great with helping me explain it to my daughter. We are lucky we have a lot of family support.