Endometrial cancer

[Lampwork54]

Hi Claire,

Glad you're having a slightly easier week.  Today is Friday and I finished radiation on Wednesday.  Not sure how I feel.  Relieved that it's over, yes, definitely.  Anxious to get back to normal but I guess I'm pushing a little too much.  I haven't had the fatigue the nurses speak about, just feeling a little tired now.  Not sleepy, just want to rest.  

Very glad it is Friday and the weekend is almost here.  Hope you all enjoy your weekend. 

[PhilPepper]

Hi Ginger

I'm not fully over my hospital crisis from last week, but on the mend and back at work. 

Half way through chemo. Damn! The glass is still half full. Ironic.

Looking forward to a good weekend. I'll dedicate part of it to write a little poem for you and your thread disciples.

Cycle 3 starts Wednesday. Yuk.

Back to work for me. Keep on dancing.

[PhilPepper]

Hi Ginger,

Take 2. Not so rushed now that work is done. The weekend starts now. I have a poem to write.

I have some bad news. A friend of mine has been complaining about symptoms which have been quite similar to mine. My wife and I have been encouraging him to get checked out and he finally has. Good news that I influenced him and he followed through. The outcome was not so pleasant. He is in his early 30s. I am still waiting to hear further details.

The shoe is suddenly on the other foot. I'm playing the supportive friend role. This is something I've failed to be in the past. I'm a changed person. I don't like that I was that way. I don't see life as being all about me anymore. I'm very focussed on living for the people that love me and need me. I've learnt a lot from this forum and some friends who have shared their own stories. I want to be the opposite of the person I used to be. Now I have a friend in need who is very thankful for my intervention but also quite scared. We had a lengthy phone call last night. I had no good news for him except to say it's not all over, no matter how bad. However, he is quite inspired by my journey and my attitude to dealing with my cancer and treatment.

Whether or not I intended it, not really sure, I'm now the caring support person and it seems to come naturally. I can't helping feeling this site is responsible for that. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.

I can't help wondering if I'm strong enough to cope with this. I wonder how strong you guys have been feeling with me dumping my crap on you all the time. (Metaphoric crap of course, not the crap from my bag. Sorry. A poo joke was necessary. I hope you all agree). Anyhooooo, I know I have to focus on my own shit as well. (Sorry. Another one.) I have found working through this forum to help others or at least try, has been rewarding for me. I think I'm willing but nervous about carrying someone else's weight as well. In any case, I'm trying to guide him towards this site, I believe it has the power to help him too.

We may need to teach him to dance.

🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺

[Lampwork54]

Hi Phil,

I'm pretty sure you were always a caring person.  I've been the same with people diagnosed with this horrid disease.  Yes,  acknowledge your diagnosis and then leave them alone to deal with the situation on their own, with family and friends supporting them along the way.  I've never felt I had anything to offer and the people involved have not been direct family members.  I've had no direct experience, only distantly and from afar.  

I also had some bad news this week.  I'm not sure how to describe this person.  Succinctly, she is in her mid 30's and is the mother of my eldest grandson.  She was diagnosed recently with stomach cancer.  I finished my treatment on Wednesday and she started chemotherapy on that Wednesday - at the same place, in the same hospital!  I couldn't do enough for her.  I bought her pjs for hospital and pjs for comfort at home after chemotherapy.  I was just so sorry for her, her mother, her partner and her son.  I told her this was a good forum to join.  Sometimes you need an outlet to discuss things outside your family.  This is really good for that.  Plus we get to dance and listen to music!  Healing balm for our battered souls.  

I think the disease changes you.  You suddenly know what it feels like to deal with such a diagnosis and its long term ramifications, prognosis and treatment plans.  You know what helps and what doesn't.  What words matter and what words are unnecessary.  You know instantly how to support someone else.  Perhaps it is our new super power!  

Enjoy your weekend Phil. 

[PhilPepper]

Good evening Lampwork, 

Thank you for your kind words. You make me bashful and humble. If this is my superpower, what do I have to do to earn flying 😁

Probably best not to answer.

My heart goes out to you and your family. It's a cruel joke played by the masters of the universe. I agree with you though. Point her to this site. When it comes to stomach cancer, point her to Rick. I endorse his humanity status. And he has cows and we all know what that means.

🐄 = 🧀

I'll offer some advice for her. Same advice I sent to my friend tonight. Don't be afraid to cry. There will be many times you need to. There's never a bad time.

I hope you have a great weekend. Remember to check in for my poem!

Ciao

[Lehiatus]

Hi Phil,

I love that no matter how shit things are you manage to find more jokes about shit. I believe it, along with caring is your superpower as @Lampwork54 just mentioned. I’m really sorry about your friend. 

You questioned whether you’ll be strong enough to cope with this, supporting your friend- so I offer you this. If it’s love you feel, the well of strength is limitless. It’s not broken by the disease but bolstered by it. I’m sure of it. Just read this thread and all the others about doing what needs to be done. We do it when we’re tired and almost broken because in the end, loving is all that matters. I like to think this disease doesn’t change our capacity, just transforms it. You’ve totally got this, and if you don’t, we’ve got you. 

Send your friend here- we can dance, (I’m particularly bad at the robot).

plenty of ears, virtual hugs, bad jokes, questionable song choices and super warm hearts to go around. 

[PhilPepper]

I'll make a point to include bad robot and lunatics taking over the asylum in my poem

😁

[Lehiatus]

Hey Lampwork54,

Just  a quiet note to say ‘high fives’ on finishing your radiation, even as your friend starts their journey, it’s a massive milestone, I’m so relieved for you. It must feel weird and great knowing your time is yours again (mostly), I hope this weekend is full of rest and you get to do stuff you enjoy. Chat soon! 

cheers, Claire 

[Lampwork54]

Thank you Claire.  It is a massive milestone.  30 times.  30 times to get up and get dressed and take a long drive into a busy hospital where everyone is busy being well or getting well.  It feels like a monumental journey and everyday you mark off one more day from your list.  

Everyone kept teling me that when - not if - the skin breaks I would have to come back to see the nurses.  I didn't believe them as my skin was doing well.  It was reddish purple by the end and felt hot to touch.  It must somehow build up in your system because the next day the redness travelled further - without any treatment.  I had been using sorbylene, paw paw cream and Moo Goo at different times throughout each day.  

Another story - our family accidentally found that Dettol cream fixes burns.  My youngest daughter had burned her pregnant belly on the kettle once and put dettol cream on it.  Firstly it took the pain away within minutes and stopped it from blistering.  When I had some minor burns in the kitchen over the  years I put dettol cream on it and it was great.  Took the pain away and no blister at all.  Once I was rushing to get some finger food cooked for a neice's birthday and accidentally put about half my hand in the super hot oil in the wok.  Cold water, ice and my son in law rushed to the chemist to get more dettol cream.  I thought I was going to pass out from the pain.  Slathered the hand in the dettol cream and within 10 to 15 minutes, I was back in business finishing off the food and enjoying the party.  Not even a blister.  It was quite miraculous.  

On the second day of no radiation my neck was looking even hotter and redder than before.  I slathered it with dettol cream over and over throughout the day.  It is less red and purple and seems to be dissipating quite well.  This morning back to sorbylene.  

As I work with hot glass and extreme temperatures, I always have a tube of dettol cream in the studio - just in case but so far only minor burns.   Good thing to know if you ever burn yourself.  

I am deleriously happy I have finished the radiation.  I stayed strong and well throughout the treatment and actually put on 1 kilo considering I can only have very soft or liquid food.  No nausea, vomiting or fatigue.  I thank the olive leaf for that.  

Hopefully we can all learn from each other what helps to get through whatever treatment path we are on.

Enjoy your weekend Claire.  I've really enjoyed all my weekends over the past 6 weeks.  Time to rest, recover and prepare for the week ahead.  This weekend I'll have 22 visitors this afternoon.  My family and grandchildren have invited themselves over to celebrate my 65th birthday.  They've stayed away from me as I asked them to and have had minimal visits from all of them throughout this time.  I didn't want to get sick from anyone's germs on top of radiation.  I don't have to feed them this time - luckily - as they'll be buying pizza.  I'm reallyn looking forward to it and it is a milestone.  I've actually made it to this age, despite everything and that's a beautiful thing.  

Another thing I learned Claire - and you might like this - no make up or moisturiser on face before radiation.    Under my eyes was not being radiated so every day I put some bio oil on my forehead and around my eyes which is absorbed pretty quickly into the skin.  Did it for a solid 6 weeks and magic - skin is looking good and softer and less crinkles around the eyes!  

I love that my time is my own again.  Yesterday I was watching a sries on SBS catch up called The Family Rule.  It was good, crazy and just amazing.  The mother had 9 daughters.  I had daughter envy!!  Our life's always been brilliant with out two daughter, imagining seven more of them was just mind blowing.  I seem to like disasters, horrors, end of the world kind of stuff right now.  It made me feel better about my own situation.  Next week I will focus more on happy stuff, more normality and hope.