Hi @BlueHeadLady83,   Thank you for your post. I have sent a welcome message to you by private message, but thought it might be helpful to comment on your post.    At Cancer Council we support evidence-based treatments for cancer. We have a great website which looks at some of the discussion about alternative medicine for cancer, examining the claims and providing facts: iheard.com.au/.   Some great evidence-based information on herbs and complementary therapies to help with cancer side-effects is available here through the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the US. There is no credible evidence that herbal remedies cure cancer.   We always recommend that anyone considering alternative or complementary therapies discuss this with their doctor or treating team.   Kind regards, Margaret, Online Community admin team ... View more

Hi everyone,   The panel members for this webinar have been announced and are:     Matt Featherstone, Cancer Survivor Ray Araullo, Senior Social Worker Dr Benjamin Britton, Psychologist For further information and to register for the webinar, click here   ... View more

Hi @Beccy72,   Thanks for your post. You might find it helpful to discuss your question with your GP or radiation oncologist, and in addition you may find the following Cancer Council publications helpful:   • Understanding Radiation Therapy particularly the section on sexuality and intimacy issues;  and • Fertility and Cancer   The health professionals on the  Cancer Council 131120 Information and support line are also available 9am-5pm Monday to Friday to answer questions about cancer treatment and how it may affect your life after cancer.   Take care and kind regards, Margaret Online Community admin team     ... View more

Hi Catherine,   We sent some information to you in a private message, but additionally for anyone else in a similar situation, the booklet "Understanding Bladder Cancer" from Cancer Council might be helpful. It covers diagnosis and treatment for bladder cancer, including different types of surgery that may be suggested as part of treatment.   You can access the online version here or contact Cancer Council Information and Support line on 131120 to have a hard copy of the booklet sent to you by post.   You may also be interested in another Cancer Council publication, "Caring for someone with cancer", which can be very helpful when someone you love has cancer.   Take care, Margaret Online Community admin team ... View more

Hi @smbonford,   I have sent you a private message to welcome you to the Online Community, but thought I would reply to your post as well.   It seems that you have questions about the diagnosis of your mole. It can be very confusing when looking online, especialy trying to work out which are the most reliable sources on the internet. It might be worth chatting with your GP again and expressing your concerns and discussing whether a second opinion would be helpful.    Please also feel free to contact the health professionals on the Cancer Council Information and Support line (phone131120) to discuss your questions.    There is a Cancer Council publication on skin cancer which you may also find helpful. Click here to access it online.   There is also some useful information about Bowen's Disease from the Australasian College of Dermatologists here.   Wishing you all the best.   Kind regards, Margaret Online Community admin team ... View more

Hi @Lynx There's also an organisation in Queensland who will probably have some answers for you and can offer really good support - here's a link to their website:   https://melanomapatients.org.au/ @Gab_CCNSW   ... View more

Hi @Nath250,   That sounds like a tough situation for you.    I would recommend speaking with the Cancer Council Information and Support consultants on 131120 as they have access to programs that may be able to assist you financially at this time. This service is open 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.   Cancer Council also provides some pro bono (no cost) legal services, and applications for these can be arranged through 131120.   The social worker at your treating hospital may also be able to advise and support you to access community financial support programs in your area.   Take care, Margaret Online Community admin ... View more

Blood is always bloody scary (sorry), but not always bloody serious.   Through my cancer treatment, I was often coughing up a (sometimes scary) amount of blood.   You get this atavistic reaction like .. something broken inside me .. my body eating itself ... but in my case, my airways were aggravated by an excess of phlegm .. caused by both inflammation and a lack of saliva to push it through my body in the normal way .. so I was coughing a lot .. and the coughing abraded some minor blood vessels .. next thing you know I'm spewing into the sink and seeing blood threaded through it.   In that case, really scary, but not serious.   When the blood is bright red, apparently you shouldn't be too worried, because its fresh and somewhere near the expellation point .. example bright red blood on your toilet paper more often means haemmorhoids than stomach or bowel cancer ... but where the blood is darker, that apparently should be more of a concern, like a malignancy inside you. ... View more