Hi Maggie, My thermostat is starting to cool down a bit (I think). My Prof has put me on Oestragen patches about three weeks ago and I think they are starting to kick in. I am happy to hear that you are going to ease yourself back into the work force. It will certainly make the transition much easier for you. Keep up the good work! The Rowan ... View more

Congratulations Lizzie. Great news. ... View more

Hi Silly, Just a thought about the eyebrows. I don't have a problem with mine, but have you thought about using henna to 'tatoo' your eyebrows on? They would end up being a brown colour, but you could do it yourself, and it is only a temporary tatoo. All you would have to do is mix the henna power with a little water and paint your eyebrows on. You then leave the henna on your skin for a while(not sure how long because it's been years since ive used henna), then wash it off and its all done! As I said...it's just a thought, but it is a natural product and should be fairly inexpensive. You will have to let us know how you went if you give it a go. Good luck. ... View more

Hi Maggie, First let me say welcome to the group. The people in here are very supportive, and often have some helpful ideas on how to manage/cope with the ordeal that some of us find ourselves in. Secondly,if your circumstances allows it, don't hurry back to full time work too soon. Just ease yourself back into your work routine slowly. It depends on what your treatment regime was too. I returned to full time work a little over two months after my hysterectomy for endometrial cancer. Nearly four months later, and I am finding that there are days where I just seem to have no oomph. Some of this may be due to my lack of sleep (I am thermostatically challenged at the moment), but it is also because my body has just been through the wringer and is trying to sort itself out again. Good luck with your return to work, but please keep in tune with your body and don't push yourself too much. ... View more

Hi Smellingtheroses, Sorry to hear that you cancer was not diagnosed until Stage three. Whilst I cannot fully relate to everything that you have gone through, I can understand how you are feeling about the physical and mental abilities, and how family in particular now act like nothing has happened. I don't know what your family status is, but I am a single, middle aged women who has never married, never had children and lives alone. With family (siblings)acting like nothing ever happened, I sometimes find it hard to cope all by myself. Fortunately, I have a handful of good friends to see me though....unfortunately, they all live interstate and their support is mostly by listening to me over the phone. As you said, this site is very helpful, and the Cancer Council itself also has a number of options for you to explore. Please keep your chin up and don't let the buggers get you down. Put yourself first at all times and look after yourself. ... View more

Andrew, I recon I know the Python sketch you're talking about, and if Spamalot ever comes back to Melbourne, you will be able to buy the perfect T-shirt. Please hang on to your wonderful sense of humour. It will help you more than you realise. I know that by making a bit of a joke about some of the things I went through, I was able to deal with the scary stuff more easily. Don't worry about being 'zonked out'. I am 6 months post op and have been back at full time work for the last four. I still get zonked out too, but I just declare a 'couch potato' weekend and recharge my batteries (so what if the house looks like a bombs gone off in it). Hang in there, and you will work out what works for you. ... View more

Thank you Jules. I thought the pic was pretty special when I found it too. It just seemed so appropriate as an Avitar for a site like this. It goes towards the strength we have to find within ourselves to keep going about our day to day lives whilst dealing with our particular forms of cancer. ... View more

Congratulations on getting through your first full day of work. Isn't it nice to be able to use your brain like you used to and feel like you are making a contribution again. I know my head was spinning after my first day back at work. I had been off work for 6 months and it took a week or two to get the old grey matter working up to speed again. It sounds like your move to the rural scene may be just what you need too. I grew up on a small farm that went a little crazy. We had cows, pigs, horses, goats, chooks, ducks, cats, a dog.....and a donkey..lol. They kept us busy looking after them all, but it was fun for a kid. I have since grown up and moved to the city. About the closest I get to rural life now is when I make pickles, jams and chutney for Christmas presents. Oh, by the way. If you want your eggs to be a deep rich golden colour, feed your chooks some maize. Keep up the good work recovery wise, and as you have already seemed to have worked out, being made redundant enables you to open doors and explore options you may never have considered before. Make the most of it!! Good luck. ... View more

As a result of scans run whilst I was being treated for auto immune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) in May and June of 2011, my doctors sent me in for a D&C and Hysteroscopy on the 15th July. Two weeks to the day after surgery, the phone rang and my Gyno was giving me the news that I had endometrial cancer as well. Fortunately, he got the ball rolling very quickly, and 3 days later I was sitting in the Oncologist office, receiving the run down and being booked in for surgery for the 4th August. I am one of the lucky ones. If it had not been for the AIHA, we would not have discovered the cancer at stage 1. I had a radical hysterectomy on the 4th August 2011 which managed to remove all of the cancerous cells (the cancer had not yet reached my lymphatic system), and I did not have to have chemo or radiation therapy. After six months off work due to both conditions, I made a full return to work at the end of October and am taking things one day at a time, ... View more

I am a cancer survivor (Endometrial Cancer), but at the age of 20, I watched my mother slowly dwindle away from Breast Cancer in the mid 80's. Mum tried to keep a brave face in front of the family, but we knew when she was at the point where she couldn't carry on for much longer. All I can suggest to you is to make her as comfortable as you possibley can and if her friends call and ask if it is ok for them to call in and visit, don't say "Not today. She's having a bad day. How about next week". Let them visit because it may just spark her up a bit. ... View more