Good luck Dave. I've been fighting since original tumour removed in April 2013, 4 left in lungs now with signs of necrosis Smile I've been through a lot and still doing chemo but I will continue to fight. Stay strong. ... View more

Geoff I'm 48 and have bowel cancer, have finished resection surgery, chemo and radiation on the initial cancer (and all clear there now). Unfortunately I now have mets on my lunga and I'm back on the 5FU, but with Oxiliplatin and Avastin now. I also have the 5FU pump this time but only 46 hours/fortnight. I love that you gave your pump a positive name, I call mine Sue (the bitch with my Dad - the poisonous thing that I can't escape!). Maybe I should change my mindset!! It's working though - 1 down, 5 to go. I named my tumours too, they are positive to the KRAS mutation, so mine are the (mutant) ninja turtles. It's easier to talk about :) I don't know about your cancer but I know a little bit about chemo now, over 18 months for me. It is hard and very tiring but get as much sleep in as your body needs. I know it's frustrating that you don't have the same energy for your family but hopefully this will be a short term thing for you and with a few small adjustments you can feel like you are not missing out. If you really can't do something, don't do it! Your body is not the same at the moment, take care of it so you don't end up sicker. Stay positive and if you are having bad side effects let your chemo team know. There are many anti nausea drugs available, it might take a while to find the one that works for you. I actually have 3 and I take them at different times - some I have to take with the chemo, others I take depending on how I feel. It does take a little while for your body to get into "a routine" with chemo I think. My first couple of treatments this time were brutal but I have my anti nausea drugs sorted now and I do sleep much more throughout the day and I find that I don't feel very sick at all thankfully. If I'm having a bad day I let my family know and they will help out more and I will stay at home and rest while they go out. Take it slow and easy, listen to your body and help it heal by resting when you need to. Good luck with your treatment, keep fighting. Kim ... View more

Hi Tanya I have had my bowel tumour removed, ileostomy for 5 months and reversal, chemo and radiotherapy. It's a tough battle but keep working your way through it. Make sure you talk to your health care team if you have any treatment reactions, there are many different anti-nausea treatments available, so change if it isn't working. Chemo can make you ill and very tired so good rest and nutrition can really help. I find frequent small, light meals make me feel the best during chemo. Hopefully you won't have many symptoms. Good luck with your treatment. Kim ... View more

OMG all you can do is take it one day at a time. Offer your support but if they don't want it you need to respect their wishes. We had a close family member diagnosed after me and she has already passed away and I felt terrible for being the one that had a more positive diagnosis. She was even kind enough to speak with me but I was too unwell to visit her before she lost her battle so all I could do is send her messages. I still felt the guilt that I survived and she didn't but those feelings have passed somewhat now. There is nothing you can do to change the circumstances. Just let them know that you want to be there for them if you are strong enough. Maybe just send messages to your boyfriend and wait for him to respond. It must be a terrible shock to be happening so quickly with his sister, right on top of your own diagnosis. I'm sure he's struggling to get his head around everything that's going on. You are still the number one priority so take care of yourself as well. Good luck and stay strong Kim xx ... View more

Good news Poss. I hope you continue to get good news this week. Kim xx ... View more

Thx for the hug Poss. Your reply above about how upset and angry you are made me feel so sad. Your feelings are perfectly normal and it's great that you are discussing with your GP. The biggest thing for me is for people to treat me like "normal". I don't want to be fussed over and I don't want to discuss my medical problems or treatments every time I speak to someone. I am trying to live life as normally as I can, work, shop, cook and go out when I feel well. It sounds like your partner is using the house as his "normal" activity. It gives you a focus instead of sitting around thinking how bad your situation is. If I can be normal, I can deal with things better - it's the only thing I can control. I'm sure he's not trying to hurt you by blocking you out while he deals with his diagnosis. It sounds like he needs a little bit of time to get his head straight. Tell him that you love him and want to support him and take your cues from him. Stay strong Kim xx ... View more

Hi Poss I have done all the surgery, radio, chemo and was in remission but new spots are now in my lungs. For me, I have told my partner, parents, sisters and adult kids that it has returned but I haven't told everyone the same thing. My Mum is terribly stressed and she is stressing me with her constant questions so I am now avoiding her. Everyone else is respecting my privacy and not questioning me. Please don't get to this stage with your partner, it's stressful for both people. Chat with a counsellor about how to deal with your feelings and let him know that you are worried and care for him but don't pressure him for information. When he deals with the information I'm sure he will talk with you but he might not want to tell you everything. It's really hard to deal with this situation and he has to get his head around it first and figure out what his new "normal" is. Good luck to you both. Kim xx ... View more

I have been told that they cannot "cure" me either. I asked point blank if I was terminal and I was told no. Then I asked different Drs and even the same Drs and apparently the new tumours can "go" or become inactive. It's very confusing. I'm still struggling a bit with finding that the cancer is back after I was supposed to be in remission and I just don't want to ask any more questions. I have decided that I will just be positive and do everything that they tell me to do and just ride it out. I've just started chemo again and it's really rough this time but I've been feeling well for a couple of days now and went to work today, I'm doing lots of normal things. Next week is chemo and I'll be sick and resting. It's a new kind of normal. Life can be good, pick the times when she's feeling well, even if it's only for a couple of hours. My family understand I'm not going to make a decision on doing something until the actual day, but if she has something nice to look forward to she might be able to focus and draw on her strength and make it for a little while. No pressure and flexibility is the key. I'm happy to chat to your Mum if she wants but I'm in no way an expert. I'm sure the Cancer Council have excellent counsellors that she can chat to. Stay strong Kim xx ... View more

How awful that you have not been given enough information. Try to get back to see your Dr and ask your questions. If it's a specialist that is withholding information, ask the secretary to forward the results to your GP and see him/her and get the info. I find my GP gives me more info than the specialists. I think they forget that it's new for you even if it's routine for them. It's impossible to tell you what's ahead because it's different for everyone. Your Dr is right that you need to heal from surgery before you start chemo because it will knock you around a bit. Build up your strength, rest whenever you can and let your cancer support team know if you have any problems. The chemo nurses will be your best bet for information and support. Good luck and stay strong. Kim ... View more

Thanks DG, I just read your message. Chemo was last week and I was really ill but I'm coming through it and working on building up some more strength before next week's treatment. It is much harder treatment than last time and I guess I was a little unprepared. I'm lucky to have heaps of support so I know to stay down next week and just let them pick up the pieces for a few days, oh and I'm stocking up on anti nausea meds! I hope you are doing well also - keep fighting Kim ... View more