October 2020
Thanks so much for the reply. I went to see the oncologist at Lifehouse in Sydney and there were 4 other women in the waiting room all with the same thing as me so it must be more common than I thought - just not spoken about.
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September 2020
5 Kudos
I have a trophoblastic tumour and wanted to share my experience in case anyone else has encountered this as it seems to be quite rare. The only reason I have this is because of a failed pregnancy! I was absolutely gobsmacked to learn after my miscarriage that abnormal cells would carry on growing in the womb. In my case its been six months since the abnormal / expired fetus (or what should have been a fetus - it was actually just a mass of cells) was removed and I am still having weekly blood tests to check on the progress of this growth. In my case two sperms fertilised one egg (FYI - that does not make twins, it just makes a mess) and this has led to this cell mutation in my womb. My GP said "its not cancer but it behaves like a cancer". I have now been refereed to an oncologist to see if its spread to other parts of my body and if I need a low dose of chemo to kill off these abnormal cells so I can get on with my life. FYI you are not allowed to get pregnant again until you have the all clear. Anyway I was initially quite horrified that this could happen at all - I just wanted to have a baby and now I have a tumour!!! WTF! I wanted to share this with other women going through it - you are not alone. It seems miscarriage is talked about a lot more these days but this is NOT talked about at all. I had never met someone with this diagnosis and there is very little info online about it too. There is light at the end of the tunnel as apparently chemo works very well as a treatment.
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March 2020
2 Kudos
So sorry for your loss Annie and for everyone here who has lost someone. I lost my Dad to bowel cancer 1 year, 6 months and 23 days ago. He was the most gentle, kind and loving dad anyone could wish for. I guess that sums it up that no matter how much time elapses, it feels like it just happened. Someone said to me that grief comes and goes in waves and its so true. In the first few months there were so many tears and angry and upset thoughts in my head as well (why wasn't dad able to get more chemo? how was he feeling at the end? did he know I was there? etc). After a bit of time elapses you feel like you are back to normal and accepting it all, then something hits you when you least expect it, a reminder of that person: a song, a food they liked, something they used to say. But it does get a little easier so hang in there! It won't ever go away completely and you don't want it to because you love that person so much and don't want to forget them, but it does get better. Love to everyone who has lost someone xxx
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March 2020
1 Kudo
Hi Debbie, I am so sorry to hear you have been let down by a friend at a time when you needed it the most. When my Dad was very ill with bowel cancer, I found some friends no help at all and others I didn't expect at all to be a great support! The ones who were supportive were able to give something emotionally of themselves in my time of need: they had empathy and an ability to listen. They could put their own problems aside to support me. The ones who weren't supportive were used to ME being the empathetic listener, and suddenly I wasn't serving a purpose for them anymore! It sounds like your old friend doesn't have the capacity to offer emotional support to anyone right now. Even though you've been friends for many years, I would encourage you to give up seeking support from this friend. I know its hard not to take it personally, but its not about you, this person simply doesn't have the ability to give emotional support to anyone. Spend time with lovely and supportive people and don't look back! The cancer journey is challenging enough without spending time with people who don't deserve us.
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