spouse of scouse

I'm supporting my sister through chemo (I refuse to be called a 'chemo coach'!) and oh boy, do you learn a lot. I thought I more or less knew what it involved, but as it happens I had no idea.

Huge respect to anyone who's had this treatment, and best wishes to anyone going through it.

Molly Coddle

I went through it with my best friend, so all the best SOS

spouse of scouse

Cheers Molly, and good on you for doing that for your mate.

carolinephillips

It is tough supporting through a horrible illness. I did 3rd hand support, trying as best as I could from the other side of the world to help my sister as she nursed my dad through his terminal dementia, which was induced by advanced metastatic prostate cancer. She was amazing, but boy was it tough for her and the fallout from that is still happening nearly 3 years later. I ended up more or less being the emotional punchbag for her.

SOS I wish you and your sister all the best in what is an undeniably horrible time for you both.

renth

Best wishes to you and your sis. My wife just managed to avoid it with her cancer 3 years back but it was close as her tumour was big and hadn't spread, thank God.

NigelWaring

I'm both a user and a supporter. My area is Lung Cancer, I'm on Alimta and I'm fairly active in a support group. You don't say which kind of cancer is involved but the following free online book gives good tips that could apply to many forms of cancer.

https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/s...ronic+copy.pdf

My advice would be to do what the Oncologist says and do read all the support booklets that you are given to you. You'll find that cancers love sugar, alcohol, fat and any food that is high G.I., white rice and corn have a bad reputation. Everyone that I've known to have used alternative medicine is now dead. Follow a good diet, see a dietician with cancer knowledge if you can, get plenty of exercise. The main thing needed for survival is determination and the will to live, it increases the effectiveness of any treatment that you get and is the best complimentary medicine that you can have..

Bernieboy

Molly Coddle

Is she taking Manuka honey Spouse?

spouse of scouse

Thanks for your kind wishes for my sister, everyone

Caroline, I'm so sorry that your sister was so badly affected by nursing your Dad through his illness. It would have been really tough on you being so far away, and it's sad that your sister is hitting out at you. I hope her mental health improves, but failing that, I hope you do whatever you need to do to protect yourself. I'm probably being presumptuous here, but in my experience we sometimes have to cut ourselves off from people who make us miserable, even if they are family.

Renth, great to hear that your wife made a full recovery. My sister has breast cancer, and although she's always been very conscientious about self-examination and mammograms, this was a fast growing, aggressive tumour of the highest grade. Good news is it was detected early enough to avoid infiltration into the lymph nodes, so the oncologist terms her current treatment an insurance policy.

Thanks for sharing your experiences, Nigel. You sound as though you're right on top of things which is great. I think the amount of written, practical information you're given at appointments is fantastic. We also had a one to one (well, one to two!) chemo information session. My sister is like you, very pro-active and with a lot of guts and determination. She's taking part in a research project that looks at the benefits of exercise while going through chemo, and she uses her PhD research skills and Uni library access to research the hell out of everything, then draws up a list of questions to ask at appointments. I'm the note-taker

I'm not sure if she uses Manuka honey, Molly, but I'll mention it to her. She does try to eat sensibly and healthily, and we go to hydrotherapy together.

NigelWaring

Manuka Honey certainly has antibacterial properties but I would not use it without consulting my Oncologist. There is medical grade honey but you will not find it in retail shops.

carolinephillips

My sister isn't hitting out at me at the moment, and I did cut her off for a time while she was so angry, but she is now on antidepressants. Sadly, she is having to do more and more for mum, who was 75 yesterday, but who has COPD and is nearly blind due to a failed cataract op and shingles which affected her one working eye. Poor mum is struggling to breathe at the best of times and sis has to do more and more around the house. I hope that she isn't going to have such a bad experience as she did with dad.

Personal news, I have to have a mammogram on monday, as the doctor found a dense area in my right breast when she was doing my MOT. She doesn't think it is anything as no discrete mass could be felt, but there's always that "what if?" worry. It wasn't tender until she poked it, but now it is a little sore- psychosomatic?

Molly Coddle

The cancer hospital advised my friend to take it. ( Christies in Manchester ) but of course it's always best to check.
Spouse if you read up on it you will see, it's amazing stuff, not just for people with cancer but also for other diseases and illnesses.
In the shops in Britain you can buy medical grade Manuka, not too sure about here. Medical grade being 20*.

Molly Coddle

Just seen this.

Sorry to hear your having a tough time with you sister, can't be easy for either of you.
Good luck with the mammogram. Have you had one before? How does it work here in Australia? Do you have to go and book yourself in for one? I think I'd like to get checked out if possible.

carolinephillips

Woolworths sell 20+ manuka honey- about $13 for a small jar.

carolinephillips

All women over 50 are entitled to a free mammogram every 2 years. I was sent a brochure from the Govt. when I turned 50. My GP also referred me for this latest one, so I won't have to pay.

As for my sister, I'm used to the ups and (mostly) downs of her life. I'm trying to be sympathetic.....