Chemotherapy
 

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.

Re: Chemotherapy
 

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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..

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:goodpost:

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Is she taking Manuka honey Spouse?

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Thanks for your kind wishes for my sister, everyone :starsmile:

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 :lol:

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.

Re: Chemotherapy
 

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.

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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?

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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. :nod:
In the shops in Britain you can buy medical grade Manuka, not too sure about here. Medical grade being 20*.

Re: Chemotherapy
 

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.

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

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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.....

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Sorry to hear that you're having to go through this, Caroline. It's human nature to think of the worse possible outcome, even when all the signs are positive, as they are for you. I'll be thinking of you on Monday, do let us know how you get on.

Gawd, your family has been through the wringer in the last few years. Hopefully your sister has learned some coping strategies which will help while she's caring for your Mum. Some time out is so important - what are the home care/respite services like where your Mum lives?

My family is a bit like yours at the mo - as well as my sister's breast cancer, my brother was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx 3 years ago. He has a scar you wouldn't believe, ear to ear! He had chemo and radio, and has been clear for 2 years. He was only 50 when diagnosed.

And, my mad Austrian step-father has lung cancer and is getting palliative treatment. He's 86 and my Mum is 81 - they're both stubborn old coots and it's really hard to get them to accept help. Mum still bakes cakes and biscuits every 3rd day for a women's shelter, takes in any waif or stray and gives them a good feed, and minds the whole street's homes and pets when they go away. That's as well as looking after my step-dad and cooking for 'her chickens' (us kids, not one of us under 45 years old!) She's a wonderful woman :heart:

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Thanks Molly, I really appreciate you taking the time to tell me about this. My sister, my ex boss (female!) and I are all taking off down south in the morning, for a 3 night break. A lovely Queenslander style house with enormous balconies all around, overlooking the ocean! I'll tell her about the Manuka honey over G&Ts (her oncologist said she's fine to have a couple of drinks). Looking forward to it so much!

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Your mum sounds amazing. My mum is vehemently against any "social services" or carers, calls them Nazis - in fact she has rude notices on her door telling everyone to go away. She said she would hit them with her broom if they dare to show their noses round the door, and she is so OTT that I believe she would too. I don't know how my sister puts up with her- I've had enough after being in the same room for half an hour. Yet she can be so caring towards her elderly neighbours- or was until they died, now she complains that they have a black family next door with their jungle drums. (Yes she is very racist and bigoted.)

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Wow! How cheap is that! :eek:
Hubby's just bought some on Thursday to take back to the UK for my dad, $70 at Singapore Airport.

Personally I think at the latest it should be 40 :unsure:
As breast cancer isn't an age issue as far as I'm aware?

Regarding family, we don't get to choose them unfortunately, there is always one that has to be difficult. :nod:


No worries, hope you all have a lovely break, :) it sounds idyllic.

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I think you can get free screening from 40 not 50 - Screening - How do I arrange a mammogram?

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Thanks for that.

So it looks like I can go and ask for one 40 onwards but they call for you 50 onwards. I think that's a similar set up to the UK.

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No probs - I had looked it up recently for SA so knew I was good here, just had to check for the rest of the country (good old google :lol: )

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All squished and photographed. Brand new machine with very clear imagery. To my untrained eye there were no obvious lumps or bumps. Going to hang tight for the results now.:fingerscrossed:

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Glad it went well. :fingerscrossed: for you.

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Mammograms are not good in pre menopausal women the tissue is too dense.

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I get called yearly for one and I am under 50.We have family history so that may make a difference.It is painful but I'm very glad of the service.

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Sorry to hear about your sister, have a look at this site with some great information Breast Cancer Choices - Innovative Research and Patient Advocacy

''As iodine consumption has gone down, breast cancer rates have gone up. But the research goes far deeper, exploring the effects of iodine supplementation on breast disease and breast cancer. This important breakthrough has been in the research pipeline for years but only recently found momentum. After sifting through 50 years of iodine research and corresponding with researchers around the world, the editors report that abnormal iodine metabolism, due either to bromide dominance in the environment or a dietary deficiency of iodine, must be addressed as part of a preventive and or a therapeutic strategy.''

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Ahh, that explains the reason for being called up later on in life. Thanks asher.


Yep, no pain no gain as they say. I think it's a great service. I'm sure it's saved plenty of lives and boobs! :nod:

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Waiting for results is the hardest time, Caroline. I hope it's not too long before they're in - do you have an appointment booked with your GP or will they just call you if there's a problem?

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Thanks Molly, unfortunately it didn't turn out well. My sister woke up early Monday morning with a horrifically high temp - I called an ambulance and she was taken to the regional hospital before being transferred via ambulance to Perth.

Tests have yet to confirm the cause of the fever, her doctors suspect a viral infection but have started her on 2 IV antibiotics as a necessary precaution against a possible bacterial infection. She also has sudden onset of a prominent heart murmur and an abnormally high heart rate. She's not critical, but she's seriously ill.

Thanks for all the lovely comments and suggestions above, really appreciate it.

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God love her.I hope she responds quickly to the treatment.:fingerscrossed:Thinking of you all.

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Oh SOS so sorry to hear that, your poor sister. Fingers crossed she is on the mend soon, thinking of you x

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Oh noooo! Really sorry to hear that. Keep us updated please Spouse.
:fingerscrossed: for you.

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:fingerscrossed: the doctors get things sorted quickly for your sister. Thinking of you xx

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I hope they can get on top of whatever is causing the fever - if it is viral then she needs to be on anti-virals as antibiotics are effective against bacteria, not viruses. If something is attacking the heart muscle they really need to get results asap. (I had scarlet fever as a child, that left me with a permanent heart murmur because it wasn't caught until I was delirious with a temp of 104.) It might be something like septicaemia (can't spell it?) as if she is on chemo she is more vulnerable to infections. Whatever it is, I have my fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

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Thanks girls. She's a little better today and her temp has stopped spiking. Her heart rate has slowed, although is still too high, and she's having continuous oxygen support. The murmur is still present, but it's not as prominent.
She was coherent and had some soup, and was able to get out of bed for shower and loo. She's also well hydrated.

Caroline, agree with all that. Di has had the best of medical care from the get-go - the regional hospital liaised with her Perth based oncologist the entire time. She's had an echo-cardiogram and her heart's fine, but they're still unable to determine the cause of the fever. She's had a lot of bloods and urine tests. Until they know for sure if it's viral or bacterial, they need to continue with the IV abs, this is also a prophylactic against febrile neutropenia. They're doing more bloods tonight, inflammatory markers (ESR and CRP).

Will let you know how she's going. She really is looking and feeling better and even managed a few laughs.

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Meant to say - she was still a bit spacey this morning from all the drugs. I was sitting by her bed thinking she was asleep, when out of the blue she started singing. I suppose 'I'm A Little Teapot' could have been a reference to her chemo beanie, but I'm being charitable there. Am I going to take the mickey out of her when she's better :lol:

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Glad there is an improvement- love the singing part!!

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Glad she's feeling a bit better xx :)

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Ha that made me laugh, drugs can do funny things to a person. When I was in labour and out of it on pethidine, apparently I asked the midwife where my husband was and said oh that's right he gone to basketball, well when he gets back tell him I've given birth to a loaf of bread and I want to know if he wants butter on it? Then I said oh I'm talking crap, he doesn't like basketball he likes football! :lol:
Hope she is feeling better today SOS xx