specifically thyroid cancer, but any positive/recovery stories would be fantastic to read right now

thanks x

my dad got diagnosed with prostrate cancer in the summer of 2009. Because he had medical insurance at work he got treated at a specialist clinic in london in october of that year and even had his first 3 month check up before the nhs letter came through refering him to a specialist!
18 months on he has repeated “all clear” check ups and has lived to see my new son.

keep strong and enjoy true family and friends.

My father has also recently kicked prostate cancer in to touch. It was darned hard work, and he went through a lot of pain, but just the other day he rang me from outside one of our favourite pubs to tell me, “It’s my first proper pint in a pub since I “went in”, and it’s bloody marvellous. Can’t chat for long, the home side are about to take to the field on the cricket pitch next to the pub, and the opener’s bet me a pint he can get a 50″

Happy, happy, happy!

Good luck!

My Mum has just finished a course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer.

I think she is due to have a check up soon to see how things have gone.

She was offered a few different chemotherapy courses and after discussing it with her consultant she went for the most aggressive. This has made her quite unwell at times over the last 6 months, but she saw it as short term pain for long term gain. I hope the decision has paid off as well.

I can also remember my Aunty having breast cancer 20 years ago and fighting it off well (she was a very determined woman). However, she carried on smoking and it was that which killed her off in the end.

Way back in 1989 my mum, who had & has ME,went to the docs with red marks on her legs, while there she was nearly sent home and told to come back in a week if they were still there, thankfully the doc sent her to he hospital the next day for a check up to be told she had lung cancer, in the very early stages.

NHS were fantastic, into hospital within days 90% of the lung removed and after dropping to half her weight, and she was tiny she was released from the ward with 50:50 though being only 15 at the time Im sure those odds were adapted for us!! anyway she is still here, the only one of the ward at the time to survive.

I know Im lucky but sometimes I dont really appreciate just how lucky.

if its you or someone you know who has been diagnosed, best of luck.

Father in law hopefully all clear now after a bowel resection & course of chemo. Scared the wife a bit at the time but he was really “well” last time we saw him (off chemo)

Testicular cancer for me…10 years in the clear now. Have a great 20 month old son and life is good now. Had some doubts what the outcome would be at the begining but your outlook on life certainly changes a little. Remeber, it’s good to talk to someone about this stuff…Don’t be afraid to ask the doctors questions. I found that the more knowledge I had about it the easier things were to deal with. Be positive…it does help!

Friend had Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. Almost cleared through chemo but the tumor came back. They operated and removed some lung and other vital stuff before resuming chemo. Prognosis was pretty poor, he sorted his finances, will, etc and the insurance paid out on his mortgage. He fought like a champ and applied incredible amounts of positive thinking to his survival. Whatever worked, he has been in remission for about 8 years now. He still rides bikes and lives life to the full. He even fathered a child despite all that chemo supposedly turning him jaffa. (Yes the wean does look like him) More balls than most, as it were.

EDIT Sorry Tombola, just read your post. That wasn’t aimed at you!!! 😳

I used to know a woman with thyroid cancer. She was still well 15 years later when I lost track of her. Treatment was not too invasive and nasty either and that was a while ago so nowadays will be better.

I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when I was 19. The following year was, well, mostly tedious and nauseous though occasional moments were less pleasant but it was all 16 years ago now.

Been here yet ??

http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/type/thyroid-cancer/

Me. Drop me a line.

I was treated with radio for lymphoma last year, all is well and biked snowdon and scrambled tryfan on Sunday. Friend of mine was successfully treated for thyroid last year, going to her wedding in a couple of months. Good blog about lymphoma (not mine) if you Google wildrossendale good luck, also happy to be emailed.

I was diagnosed with Bowel cancer beginning of last year. Had part of bowel removed then a course of chemotherapy, somehow managed to put ON weight during chemo. Now in remission.

cheers everyone, long story short its not me (that i know of). mum recently had an operation to remove a parathyroid gland that they thought was causing silly calcium levels that, in conjunction with all the various complications that having ankylosing spondylitis causes, was really messing up her body and brain.

dr said that they had to remove a big tumour they weren’t expecting to be there that might have contained another couple of parathyroid glands, very tricky operation and the doc wasnt saying anything that sounded remotely positive post op. cut forward to today and the results are back from the tumour…

i can’t quite get my head around the results at the moment:

a)because i feel weirdly numb,
b) because i’ve only been told a confused summary by an upset mum on the phone and,
c)because it doesnt make sense…

apparently the tumour was benign but it was full of ‘micro-cancers’ which are malignant apparently. i didn’t even know micro-cancers existed?!

they need to wait 2-3 weeks to dive back in and remove more tissue from the area and possibly the other parathyroid glands then there’ll be a treatment plan from there.

dad had a very rare cancer recently and ended up with bladder and prostate removed but is doing well now so there’s a positive cancer story there to hold on to, but thank you for all your stories 🙂 they help!

apologies in advance if i’m snappy or short-tempered on here in the future, reflecting back when dad was told he pretty much had no chance i went numb like this and didnt really process it until he was given the all clear.

Phil,

Statistically there is a 95% of me dying within two years of my initial diagnosis.

Not a fan of statistics, me.

Strength of mind is key. I’m happy to talk to your folks if you’d like.

Keep the faith.

BH

thanks bullheart 🙂 mum and her husband both work in the health service so they’re in a pretty good place for support luckily. dad had similar odds to your from what i can remember but is still cracking on and has set up his own charity too… you’re not my dad are you? lol

Mum had an operation to remove a cancerous growth on her lung over Christmas. Currently two doses into a four-dose course of chemo and is looking pretty good on it.

Way too soon to say she will be given the all-clear (obviously) but her doctor is very happy with her progress and is amazed at how well she is coping with the chemo.

You have my full sympathy with your feelings Phil. My beloved’s recent diagnosis of incurable breast cancer has left us both with similar feelings: a mixture of numbness and dread, but with some considerable anger too. All I will say is that her treatments may extend her life by a decent amount and with a reasonable quality-of-life. So far, the chemotherapy is not so bad as expected.

Apart from a handful of GP visits we’ve not really experienced the NHS in our adult lifetimes. So far, the NHS is impressing me, and that is tremendously re-assuring.

We are focusing on as much “normality” in day-to-day life as we can, to counteract all the medical sh1t and emotional turmoil. You could say it’s coping through denial, or you could call it quietly getting on with living.

The very best of luck to your mum and to you too. Look after yourselves.

We are focusing on as much “normality” in day-to-day life as we can, to counteract all the medical sh1t and emotional turmoil.

i have a sneaking suspicion that a positive mental attitude goes a long way in beating cancer.

thanks again everyone. good luck and my heart goes out to anyone suffering or coping with people close to them suffering!

My mum had thyroid cancer 2 or so years ago. Main issue has been hot flushes and husky voice since she has recovered from her 2 ops. It was only a year or so after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a couple of operations for that.

My dad (ironically a retired dermatologist) has now had 2 skin cancers removed in the last 3 years. 1 on his shin and the other on his top lip which required a couple of ops. At one point my mum came out from her second operation on her thyroid on Friday and my dad was in having an op on his lip on the Monday.

Initially I felt numbness and confusion, but after the first couple of calls saying they had cancer it was a little easier to deal with just because they had made it as far as they had. Not being medical I did find it difficult not really understanding what was going on, but they did shield us from the worst of it. They came out stronger as a couple and us as a whole family. We realise how lucky we have been, and enjoy sunny days like this.

I was diagnosed with skin cancer two years ago which came as a very big shock as I was completely unaware I had it. I was very fortunate when a mole on my shoulder blade bled a little just before I went to the Docs about a sore throat. I mentioned the mole & I was referred to a consultant who said they would remove it ‘to be on the safe side’ & I had the minor op a few weeks later.

I went back for a follow up appointment & my Chinese consultant opened my file & said (in very comical Chinese accent) ‘Agh that mroll we trook off was a marignant merranoma’ ……….. **** me I thought that sounds bad, I asked if he meant I had skin cancer? & he said ‘Ress you got srkin cranca’ 😥

Anyway I then went back a few weeks later where they did another op to remove a strip of skin where the original mole was. I was left with a rather impressive large Zig Zag scar on my shoulder. I used the scar to my advantage telling the kids in the pool on holiday that I was bitten by a shark 🙂

My advice to everyone is please please please take care in the Sun & wear a high sun factor cream, I don’t use anything less that 20 & often use 30+. Sunburn is not big or clever and you really don’t want to catch skin cancer believe me you really don’t. If anyone has a mole which is an irregular shape or flaky or bleeds or is getting bigger please get it checked out. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if my skin cancer hadn’t been removed, I could be sitting here today typing this completely unaware that it was getting a hold & things could have been a whole lot more serious.

I am now two years into remission & I’m very grateful for every day I have. I am also very grateful to the friends I have made due to my condition & in particular to two people off STW who gave me invaluable information & support when I was at my lowest point. When you think you are going to die anytime soon it sort of fries your brain & the emotional turmoil is a nightmare, but they kept me sane & pointed out that what I was experiencing was all part of the Cancer journey.

One of the important things is to remember that there are others who are also suffering the same ups & downs in particular my wife who had to deal with her own fears & stress. This was a journey we both had to share & both had to endure. Luckily it has brought us even closer together & we appreciate each other even more.

I would urge anyone who has Cancer or has a partner/friend/relative with Cancer to seek support, it’s not being weak it’s being strong & sharing the burden. The Macmillan Cancer website is a good place to start, or if anyone wants to pm me my email is in my addy. As Bullheart says a positive attitude to beating Cancer helps but don’t be afraid to speak to others.

Good luck Phil & best wishes to your Mum. I hope they caught it early & that the treatment is successful.