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We are posting here to say happy new year to all of the members of the online community

My 34 year old daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer last week. Her chemo starts in December and I wonder could anyone help me with where to go for wigs and head gear . I would appreciate any help anyone can offer.

Hi everyone, We found out last Friday that my father liver cancer, we lost our mother to cancer under a year ago, which is still very raw, so you can imagine we are all very upset and a little bit all over the place. I don't think being honest that the news has really hit my father just yet, this is a huge amount of information for anyone to take in, so I am wondering if there are any books/leaflets/articles etc or anything helpful that I could pass his way. He is a very private person so I don't think he would even consider counselling or phoning the Irish Cancer Society for Information. My father is classified as having Stage A - he is due to start TACE next month. What I am wondering is does anyone else have any experience with themselves and or family members/friends going through this, there is a lot of information available online but not so much of people's own personal experiences. It has been mentioned that this form of cancer treatment is not classified as a curative therapy, we have so many questions that people are not able to answer at the minute, which I am finding frustrating. I look forward to hearing from other people and wish you and your families that are dealing with/fighting this awful disease all of the best Marion x

Hello, I've now become a member of a club that i never wanted to join!! After losing both of my parents to cancer I really can't believe that this is happening. Just last week I was diagnosed with choroidal melanoma (eye tumour). I am due to have plaque radiotherapy in the coming weeks and would love to hear from anyone who has been through this before. Of course i've trawled the internet already on numerous occassions, hoping to receive helpful information but would love to hear if anyone has had this type of tumour or been through this type of radiation. To say i'm scared would be an understatement so would love to hear some first hand experience of this. Thanks in advance!

Hi, Mid August I was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular BC Stage 2 also in Lymph System. I am booked to go for Bone and body scans in Galway tomorrow, not looking forward to being radioactive for 24 hours, also I have a big fear of hospital machines and all the sounds they make. I am trying to be strong and keep calm but this is very difficult for me. Sometimes I just feel like leaving the country and travelling around the world until I can't go on any longer. But of course I won't do that, need to look after my lovely retreiver called Daisy. Does any one else have a fear of all these tests or is that a silly question? Regards...Andrene

A CT scan is a series of xrays that builds up a 3-dimensional picture of inside your body. CT stands for Computerised Tomography. You will need to lie down on a couch which moves through a tunnel. This is a painless procedure and usually takes about 30mins. You may need to take a drink or be injected with dye. This allows your doctors to see areas of your body more clearly. The dye might make you feel hot but this will pass. An MRI scan uses magnetic fields and not xrays to build up a series of cross sectional pictures of inside your body. MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Again you will have to lie on a couch, this time inside a metal cyclinder. An MRI scan is very noisy and you will be given earplugs or headphones. Some patients find an MRI claustrophobic. If you are worried about this discuss it with your doctor. They can prescribe medication to help keep you calm. You may also be given a drink or injection of dye before an MRI scan. A PET scan stands for Positron Emisson Tomography. You will be given a radioactive injection prior to your scan and this will highlight areas in the body that are abnormal. A PET scan is often used for parts of the body that other scans don't give enough information about. This scan is also painless, however it can take up to two hours to perform. Again you will be required to lie on a couch that moves through a scanner. This scanner contains sensors that read the signals from the radioactive substance injected into your body. It is important to be very relaxed prior to a PET scan. Your doctor might prescribe some medication to help you with this. It is unusual to become claustrophobic during a PET scan. All of these scans take pictures of inside the body. Your doctor will decide which scan is best suited for you. These scans are usually performed for investigative purposes and are not normally performed on healthy people. You will be advised before your scan whether or not you need to fast. Also the staff in the radiology department will explain whether or not you are radioactive following your scan. If so it is advisable to avoid contact with young children and pregnant women for 24hours.

I am starting on a treatment of interferon next week. Has anyone been on this and can give me some advice. The surgeon was happy that he removed all the tumour from my neck and the interferon is more of a precaution although it is a year long course of daily injections.

Hi there, I'm a 37 year old mum of three recently diagnosed with cancer of the kidney 11 weeks ago. I am recovering from a right radical nephrectomy and have started treatment... Sutent. Just wondering if anyone out there has been through similar????

My prostate cancer was picked up on a PSA blood test which had a reading of 6.3. I then had biopsies done which came back with a Gleason scale reading of 7 in 6 out of 12 samples. I was offered surgery and radiotherapy with three options for each. I spoke to the consultants for both and became more confused. I am widowed for 5 years but have recently met a new partner who is very nice and we both want to continue our relationship. I fear however that side and after effects from both radio and surgery treatments will impinge on our new beginnings. Namely that erectile dysfunction and incontinence are not good bed fellows. She is an understanding and caring person but I am wondering for how long? Trying to find the treatment which offers the the best prognosis and the least side effects is difficult. Both consultants are understandably pro their own methods, but this does not help me. I am looking for men who have been through these things and have advice for me. I am aged 64.

Hi, my mind in in a whirl, every thing happened so fast. Still trying to crasp it all. 18th May mammograms, recall 24th May, ultrasound and biopsy 12th June, results 26 th June, invasive ducal carcinoma, grade 2 stage 1, er and pr positive.9th July lumpectomy and 5 lymph nodes removed, results 20 th July. They were able to remove all of the cancer and the margins were negative also lymph glands negative. They were delighted to tell me I no longer have breast cancer.I am to have hormone treatment , (chemo ? Will know next Friday )and radiotherapy, to prevent the cancer returning. I am so lucky it was caught so early. My mind is all over the place, don't think my mind fully understood that I had cancer. Feel delighted it is gone but feel guilty that I am so lucky. The nurse said it will hit me all of a sudden as the mind and body has been through so much so fast. I know I still have a tough road ahead but my mind is more at peace. Has anyone else been through such a whirlwind experience. Would love to hear . Wishing all my friends here the best of luck. Thinking of you all. G xxx