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Hi, My 81 year old grandmother was recently diagnosed with Oesophageal Cancer and will undergo Chemo and Radiotherapy shortly. She is expecting to go through 4-6 weeks of treatments. I recently heard about a 'Cold Cap' you can get to wear during treatment. It is supposed to help with preventing / reducing / slowing hair loss during Chemo. It looks like a swimming cap from looking at the pictures online. Can anyone please advise if they have used these before and where I might get one in Dublin? I am wondering also if they would be abit uncomfortable. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. We're very new to this and finding all the information a little overwhelming. Thanks, Jen

Hi All, very new here unfortunatly In Jan my mam (64) was diagnosed with nsclc, its on both lungs, lymph nodes and brain. SHe has had her bout of radiation on the brain, and today she starts afatinib for her lungs. She is generally very weak and doesnt get out of the bed much. Yesterday she started to feel pain in her lungs, is this normal or is this it spreading even more? We are hoping to sit down with the doctors/nurses without my mam or dad there so we can as specific questions. I know googleing is not the best thing to do in some cases, but so far all I have read is prognosis with Brain mets is very poor, 2-4 months. Like I said we hope to get some of these answers but if any one has any experince with this I would love to hear. Many Thanks

Hello! Im new here. Was diagnosed with IDC breast cancer last dec 30. Ct scan, mri, ultrasound, bone scan done last january. Startrd my first AC last feb 4. coughing on feb 6, so was asked to go to hospital, xray, blds and nose and throat swab done. Was given klacid and augmentin for 1 wk which i think is not helping. My mouth tastes like metal and bitter. when i drink water or juices, it tastes very salty. I hope i dont get dehydrated. Can anybody suggest what is the best thing to do for these tastes. Thank you.

Well into this whole thing now. Was on Tamoxifen 18mths. Had perioheral neuropathy since chemotherapy, 1st dose of tamox triggered it, unusually so. This has not gone over 2yrs later . Had very sore bones, joints with aches, stiffness & pain. Had hot flushes & other menopausal symptoms though these were just symptoms as my bloods shied I was still ovulating & I had irregular periods. (Accupuncture literally does away with all my hot flushes, I know because when I took a break they came back fast & furious-stopping again immediately on starting accupuncture again) My consultant suggested I switch to Anastrozole as sometimes one drug can react in a totally different way to another. Tamoxifen was very hard for me but I was prepared to try to stick with it. However, as my oncologist rightly said, it can be triail and error to find the right balance between life quality and the drug doing it's job of preventing a reoccurrence. I've also had to start zoladex to suppress my ovaries working, before I started new treatment drug. My bone pain, aches, stiffness is gone down to a 7/10 if it was 10/10 on Tamoxifen. I was more tired to start with but this is getting bit better. My foggy brain seems to have lifted too in a very noticeable way. However, noticing my peripheral neuropathy playing up more with 'flashes of Fire' feeling over my feet and stabbing pains in my hands/fingers. On highest dose of lyrica for this already along with morphine based pain relief. Reluctant to increase pain relief, idea was to hopefully decrease. How is anyone else finding this drug? We're you on tamoxifen prior to it? Had you any other complications/symptoms. Just curious, Thank you.

[color=#800080:26ikcwnv]I was unwell prior to my cancer diagnosis but slept okay. Since my first surgery and tough recovery I've had very bad sleep. I've practised good sleep hygiene. Ive had sleeping tablets prescribed by my gp when I've reached exhaustion breaking point, but only for very short use. Basically I'm nearly 3yrs on and sleep is no better. Life is very good for me now. I practice mindfulness which keeps me sane..... and happy. My life is coming back together with my partner getting work after taking time out to care for me (I was very unwell at times) and then unemployment. We're in probably the best place we've been in since my cancer diagnosis nearly 3yrs ago now. I'm looking forward and busy enjoying the simple joys of motherhood. I've tried everything suggested. Ive walked, I've cut out day time naps, I use lavender to relax the room, I relax to music etc etc. I strongly feel my inability to fall asleep;my tendency to wake up, bright as a button at 2am only to be tired by 6/7am just as I'm needed for younger children; is linked to my medications and I feel it has to be a side effect of one if not more than one drug. I'm currently, on the advice of oncology, but my gp prescribing, on my 3rd week of taking a 5mg tablet to sleep every night and boy, is my life different. I now wake up refreshed, ready to face the day, feeling alive and more human than I've felt in months, if not years. THE PROBLEM-sleeping tablets not recommended to be given long term to a person of my age. But I feel like screaming, living life so tired and mentally exhausted is no way to live either. Oncology felt that with all the treatment changes, along with a bout of cellulitis in my lymphoedema limb, I was well overdue quality sleep, they felt if I was mentally & physically feeling refreshed I'd feel stronger to cope, which is what has happened. My question is why do gps look at sleeping tablets like an enemy when tiredness and exhaustion is a very real enemy to me. I can't stop my medications and feel it's the cause of my sleep issues. So what do I do. After nearly 3yrs I've tried most things and looked at sleep hygiene. I need my sleep and if it's by the help of a tablet, then please. I can't live a life with no regular sleep.....my youngest is 6yrs old, youngest of 4. I'm a mum, a busy mum like so many. I just want the bits of my life back that I can have......it's so important to me. Anyone else have issues with lack of sleep. Thank you [/color:26ikcwnv]

Hi there, My oncologist referred me for a scan of womb and ovaries as I am on Tamoxifen and now I have received a letter telling me that I am being referred to a gynaecological consultant. I'm not sure why and am wondering if anyone else has received a letter like this? My GP says that something must have showed up in the scan. Is it possible that they just want to do something like a D & C? Any feedback please? Thanks Resolute

Hi all, just looking for info for an american lady with stage iv bc who is coming over to Swords for a family holiday this summer. She wants to stay here for a few weeks but will need to have her port flushed while she is here, otherwise they'll have to cut their holiday short and return to the US. Does anyone know if it's possible to have this done here and how would she go about arranging it? Many thanks

Hi, A relative of mine was recently diagnosed with lymphoma and starts chemotherapy very soon. Their doctor has given them very strict guidelines to follow in relation to cleaning products and personal products; no fragrances/perfumes/harsh chemicals etc. Could anyone recommend products that would not irritate their lungs or skin in any way? I'm finding it particularly hard to find a safe washing powder to use. Any advice would be really appreciated.

I was diagnosed with Breast cancer in May 2013 and had chemotherapy first, followed by right breast and 16 lymph nodes being removed. Since my operation I Have tightness under my arm and in the area where my right breast was. I have had loads of physio, been to Pain Speialist and had a number of injections for nerve pain but this unberable tightness never goes away and is particulary uncomfortable when I go to bed. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and what, if anything can help. Eibhlin

Hi, hopefully someone out there can tell me their experiences with taking time off work for reconstruction. I had a right mastectomy in March 13 and because I didn't need chemo or radiation I was able to put my name on the list for reconstruction with Dr. Ajmel in Beaumont Hosp. I was finally called for my surgery in Jan 14 but they cancelled on me just days before. I wasn't called again until May but by then I had started a new job, which I love, and as I had only been there 8 weeks I really felt that I couldn't leave work, so I passed, which meant I was off the list. I'm in the job a year now and I really want to put my name back on the list for the surgery as I feel I won't really be me until I get this finished. Loosing my breast has really hurt my self esteem. The company I work for are fantastic, but they don't know about my cancer and I don't know how to broach the subject of needing 6-8 weeks off for surgery. My job is quite specialised and I'm the only one in the company that does it so it wouldn't be as easy as someone else stepping into my place for a couple months. Can anyone tell me how they juggled work and surgery? My husbands work isn't steady so we really need my job and and jobs in my field don't come come up very often so leaving this job and hoping to pick up another isn't really feasible either. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thx.