 |
 |
Life and cancer
the life and cancer blog
The life and cancer blog will bring you all sorts of information on anything and everything to do with living with cancer. From recipes to celebrities, from cancer stories to marathon glories...
Click on the blog post title to read the whole post
As I sit here in Devon it's pouring with rain. It's been raining pretty much for the whole summer so far. It's ironic really as I've just written a piece for Cancerbackup's information website about the website SunSmart, which is the UK's national skin cancer prevention campaign.
Without trying to sound too much like Victor Meldrew - I don't believe how expensive prescription charges are. I'm lucky and seldom need to see my doctor and consequently rarely need to get a prescription filled, but I was outraged today when my partner had to pay £7.10 for some antibiotics.
As Monday 7th July is the first day of the first ever 'Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week' I just want to highlight the kind of information and support that we offer people affected by cancer from different ethnic communities.
At last I have justification for a sleep-in!
I read with interest, as I'm sure many people did, the news articles about the apparent cure of the man in Seattle with advanced melanoma skin cancer. His doctors tried a very new and experimental approach in cancer treatment, which looks as if it has worked for this man.
One of my other jobs for Cancerbackup is to write summaries of some of the more interesting news articles and research papers. The summaries are published in the Health Professional pages of the main site, but they're technically open to anyone who wants to read them.
Each year at the end of May, beginning of June many of the UK's cancer specialist doctors, and a fair number of the nurses, head off to the US to attend one of the world's biggest cancer conferences. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (or ASCO as it's generally known) meeting is huge. It attracts specialists from all over the world.
I've been asked to write a regular blog, but to be honest I don't know where to start. I want to write something that is both worthwhile and relevant, but cancer and coping with cancer is such a huge and complex subject that I'm a little overwhelmed .
Waiting for test results isn't easy.
They might be results to diagnose a cancer, tests results after cancer treatment finishes, or follow-up test results. Whichever scenario it is, this can be an extremely difficult time for some to cope with.
Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for people with cancer to feel very tired at some point.
Many people affected by cancer describe an extreme feeling of tiredness ( fatigue), and there's often several reasons for this, including things like:
Adjusting to life after cancer treatment has finished can be a difficult time. Often people describe their last visit to the hospital as an anticlimax.
At some point, many people undergoing chemotherapy treatment notice that their taste changes. People often comment on food tasting bland "like cardboard", or that some drinks / food has a "metallic taste". Sometimes people also complain of having a horrible taste in their mouth.
It's perfectly normal for people to worry about their health. It's important to be aware of your body and any changes so that you can take care of yourself and visit your doctor if you need to. Some people may go through phases in their life when they're more concerned than usual but find that there isn't anything wrong. This is often a response to something that's happening around them - such as a friend becoming seriously ill - or a high impact story in the media.
Well I might be being a bit over optimistic but there finally seems to be a bit of sunshine around and it feels warm enough to want to be outside. It's great to think we might be able to get into the garden for a bit, go out for walk, or sit outside at a country pub... And some people will be going off to the sun for a holiday.
If people have experienced cancer in their families, they may worry and wonder if they are at a higher risk of developing cancer. It's natural to think about what the future may hold, and it may sometimes cause a person to begin looking into their family history.
It's that time of the year when many of us are planning holidays. Choosing where to go is often the most challenging decision we face. For most of us getting travel insurance is pretty easy - we find the cheapest quote possible and off we go.
It’s seems that never a day goes by without there being some sort of cancer story in the news. Recently there was a lot of news about Patrick Swayze who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. And then Kylie of course who has been in the news loads ever since she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005.
When starting chemotherapy for the first time, many people worry about how it's going to make them feel.
It's only natural to feel a bit apprehensive about something you've never had before, and sometimes just knowing a little more about the treatment can help to reduce how worried you're feeling.
The thought of starting chemotherapy can be daunting in itself, but for some people it's the fear of needles which can be overwhelming.
April is Bowel Cancer Awareness month. I wonder if you saw the item on TV recently about the possible symptoms of bowel cancer and bowel cancer screening.
Well it's all change here at Cancerbackup this month as we have merged with Macmillan Cancer Support to become one charity. While it's the end of an era, it's also the beginning of another. The decision to merge was made so that both charities could acheive the aim of reaching as many people affected by cancer as possible. Cancerbackup won't exisit as a charity in its own right anymore but will be part of Macmillan. We're really excited by the chance to develop our services and get our information 'out there' to more people.
The credit crunch...falling house prices...share values wiped out ...Watching the news can make it feel like a recession is just around the corner. But when your family is affected by cancer, financial concerns can really come into sharp focus. If the main breadwinner is no longer able to work (because of treatment or illness) then things can seem very tough indeed...Often there are unexpected costs to cope with (prescriptions, childcare, travel to appointments, parking fees, extra laundry/heating bills, special diets etc).
One of the biggest challenges in trying to support carers, is that they often don't recognise themselves as such. Many people see it as their 'duty' to care for a relative, friend or neighbour. Yet this shouldn't mean that they don't get access to the help they need. The Royal Princess Trust for carers provides a useful definiton of what a carer is.
Something we often get asked is what do you say to someone who has been diagnosed with cancer. When we feel uncomfortable, we often get a bit tongue-tied. We want to say the right thing but we're not sure what that is. And of course, it may not be that they've been diagnosed themselves, but that someone close to them has.
Working, for most people, is a big part of everyday life. So being diagnosed with cancer, or having treatment for it, can impact hugely on your working life. And not just physically affecting your ability to do your job, but emotionally and financially too. The decision as to whether people carry on working often depends on many factors: the job they do, their employers, and how the treatment, or disease, is likely to make them feel. It’s worth remembering too that not only is work a basis for our professional lives, but it also has social aspects too.
Cancer awareness months are good opportunites to raise awareness and support people affected by cancer. Did you know that March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month.Ovarian cancer is not as common as other cancers like breast cancer. About 7000 women in the UK are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year.
Food plays a big part in the quality of our lives and is more than just a physical need. Planning a menu and shopping for ingredients can be really enjoyable - even for someone like me, who comes from the ‘pierce film lid and cook on high’ school of cuisine. Mealtimes are as much about family life, conversation and friends as they are about nutrition.
As well as my nursing experience with patients, I worked in a role supporting carers before coming to Cancerbackup. The carers I met coped with everything including the physical needs of the person they cared for, the day-to-day running of the home, employment issues, financial problems, practical difficulties around hospital treatment, and of course, the emotional impact.
Uncertainty – it’s one of the hardest things to deal with in life. There you are, everything carrying on as normal and then, wham, some event happens and it leaves you with all these questions, what?, when?, etc… You just have no idea what the future’s going to look like and it can be really scary.
Most of us are used to being pretty much in control of what’s going on – you don’t necessarily think about being in control, you just are. You do your normal things day-to-day, and you plan ahead –whether it’s for a holiday, a night out, or a career change.
