Hi there ...

And welcome to our little chat room ... that we all wish we didn't need, but so glad it's here ... 

Firstly, looking back on my grade 3 breast cancer in 2017 , the worse thing was where you are now .. the wait for treatment to start ... and that big question mark that hangs over us ... 

Someone said when I started on here like you it's like being put on the scariest rollercoaster ride... and huge ups of positivity and plummeting down to the huge lows of dout and feeling so scared .. and not knowing when we will get off that ride ... 

Saying that, once you start treatment it is easier ... and if you can mainly stay as positive as possible it really helps ... cancer treatment has come so far ... l even planned my funeral ... sure it would be inevitable ... but I took two days getting all my emotion out ... then got up ready for the fight ... I got a  pair of pink vertual boxing gloves on.. got in the ring ready to fight cancer back ... win or loose I wanted to look it in the eye and take it on ... still here over 3 years down the line writting to you ..

So it's not gonna be a walk in the park ... but it is doable... 

So get those emotions out ... sending you a  pair of pink vertual boxing gloves right over to you .. then get in the ring or on the rollercoaster... and hold on tight ... but look round there's lots of us right there with you ..  I started on here with 5/6 other breast lasses .. I'm still hanging round.... the others have gone back to their life post cancer.... so hold on in there ... always here if you want a chat ... Chrissie x

Thanks Chrissie,,

After reading your reply I felt so much more upbeat and ready for the fight ahead (with my virtual pink gloves on of course :wink:), but then this morning I woke up with a rash on my side and my gp has said it's shingles. So now my chemo has been postponed until the shingles clears up, which can take 3-4 weeks. :confused:

I'm now so worried about how much it will spread in that time. I've been told my cancer is very aggressive, so I can't help thinking its taking hold until I start my treatment. 

I can't imagine how much you've been through to get where you are today, but your bravery is giving me a much needed shot in the arm of strength right now...so thank-you..

Sharon..xxx

Hi ...

Well if it's not covid it's shingles ...  ; ((    I had to wait a few weeks too ..  nothing seems to go easy this year .... use this time to get over the shingles and make sure everything is in place for after ... 

As treatments can wipe you out for a while ... read or do anything you can to not think about it getting worse ... maybe the shingles can have it's own battle with the cancer ... try to keep focused ...

Glad you got the gloves ... l brought my self a teashirt that has a lass with pink boxing gloves on... and the verse "cancer touched my boob... so I kicked it's ***) they will Astrix *** out but it's a better word for bottom ... ; ))  

Hold on in there .. it will come, l felt the same as you .. but you can do this .. it's just a step back untill you learn how to punch with those gloves ... sending a vertual hug.... Chrissie xx

Thanks Lorraine, there's a sort of strange comfort in hearing someone has had a similar diagnosis and treatment and has been ok. I know that's daft because we all respond differently..but hey, my emotions and feelings haven't been too rational since I had the "news"

I've had a bit of a setback this morning though, as my gp has told me I have shingles so my chemo is delayed until it clears, which is usually 3-4weeks, so my fear has now ramped up a notch, knowing I wont start my fight back for possibly another month!!

Your tips on coping with the fears about cancer and living in the now are all really helpful and I was so ready to tackle this head on, but the delay in treatment has really scared me...that this could now spread...

How do you brave ladies cope..? 

Sharon..xxx

Thanks Chrissie, you are right of course, to just use the time to get over it and not jump to worse case scenario in my head..(that's a new thing for me, usually I'm very poisitive)

Love the sound of the T-shirt.. :laugh:

Really appreciate the gloves..and hug...

Sharon...xxx

Hi there ...

Sorry I'm choosing brave ... to me we do have a choice ... I chose no radiotherapy... you are choosing to have chemo ... yes you do have a choice ... we all do ....  and in my eyes that's... brave ... x

Hear!Hear! :wink:

Hey, Lorraine,

I'd disagree with the assertion that being brave is so black and white or that it merely equates to the simplistic idea of someone choosing a dangerous path like choosing to go to war, the idea that it is that black and white, suggests that anyone who chooses not to got to war is a coward. A fact I would strongly have to argue against, seeing as I myself would choose not to, on the grounds that I see a futility in thinking you can create a peace from a war...but that's a bit off topic. My point being that you misunderstood, I by no means feel (or I believe, ever said) that ANYONE on this site is a coward, far from it. I wasn't calling you or Chrissie brave because you gave me sage advice and support through this diagnosis (which you did). I called you and everyone else on here brave, simply for the fact that you face this down everyday. To me, that is brave. To me, bravery isn't about being upbeat about this all the time, I believe you can be both brave and broken all at once. In fact, in order to be truly brave you need to be staring in the eyes of your worse fears and facing it head on anyway...if that's not what we're all doing on here...I guess I'm on the wrong site (but, I think not!)

Sharon..xxx

Thank you ... that means a lot ... everyone looks at things differently ... I respect that ... but I've had 5 in my family within 3 years go on this cancer journey... esp my granddaughter Jess who battled every day for 7 months with acute myeloid leukaemia... chemo , radio , and stem cell transplant... loosing her beautiful hair  and all started 2 days before our holiday of a lifetime to see mickey mouse in Florida .. 

And looking forward to her 18th birthday party in March... well she wasn't only brave, she was our hero .. who never once complained ... never lost her smile .. and at each set back, had the choice of stopping .. 

She went on , no matter what ... with a smile on her face ... sadly we lost our brave hero on 2ed of September... still smiling ... maybe that's why the word "brave" means so much ...

Sending you a vertual hug.... Chrissie  

Hi Chrissie,,

Agreed with all see things differently, but we are all on this awful journey together, all feeling the same fears and all clinging on to any shred of strength we can muster to battle this"thing". So semantics aside on what "bravery" means, I think that we can all agree on that.

Also, Chrissie, your granddaughter has just become my new hero too...:love:

Many, many virtual hugs back at you for all your family have endured...

Sharon...xxx