Terminal Chondrosarcoma

I don't really know where to start. I was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma in my neck in 2016. Firstly I had a partial removal followed up by proton therapy in Florida. At first it seemed to have worked but in April 2017 scans showed further growth followed by the discovery of a second tumor in my spine. This was partially removed in July 2017 and I had metal work put in my spine. Further to this I had a second op on my spine in November, a week or two later I developed a blood clot on my lung. I have been recovering from these since then however I did have a short course of radiotherapy on my spine in January 2018. However this not had a positive effect and my mobility has decreased rapidly. I now pretty much wheelchair bound with the ability to maybe do a few steps with difficulty. I have abdominal weakness and struggle to sit up. The tumor in my neck has now greatly weakened my left shoulder and arm making movement and transfers difficult. The spinal compression is now making me incontinent on top of all this. I'm also struggling as I do not live in a house that is disabled friendly. So using the toilet is increasingly difficult.

I virtually do nothing each day, just sit in front of the tv and flick around on my phone. I feel increasingly isolated and alone. 

I feel like I have nothing to do, I'm stuck in my living room with a haphazard bed arrangement. My team don't really have answers regarding my future I.E how long I have and even what will actually kill me. I don't think my family understands what's truely going on and to some degree neither do i. I just wish I had some answers and certainty in my life. 

In all honesty I will die from chrondosarcoma but I don't know how or when and for me right now I'd rather just die. I think on suicide quite a bit, especially at night. I just want to get it all over, and I know it's awful but I want my family to be able to move on and have me as a memory and not a burden. Im not going to get better and I'd rather just be at peace, I'm scared of a long drawn out death and just want to go. But my condition doesn't lend itself to that. There's so little info out there for me I just don't know where to turn or what to do.

i appreciate this is quite a ramble but I have no idea what's going on with my life right now it's just been completely changed in the past few weeks.

  • Hi there hunny ... bless ya, your not on your own there's us on here who are having their own cancer journey and we all get overwhelmed sometimes ... even if you can't get out, you could help people on here as you know how hard this journey of ours is ...

    Please phone McMillan and tell them how lonely you are feeling, and everything that your worried about ... they are always on the end of the phone ... well Monday to Friday ... they may be able to help you with practical things too .. l have to have 2 days complete rest so it charges my batteries and l go on here , to try to help, but it also helps the day go too ... which stops me feeling low ... and I've found amazing virtual buddies that don't judge , just offer a shoulder to cry on ... or just to listen ... 

    I'm on here most days and you can chat to me any time ... Chrissie 

  • Hi Dwillie123, 

    I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling so low. It sounds like things are really hard for you right now, but I hope you'll find some comfort in knowing that you're not alone. We're here to listen when you need to talk and many of our members will be able to empathise with the feelings you've described. 

    I remember [@Mylittlesunshine]‍used to post here quite regularly about chondrosarcoma so I'm tagging her in the hope that she'll pop back to chat. We have lots of people on here who will be happy to talk and I see you've had a reply from the lovely Chriss already.

    It sounds like the fact that you don't know much about your condition and what the future holds is causing a lot of anxiety. I had a little look around and found a link to some sarcoma support groups online.

    It's worth giving our nurses a call too; they might be able to answer some of the questions you have. You can ring them on this free number: 0808 800 4040, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm - sometimes just talking to someone who listens and is able to explain things to you truly helps so don't hesitate to pick up the phone.

    There is also a great service called Samaritans if you feel down again and want to reach out to someone, even in the early hours of the morning. You can find out more about them here - don't hesitate to contact them too.

    We are all here for you, so do let us know how things go for you. Our friendly community will be around to support you at any time.

    With best wishes,

    Helen
    Cancer Chat moderator