cancer

btw can anyone recommend a good book that is not to hard to read as my concentration is not good, one that I can take to the hospital to hopefully take my mind off things when I am recovering.

Why would nurses need to come to your home, ethel? That's a serious question because I don't know how you will be affected physically by your surgery and whether you'll need special NHS care.

All I can say is that you know you need this treatment, and you have to get through it. The fear is natural but you do have the strength to do it. Chin up!

How long will you be in hospital after the op, ethel?

Heartbreak Hotel by Deborah Moggach (of Best Exotic Marigold Hotel fame) is a good, lighthearted read, ethel

Hope all goes well for you.

btw can anyone recommend a good book that is not to hard to read as my concentration is not good, one that I can take to the hospital to hopefully take my mind off things when I am recovering.

Och Ethelbags I am so sorry to hear about your dashed cancer. I was away from home for 4 weeks when I was getting my radiotherapy (got my chemo at home) and I found the Maggie's center an unbelievable comfort. I would thoroughly recommended getting in touch with your nearest Maggie's. In the meantime take each day as it comes. I found concentrating on small blocks of time rather than far into the future a big help. I worked in 3 week blocks mostly as that was how often I got the chemo but you could just work in week blocks or daily blocks if that suits you.

Anna I don't know about Ethelbags nurse visits but I had them visiting to take blood to gauge if I was ok for the next dose of chemo. They would have come more often to give daily injections if my dh hadn't volunteered to do it with the quote "Och it will no be much different to injecting the coos" the look on the district nurse's face was priceless.

It must depend on what type of cancer you have. I only had one visit from the Breast Cancer Care nurse before my treatment and none after - all blood samples etc. were all taken either by my GP nurse or at the hospital.

I did my stomach injections myself - I'm not bothered by that sort of thing, although I do appreciate that many are.

Anyway, I think it's a good plan to think in blocks - just one day, or one procedure, one thing to get through and give yourself a pack on the back when it's been done, ethel.

What sort of books do you like?

Ethelbags so sorry to hear about the return of your cancer. I too have a horror of hospitals and operations. I'm a real wimp about that kind of thing so when cancer struck I was terrified of the treatment. I tried to plan treats for myself afterwards as a reward for getting through each stage. I do wish you well with what is ahead. I suppose the mindfulness thing of acknowledging your fears at night and then trying to let them go might be worth a try. Not easy though. You could also use visualisation. Thinking of your trees, maybe with birds singing in them. I found focusing on a particular image during some of the nastier parts of my treatment helped me get through.

Re the book suggestion, everyone's tastes are different. Something light but absorbing would be best for the disturbing hospital environment. I have just read 'A Far Cry from Kensington' by Muriel Spark which was amusing but cleverly written.

Good luck. And keep in touch!

May I suggest 'Pomp and Circumstance' by Noel Coward as a good read. It is his only novel and written in his usual witty style. Very funny and light hearted.
Keep us posted

ethel - the books by Miss Read have sustained me through several bouts of ill health and surgery. I always turn to them when life is a challenge as they are restful without being banal. I cannot recommend them highly enough. There are lots of them, so they can see you through convalescence.

I loved the books by Miss Read, I read them years ago and I wish I still had them; they are the sort of books you could read again.

Good luck, ethel for next week. How long will you be staying in after the op? They should give you all the advice you need about aftercare when you are in; when I went in the district nurse came in daily for a good couple of weeks afterwards and I was pleased to see her reassuring face and matter-of-fact manner.

A young friend of mine had bowel cancer when she was at school. She recovered but then relapsed in her early 20's.She carried on working while she had chemo and beat it again. Then just before she was due to get married she was diagnosed with breast cancer! The consultant told her to carry on with the wedding and when she came back from her honeymoon she had an operation and chemotherapy. Four years later she has thrilled us all by announcing that she is pregnant! There really can be light at the end of the tunnel ethel

I doubt you'll be hounded by the hospital once you get home - they generally seem keen to let you get on with it. When DH came home after a month in hospital we were quite glad to have the district nurse coming in for a couple of weeks, just to reassure us that everything was going well,

Good luck with everything Ethel.The more positive you can stay the better, but we all have fears.Taking something to help you sleep is the best plan, as night fears are the worst of all.

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Complete bogrot and claptrap

I think I own almost every book by miss read, they helped me through school, pregnancy, every time I was unhappy or worried and every year or so I re read them again, I love to escape into a world long gone. I have them on my shelves now and probably read them when I get home.

I think the nurse is coming for a couple of weeks to give me an injection, my friend has told me its in your stomach. Please someone tell me she is lying or that its not for abdominal operations. I wont feel I have recovered until the nosy interference has stopped, sorry I have no tolerance for nurses or health workers, they report back to someone and I will feel violated in my own home if they come to visit me.

btw I am reading a good book by lulu taylor,'The Snow Angel'. I got it from the library but it will be finished by next week, anyone recommend something similar as I know I will not be able to read much inside as I will have older people next to me, bc is an older persons illness. Old people moan and groan all the time. So please anything light and easy to read as above.

ethel I had to have injections in my stomach or thigh for quite a long time; I chose to have them in my stomach (it is a bit, well what shall I say, there is a layer of fat!) rather than my thigh. The nurse taught me to do it myself and I thought I never would, but I did. It was fine, honestly.

Don't feel violated, they are there to help.

Old people moan and groan all the time I am quite old

I found a book by the side of my bed which someone must have given me, quite light, amusing and a bit whimsical; will have to go and look.

'If You Could See Me Now' by Cecelia Ahern. If you have a kindle perhaps you can download it. It's light but thoughtful and if you have a DGC then you will appreciate it more.

As I said in my previous post, ethel, I did the stomach injections myself too.

I think you're over-thinking all this 'interference' stuff - in my experience once you're discharged from hospital there's precious little help if you need it, never mind nosy supervision!

I managed to do it (and I am no nurse and a bit squeamish) by positioning the needle, looking away, then doing the deed.
If the nurse is doing it for you, then look away and hum a tune in your head.

I injected myself daily for four months, wasn't difficult or painful.

I am the biggest coward in the world ethel and I managed to give myself the stomach injections. The fact that they were stopping me dying from a blood clot was quite an encouragement I found.

I'm really not sure why you find people trying to get you well "nosy"

Hello Ethel so sorry you are having such a difficult time.

Here are a few suggestions. I love Elly Griffiths books. 'Crossing places' is the first in the series and they have such believable characters. I love 'Wind in the a Willows' which can still be read and enjoyed by adults. I remember laughing out loud at the Sue Townsend book which I think is called 'the Queen and I'.

When I have a particularly difficult time, usually in the early hours I put on my ear phones and listen to Radio 4, the more boring the subject the better as it helps me drift off.

You will get through this awful time and all your Gransnet friends will be waiting for your return home.

Hugs and good wishes.

Just to be clear - these injections are not in your stomach, they are into your skin/flesh round your middle. All you have to do is "pinch and inch" (as they used to say) and put the needle into there - the syringes come in separate packets and are pre-loaded, so all you have to do is put the (very short - no more than half an inch) needle into the pinched inch, then throw the syringe and its needle away.

I did this for months and actually found it was easier to do it myself. I am sure you will be able to manage it.

I am quite old and I never moan and groan.