I'm moving to Cambridgeshire/Essex in 2011 and I'm scared

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Hi my name is Kim and I have been a cancer survivor since 29 May02. I am 41 and I have 4 boys and I’m married to a lovely man called Andy. Due to his work we might be moving into Oxfordshire or Essex, when our twin boys have finished their A levels next June.

I have a really good network of docs,nurses, psychologists, a good hospital etc and I’m scared of moving somewhere where I might not get, that much needed support. Writing this is making me realise that I might be using this as an excuse to get out of moving but it is actually really, really important to me. I thought I was dying and suffered really bad with chronic depression but I don’t want this affecting/deciding my life anymore.

I’ve been going to church recently and they made me think about my life at the moment. Do I want to stay on this steady, no stress train journey or do I want a new challenge, excitment, new commitments???

Would love to speak to anyone who is from anywhere within those counties, to share info and maybe help each other out. I used this site alot when I was first diagnosed and it really did help me cope with things and I talked to some lovely people.

I would really like to help people and show them that we can survive and live a life and motivate them to live each day. I will be looking at volunteering within a cancer environment when we move or work with anyone who can make things better for cancer patients.

Hope to hear from somebody. I live in Richmond North Yorkshire at the moment and it will be a big move/change for all of us.

Thank you for reading my post Kim x

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Hi kim, it’s good to hear you have been 8 years since diagnosis in your 30s. I am 36 and just finished active treatment and keep getting a feeling that it’s inevitable that the treatment has failed and I will die soon. So thAnks as posts like yours help us girls nearer the start to know that these treatments can and do work.

I am from Manchester so no help to you , but am sure some ladies will check in soon and reply. In the meantime good luck and well done

vickie

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Hi Vickie, so nice to hear from you, doesn’t matter that you live in Manchester.I feel that cancer is a scary journey but it’s also very positive one, in the end. I have learnt to live each day and try to enjoy my life. It’s not easy but it does get better, I promise you that.

I feel it’s better to talk to someone who has been there and who knows exactly how you will be feeling. Don’t get me wrong, every year I have had a scare and got all those worrying feelings back but I’ve always worried for nothing, up until today. I suppose I feel more looked after now because I am in the system and every little thing is investigated.

I was dx in May 02, had my op mastectomy and reconstruction with my Lattismus Dorsi in June, started FEC in August and was also on a trial. Didn’t go through with the trial in the end because it meant more chemo and I didn’t want anymore. I had been prescribed the wrong amount of meds when I left hospital after first chemo and I had a really bad experience, it put me off chemo.

I don’t really know what you would like to know, so ask and I will try to answer. I didn’t know any survivors when I was first dx and this is why I have registered on this site. I also want to meet people from Cambridgeshire/Essex area as it looks like we might move there.

I remember my oncologist asking me after my treatment finished if I could see any positives in having cancer. I laughed at the time and said no but I know differently now. I left a mentally abusive marriage, learnt to say no, found out who my true friends are, changed my outlook on life, took the plunge and dated again even though I was worried about my breast. I truly believe that thinking positive helps but it’s not always possible. I also truly believe that things in my life happen for a reason,now.

I got married on 31/12/09 to my wonderful husband Andy, who I have known since April 2007. He worries about me because he doesn’t want me to get ill again but I do know that I can beat anything with him by my side.

I had DCIS, grade 2 cancer and 2 out of 12 lymphnodes infected.My cancer was also oestrogen receptive.
What kind of dx did you have and what is future treatment?
Do you have family? Do you have a good GP and macmillan nurse?

Take care Kim xx

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Hi Kim,
I live in Essex and would be happy to answer anything you want to know. Good points we are close to London and all the big specialist hospitals. Even better Chelmsford, which is my cancer hospital is a centre of excellence for Bc and they spend a lot on it. We all get full blood counts (plus tumour markers, liver profile, bone profile,electrolyte profile, in all about 16 tests) every time we see the onc, all get CT scans and full body bone scans. I had repeats of all of these scans in year 2. All seen every 12 weeks for first years. I have not needed an mri but many friends have. My friend had a scare and she was in so fast and so many tests done she hardly went home. Bad point you have to travel to Southend or Colchester for rads. Very little difference between NHS and private except drugs given. My onc is a real character and is supposed to be brilliant in his field, even getting people on American trials. Survival rate in our area is very high. The rest is down to fate and luck but we generally feel fortunate and well looked after. I was/am on the TACT2 trial.
We have a great support group and meet to eat a lot :), anyone always welcome to join us. Also big unit to give therapies free and local uni searching for the cure.
I really think I might become an estate agent after that ha ha
Good luck wherever you end up
Lily x

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Hi Lily, thank you so much for your lovely reply. I know I am 8 years down the line but I do still have worry moments and it’s nice to know that cancer patients are well looked after in Essex. I was on a TACT trial too, when I had my chemo in August 02 but couldn’t complete it because I lost the plot with more chemo. I’m fine now and I am glad now that there are so many trials about, means that there is more chance of us all surviving, longer.

When were you dx? How old are you? Do you have family? What was your diagnosis? Please tell me if I’m being too nosey. I know that some ppl don’t like talking about it, so will understand. I was 32 when I was first dx.

Were you born in Essex? It’s going to be an new experience for me as I have only ever lived in the North of England really and my childhood in Germany.

Look forward to chatting again, have a nice day.
Kim x

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Hi Kim,

I’m Belinda, 48 and from Cambridge, I was diagnosed with grade 2 oestrogen positive tumour 6th aug, was very lucky only to have lumpectomy, lymph nodes clear, I have had 2 x EPI so far 2 more to go, then 4 lots of CMF over 16 weeks, 3 weeks of rads when the chemo is finished, so relitively new to it all, I am with Addenbrookes in Cambridge and they have been absolutely fantastic, very very supportive, find out anything you need to know, friendly, helpful always there at the end of the phone 24/7, my onc and the onc nurse are fabulous, I really have found them excellent, I go weekly for my picc line flush and they all know me now, makes it a bit easier, all the people who have the chemo at similar times are chatty and friendly, we had a really good laugh and joke last time, makes it a positive experience and we all left smiling which is lovely, It’s such a big thing to move especially when you trust your docs etc but I promise if you came to Cambridge, you wouldn’t be dissappointed !!!

Take care Belinda xx

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Hi Kim,
it sounds like you will land in a good place wherever you end up, which is nice. In response to your interrogation ha ha!
I was dx in Feb 2008 aged 48 with a 2.3 mm IDC and had lumpectomy and SNB with no nodes positive. Had 7 months chemo (epi/cmf)and 15 rads, then tamoxifen and now on femara.I have 4 children who are all over 18 with only one left at home still and a grandson :). I am a tree with long roots, never moved away and all my family under my nose more or less.I would be anxious about moving too. Were you an army family if you were in Germany? I forgot to say we can also probably offer you slightly warmer weather and less rain lol.
Our group are diverse and some much younger and some older than me. We have such different dx and treatments that there is nearly always someone similar. Some of us have one, some have 2, some have recons, all having very individual treatment. Do you have kids to move, always tricky? Keep me posted where you go as I know the others would love to meet you too if you come our way
Lily x