I’m in Scarborough which is part of York - so we are at different trusts. It’s crazy that services are so random but geographically so close.
I use Messenger but not FB and have never been logged in but woke up to friend requests and was logged into a home page today ( and able to see videos my friend sent that I can’t normally access ). Don’t know if it’s my mistake or been hacked but managed to delete the account - definitely never going to go on any groups that only run via FB .
When i was first diagnosed i tried the BCN secondaries online meetings. I dropped out though as the last session was basically a discussion about the death of 2 long standing group members and the impending death of another. I found it had an adverse emotional impact on me.
I’ve not attended the BCN in person sessions in Leeds or York as I work full time and whilst my company have been very supportive of taking time out for a zoom or teams calls, taking a full day out to attend a face to face session would be pushing my luck.
As i’m single i need to keep working to pay the bills. Apparently I am too physically fit to qualify for any benefits which is fine at the moment.
Is the Leeds support group via LGI or another charity.
Emotionally i find it hard to come to terms with having secondaries when 90% of the time i feel physically and mentally normal. I just have a blip on the monthly hosputal days (I shouldn’t be here…) and in the run up to CT scans and results day.
Hope you are able yo get out and about in Knaresborough I dont know it well, but can say the new sports centre is very nice! I do a yoga class there.
Post diagnosis support seems to be very different snd depends on the Trust or Local charity coverage.
That secondries group sounds a bit sobering. My youngest daughter had some sort of breakdown last year but resisted the group counselling sessions as she didnt want to add all the other peoples miseries to her own ,she couldn’t see how that would be uplifting. Looking at my latest letter from leeds cancer support they have an email leedsth-tr.cancersupport@nhs.net to enquire about beneficial resources.
I havent used the new sports centre though it looks good from the outside. I joined the Puregym to go to fitness classes with my 2 eldest daughters,i wanted to strengthen the arm which suffered with the axillary node clearance, it went quite weak . The classes are pretty full on i reckon at 59 im possibly the oldest there ,thankfully they put the lighting on low during the workouts I find the wearing of the prosthesis interesting as im contorting into impossible positions.
So sorry to hear that you have secondaries, i can’t imagine where your heads at with it all, its such a roller coaster. I never felt ill during my experience which was what made it all so unreal. All my lovely customers inundated me with cards and flowers and chocolates ( very nice) commiserating and asking how i felt and im there saying i feel absolutely fine no different ,they just keep cutting bits off me but im not ill. Because i didnt feel ill ! Fortunately for me quite a few of my ladies have had breast cancer so i reckon they were my support group full of endless advice and common sense plus lived experience . We have laughed , a lot, which has been best of all .
Omg I know exactly how you feel. I’m usually not emotional to much however I think since cancer it made me think differently. I feel like being around my non cancerous friends (NCF) was hard in the beginning both them and I was making each other uncomfortable and not even realizing it. So I went to lunch with my NCF and because I know that some smells makes me sick ( I usually take my Ondansetron) that day,I had a straight talk with them with new rules to our friendship. The word Cancer,Treatment,Oncologist, oncology,breast (unless is chicken breast) those words cannot be brought up during our luncheons,gathering. If i forget to draw in my eyebrows and put on my eye lashes and it bothers you just say hey someone here needs to attend to the bathroom…if my chemo brian doesn’t kick in i know thaft means to check myself. I told them believe me, us cancer ladies and men WE NEED OUR FRIENDS,Not just our spouses,children and grandchildren. We want to be treated like you guys have always treated us. I want to hear about your vacations. What your grown son is doing. What we don’t want is being treated like CANCER is Contagious. we are still who we are. Hope this helps.
I find the wearing of the prosthesis interesting as im contorting into impossible positions.