Diagnosed yesterday...

Hi Cath,

i was diagnosed in Feb 2016 with stage 3 Triple negative.

Some tips:

A portacath is fantastic and saves your veins, ask for one before you start chemo

there are some really good resources for helping children through this journey, a book called what is happening to my Mummy, Kemo Shark (which explains chemo and what it does for us) I liked reading these books better than the adult literature as it was less overwhelming in the initial diagnosis. There is a few more, cancer council and McGrath foundation sent me most of these.

Mummys Wish, is a great organisation that helps us with young children. You will need a referral, but they have provided resources for our 6, now 7 year old, a cleaner to help when I was not at my best, and a teddy bear for our daughter for me to record a message on in case I had to go into hospital.

I let my then 6 year old daughter shave my head to a number 1 as I noticed I was loosing hair, she enjoyed it and felt included.

i told school what was happening and we have a very open and honest communication with our daughter, she is doing great and is openly discussing at school with the teachers and they help her on days I might be struggling by giving positive reinforcement that to get better I might get a little sick first, and lots of cuddles! School also cooked us dinner for the week after I had surgery which was fantastic and very unexpected.

everyone is different, keep the focus on you journey, yours will be different to your Mums, read up but don't take everything as being how you will be, I was not text book during AC chemo, had it fairly good, but paclitaxel I am finding very taxing.

Things I have gone through a lot of: Sustagen or protein powder, lemonade icy poles, Bundaberg ginger beer (diet has more ginger content), lemon and ginger tea, ginger lollies.

things I have to combat boredom/focussing on cancer: books (read over 500 so far!), puzzles (too boring for me), cross stitch (ok but need to have a time when I can concentrate).

hope this helps in some way. Feel free to send me a private message if you have any specific questions and I will do my best. I'm not sure where you are located but even if your girls have questions I'm sure  my 7 year old would attempt to answer them, she wants to be a breast care nurse when she grows up (or a singer!).

xx

christel