Community

November is known for both prostate and pancreatic cancer awareness - the time of the year to highlight these cancers. However, we all know that any cancer can occur any month. So our nurses’ message to all men in Ireland today is to take note of any changes or symptoms you’ve noticed and talk to your GP. Read the second of our Support Line blog posts written by one of our cancer nurses here - https://www.cancer.ie/about-us/news/be-kind-to-yourself-during-mens-health-awareness-month-support-line-blog

Hi I am on tamoxifen 5yrs and I’m really losing my hair, I will be on tamoxifen for another few yrs., has anyone had this problem, and something worked for you

I was referred to the Breast Clinic Eccles St 3 weeks ago, for a thickened area in my breast. I attended my appointment yesterday and had a mammogram done. I was expecting to see a Doctor and be examined and perhaps have an ultrasound or biopsy which didn’t happen. I thought there must be some mistake here. I was then told I would wait 3 weeks for results of the mammogram, It’s so worrying and stressful and the system seems to work so slowly. If I go private for a triple assessment would I be able to be treated in the public system if there is was a problem.

Hi Everyone today I had a mamagram and ultrasound biopsy I was told it was probably just fibroid I didn't really understand I got three samples taken I didn't want to ask any questions as the pandemic they said they would call me I have it in my head its fine but am I being silly trying not to think about it and how long will it take for them to call thanks so much for any help

Hi I have just had an appointment with the plastic surgeon about a breast reconstruction the option I am thinking of is breast reconstruction by latissimus dorsal flap and then I will need a reduction on the other breast I would love to hear from anyone who has had this done to hear their experience. I had my mastectomy in January 2019 and finished radiation in May of that year. I am feeling well but I am worried about putting my body through this and if I will be strong enough for this op.

Hi first time on hear can any give me information My wife has just been diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. Has anyone gone through the same give me information on this type of cancer we are scared we can't find any information on this type She is going for a ct scan on Tuesday and starting chemo on Wednesday.

During the Coronavirus pandemic, some cancer patients who hold a medical card and would otherwise be eligible for a wig grant from the HSE have been unable to attend for fittings due to current Coronavirus restrictions. As a result, these patients have been unable to access wigs and hair pieces.  To address this, the HSE have agreed to provide an additional grant of €80 for medical card holders who ordinarily qualify for a wig grant from the HSE. This funding will be available for patients to purchase headwear such as headscarves, bandanas, or other headwear that can be accessed without need for a fitting.  Further information on this financial grant: This is an €80 payment to be used by eligible patients who hold a medical card and cannot attend wig fittings due to COVID-19. This funding is available to purchase headwear that does not require fittings e.g. headscarves, turbans, bandanas and other headwear.  This funding will not decrease the monetary value of a patients’ grant entitlement to a wig/ hair piece when they are eventually able to attend for a fitting. The €80 grant can be accessed in the same way that the regular wig grant is accessed i.e. patients will need to present their medical card and a letter from their GP to a HSE-registered retailer who would apply to the relevant local HSE Community Health Organisation (CHO) on their behalf for headwear. The relevant CHO will then determine a patients’ eligibility in line with eligibility criteria for the existing HSE wig grant for medical card holders.  Patients should source headwear from a HSE-registered wig supplier. These are retailers who are familiar with the HSE grant scheme and already apply to local CHOs on behalf of patients to avail of the regular HSE wig grant scheme.  Patients should contact their preferred HSE-registered retailer to discuss logistics re orders i.e. phone/ online, and the best way to make selections. Patients can speak to their local CHO for further details on accessing this payment. For more information, contact cancernurseline@irishcancer.ie

We spoke to psychologist Paul D'Alton about ways people with cancer can cope with their worries during the coronavirus outbreak. You can listen to his helpful advice below.  Listen here

Cancer treatment can often put patients at higher risk of getting an infection. In light of this and given recent focus on the COVID-19 virus, also known as coronavirus, the Irish Cancer Society wishes to advise anyone impacted by cancer about the steps they can take to reduce their risk of catching the virus, and how best to deal with infections in the event that cases are reported in this country. The Irish Cancer Society is recommending that patients who are currently undergoing or have recently received treatment for cancer, as well as their friends and family members, should be particularly mindful of the risks and consequences associated with COVID-19. Read more

The Irish Cancer Societyonline community is a welcoming and supportive place where people affected by cancer and those close to them can find information and support, ask questions and share information or personal experiences of their cancer. To help keep this community an inclusive and safe place for active and supportive discussion, we ask that all of our users follow these simple guidelines. Our community forum guidelines  Who can join the discussion? Who can register? The forum is aimed at anyone who is affected by cancer. However, other people may register too, as long as your posts remain relevant to the issues. For the protection and safety of children, this forum does not support members under the age of 18. Using the forum We ask users to be kind and respectful to others Be supportive and kind to each other - Many people sharing on the forum are going through difficult times. A few words of kindness can be very helpful and supportive. Please focus on showing support and always be sympathetic to other members’ feelings.  Respect and be sensitive to the opinions of others - A wide range of people with very different experiences may use the forum. Differences and debate may occasionally arise. Please make your points politely and respectfully and you can agree to disagree if you have differing opinions.  Give each other the benefit of the doubt-It can be very easy to misinterpret other people’s comments, especially when read or written in haste. Sarcasm and humour are particularly easy to misunderstand.  Don't post any content that treats anyone unfairly-On the grounds of their sex, sexual orientation, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or philosophical belief, disability, gender identity/reassignment, marital status, family circumstance or age; or anything that is threatening, obscene or in any way offensive. Do not use bad language or swearing - or use language that others may find abusive or offensive. If you think someone is being aggressive or deliberately provoking others, please use the ‘report’ button to alert the moderators and then simply ignore them. Don’t use all capital letters in your post - this is understood as ‘Shouting online’ and may offend others. Privacy and safety  Protect your privacy: This forum is public and your posts may appear in internet searches, only your profile and private messages are private. Please be careful with your personal information. Don’t use your real, full name (or email address) as your username and do not post your contact details on the forum, like real name, address, email, phone number (We will remove them). Keep your password private. Respect the privacy of others - Please do not ask other users to post their personal information such as home addresses, telephone numbers, or email addresses, and do not pressure anybody into revealing information about themselves that they may not be comfortable with. Be careful - please be careful about who you give your information to through private messaging. Think about your safety when arranging to meet people you have met on the forum.  For the protection and safety of children, this forum does not support members under the age of 18. Keeping it legal • Please do not identify specific healthcare professionals - (especially by name) who are treating you, or particular hospitals or GP surgeries – publishing that information could be considered libel. Respect copyright -Only post your own content, otherwise you could be infringing copyright. This could include poems, stories, and reports. No soliciting The Irish Cancer Society Online Community is primarily for people affected by cancer to support each other – not for advertising products or services, finding a source to interview for a news story, or for recruiting research subjects to take a survey. These types of posts will be deleted.  No commercial solicitation - this includes promoting web addresses, products or services and medical institutions for commercial gain. These will be treated as spam. Keep it relevant and honest. Transparency Please do not create multiple accounts or pretend to be someone else. Tell the truth about your experience and intentions- Make sure you always post from the same account so that others can get to know you.  Language Write your posts in English This is because we are not able to moderate posts in other languages at present. It is also important to make sure that all members can understand each other’s posts and support each other. No medical advice Sharing experiences is at the heart of the forum - so please be careful not to give medical advice.  Information provided via our community is not intended to replace or be a substitute for the advice and services of professional experts, but rather to provide signposts towards further information and support.  Complementary therapies and alternative therapies Complementary therapy is a type of treatment used alongside conventional treatments to improve quality of life. Complementary therapies do not influence the cancer itself but some can help to alleviate symptoms and the side effects of conventional treatments. When discussing complementary therapies, you may; Advocate the use of complementary therapies alongside conventional treatment; Make evidence-based claims about the effectiveness of complementary therapies in improving quality of life  When discussing complementary therapies we ask you not to: Advocate using any complementary therapy as an alternative to conventional treatment;  Claim that any complementary therapy can cure cancer, reduce the size of tumours or in any way treat cancer;  Advise anyone to ignore medical experts’ advice on the use of any treatment whatsoever;  Advertise any complementary therapy for commercial gain.  Alternative therapy Alternative therapy tries to treat cancer using unconventional methods instead of usual medical treatment. When discussing alternative therapies, you may: Provide anecdotal accounts about alternative therapy use, as long as you do not make claims about their effects. When discussing alternative therapies, we ask you not to: Advocate the use of any alternative therapy;  Promote any alternative therapy.  Claim that any alternative therapy can cure cancer, reduce the size of tumours or in any way treat cancer;  Advise anyone to ignore medical experts’ advice on the use of any treatment whatsoever. Suicide and self-harm All mentions of intention to commit suicide, assisted suicide or self-harm will be removed from the site. Expressions of thoughts and feelings may arise for some people from time to time about these issues which can be expressed. It is not your responsibility as another poster to offer counselling. If you are worried about another member please refer the member to our Cancer Nurseline on 1 800 200 700 or The Samaritans on 1850 60 90 90. We take these messages very seriously and will offer members guidance to appropriate support and advice. Moderation The team moderating the forum consists of Irish Cancer Society staff and our aim is to keep the forum safe, legal and supportive. We do not approve every post before it goes live. This is why we need forum users to take responsibility for their own postings, and to report inappropriate posts. When you contact us, you should expect a response within 3-5 days (it can be sooner). If you report a post, we will usually let you know what action we have taken.  If you breach our guidelines, you will usually get a warning, or be placed under moderation (this means all your posts need to be approved by a moderator before going live). If you continue to breach the guidelines, we will ban you permanently from the site. We issue permanent bans only as a last resort to protect our forum community. The role of the Irish Cancer Society moderators is to help keep the forum safe and constructive for the benefit of all members. In order to do this we may if the need arises: Edit a post-We will usually let you know when we do this and why. It is most often to delete swearing or personal information. Move a post or thread - to an area of the forum where it is more appropriate. Delete a post-We will usually let you know when we do this and why. It is usually because of a breach of our guidelines. • We may contact you - by private message or email to make suggestions, or issue a warning. Place users back in moderation (so all posts must be approved before going live). Ban users Close a thread - If a healthy discussion breaks down into an exchange of attacks and insults, or becomes too heated, we might close a thread to end the discussion and encourage people to move on. Post - Occasionally we will post a message to users of the online community, for example when looking for feedback on our service.  Cancer Information Service of the Irish Cancer Society The Cancer Information Service of the Irish Cancer Society is dedicated to providing high quality, expertly developed information about cancer. You can find cancer information on Cancer.ie or speak to a specialist cancer nurse on our Cancer Nurseline freephone 1800 200 700. The Cancer Nurseline is open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. You can also email us on cancernurseline@irishcancer.ie. You can also visit our Daffodil Centres, located in thirteen hospitals nationwide. The centres are staffed by cancer nurses and trained volunteers who provide confidential advice, support and information to anyone affected by cancer.  Please remember views expressed in this community are purely the views of the members and as such don't constitute professional recommendations or advice or the opinions of the Irish Cancer Society. We have the right to update and change our Community guidelines and Terms and Conditions at any time. If you have any questions about these guidelines, or anything on the site at all, drop us an email at webservices@irishcancer.ie and we’ll do all we can to help.