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If you or someone in your life has been affected by bowel cancer and are interested in sharing your story, consider becoming a media volunteer with the Irish Cancer Society. Sharing your story can help to raise cancer awareness, inform people about our services, appeal for volunteers, and bring reassurance to cancer patients and their families. After you express an interest in becoming a media volunteer, we would discuss with you how best to share your story, getting your permission before publishing or broadcasting.

Hi Everyone We are the nurses who work on Cancer Nurseline. We answer direct enquiries from the public about cancer through Cancer Nurseline and our email service. We look forward to answering your questions in the Ask The Cancer Nurses topic area of the Online Community.  We all have quite a bit of cancer nursing experience behind us and we enjoy our work here at the Irish Cancer Society. If you have a question for us you can call us on freephone 1800 200 700 or ask it here. We are open Monday - Thursday 9am-8pm and Friday - Sunday 9am-5pm. We look forward to hearing from you! 

Hi Everybody, I hope you are all keeping well at this difficult time. I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Stage 1, HR Positive and Her2 Neg last week. The multidisciplinary team have decided that the best treatment for me at the moment due to Covid 19 is hormone therapy for 3 months followed by surgery and radiotherapy. I am concerned as I know that the surgery is normally done first in this diagnosis but it is too risky at the moment. I also will not start the therapy for 2-3 weeks and I am wondering two things, (1) Is the 2-3 week wait normal and (2) Has anybody else had the hormone treatment first and what was the outcome.

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Hi folks hope you are all having a good day and keeping well. I've just come from my hospital appointment. I got the dressing changed and healing well but the drains remain in for another week. I recieved my treatment plan. I have to start Chemo in 3 week for 6 months followed by 6 weeks of radiothearphy. I'm trying to get my head around all of this imformation. I have to meet the Chemo team Wed in prep for Chemo. Just hope I have the strenght to fight this. Hugs Sha x

Hello, my mother was just diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. She is starting hormonal therapy tomorrow. Any advice on how I can help ease her worries and anxieties and my own!? Is there anything I can tell her to prepare for possible side effects? Thanks in advance. It’s a worrying time

My father in law is currently in a nursing home which is under lockdown. He has advanced non hodkins and appears to be getting very breathless which is a new thing. When we speak to him he is v breathless and has had a cough. We are waiting to speak to a nurse later about his O2 levels. We are obviously very concerned now as the community palliative team have not seen him since Nov and they cannot visit him. Has anyone got any suggestions as to what we can do? thanks.

Hi all, My mam was recently diagnosed with cancer, unfortunately, and she is hopefully beginning chemo asap. Therefore, she is planning on getting a wig. However, we are clueless about this, and would appreciate any help, comments, suggestions and thoughts etc. She is not sure whether to get a real hair wig or synthetic, as she is aware just how costly real-hair wigs can be. Her main questions are: which type of wig would be the most comfortable? The most practical? Which would feel nicest wearing it?.. Appreciate any help at all! All opinions welcome! Thanks.

Hello all, Anyone have any experience of cording after removal of node ? Thanks

I have to get monthly injections of faslodex which up until now I was getting done in hospital by an oncology nurse. I also have a port which I understood needed to be flushed every 4 weeks in hospital. Just wondering in the light of covid-19 and avoiding hospitals if - Firstly do I need to have my port flushed every 4 weeks and, if not, how often do I need to get it flushed? It can only be done in hospital as G.P. wouldn't have the necessary equipment. Secondly, can my G.P. or practice nurse give me my faslodex injections? I assumed the oncology nurses were specially trained on how to administer these injections as they are intra muscular.