Inspirational Ladies

Some times, you meet people who have a profound impact in your life. You might not know it at the time, but eventually you realise  that your paths crossed for a reason and it was meant to be.
Sometimes, you don't even have to "meet" them in real life - even just knowing them via their online presence is enough to have an impact.

So it is with some special ladies who are part of WCSUK.

One of these ladies is sadly no longer with us. She passed away last year. Cancer yet again robbed a family of a much loved mother and wife.

She was a member of our private chat group and even as the cancer slowly took its hold on her she continued to post in the group and when she moved to a hospice, her family kept us informed about how she was settling in.

It was a sad day for us all when we heard the news of her passing. Her smiling face in the photo she used as her Facebook profile pic will remain in our hearts for a long time.

Of course, deep down you know that cancer will take some people. But for it to take someone from WCSUK, our little group of ninja womb warriors, was hard for many of us to bear;  those of us that had become close to our peach sister.

But, we moved on, as you do. More fighters joined the group, ladies at the start of their cancer journey. We had to stop dwelling on the negative and focus on the positive, for them and the others in the group who are still fighting.

And we are all fighters, each and every one of us. We are fighting this nasty thing that has come into our lives and our bodies.
Some of us fight quietly, in our own way. Drawing on some inner strength that maybe we didn't know we had.
Some of us put on our best steel toecapped boots and are determined to kick the s**t outta cancer!


Our motto in WCSUK is "no one fights alone" - thats the whole reason behind why I started the group. I didn't want other women to feel as alone and scared as I had done 3 years ago.

So to all the peach sisters out there - keep fighting and know that you are never alone. xxxx

Relationship Issues

Something that crops up on a regular basis in the WCSUK private chat group is the issue of relationships!
Most, but not all, of the women in the group are either married or in a stable relationship and the long term side effects of having a hysterectomy,  and all the hormonal side effects that brings, can have a serious impact on a relationship.
Even without the added issues of having cancer its a tough time for any relationship to go through.
Sadly even the strongest marriages have been put under stain, and  many have suffered, because of these issues.

What can we do for ourselves? Well, talking to your partner has to be the first step. If you can be open and honest with them about how you feel, very often they will be receptive and try to understand.

Many women find that they enjoy sex more after a hysterectomy but if you're not one of them then please don't think bad about yourself.
Talk to your GP about how you feel,  and maybe ask for a referral to a counsellor who can offer help with sexual problems.

Lack of sex drive can be made worse by depression and also menopausal symptoms. Also if you are worrying about your  relationship problems then this will also affect your sex drive.  These problems are often temporary, but if symptoms of menopause or depression persist then please see your doctor for treatment. 

There is a wealth of information available on the internet but I would strongly recomend the Macmillan website.
Their section on sexuality and relationships is very good. http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Livingwithandaftercancer/Relationshipscommunication/Sexuality/Sexuality.aspx

Please do not suffer in silence. If you feel unable to talk to your partner, or they won't listen to what you have to say then seek help from your GP or a counsellor.

International Women's Day

Today, 8th March, is International Women's Day.

There are 1,000's of events happening around the world to mark the economic, social and political achievements of women.

As last year, we at WCSUK are taking part by asking people to take a simple pledge - to help raise awareness of womb cancer!

https://www.facebook.com/events/587352184627351/#!/events/587352184627351/

Please join us in raising awareness and help us cut the number of women being diagnosed with this cancer.

We know that it's not just a cancer that affects post menopausal women so all women need to be aware of the signs and symptoms and be aware of the factors that make it more likely that they might be at risk of getting it.

You can check out our page on the International Women's Day website too http://www1.internationalwomensday.com/wcsuk

So please share the links with all your female friends. We have to spread the word and raise awareness if we are to cut the number of women being diagnosed.

Kaz

Your help required please!

We were contacted last week by Dr Jane Dennehey,  the co-founder of the Gender Hub a research organisation interested in social issues with a focus on health and work.

She has asked if WCSUK would take part in a survey which is about understanding how women, their partners, families and friends cope and live with womb cancer on a day-to-day basis.

We have placed details of the survey on the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/WombCancerSupportUK
and so far 27 of the women from the group have done the survey, so thank you very much to them.

The survey can be accessed via this link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2ZLQ2RM so if you are interested in taking part then please do so. There is the option of doing a follow up survey, either by phone or email, but there is no pressure on you to do so.
The initial survey is completely confidential.

Advocacy Award

You may remember last year that WCSUK became a partner in the One Team One Goal worldwide coalition building campaign to unite gyneacological oncology practice and advocacy groups.

We are very pleased to announce today that we have recently has been honored with One Team One Goal Advocacy Champion (Europe) Award.

 Debra and I are extremely honoured to receive this award.

Support - when its needed, on your terms!

When I started Womb Cancer Support UK back in April 2011, I did so because I didn't want other women going through womb cancer to feel as alone and scared as I had been 16 months previously when I was diagnosed.
I was diagnosed on 23rd Dec 2009 and had my hysterectomy on 25th Jan 2010. I got my pathology results 3 weeks later and was then told that there were cancer cells still present and I would need chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Thats when it hit me. Originally my Consultant had said he was 99.9% sure they could remove all the cancer through the hysterectomy - it was only when the pathology results came back and showed that there were cancer cells present in the stomach wash they did, did I realise that 99.9% wasn't good enough!

Cancer aside, the hysterectomy was the best thing I ever did. It put an end to over 30 years of extremely heavy, irregular and painful periods - sometimes lasting several weeks at a time.
So the thought of never having to worry about that again was great.
But being told that I was going to be pumped full of toxic chemicals, and have my hair fall out; and then have to go through 5 weeks of being irradiated every day scared the life out of me!!!

I didn't know anyone who had cancer; there was no history of it in my family. I had no one to talk to about it.
I live on an island off the west coast of Scotland and when I got my diagnosis, I was the only one on the island with womb cancer. I joined the local cancer support group but it was full of women with breast cancer and at 46, I was the youngest there by a good 15 years.

I felt scared, isolated and alone.

I was lucky enough to get (and still have) regular visits from a wonderful Macmillan nurse who has helped my immensely throughout the past 3 years.

When my treatment eventually ended in July 2010, a week before my 47th birthday, I felt cast adrift. My security blanket of regular visits to hospital and all the tests had gone.

Again, I felt alone. I expected my health to improve slightly after the end of the treatment. I had suffered with severe diarrhoea for the whole 5 weeks of radiotherapy aswell as cystitis but this lasted for several weeks after and indeed I now have long term bowel problems as a result of the treatment.

Ever since I got my diagnosis I spent ages scouring the internet looking for information about womb cancer. Anything - treatment options, side effects, causes; symptoms.
I looked for support groups - there weren't any specifically for womb cancer patients. I used the forums on the Macmillan website and joined a US based support group on Facebook but it still felt like there was something lacking.

And thats where WCSUK came in. After a chat with a fellow womb cancer patient that I had met through FB I decided to start my own womb cancer support group!

The rest, as they say, is history!!

https://www.facebook.com/WombCancerSupportUK

Cancer and depression

We all feel a little down from time to time, especially when we are going through something like cancer. But when does it cross the line from being a bit down to being depressed; and what can you do about it?
Depression  can affect your ability to cope with simple, everyday things such as sleeping, hygiene, eating, social activities and work.
If you are depressed, it’s impossible to simply "get over it". Well meaning family members or friends will often use this phrase and it's often difficult for people around you to understand how you feel.. Unless someone has been depressed themselves, it is almost impossible for them to understand what it feels like.

Depression is said to be the least noticed symptom in people with cancer. Yet it can be one of the hardest  to cope with. GP's and cancer specalists are getting better at recognising and treating depression in people with cancer. But there is still a lot more significant research to be done.
According to CRUK, almost 60% of people with cancer will get depressed. It may happen soon after you are diagnosed, but it is also quite normal to become depressed after finishing  treatment.

Depression can be triggered by a  number of things. The impact of being diagnosed with cancer is enough to trigger a depressive illness in some people. Changes in hormone levels may contribute to depression in some people so the fact that most of us will have gone into surgical menopause after a total hysterectomy is also a factor.

Also once treatment has ended and you are no longer being seen frequently by your medical team you can sometimes feel lonely and isolated. You no longer have the security of having people looking after you and this can sometimes trigger depression.

It is important to remember that depression is not a sign of  failure or an inability to cope. Never feel guilty about feeling depressed or not feeling positive all the time. It can usually be treated successfully and the  first step to feeling better is finding appropriate help.
Speak to your GP, who may prescribe an antidepressant to help you. They can take some time before you feel any benefit but you should start to feel some improvement after a couple of weeks. There are different types of antidepressants, and your doctors may need to try more than one to find the type that suits you best.

If you’re very depressed, your GP may refer you to a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist.

Macmillan have a very good section on their website about depression and remember that you can always contact them for help and advice. http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Livingwithandaftercancer/Emotionaleffects/Depression.aspx

 Remember, you are not alone and you don't have to go through depression on your own. Never be afraid to ask for help.