One of the hospitals in my local area has stopped chemo due to the covid19 outbreak. I'm wondering if other hospitals are going to alos follow suit.
Totally understandable as it does lead to immune suppression which may lead to covid19 and I am worried if I do start 9th April (when it's at its peak if following the Italian death numbers) I'll be at a much greater risk.
A hospital locally to me said it was postponing all routine planned surgery, including cancer operations.
"Hot clinics are being set up for patients who urgently need to see a doctor", the trust said.
The hospital says chemotherapy drugs can affect patients' immune systems.
A hospital spokesman said: "These measures will help us to protect our patients, including those with Covid-19, and those with other conditions"
Postponing chemotherapy will help to protect our cancer patients as these intense drugs affect their immune system, making them more susceptible to contracting Covid-19
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-52022662
Called today. Consultant is off sick. But oncology said they have called my consultant and he has confirmed that treatment will commence 9th April unless situation/guidelines change.
Caught between a hard place and a rock as do I want to be immune suppressed atm?
Hi
iv been reading your journey this morning and I wish you the best of luck !!!
I honestly don't think they are allowed to put back treatment unless your bloods are low or infection so stay in take lots of vitamin c and you will be good to go on the 9th ..
i appreciate how anxious you must be but I'm still seeing routine patients at my clinic !!
Be strong and keep talking you will have good and bad days !! Always here to chat through both of these times xx
sending positive vibes xx
Hi pleasehelp,
Treatment is still planned to start 9th April so here's hoping it goes ahead and I don't get covid19 before, during or after.
I believe NHS England have made priority lists and I know some cancwr treatments have been suspended for now.
We have had some smaller clinics shut down. However bc i am in a major city we are still up and running. Only patients are allowed in hospital. Must wear a mask. Answer covid screening questions. Personally my mom, husband and i have been quarantined for 21 days. Doing what ever i can to stay safe. We are in Dallas, Texas. Crazy times.
Hope you can start on the 9th. I know for me the waiting has been the worst part. Too many "what if's". Once it starts you see it is just another thing to do each day.
Its been 8 weeks of hell of waiting for treatment. Here in the UK we can wait up for 10 weeks from diagnosis.
I just wanted to commiserate on the extra pain of getti this sort of diagnosis during this COVID outbreak. i already have to wait to have my RH until May 12 because I had an intensive cone biopsy and the risk of one surgery on top of the other is too great. But the biggest wave of covid is expected now (I am in the US inAtlanta, Georgia). So, although i was relieved by getting a good scan, I now have this 36 day wait and the fear of surgery being cancelled. I am worried that it is spreading and I just want it OUT. I trying hard to stay busy and focused on other things. But today I had to do some insurance paperwork and ended up sobbing in the backyard.
Harvitt, I am going to put good thoughts out into the universe for your treatment going totaly as planned and on schedule. The waiting is a kind of hell I would not wish on my worst enemy.
Thank you Laurie Beth. We are due the hight of covid over the next week or so... It's terrifying.
At present I have pain in my left side and down my leg. Again, I want to get it done but so worried about being extra exposed.
I know. I can't believe I will have to have a massive surgery and be in a hospital for a few days right now. Scary to think I could catch this after surgery when I am already so weak. Hard to cope with the fear.
Hi please help,
Thank you. It's such a stressful time for everyone.
Ladies these are crazy days indeed. We have been quarantined for 23 days? Just keeping busy to keep my mind off of everything going on with my diagnosis is a full time effort. Trying not to just sleep it away. This is nuts!!! But i will tell you i feel safe at my treatments. I feel like they are taking it seriously and doing all they can to keep me safe and healthy. No one can understand the hell you are going thru waiting!!! But you are not alone. And the day will be here soon.
Harvitt- you are so close. I will be thinking of you. Hope all goes well. Sending you both good juju, love and hugs. We got this!
I cried all morning today. I have 36 days until my surgery and this waiting....oh my goodness. I know my ten and twelve year olds are concerned about me. They know I need surgery but they do not know about the cancer yet--just a personal choice I made to keep this already scary quarantine time from being unbearable.
I am scared about the surgery, but I just want the cancer OUT and it seems like so long to wait. My oncologist assured me this wait is completely safe, but I am not feeling too trusting.
I am trying to just enjoy my sweet kiddos and make some memories in this time, but I am a single mom and I am worn out from balancing my emotions, balancing my kids' emotions over quarantine and the virus, feeding everyone three times a day, and trying to online teach 104 high school juniors.
I wish I could have the surgery tomorrow and just move on with this process....
I am totally worn down ladies. Hard to imagine making it 36 more days with my sanity in tact.
Thank you Stacey Jane, sending it right back to you. Was telephoned today by chemo unit and they said they still intend to go ahead for treatment on Thursday. My mood has been very low, erupting at times today and tearful. If we weren't in the middle or even start of a Covid-19 outbreak would I be handling this any better? I would like to say "yes"... Such a crappy time.
Laurie Beth, 36 days ago I felt the same as you. It feels like a life time away. My head isn't good at the moment either. I would like to hope that if it was normal life I'd feel a bit more in control but it's really hard. I'm fed up with cooking 3 times a day, being mum, teacher, cleaner, bouncer, IT specialist to name a few roles while my husband quietly sits upstairs on his laptop doing work, hidden away. Tried to explain to him that it's not like normal when you say yiur working from home. We are in a state of emergency and to be fair noone is working full pelt nor expected too either. I keep telling g him that I really can't cope at the moment as a. My life is really up in the air with a diagnosis of cc and I'm worried, b. I've spent 26months in this fight or flight mode after my mum suffering severe brain damage and have spent already 26months fighting and I'm mentally and physically exhausted let alone having a new diagnosis of cc and c. The whole world is under threat from covid, the children are off school, I'm off school (as I'm a special needs teacher and can't risk being ill before treatment), yiur at home working and life in general is totally out of the ordinary, I'm locked in and looking at life inside for the next at least 3 months and I have a diagnosis of cc and worried my mum will get yet another serious uti that will need hospital attention and she might catch covid (she was sent to hospital last wk, but they couldn't help her as normally me or a brother stays and helps them administer treatment but due to covid weren't allowed so she spent the time pulling catheters out and canulars out so they couldn't give her iv antibiotics. I spent all of last week trying to manage her, the situation, hand over info to the nurses how to work with her and chase doctors. They sent her back to the nursing home she's in. The next day 999 were called as mum had a high temp, o2 low so they queried covid. 999 wouldn't take her as they felt she had uti but now her nursing home are isolating her even though she needs 1:1 supervision due to her lack of short term and long term memory. Sorry I'm rambling.... But my husband doesn't acknowledges why I might not be myself.
Got the phone call from the chemo nurse. Treatments start 9th April... Less than 8 hrs time.
Hope it goes well lovely, I'll be thinking of you and sending positive vibes xxx
It is perfectly acceptable to lose it! I felt like i was going insane before treatment started. Randomly crying out of no where. Everything was too much. It's okay. This is normal. I cry everyday in the shower. It feels good to release it. My husband is not a great support. I am so lucky to have my mom here. She will have to leave and my husband will be taking care of me after my surgery. Which is a terrifying prospect.
Just know that it's okay to feel all the things you are feeling. Sorry you feel so alone. I think if you often. This is such a crazy time to have to go through this.
Hoping treatments are started for you. I think it might hepl calm things down mentally. I was a wreck while waiting. Things got a lot better after treatment started. I hope this will be the case for you too.
