It’s scary isn’t it one minute you’re doing your everyday stuff then crap like this comes along,just goes to prove live for today, good luck to all who are suffering.
del949:
well done Lizard, can I ask which cancer you have beaten. Myself at present have stage 4 (terminal) prostrate cancer.
Evening g del949 I had kidney cancer. Didn’t think twice about the treatment they offered. I had the whole kidney with the cancer cut out in lump.
Sorry to hear about yours. I hope they can do something that will help you to stave the demon off. Good luck mate.
Sent from Platform 9 3/4
Here’s my story.
Had been suffering with heartburn and a pain in me back that I put down to the way I sat behind the wheel and the occasional pain in the appendix.
Anyway this particular day I had a massive grumble of the appendix so I thought I had best pop me self home and have a shower, put some clean y fronts on and pop up the hospital.
I was diagnosed as having a grumbling appendix, which I already knew and then the bomb shell came, I didn’t hear another word the surgeon said after the C word.
It was a bit of a coaster as they couldn’t do much because of the appendix.
That all happened in July 2015, I had me appendix out on me 45th birthday in september and me kidney out on me eldests 14th birthday in October and back to work in January 2016.
To say the least, it was the darkest time of my life that I hope to never repeat (touch wood)
All I can say is to you all is, don’t hide away from it if it happens. Talk to someone like friends, family, colleagues, strangers, professionals. Whatever you do, don’t stay quiet, there’s no need to suffer in silence.
I lost me dad in 93 because he stayed quiet and suffered alone, please don’t be like me dad. Help and support is there if you need it. Just ask.
Sent from Platform 9 3/4
Thanks Lizard, and well done for not ignoring the symptoms. I echo your advice, if doubt get it checked, straight away. I had no idea cancer was even a possibility and even the GP diagnosed a muscular problem at first, it was the pysio he sent me to that spotted it. Straight away I was told it was advanced stage 4. Currently having hormones and chem simply to extend life as the cancer is out of the preostrate and into the bones etc.
Congratulations to you sir, I am truly envious, if only there were a cure for my cancer but alas there is not.
I am seriously very happy you are clear of the dreaded big ‘C’, not many items concerning such things are happy. I hope you have a long and healthier life my friend.
I’m really grateful to the hospital for curing me and I’m also happy for all of you that have survived and got through this.
But I would also like to apologise to everyone that has read this thread that is going through this and got no real answers to what is going to happen to them. I hope I have not upset anyone by starting this thread. I don’t mean any bad of anyone and I hope you all get an answer soon.
Sent from Platform 9 3/4
You are lucky to live in a country with an NHS system that has taken proper care of you. I often read posts on Facebook from people in the UK complaining about the NHS, these people have no idea what it is like to live in a country where the sick are treated like crap unless they are wealthy. I am treated with good intentions and am being treated with every possible form of care from the hospital I attend, although I feel that this is because the cancer I have is extremely rare and thus I am more of a test subject than a regular patient, most doctors in the hospital I attend have no idea what the disease is, I believe I am the only person in the upstate NY area (the size of England) with this illness. My mother contracted the very same disease many years ago, it killed her because at the time she was only the 3rd case known in history, obviously research has found a way to control it, my life expectancy has gone from 4 years to up to 20 years now with the oral chemo I get. The outrageous cost of treatment in the USA means it costs a staggering $16,000 a month, it is paid for mostly by help from a charity, if my cancer was not so rare I could never afford it on my own. The drug is free in the UK, so please do not ever let anyone you know complain about the NHS.
Sorry to take over your post my friend.
So nice to hear a tale of woe that has a very happy ending…thank god our hospital staff have a better understanding of this horrible disease, and can stop it if caught early enough…the sad fact is, we are macho truckers aint we… 
and think a mild itch, spot, ache or pain…is nothing to worry about…so do nothing about it…until eventually…a visit to the doctor…hospital…and they say those horrible words: If only you had come to us earlier …so there lies the motto for all of us…and let Lizzard be a fine example to all of us…if it worries you…get it checked…we all have had enough warnings…well done Lizzard for conquering it, and i wish you the best of health, and a speedy recovery.
Words of wisdom from you ‘Truckyboy’ … I ignored all my own symptoms because I thought I was indestructible, it was my wife who dragged me to the ER when advised to by a lab operator who called us on a Saturday night to say "If you don’t go to the ER tonight you will not wake up tomorrow Mr Hasler.
I don’t care how tough you think you are, get everything checked.
I would just like to say 1 thing about this horrible disease that I was told by my consultant.
There is 215 different types of cancer and 213 of them have no symptoms, you have to rely on your body having other problems so that you can be diagnosed.
In my case, it was appendicitis.
So the moral of the story is, if in doubt get it checked. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Sent from Platform 9 3/4
lizard:
I would just like to say 1 thing about this horrible disease that I was told by my consultant.
There is 215 different types of cancer and 213 of them have no symptoms, you have to rely on your body having other problems so that you can be diagnosed.
In my case, it was appendicitis.
So the moral of the story is, if in doubt get it checked. It’s better to be safe than sorry.Sent from Platform 9 3/4
Well said 
lizard:
I would just like to say 1 thing about this horrible disease that I was told by my consultant.
There is 215 different types of cancer and 213 of them have no symptoms, you have to rely on your body having other problems so that you can be diagnosed.
In my case, it was appendicitis.
So the moral of the story is, if in doubt get it checked. It’s better to be safe than sorry.Sent from Platform 9 3/4
Completely agree with this. I was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer 12 months ago. Looking back with hindsight, all the signs were there, long working hours, (in fact longer than my contract allows), a bad diet, lack of proper rest between shifts and just far too much stress.
I’ve had 17 cycles of chemo, and things are improving slowly and luckily the cancer hadn’t spread to my liver but the side-effects of the chemo are horrendous. My spine bones have weakened and I now have osteoporois and can barely walk or even move without any pain and to top it all, my employer has just sacked me.
Your employer is not allowed to terminate your employment whilst you are being treated for cancer. Ring macmillans and get their help. You don’t need this extra stress at this time. I hope you are going to be able to beat this. My thoughts are with you.
ThrustMaster:
lizard:
I would just like to say 1 thing about this horrible disease that I was told by my consultant.
There is 215 different types of cancer and 213 of them have no symptoms, you have to rely on your body having other problems so that you can be diagnosed.
In my case, it was appendicitis.
So the moral of the story is, if in doubt get it checked. It’s better to be safe than sorry.Sent from Platform 9 3/4
Completely agree with this. I was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer 12 months ago. Looking back with hindsight, all the signs were there, long working hours, (in fact longer than my contract allows), a bad diet, lack of proper rest between shifts and just far too much stress.
I’ve had 17 cycles of chemo, and things are improving slowly and luckily the cancer hadn’t spread to my liver but the side-effects of the chemo are horrendous. My spine bones have weakened and I now have osteoporois and can barely walk or even move without any pain and to top it all, my employer has just sacked me.
Sent from Platform 9 3/4
you are protected by the disability act, as said above contact your Macmillan nurse, good luck mate
Thrustmaster, 17 cycles? I have just had my 3rd and not sure that I could endure 17, I have another 3 to complete but the hormone treatment and the steroids are knocking me out.
It’s just as well that I have lost my ■■■ drive, I now have nothing to have ■■■ with !!! 
lizard:
Your employer is not allowed to terminate your employment whilst you are being treated for cancer.
Apparently they can.
lizard:
Ring macmillans and get their help.
Already did this with the drop-in centre at the Oncology department and the woman said, ‘oh they can just sack you as they have no legal obligation to keep your job open.’ I tried to show her all the documentation and my contract but she wasn’t interested in spending 20 minutes of her time to go through them all. So I gave up. I’ve also contacted my union, Unite, and they have failed to reply to my emails or return my phone calls, so it looks like I’m on my own.
lizard:
You don’t need this extra stress at this time. I hope you are going to be able to beat this. My thoughts are with you.
Thank you for your positive thoughts. It is appreciated.
Well done for beating the Cancer Lizard. Two years ago in June after a couple of lots of antibiotics from the Doctor for a sore throat I was sent to Dumfries hospital for an appointment at Ears, nose and Throat.
Within five minutes I was diagnosed with cancer in my throat, soft palette and tongue. Six weeks later after scans and biopsies my Consultant at the Beatson, West of Scotland Cancer Hospital gave me a ten percent chance of getting through it.
Six weeks radio therapy and chemo, and the Cancer was gone except for a tiny bit in one of the Lymph nodes in my neck.
After a radical neck dissection to remove it, and every thing in the left side of my neck that wasn’t really needed including my jugular vein, the three month wait for another scan began.
So I’ve been clear for nearly fifteen months.
The treatment was tough but you’ve got to take it, the hardest part I found was the uncertainty waiting between scans for my results. Looking forward to your next post in 940 days.
I can’t thank all of the Scottish NHS I came into contact with enough, they saved my life.
It’s been said here before if you think you may have something wrong with you get to the Doctor sharpish. I know it’s a mans thing but don’t ignore any unusual symptoms.
Manxman:
Well done for beating the Cancer Lizard. Two years ago in June after a couple of lots of antibiotics from the Doctor for a sore throat I was sent to Dumfries hospital for an appointment at Ears, nose and Throat.
Within five minutes I was diagnosed with cancer in my throat, soft palette and tongue. Six weeks later after scans and biopsies my Consultant at the Beatson, West of Scotland Cancer Hospital gave me a ten percent chance of getting through it.
Six weeks radio therapy and chemo, and the Cancer was gone except for a tiny bit in one of the Lymph nodes in my neck.
After a radical neck dissection to remove it, and every thing in the left side of my neck that wasn’t really needed including my jugular vein, the three month wait for another scan began.
So I’ve been clear for nearly fifteen months.The treatment was tough but you’ve got to take it, the hardest part I found was the uncertainty waiting between scans for my results. Looking forward to your next post in 940 days.
I can’t thank all of the Scottish NHS I came into contact with enough, they saved my life.
It’s been said here before if you think you may have something wrong with you get to the Doctor sharpish. I know it’s a mans thing but don’t ignore any unusual symptoms.
So glad to see you got through this, chemo can be a real B******d to say the least, mine lasted 5 months and then as it was obviously killing me I was switched to an oral chemo at a staggering $16k a month.
As for the employer who sacked someone for being sick, I live in the USA where drivers rights are rubbish but even over here that would be against the law.
lizard:
Your employer is not allowed to terminate your employment whilst you are being treated for cancer. Ring macmillans and get their help. You don’t need this extra stress at this time. I hope you are going to be able to beat this. My thoughts are with you.ThrustMaster:
lizard:
I would just like to say 1 thing about this horrible disease that I was told by my consultant.
There is 215 different types of cancer and 213 of them have no symptoms, you have to rely on your body having other problems so that you can be diagnosed.
In my case, it was appendicitis.
So the moral of the story is, if in doubt get it checked. It’s better to be safe than sorry.Sent from Platform 9 3/4
Completely agree with this. I was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer 12 months ago. Looking back with hindsight, all the signs were there, long working hours, (in fact longer than my contract allows), a bad diet, lack of proper rest between shifts and just far too much stress.
I’ve had 17 cycles of chemo, and things are improving slowly and luckily the cancer hadn’t spread to my liver but the side-effects of the chemo are horrendous. My spine bones have weakened and I now have osteoporois and can barely walk or even move without any pain and to top it all, my employer has just sacked me.
Sent from Platform 9 3/4
There becomes a point when you can sack someone with cancer. As we don’t know sufficient details of Thrustmaster’s medical history, the following is a general comment.
It may be that someone diagnosed with cancer may never be able to return to their previous work and there may be no other work within the company that they can do . A company would not have to continue to ‘employ’ someone when they could not return to their job, and there may be no other work that falls within their capabilities. I remember a guy called funnyfut on here a few years back that had prostate cancer that he was late getting diagnosed ( his sig line was, ’ the finger is your friend’ 
) and it went to his bones. He survived for quite some time, but would never work again - it would be unreasonable to expect someone to have employed him for years with no hope of return.
So whilst cancer does indeed come under the DDA, there does come a point when an employer can make a decision to let someone go.
Listening to all you sufferers out there…Lizzard, Thrustmaster…Pat Hasler…i wish you all the very best for the future…i would just like to add a big praise to all of our NHS staff as they struggle, with shortages of staff, low wages…and their own stress whilst at work. I agree that more funding needs to be found, and it needs to be found NOW…Teresa has said a 3p increase in taxation may be the way forward…I think £5 a week extra from wage earners is more like it…to give the NHS a much needed boost, and a NHS we can all be proud of…the finest health system in the world it used to be called…now look at it…weeks waiting for a doctors appointment…let alone a hospital one, right across the NHS are big queues for services, from mental health to A&E…sorry to mention this, but we are giving FREE treatment to everyone who arrives here, and those already here , that have contributed Nothing…there should be a minimum term of living here…before accessing health care…or the benefit system…tough for many, but even more tough for us, especailly as we reach a certain age !!
I see a need for an overseas aid budget, but i think its long overdue for a rethink, and a redistribution system, and to make sure it goes where its needed. We are giving hundreds of thousands to India for eg, when they are sending rockets into space…we owe these people nothing…but are giving with love in our hearts, a great deal of money, i want this aid to go to people who are starving, who have no access to clean water, educational facilities, to at least help them to stand on their own two feet, and to be free of handouts ( if that possible ) but its down to those who run the countries , to not take out of the pot, what they already have , and instead distribute it to where it should be going…rant over…
Stay Strong all !!!
I was Unlucky enough to join the club last November.
Brain Tumour, and not too good at this stage,complications etc.
In for a fight for sure!
Have lost all my Car/Truck/Machinary Licences,In Australia I can re-apply for my car licence after 12 months of being Seizure Free,but no hope of ever regaining my MC(Multi Combination B Double-or any Truck Licence)
In hindsight I should have increased my Income Insurance premiums-but who expects or wants Cancer?
No warning signs,just felt unwell for a few days,took a Semi trailer to Geelong(Regional Town)and walked over the road to a shop for a newspaper and collapsed and awoke in an Ambulance.
No I wasn’t glued to my mobile phone 24/7 etc and Aircraft Contrails did not bring the Tumour on !LOL
Will be fighting till the end!