When does it get better?

Before my diagnosis, things were finally starting to well for me after years of study and working hard. Then I got cancer. Ever since everything has just been downhill. I'm losing energy to stay positive. I feel like the hole is getting deeper and I can't get out. The hole I tried so hard to avoid so I didn't end up in the same position as my parents , here I am. Broke, jobless, can't even get a job in my feild of study, still wait for my dmx/reconstruction that had to get delayed, which makes it difficult to get a job because who will give me the time off I need to recover? I lost my house and job when diagnosed, I moved in with my partner. He has been absolutely amazing! But now we are losing this house because of ex wife. We have no where to go. We have nothing. We are losing his kids, again because of the ex wife. Everything just sucks. I feel like this cancer is a curse. I wish there was a fast forward button to get to better times, if they appear.

Sorry. Needed to vent to people that may understand.

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u/Spare-Bobcat8659 — 7 days ago

Selling stuff

Hello lovely people of Gippsland. We are trying to sell a couple of things, I do not have Facebook. My friend has put the stuff on market place, but no one seems too interested other than trying to get our items for free. I feel like no one uses gumtree any more.

We have an 8kg front loader ($80) washing machine and a 8kg top loader washing machine ($1000 ono, pretty new and fancy) , both work, mine is just sitting there cause I had to move and do not require it after moving in with someone else, and then we upgraded to a 10kg, hence the second one.

We also have a TV ($300 ono) and a fridge ($300 ono). I think the TV is 52 or 58 inches, but would have to check. The fridge is smallish, 120L I think, nothing fancy, its from when I was living on my own, it also works, it was new and only used for 8 months before I had to move.

If you happen to know anyone that might be interested please send a message for more details. We are in Traralgon, may be willing to deliver depending on location.

Thank you

Edit: to add prices.

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u/Spare-Bobcat8659 — 7 days ago

Sick but not sick?

So I had a check up with my oncologist a month ago. This is was the 4 months after finishing my immunotherapy. I told her I was getting pins and needles randomly in my arms and hands. To be safe she sent me for a ct scan, couldn't get an MRI due to the expander. I went back to get the results today. She asked how I was and if I was still experiencing the pins and needles. I said not as often, but I have started taking magnesium supplements because I started getting muscle cramps and spasms. She told me to continue taking them since they are helping, and take Vitamin D as well. She said my scans came back clear for any issue with my neck, but, the scan showed I have inflammed tonsils and lymph nodes in my neck. She asked if I had a sore throat ot issues eating. I have not experienced these symptoms. I had a stuffy head a couple of weeks ago but no sore through or anything, and recovered pretty quickly. She had a look and said yes they are definitely still inflamed and one has pus. So she asked again about my throat. I legitimately have had no sore throat or difficulty swallowing. She seemed surprised l, and I am too to be honest. So I have had inflammed tonsils and neck lymphnodes for at least a month if not longer.

​

Has anyone else been sick but not shown symptoms after treatment? I'm finding this so odd?

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u/Spare-Bobcat8659 — 21 days ago

Having a bad day

Sorry this may be long, but need to vent somewhere, I am so distressed right now.

So I posted here before about having to delay my reconstruction due to diabetes diagnosis during treatment. Which was upsetting, I understood why, but that didn't make it hurt less, especially with the events leading up to my initial surgery. I just want all this over with so I can at least try to return to "normal".

My treatment has taken place across two hospitals in the public system due to living rurally, the rural hospital has no plastic surgery essentially.

We are finally planning to make my reconstruction happen. Since I originally opted for a double mastectomy, but decided it was too risky, I went with single mastectomy with an expander until we were all comfortable with the risks associated with DIEP flap, namely getting my blood sugar under control. Since only one side was removed, the breast surgeons wanted me to get scans on the remaining side to ensure that there was no possibility of cancer in that side prior to surgery and confirm that only breast tissue is removed and all lymph nodes remain. Since I do not love close to the second hospital that will be doing the surgery, I normally have the scans done locally, and the hospital covers the cost. All they do is put some code on the referral paperwork to ensure I have no out of pocket cost. No issues here, very grateful my country has this kind of support.

I got the referral 3 weeks ago, and took it in person to the local radiology place that 'partners' with the local hospital. I have no idea how the code system works, just that it exists. The lady that booked my scan in 3 weeks ago ensured I was not paying for the ultrasound and mammogram. My appointment was at 9am this morning, with arrival time of 8:50, I was there at 8:40. I went to check in and was told that I had to pay upfront almost $600. I told them it should be at no cost for me, they said that it had been entered incorrectly when I booked and the code was incorrect. I don't have $580 or whatever it was to pay immediately with no warning. I got quite distressed, why was the incorrect code not picked up on when it was entered into the system? I would have had time to contact the correct person (surgeon) to fix it. They suggested i ring a gp to write a new referral with bulk billing, but nothing was open yet, and slim chances of getting the first appointment of the day to get a referral. My brain was just not working. I said I'd go to the hospital and see if I could get an oncologist to do it for me. As I went over to the oncologist department and realised that they wouldn't even be in yet, no way would they make time to see me, they're always busy. Im crying at this point. Seems so small now, but it pushed me over the edge this morning. I walked into the oncologist department and asked reception to speak to the breast care nurse, who was was thankfully there today and has been an amazing advocate for me during all of this. As soon as first oncologist walked in the door, she got the new referral and the local hospital covered the cost. I managed to keep my 9am appointment time. But the whole ordeal was distressing for me. I get that we worked it out and got it done, but I feel the whole thing could have been avoided if the initial receptionist who took my referral and put in the booking did her job correctly, I know she's a human and mistakes are made. I didn't even get an apology, they took no accountability.

Anyway, well I was still worked up over the incident, I posted on a legal forum, asking if there was any sort of protection against this sort of thing. I know in a lot of instances if there is an error in pricing, they have to go with the original quote if cheaper than the correct price. But this a medical thing, not a consumer thing. But basically that's what I asked, because I am unemployed thanks to cancer, get next to nothing from the government, and almost gone through all my savings I had at the start of this, so I just don't have the money spare for such an unexpected upfront cost. I was asking purely to know my own rights, I didn't want to take any sort of action. Someone obviously didn't read that statement and told me i deserved cancer because I wanted to take legal action over something that was sorted out because I got upset. It was pointed out that I wasn't seeking legal action and the comment was removed, but wtf? I wouldn't even wish this is on my least favourite person, let alone a stranger. What is wrong with people? I just wanted to know what my rights were in that situation, especially if I didn't have the support I luckily had this morning. I would have had to cancel the scans, wait until my follow-up appointment to get the new correctly coded referral, wait another 3 weeks for scans and 4weeks for another follow-up. Which again seems like nothing, but i just want this to be done. This isn't super urgent, but I'm not getting scans just because.

We have other non cancer related stuff going on thats getting really stressful, and this just broke me this morning. Now I'm trying to prepare my thesis poster that is due next week and getting nowhere. Thanks for reading and letting me vent. Think I'm just going to sit and cry all day now cause the tears keep randomly starting.

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u/Spare-Bobcat8659 — 1 month ago

Medical billing

So, i have been undergoing cancer treatment since the start of 2025. All scans after diagnosis have been bulk billed or paid by the hospitals treating me. I am getting a scan done today, I bought the referral in 3 weeks ago in person and they booked it in, told me it was bulk billed. Get in today, and I'm told it has the wrong code, was entered incorrectly and so was told 10 mins before my appointment have to pay out of pocket, over $500. I got let go from my job during treatment as I was unable to return to work. I am still waiting for my surgery that will put me out of action for minimum 10 weeks, so I haven't tried to get another job as it seems pointless until I recover. So I'm living of barely livable centrelink payments. I do not have 500 in my account on the spot, that I can pay for this. I was not expecting this. It caused me total and utter distress as I need these scans. Its not my fault it was booked wrong, surely there is sort of protection for this, honouring what they put in their system? I managed to get a hold of my advocate and with me a crying mess got another dr to redo the referral to be valid to be covered. I shouldn't of had to that. If they realised this 3 weeks ago if they booked it correctly, I could have rectified it without the distress caused this morning.

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u/Spare-Bobcat8659 — 1 month ago

Help with data selection for means

Hi, its been a while since I used R and I understand how to use it for easy and simple data sets. I am struggling to figure out how to type the code to get the mean for say, columns 1 and 5, but only for rows 1, 6,10 and 14 for example. Is that possible or do I need to rearrange my data?

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u/Spare-Bobcat8659 — 1 month ago