What might help? Informal support services

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1 What might help? Informal support services It will take time to adapt your life. It s fine if you have the odd duvet day when you feel upset. But if his is becoming more common or your emotions are feeling out of control, you may need some extra help. The following services help people come out of difficult times. Sometimes you might feel that you should be able to cope or that your feelings are so overwhelming you don t know how anyone could help, but try to be kind to yourself. There are lots of ways to get support from talking to a professional to simply chatting to someone on the phone or an internet forum. General support Target Ovarian Cancer events Target Ovarian Cancer runs a programme of events across the UK to support women living with and beyond ovarian cancer, including our Being Together days and training to raise awareness. Our events and courses suit women at different points in their experience. They offer an opportunity to meet other women outside of medical settings and provide support and information. All courses are free of charge. Visit or ring Support groups A group of people, with a shared experience of cancer, who meet up regularly. Simply being around people who understand what cancer involves can help. Some groups like to share fears and worries or arrange talks about cancer from different professionals. Some groups arrange lunch or outings to boost people s spirits. Often groups are general, with members who have had different types of cancers, but there may be a group specifically for women with gynaecological cancers. Your CNS may run a support group locally or you can visit to find a group near you.

2 Support centres Many hospitals offering cancer treatment will have either their own or a charity-run centre, such as a Macmillan or Maggie s cancer support centre, either on-site or close to the hospital. How might it help? These centres can be a great source of comfort for many people and may offer other support services. Many centres around the country run a range of activities such as massage, reflexology, even gardening. So you don t have to talk about your experience, it s just a place you can relax knowing that the people around you will support you and understand what you are going through. Your CNS should be able to give you details of the support centres in your area. Complementary therapies Support centres and hospices may offer complementary therapies which some people find can be extremely beneficial at this time. Just to make it clear, complementary therapies complement the treatments received in hospital; they are not alternative treatment. Therapies you may be offered include massage, which can be used for relaxation or to ease tired and strained muscles. Women who receive reflexology (massage of the feet) have reported that this helps with peripheral neuropathy (damage to the nerve endings) of the feet, which causes numbness and tingling. Acupuncture can be given prior to chemotherapy to ease symptoms of nausea and vomiting and also for pain. Whilst none of these treatments are scientifically proven to ease the symptoms of medical treatment they can bring about a sense of wellbeing and relaxation. Group relaxation is a popular complementary therapy that is frequently offered by cancer support centres and can be very beneficial when you are feeling stressed. It may focus on the body allowing you to relax and may use guided imagery where the group leader guides you through imaginary locations such as a beach or relaxing place, helping you build the skills to achieve deeper relaxation. When we are anxious our brain finds it difficult to process information. We find we just can t focus or think straight and may not sleep well. Relaxation can be an effective self-help activity to help you to deal with the variety of emotions you may experience and gives the body time to recuperate. Although it can be daunting to first visit a support centre or a hospice, many women find this service a great comfort both during and after treatment. One-to-one complementary therapy sessions, or participating in a group activity, are two options that people often use to help with relaxation. Oneto-one complementary therapy sessions are ideal for when you feel less sociable. Check out what your local support centre and hospice offers and try different therapies to find out which one is best

3 for you. You may find that you really enjoy Pilates or that you enjoy receiving a Reiki massage where a practitioner passes their hands over the body, without touching, whilst you are lying down. Or you may prefer the Bowen Technique massage where pressure is applied to your muscles along the back with breaks in between to allow you to relax more deeply. A professional qualified therapist from your local cancer support centre can help you to discuss therapy options, provide reassurance and advice based on your specific situation. The rapport you have with your therapist is a key element to maximising your relaxation experience. Ask your CNS or contact Target Ovarian Cancer to find out details of your nearest cancer centre. Online communities and blogs Many websites have forums and blogs where you can join to read about other people s experiences and share your feelings. Some people find it feels less scary to share feelings this way. Many people find that simply reading about similar experiences helps them. Our website brings you insights from women who have had a diagnosis of ovarian cancer and how they feel. You might want to become a guest blogger too and write about your experience. Ovarian cancer Facebook pages such as offer you the opportunity to keep informed and connect with other people. Facebook groups are a smaller forum allowing people to come together around a common cause that can be created by anyone and you can choose to make it publicly available or keep it private and members can only join by invitation. POW Health is a unique digital health platform allowing you to manage your health information in one place and provides you with useful tools and communities to help you compare and learn from other people s experiences: Health Talk Online is a website that includes video interviews with 48 women who have had ovarian cancer. You can choose to watch full interviews or just pick certain topics. It s another way of learning about other women s experiences without having to commit to a group or regular meeting: Macmillan Cancer Support s Online Community can also give invaluable support at the click of a button: community.macmillan.org.uk

4 Maggie s Cancer Caring Centres have an online centre where you can meet others and access online support groups: HealthUnlocked is an online forum with 100s of health communities. There is an ovarian cancer specific chat forum run by Ovacome: healthunlocked.com/ovacome Telephone support What is it? The best person to speak to is your key worker. They are qualified to provide reassurance and advice based on your specific situation. If you feel it would ease anxiety to follow up more general queries with someone other than your nurse or GP you could ring one of the helplines available. How might it help? Staff at these helplines will not be able to comment on your specific situation but will be able to help with more general queries. Macmillan Cancer Support advice services are available Monday to Friday 9am-8pm. You can contact them free on This service also offers an interpretation facility in over 200 languages. When you call, just state, in English, the language you wish to use. You can also use their text-phone service on or if you prefer you can send an to one of their cancer support specialists contactus@macmillan.org.uk Ovacome operates an ovarian cancer helpline service by telephone and , offering information and emotional support to women, their families, friends, and carers. This runs Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm and is staffed by registered health professionals. You can call on or support@ovacome.org.uk More information and other sources of support are available on our website

5 This information has been extracted from Target Ovarian Cancer s What happens next? and Back here again guides. With contributions from women living with ovarian cancer these guides will help you through treatment and help those facing the challenges of living with ovarian cancer that is life limiting. The guides have special sections covering: after diagnosis, younger women, making decisions about your treatment, treatment, back to everyday life, work, looking after yourself, understanding your condition, thinking about the future and other sources of support. To order a copy please call or info@targetovariancancer.org.uk This information was updated in June Next planned review June 2016.