Useful Links

Introduction

This is a selection of resources that I have found particularly helpful.  Of course, the primary source of information should be either your Consultant; Specialist Nurse or GP as they have your medical history but I found the following sources useful.

Websites

Macmillan Cancer Support.  Excellent for information when first diagnosed and information is literally being thrown at you.  It's simple and easy to digest at a difficult time.

Cancer Research UK.  Good for statistics and information on medial practices.

Blogs 

Fi Munro.  There are very few blogs dedicated to Ovarian Cancer which is partly why I wanted to start writing about my mum's experience.  I found Fi's words truly inspirational when I was lost and just wanted to know, first hand, from someone who had been through it, what was to lie ahead.

Reflections of My World.  A blog filled with the beautiful writings of a woman who clearly sees beauty in the world everyday even when dealing with ovarian and thyroid cancer.

Support

Maggie's.  An unexpected surprise, if there is a Maggie's Centre near you/ your local hospital, I would definitely recommend you drop in.  You can only truly feel its calming and supportive atmosphere when you enter the serene and relaxing centre.  There are some amazing classes such as Tai Chi and Healthy Eating.  On a practical side, we find it very handy as a place to relax when we arrive early for appointments and as a carer, with a full time job aswell, a place for me to be able to get some work done as I try to juggle both work and being a carer.
Ovacome.  A site dedicated to the promotiona nd awareness of Ovarian Cancer specifically and with an excellent forum full of supportive, knowledgeable and strong women who are full of encouragement and advice.
Health Unlocked.  It's rare to find a community of genuine, knowledgeable and honest people online but the Health Unlocked online forum contains a group of people who show support and at times, have more information on ovarian cancer than medical professionals' from the unfortunate perspective of first-hand experience.  This forum contains a group of women who will inspire, cry, laugh and celebrate each other's journeys.  

Other languages

From my post, you will understand that my mother's first language is Cantonese.  I really struggled to find relevant resources for her.  A translator (via a telephone service) is available for hospital appointments but being fluent in Cantonese myself, I picked up on some fundamental errors and to be frank, feel I can do a better job than them.  Macmillan's though, do have some excellent documents in a plethora of languages and can have a specialist nurse, in other languages, available by appointment. 

I'm interested in new resources so please leave a comment below if you think there's a relevant resource that I should check out.