I hope I am not on my own in feeling lost, lonely and scared. My husband has just gone into hospital for a high dose chemo followed by stern call replacement treatment and for the first time since he was diagnosed in May, I am not sure what to do. I find it very hard to sit back and see him in pain and discomfort and have come home every night from the hospital in tears. I have been able to work through feeling crap up to now - but he is away for 3.5 weeks now and I hate the feeling that I cannot help him when he is not well. I know that this is just temporary but I have been reading the site tonight and crying and just getting up the courage to find the words to express myself.
If anyone can help or has any experience of high dose chemo followed by stem cell therapy it would be great to hear from you,
Fiona
I understand how you feel, whilst I am a cancer patient, I was in hospital for 8 days and during that time my wife felt very much like you are now and when I have my chemo and suffer she again feels helpless knowing there is nothing she can do other than be there for me which she is.
I know as a patient the focus is on me and the carer can be forgotten about. But I am as concerned about her as she is about me and I am sure your husband will be the same, just make sure you share all and are honest with each other if you can be, It works for me and again the specialist nurses are great as they always ask how my wife is and is she ok so she knows there is support.
The helpline here can be a life line if you need it so do use it and post your feeling here like you have as the support and warmth from this site is humbling given what many are facing or going through.
Even better people in remission keep in touch to ensure we all stay positive.
Good luck for your husbands treatment and best wishes
You are not alone here. Im sorry I don`t have experience with the stem cell therapy but I understand how you feel at having to let your husband be taken care of by other people when you feel you need to be there yourself. I used to find it hard to leave my sister in hospital she was so scared, I felt the same with my Dad too..even now I can remember how I felt. I know its hard but try your best to look after yourself and keep well because soon your husband will be home im sure and he will need you..I have always found it hard to take care of me Ive always been the carer but you must try Fiona because you will need your health and strength to help your dear husband when he is home again. Cry when you need to and be kind to yourself and know that you are not alone, there are some lovely people here to help and share your worries.
Dear Fiona, I have no knowlege of stem cell replacement treatment, just wanted to add my sympathy along with the other replies. Do blog it's very theraputic, also look for others with the same illness, I'm sure they'll be on the site some where. Best Wishes, Linda xx
Im so sorry that you are going through so much pain and hope you gain strength, as I have, from the wonderful people on this site. I can only tell you how I am coping and hope that this may help. It should be possible for you to be involved in some aspect of your husbands care whilst he is in hospital (naturally he must agree). I have been given permission to care for my son in ITU and this has really calmed my anxieties. Please speak with the nurses and doctors and tell them that you are concerned that your husbands pain is not being managed and needs reviewing. I have no experience of the treatment your husband is undergoing but do know that pain management is both essential and possible. As a nurse (student) I know that due to the subjective nature of pain and the fact that many patients dont like to be a 'nuisance' it is often underestimated. Lastly, be gentle with yourself, allow yourself to grieve and accept that, though very painful, it is a necessary part of our healing process. Please let me know how you are getting on.
