Hi friends, was wondering if anyone knew of any support groups for advanced bowel cancer? I am in Warwickshire. I feel this would really help my partner as he always seems brighter when he goes for his chemo sessions and i sussed out the reason why!-its because he chats to other people who have the same cancer and i am certain he would benefit from a support group.
We asked our macmillan nurse if our local hospice would be of any help, but she said she didnt feel my partner would
benefit from anything at the hospice and may have the opposite effect ie make him depressed!!
Iv tried to get him to come onto this site but no luck yet,
Many thanks, Julie
FormerMember
Hi Julie, I'm sorry you got that response from the Macmillan nurse. I used to attend a local day hospice once a week where I met with other people with cancer. We were a great support to each other. I had my breakfast there, then a mid-morning drink, lunch then a mid-afternoon drink (which could be alcoholic if you wished), then afternoon tea and cakes before going home. We would play bingo, had art classes etc. There was also an aromatherapist on hand if you wanted a massage, she also practised reiki, as massage is not suitable for all cancer patients. There was a counsellor there if you needed to speak to someone and a doctor came everyday who you could see if you wished. All in all it was a wonderful place.
Of course, there was a downside to it in that, all the people attending had cancer and some did die. This was especially hard if you had made a good friend of someone. But on the whole it was a great place to be and I made some wonderful friends, two I still keep in touch with and we go for lunch on a regular basis.
I really hope there is something like that available for your partner. Ask your GP, I'm sure they'll be able to help. Best wishes, Christine xx
Its a shame that the nurse had that response without talking to your partner.
I am here because my best friend has just been diagnosed with bowel cancer but I work as a nurse and worked for sometime as a Marie Curie Nurse. I got to know many people with advanced
cancer and ofcourse everyone was very different. But I remember one lady in particular who loved to go to the hospice art sessions. She made some wonderful pieces of pottery she gave to friends and family.
