A Friend In Need

FormerMember over 4 years ago

1 reply
12 subscribers
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I have a friend who is really struggling to get her head round what she has just been through in the last 18 months. She had breast cancer folllowed by lung cancer. All of her trearment was through Covid whichnshe has had to do on her own as noone was allowed to be be with her. Positively the tumour has shrunk and now has to have scans every theee months. She feels very sad and isolated that noone knows what she has been through. She feels very alone. She gets extremely stressed before any scans that she gets very depressed for at least of the two months. Her brain is eating her up and she is getting very depressed. Is there somewhere ahe can go to talk things through. She is taking everything out on her partner and this is not good for either of them and seems to be a very strained relationship. Any advice would be great

KTatHome over 4 years ago

Hi BB80, I m sorry to hear about your friend, I started treatment before covid but I’m still on treatment for my cancer. When I had to shield I had just done a Macmillan Hope course at my local cancer centre, they do it virtually now and that may help her. I think a good starting point for her might be to discuss how she feels with her GP or specialist cancer nurse, it was a generic email from my cancer nurse that informed me about the HOPE course, there is also the Macmillan support line 0808 808 0000 and a Macmillan telephone buddy scheme, as well as talking with others in this online community. There is no need for her to suffer alone, just the need to reach out. I had counselling arranged by my GP when I had my incurable diagnosis which helped and when a few years later I felt challenged with anxiety again I chose to do the hope course to check I had every coping mechanism I could use. My cancer centre also does courses for partners, I think it’s good for them to chat together separate from us patients at times, the stress can be awkward just before scans and until the results come through.

Take care KT