Good morning….im at a loss really. My brother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer end of March and was fortunate enough to have whipples procedure, but needs chemo as 2 out of the 29 lymph node’s where positive. He done really well recovering from the whipples and was just getting back to feeling great when he then had to start his chemo. His first round was Tuesday and he was ok until Thursday and then it totally floored him, he’s been so poorly with it. It’s only his first round and has said he’s not sure if he can continue with it. I have said that they can tweak it to make it more tolerable, yesterday he managed to keep water and his medication down, but it’s awful to see him like this…..does this get better over time, he has a good support network around him and we are trying to encourage him to stick with it….xx
Hi TG286 and I see it’s your first post so a very warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but sorry to hear about your brothers journey.
A cancer diagnosis in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer type or support challenges will help you a lot……. I have a completely different type of cancer and treatment journey.
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you join and post in our……
……. support group. This group is a safe places to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from family members who are navigating the same support journey.
As for the practical and emotional challenges of supporting your brother and indeed yourself you may benefit from joining and posting in our……
Carers only (if you are his caregiver)
Supporting someone with incurable cancer (if this is applicable)
……. support groups where you will connect with a wide range of members navigating the exact same support challenges.
To connect with a group click on the “Bold Italic Links” I have created above …… then once the group page opens click in the [ Black - Click to Join - Banner ] that appears at the bottom of the page and this will then confirm that you have joined the group.
When you are ready……. you can introduce yourself by putting up your very own post by clicking [ + Create new post] or [ + ] in the top right of the group page.
You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.
It is an emotional time supporting family so you might find this Macmillan information your feelings when someone has cancer helpful as well as this link getting help with your emotions.
You may find it helpful to call the Macmillan Support Line open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00. This service provides cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.
Talking to people face to face can be very helpful so do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area, do also check for a local Maggie's Centre as these folks are amazing and support all the family.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
