It's really tough

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So tonight we sat down to watch a family movie and halfway through it my husband who is terminal looked at me and pulled his blanket over himself and his eyes started to fill up. From this I understood  that he wanted our 11 year old son to leave. So I asked him to get ready for bed. Once he left my husband burst into tears and reavealed that his stoma had burst. There was poo everywhere and because of the cancer he can't walk easily. To cut a long story short I had to change his stoma for him for the first time ever and give him a strip wash whilst he sat on the sofa. It was awful especially as I'm scared that this is the way things are going to be and I don't know what I'm doing. I'm trying to help him maintain some dignity and protect our kids but I now do bandages, pills and now stomas. I have no nursing experience and I feel lost. His pain can be quite bad and when I do something to cause him pain he's quick to tell me....I sometimes want to shout at him that if doesn't like what I'm doing he should do it himself! He's so reliant on me for food, drinks, tablets, dressings, washing basically everything... it's awful for him but I would like him to realise it's awful for us too.

  • I really feel for you and well done for being able to keep your cool. Can’t imagine being in your shoes. Hopefully someone on here will be able to recommend something to help. My husband has just been told his cancer in his bladder is back awaiting a third turb. Last time they punctured his bladder doing it and came home with a Catheter  in for ten weeks. He did not accept or get his head round that at all. His was only a catheter not a stoma. He refused to see our grandchildren incase they saw it.  He was mortified if it leaked and detested me having to empty and change it. Like your husband he would shout if I “unintentionally “ hurt him while doing it. I had to keep my mouth shut but god it hurts inside u when they do it. He always said sorry a while after that he didn’t mean to shout at me but the hurt had already been done  I suffer from chronic anxiety and I always keep an elastic band round my wrist and I ping it as a quick distraction while he shouts and a stress ball I squeeze and through at the wall when I was out the room. This doesn’t solve the problem but helps me cope with the situation in a bit. Good luck and I’ll be reading any suggestions. U have your hands full and deserve a medal. Roxy x