New member, Caring for my wife who has been diagnosed with Breast cancer

Hi Atlam, sorry you find yourself here. I have cared for my daughter who is just 'out the other side' of nearly two years of treatment - chemo, radiotherapy and three surgeries. It's tough but you will get through it. My best advice would be listen to your body and take it a day at a time. If your wife needs to spend the day on the sofa and eat chocolate - then do it. But on days when she's feeling well, do something nice. Doesn't have to be a big something, a walk in the park, a cream tea, a shopping trip. Whatever you will both enjoy. Don't think too far ahead at this stage, just about the next appointment/treatment. Keep a notebook so that you can write down anything you want to ask the oncologist about when you see them, it's hard to remember everything. Never think that anything is too trivial or 'silly'. They will prescribe meds to cover all sorts of side effects you don't expect from mouth ulcers to itchy skin.

Wishing your wife all the very best with her treatment. x

Thanks for your advice cherry2 and also good to hear that your daughter has come out the other side.

Yesterday was a bad day for my wife, she didn't sleep well and felt very down in the morning, mood improved by late afternoon.

today was a better day so we went for a bit of retail therapy. it was a nice way to finish week 24....week 23 here we come

Hi, sorry this has happened to you both. My mum just got diagnosed for the second time with breast cancer. My biggest advice honestly is just to be a listening ear. Cancer comes with lots of emotions, especially following surgerys and chemo, in my situation my mums self image has been greatly impacted, both through her appearance and her current lack of ability to do basic tasks she used to. So just be there, listen to what she has to say, even little passing compliments or random gifts of flowers truly make all the difference.

Also ensure that you take time for yourself, its so unbelievably important. Remember you are also impacted even if you’re not the patient. Allow yourself to feel what you need to feel and be kind to yourself. If you want to cry, cry. If you want to scream until you lose your voice, do just that. Don’t suffer in silence just because you are focusing all your attention to her, you also deserve to show yourself some love and care. You’re doing incredibly. Wishing your wife the speediest recovery :)

Hi lapis_lady, thank you so much for your reply and advice, I truly appreciate it. I wish you and your mum all the best through your journey x

We are now half way through the 1st 3 weeks, had a rough couple of days Sunday and Monday, Sunday was day 5 (last day of the stomach injections and within a couple of hours of administering the injection to my wife, the pain in the bones started especially in the hips and lower spine. All side effects and symptoms that the injections are doing their job. Today has been a much better day and the smile returned on my wife's face.

It is hard when you see someone you love in pain and very tearful, but I keep telling myself it is all part of our current journey and together we will get through it.