Hello all, I've been a carer for my mum for a while, we are both ill but her health got worse about 5 or 6 years ago due to chronic pelvic pain (only got diagnosed when we moved to a new gp). We managed to finish a fine art degree together but in our last year she got diagnosed with bladder cancer.
She had surgery then a year of topical chemotherapy and was declared cancer free, 10 days later she was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer which is a different beast altogether.
She was diagnosed early but it still went to her lymph nodes, one is definite but we are waiting for another biopsy.
Now she is getting 6 cycles of IV chemotherapy and her2 therapy. I give her a week of immune boosting injections after chemo. She has had one round of chemo so far and it has really kicked in today, she is being sick and having loose bowel movements. She is in so much pain, she has a gp appointment at 9am (currently 7am) but I doubt she will make it because of it all. I am going to call them when they open to see if the gp will call her.
I have an appointment at 11am for a much needed injection, I feel so bad having to pop out while she is like this but she would be beyond annoyed with me if I didn't go. It's the same with our d&d group, she was so worried they'd stop coming because she is so sick.
I cried at every appointment during the diagnosis because I'm so frustrated that she keeps having to suffer.
I'm so scared even though I know she is strong and will get through this (she has to) but seeing her in so much pain breaks my heart.
Thanks for listening.
Hi CoeliacChic
Welcome to our community, I hope you find it both informative and supportive.
I am Steve, one of the community champions and my experience of cancer is via my wife who has Leiomyosarcoma.
You are right it is very difficult watching a loved one go through chemo, in Oxford they gave us a contact card for the ward if we had and questions. Hope you GP appointment went well however it happened.
Something I found helped me was looking at your feelings when someone has cancer as being able to recongize these emotions and accept them as part of my new normal helped to make them a bit less overwhelming. Still I used to cry in the shower then I could blame any red eyes on the shampoo.
Do post on here whenever as someone is always listening but if you need a quick fix at some point the helpline is very useful and I have mostly cried at them before now.
<<hugs>>
Steve
