I don't know where to start really. My mum has recently been diagnosed with breast, neck and lymphatic cancer having hidden her wounds from the entire family for over a year.
She has had an initial assessment, biopsy and has her CT scan on Thursday but she has lost her entire left breast mass, as whatever it was has burst through the skin and left a huge wound. She's now got district nurses going every couple of days to change her dressings. She's on a cocktail of painkillers to help her, as her left arm has swollen and become immobile plus the pain from the wound itself.
What I most concerned about is the impact on my poor Dad and the rest of the family, we feel deceived and cheated, whilst dealing with shock, trying to support mum and also being in this weird limbo phase until will get the full prognosis. A sledge hammer seems to be a good analogy.
I'm not sure what I need from this group, just putting it down on 'paper' and saying it among people who I hope will understand and perhaps had similar experiences to me and the family.
Hi and welcome to the community though sorry to hear about your mum.
It does sound like things are very hard for all your family at the moment, this is really very common and we sometimes describe cancer as a tsunami knocking down everything in its path.
It is amazing what people can come back from - my wife had pyometra, a retained infection in the womb and went in to toxic shock. After an emergency hysterectomy her wound broke back open and when she was discharged from hospital had an open wound on her stomach. Like you mum district nurses regularly changing dressing - though watching the wound heal was amazing.
I am glad you posted on here, we do understand what it is like. It might help to look at our pages on Looking after someone with cancer as I am sure there will be a lot you can relate to.
When she was, finally, diagnosed with cancer my wife never wanted a prognosis and I really struggled with that. It should be noted though any prognosis is a guess based on averages and also that treatments evolve all the time. I am glad Janice did that though because she has totally excelled anything the doctors would have guessed.
Do post on here whenever, someone is always listening.
<<hugs>>
Steve
