Hello,
I’ve only just signed up today so I am very new here. I’m a 23-year old only child currently living at home with my parents. My dad was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer in the duodenum five months ago. I didn’t even know what the duodenum was until he was diagnosed. Due to the severity of his cancer, he can no longer digest food without being in extreme pain. His diet is very limited, some days he can move around and other days he’s in pain. It’s hard to watch my mum constantly putting herself under pressure as she takes care of him.
We have been waiting a long time for this specific operation that needs to be done by a specialist. We had a date for the operation but it got cancelled because they found something wrong with his heart. As a result we’ve had to come to terms with going back to square one. When the operation was cancelled it felt like I had lost all certainty again but I have to put on a brave face.
I joined this community because, as an only child, I feel as though I have no one to relate to about my situation. Also being in my early twenties I feel like I’m “missing out” on life which feels selfish to say. I also find myself looking back at certain memories such as holidays and meals together and grieving the time I’ll never get back. I’m still unsure about my feelings because they keep chaining every day and I find it difficult to talk about with friends. I’m not sure what advice I’m looking for, I just needed to get this off my chest. I would appreciate any advice about living with a parent who has cancer or how to cope with waiting.
Thank you for reading x
