Hi All
My mum was diagnosed with HER2 positive grade 2 invasive breast cancer 6 weeks ago. She is due to start chemo this week. Me and my mum are very close. I still live at home at 30 with her and my stepdad. I’m an only Child and me and my mum have been through a lot together in our life’s so this has hit me pretty hard. I also suffer with mental health issues and my mum has severe health anxiety so her brain is going into overload right now with the fear of being ill from side effects.
To be honest I’ve been the most emotional throughout all this and cried every day for the last 6 weeks. The first month I carried on as normal forced myself to go to work and act normal. Which then resulted in me being signed off for 2 weeks with emotional burnout and not sleeping. I’m due to go back next week and I will be attending her first chemo with her this week. We have the support of my stepdad but I seem to have taken the role on myself of wanting to be the one to support and look after her. Im Not sure if I’m ready to go back next week. I work in a healthcare setting and deal with stress on a daily basis as well as dealing with some cancer patients in the setting also.
Anyway what I’m wanting to know has anyone else felt like this with a parent or loved one suffering from cancer? Is it valid for me to feel this way as it’s not me with the illness? Am I being ridiculous being signed off from work with this?
thank you
Hi Chloxoxo
My speciality used to be crying in the shower because then I could blame any red eyes on the shampoo.
When I first reached out for help I was helped to look at my situation and helped to come to realise that the only thing in my life that could give easily was gettng signed off work, my GP was fantastic in helping to support me at that time.
Something I found quite helpful was looking at your emotions when someone has cancer as being able to recognize these and accept them as normal I found helped to make them a bit less overwhelming.
<<hugs>>
Steve
