Feeling lost and family life suffering

Hi Barney26,

Welcome to the community. U will find many folk on here who'll understand what you're saying. Cancer changes everything- for good and bad. It leaves u with a different perspective on life which folk who have not had it don't always realise.

There's a great paper on this, which I can't link to at present. I will ask @The highlander if he will  post it for me.

In the meantime, u might consider seeing if you have a Maggie's centre or Macmilan centre nearby which offer counselling. Or  it's possibly your local day hospice does? Mine does. See "In your area" on the home page or ring the helpline on 0808 808 0000, 8am to 8pm 

Failing that, you've made the first step by getting in touch here. Do add  a bit to your profile so ppl know where you're coming from, as it were. Also saves you repeating yourself.

Oops, my numbers on phone r hopeless. Meant Barney16

Hi Barney,

Welcome to the forum, although I am sorry to read about how you are doing.

“Live life to the full”. I have definitely been there. It has some truth to it. You’ve been through a big scare, you probably now appreciate how short and fragile life is, and the saying is useful to get you to focus on those things that are really most important to you so that you do them before it’s too late.

However, I’ve come to realize after 4 years that actually life is quite mundane, you can’t be at “full” all the time. And there is beauty in the mundane too. The real trick I think is to understand what makes you really happy internally - it might be doing big things on a bucket list, it might just be as simple as spending time with those you love.

The period post-treatment can often be the most difficult emotionally as your brain begins to have time to process what has happened and what it means for you, so please don’t feel like you are alone in that respect.

Greg

Hi  this is the great paper that my friend buttercup01 was trying to post.

Thanks a lot Mike!

Thanks for replying, I'm taking your advice and am going to The Maggies Centre in Cardiff

Thanks Mike, A worthwhile read that makes a lot of sense

Thanks for the reply Greg, Just by posting on here I feel a bit better. 

Ade, you will get lots of help in so many ways at a Maggie’s. Even although I am coming up to 4 years post my last treatments I still go to various groups every week. Go, get a cup of Tea/Coffee and sit at the ‘table’ as this is the place where you will meet so many folks.

Hi Barney - I went through a similar experience a few years back. I went for some counseling through macmillan and found that it helped enormously