Feeling overwhelmed

Hi. I noticed you don't seem to have had replies here yet so I wanted to say welcome.

Understandably you are finding it hard to cope as you have a such a lot to juggle.

Do you have any other family members who are close enough to help support you and your wife and father?

Is there anyone with which you feel you can let down your guard and share how you really feel?

It's good that you are reaching out here, a safe space to share your thoughts.

Take care

Hi, Thank you for taking the time and thought to reply. My wife and I are on our own, and her family is abroad. My father just has my mother (who is in also in her 80s and not very mobile). He was adopted and has no contact with any biological family. Luckily, my wife has emotional support at least from her family. However, i have no friends (except one who i speak to on the phone once a month). As most autistics know, its extremely difficult to make friends with certain social communication limitations and also at this later age in life. I have made efforts to join some adult social activities around my local area (such as drawing classes) but no friends emerged. Its probably what autism psychiatry experts call ‘the double-empathy’ problem. The main issue though is i have a lot of responsibility - but frequently feel ike a human punch-bag, or everything in me has just been hollowed out - like the cancer that has hollowed out all the hopes and dreams of my wife.

Hi. You have a lot going on and I can see how you feel very responsible as the lynch pin in your family. 

Do your parents receive any input from care services?

Have you found any local agencies which may be able to support you in your care role or as the partner of a person with cancer?

Do you have a Maggie's or a MACMILLAN hub, perhaps within a hospital?

If you are comfortable chatting on the phone, have you considered ringing the MACMILLAN support line?  

Here within the community there are threads for carers and loved ones which you may find helpful and also threads for particular cancers and discussions around chemotherapy and coping with it's side effects etc.

Take care