Hi all
I have just joined here tonight. My cousin was recently diagnosed with cancer for the 3rd time & it's now terminal. He has a tumour on his neck which has started to bleed a bit more even if he moves. He moved in with me a week ago today so I can try & look after him. He was quite mobile then but the last 2 days he has struggled to even stand up (even with me & my partner trying to help him) as he wanted us too. It's a bit more complicated as he had a stroke the 2nd time he had cancer so has lost the use of most of his left side. We saw his consultant on Wednesday which he was offered chemotherapy to try & shrink the tumour on his neck to make him a bit more comfortable & was given disolvable paracetamol to take 2 4 times a day in the mean time for the pain but they have made him sleepy. His consultant made him an appointment for the 29th may to go back to see him & said he should if had at least one lot of chemotherapy by then! Sorry I I don't make sense I'm just trying to remember things properly. The consultant said it would be palliative care also as there would be nothing more to offer. I'm just concerned that he now can't get up & is very sleepy & that his neck tumour is bleeding a bit more. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you for reading.
Hi and welcome to the Online Community, although I am so sorry to see the circumstance that brought you here and so sorry to hear that your cousin is having treatment.
First and most important - if you are in any doubt about the condition of your cousin you call it into his team using the number you were given or call 111 for advise.
We also have these forums where you can connect with others supporting family and friends through their cancer journey: Carers Forum and Friends and Family Forum.
On my 20 years journey with cancer I found the best way to understand and plan to get through the rollercoaster was to find out as much information as possible.
Follow the link(s) and join the group(s). Hit the 'Start a Discussion' tab and introduce yourself to the group - you could just copy an paste what you put in this first post.
Remember to go to the right on the group home page and select how you want to receive email notifications when someone answers your posts.
You may also find our various Macmillan Support Line Services on 0808 808 00 00 to be very helpful even if all you want to do is talk with friendly person that can help in lots of ways.
We also have our ‘Ask an Expert’ section but please allow a few days to get an reply.
We do have lots of support groups that are Cancer specific and also ones that are general Cancer experience groups. You can have a look through the groups and see if there is a further place to connect.
Talking to people face to face can help a lot so check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support Groups in your area or a Maggie’s Centre as these folks are amazing.
If you haven't yet completed your profile when you have a minute could you pop something about your journey so far into it. This really helps others when answering. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Edit Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine profile by clicking on my username.
All the best.
