Husband newly diagnosed with lung cancer & other problems!

Hi and welcome to the Online Community, although I am sorry to see you finding us and so sorry to hear about your husbands diagnosis.

A cancer diagnosis can bring a lot of stress, confusion, questions and the never-ending whirlwind that is going on in the head, but from my long experience talking with people who are on the same journey can help a lot.

Can I direct you to this links to our very supportive Lung Cancer and Lymph nodes, secondary cancer groups as this will open up your concerns to a wider audience who know exactly what you are going through at the moment.

Just follow the links above, hitting ‘Join the Group’ tab just under the main group name, then go to the 'Start a Discussion' tab and set up your own Discussion and introduce yourself to the group - you could just copy an paste what you have in this first post. 

As I was the person with the cancer my experience of supporting someone is very limited, although my wife has been amazing over my 20 years. You may also find our Careers Only and Friends and Family groups to be good places where you can connect with others support family through their cancer journey but more importantly the carers care for each other.

You may find our various Macmillan Support Line Services to be helpful - call them on 0808 808 00 00 This free service covers Emotional Support, Practical Information. Clinical Information, Financial Support and Work Guidance mostly open 8.00 to 8.00 but check the link.

We also have our ‘Ask an Expert’. section where you can post questions to our mostly Volunteer Experts but please allow 2 working days to get a reply.

Our Online Information and Support Section  is a good place to find information covering cancer diagnosis, treatments and pages covering most types of cancers.

Talking to people face to face can help a lot so check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area or a Maggie’s Centre as these folks are amazing.

When you feel up to it try putting some information in your profile. This really helps others when answering. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. Just click on YOUR username, select 'Edit Profile'. Put as much or as little in your profile and you can amend it at any time - you can see members profiles by hitting our forum names.

All the very best.

Dear Kernowp, a second welcome to the forum. You will find many knowledgeable people in the lung cancer forum who are ahead of your husband in terms of treatment who will able to guide you on your journey together. It is normal to feel overwhelmed in the early days  with appointments so getting organised is the key. Try to keep a record of all your interactions with the doctors etc so that you have a record of everything that is happening, it’s good to be able to have information at your fingertips when attending consultations. Think of it as being the project manger. The nhs provides wonderful treatment but the administrative side of things is somewhat dysfunctional and it’s a good idea to be prepared to counteract this problem. If you or your husband need emotional support don’t be afraid to ask for help, it’s not a sign of weakness, none of this is easy and you deserve to be supported through it.

best wishes

jane 

Thank you for replying it’s very much appreciated , I’ve joined the lung & lymph node groups as you suggested & will join the others soon. 

Thank you jane I really appreciate you replying & your helpful comments. To date the NHS have been wonderful. I sadly have to agree re the administrative side as a few letters requesting blood tests prior to hospital visits have arrived too late! 

I’m keeping a file with everything in.