hello , my 80 year old mum has been diagnosed with gastric cancer , she started chemo but had to stop after the first session due to weight loss and her not coping with it. She will have an operation in February 2020 as long as she is fit . The main concern I have is she has little or no appetite and when she does eat she feels sick and vomits , sometimes she forces herself to be dick due to the discomfort ... can anyone please suggest something I can do to help her.
Hi and welcome to the Online Community, although I am sorry to see you finding us and so sorry to hear about your mum.
I would always say the first port of call about issues like this would be your mums medical team as they are the experts and can review the best way to overcome the issues she is having but talking with people who are on the same journey can also help a lot.
Can I first direct you to this link to our very supportive Stomach cancer group 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 green link I have created then hit the ‘Join This Group’ tab just under the main group name, then go to the 'Start a Discussion' tab and set up your very own Discussion and introduce yourself to the group and ask your questions.
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 Carers 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.
This site is organised into various groups so we do have lots of support groups that are Cancer specific and also ones that are general Cancer experience groups.
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 for this tome of the year.
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.
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.
