Hello Everyone & Anyone who is about to read this! My online name is Zenji I have just joined this community today. it's all very new to me as I have never done this before or been affected by cancer until now so it's going to take me awhile to learn about everything, talk to many people with firsthand experience and maybe make some new friends?
The reason why I am here is because my mum was diagnosed with Peritoneal cancer a week ago on Thursday just passed and it's completely sent shockwaves through our whole family.
I don't have many friends who I can talk to about this type of cancer as they haven't been through it or been directly affected so it'll be wonderful to speak to some lovely members who have and still are going through it and/or battling themselves. I am not coping well with any of it or handling it well either my mental health is being affected pretty badly too. I have a big family who are all so supportive as well as my friends but a lot of the time since we found out I feel so much more alone than I normally do (I've been going through loneliness and social isolation for many years)
Mum is starting her treatment on Wednesday this week coming and I am so scared for her and scared to see my mum become so sick and unwell for the first time in my life I feel like our family haven't had enough time to process it all yet and now her first round of chemo is just around the corner!
Thank you for reading & I look forward to hearing from some of you soon x
Hi and warm welcome to the Macmillan Online Community although sorry that you had to find us and especially sorry to hear about your mum’s diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis in the family can be challenging in so many ways but talking with others who are walking the same type of cancer treatment journey will help you navigate this difficult time.
The Community is organised into cancer specific support groups so can I recommend you join our supportive Peritoneal cancer group as this will be a good place to connect with patients and families navigating the same type of cancer treatment journey.
To join a group just click on the link above then choose 'click to join' or 'join' (depending on the device you're using) on the page that opens.
You can then introduce yourself by putting up a ‘New Thread’ or hit the box with the X on the top right (phones), you could just copy and paste the text from this your first post. You can also join in with existing ‘Discussions’ by clicking on 'reply'.
When it comes to the practical challenges of supporting someone you may benefit from talking with others caring for family and friends so do check out our Family and friends group as you will connect with others supporting family and friends through their cancer journey.
It’s always good to talk and the Macmillan Support Services provides lots of information, support, financial guidance or just a listening ear.
Most services are open 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week and it's free to call on 0808 808 00 00 have a look by Clicking here to see what is available and we also have our Ask an Expert section, but do allow two working days for replies from our expert team.
To find information covering diagnosis, treatments and pages covering most types of cancers can be found on our Online Information and Support Section.
All the very best
