Hello everyone
Im Lizzi 
My Dad was diagnosed with a cancer tumour in his appendix a few years ago...they found it when they removed his appendix which was kinda lucky as noone knew he had the tumour! Anyway - all went well for a couple of years but last year he was told he had a tumour where his appendix used to be....and it rubs against the abdominal wall causing huge abscesses that have to be drained surgically.
The last one he had surgery on was about christmas time...and due to the tumour increasing in size, the wound will not close as the tumour is pushing outwards. So he has an open wound on his tummy...which drains constantly. We are currently working with the stoma nurse to try a stoma bag instead of a dressing so that the nasty stuff and wetness doesnt sit on his skin.
At the moment he is not in pain. He is 92 - will be 93 in June and celebrating his 60th wedding anniversary the day after his birthday on July1st. His main issue at the moment is not taking enough fluids...feeling tired all the time and losing his appetite. We are working on solutions for all those things....
I just wanted to reach out to you all...its good to have some support isnt it.
My dear mum who is 85 with a myriad of health problems of her own is finding this quite difficult to deal with....as am I. Im very close to my dad...always have been....and recently its become very real and feels like I am slowly losing him. I find it heartbreaking but try to stay strong and upbeat as mum and dad have both struggled with lockdown...and I think they are both suffering a little from depression....I guess there are a lot of people in the same shoes....and for this reason I try and stay as positive and upbeat as I can when I am with them. But yesterday when I came home.....oh boy......I was wiped out. It wasnt physical exhaustion....it was I think mental and emotional...I literally went to bed mid afternoon and more or less stayed there. I just didnt want to interact with anyone.
Ive had a little word with myself today - have just come back from mum and dads...they are both in good spirits today which is nice to see.
Well thats just about all my story to date - would love to connect with others whatever your story :)
Have a great day everyone
Lizzi
xx
Hi and a very warm welcome to the online community
I'm sorry to hear about everything's that's been happening to your dad. As you've found having cancer has a huge impact on the whole family and it's natural that you should feel as you do from time to time.
The online community is divided up into different support groups so I'm going to recommend that you join the family and friends group which is a safe and supportive place to share your emotions with others who have a loved one living with cancer.
To join just click on the link I've created and then choose 'click to join' or 'join' (depending on the device you're using) on the page that opens. You can then introduce yourself and post in the same way as you did here and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.
It would be great if you could pop something about your dad's journey so far into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar diagnosis. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
If you have any difficulty navigating the community just drop me a reply and I'll be pleased to help.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
