Hi all,
difficult way to meet you, but hey!
My mother in-law has stage 3 esopahagus cancer. We live far away but managed to brake the barrier of let them help occasionally at home. I live in London and they are on tue Lake District.
We have an amazing relationship. I’m so lucky to have the family I got with my husband.
I am from Mexico and we deal with emotions more openly, so I would love to get some personal experiences of how to actually be useful for them.
I will be going to them in a few weeks to help with the chores at home, and we have had very good conversations about the treatment. Still, my mother in law is dealing amazingly; but my father in law is not.
Also will like to try to talk about support groups.
Any feedback and advice personal or professional is much appreciated.
Big hug to all of you!
Hi and welcome to the Online Community but so sorry to hear about your mother-in-laws diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis in the family can be very challenging but talking with others who are walking the same type of cancer treatment support journey (my one is completely different) will help you navigate this difficult time.
The New to Community is like the Community Reception area and as there are many cancer types and experiences so likewise the Community has many support groups so can I recommend you start of by joining our supportive Gullet (oesophagus) cancerrain tumour group as this will be a good place to connect with folks who may be on the same cancer treatment support pathway.
Navigating the community will depend on the device you are using. To join a group just click on the green link above then scroll down and choose 'click to join' or 'join' on the page that opens.
You can then introduce yourself by putting up a post by clicking on ‘New Thread’ or ‘New here, say hello’ then hit the box with the X on the top right (phones).
You could just copy and paste the text from this your first post and you can also join in with existing ‘Discussions’ by clicking on 'reply'.
Support groups are a great way of navigating the journey but during these strange times it’s not that available but do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in her area has opened up.
Do also check out for a local Maggie’s Centre as these folks are amazing. During lockdown a lot of their services moved onto online video support. But I see our local Maggie’s (Inverness) are starting to open up for one on one support.
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 Carers only group where you will connect with others supporting family and friends
It’s always good to talk so do call the Macmillan Support Services on 0808 808 00 00 - most services are open 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week Clicking here to see what is available. This service provides lots of cancer information, support, financial guidance or just a listening ear.
We also have Cancer Nurse Team in 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 check our Online Information and Support Section.
All the very best ((hugs))
