Hi, my Mother has been recently diagnosed with Liver, Lung and Lymph node cancer. We are awaiting an appointment for the full prognosis however she is already looking very ill and frail (59 years old and otherwise healthy up until now). The jaundice is bad and her energy levels are low and pain high.
I guess we are just in our next chapter as a family. I am so worried for my Dad, they recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary and the pain is clear in his eyes. My brother is being strong and i know we will be there to help each other through the coming weeks. I am too scared to say months yet.
I'm am constantly stuck between the thoughts of this is a common situation for so many people 'its normal' and yet this is the worst thing I've ever experienced. The thought of losing my Mother. It happens to so many I know but it doesn't make the pain any less.
My six year old son is so close to my Mother and he is also Autistic. I don't know how he will deal with this or if indeed his Autism may make it slightly easier for him that I anticipate. He is extremely Empathic and feels every emotion of those around him. I don't know how to protect him throughout all of this.
It sounds dramatic but everything is different, small daily tasks are so hard. I know people live on in different ways after losing someone so close but I'm really struggling with how we will ever be fully happy again. Early days I know.
I have no questions really just needed to get it out, so thank you
Hi and a warm welcome to the online community
When someone in the family is diagnosed with cancer it does change everything and even if 1 in 2 people will get cancer at some point in their lifetime it's still a shock.
The online community is divided up into different support groups and I'm not sure from your post whether you mother has 3 primary cancers or if one is the primary and the others are secondaries. I'm going to list the groups that might be relevant to you so that you can choose which ones to join.
I think another group that you might benefit from joining is the family and friends group which is a safe and supportive place to share your feelings and get support from others who have a family member living with cancer.
I hope you'll find that whichever ones you join they're all great places to ask questions, share experiences and get support.
To join the appropriate group/s just click on the links 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'.
You also mentioned that you weren't sure how to talk to your son about your mother's diagnosis so you might find this information from Macmillan on talking to children and teenagers useful. There is also a booklet which you can either download or send for called Talking to children and teenagers when an adult has cancer.
It would be great if you could pop something about your mother's diagnosis and treatment so far into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar pathway. 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"
