Hello. My 78 year old Dad was diagnosed last Christmas with non invasive bladder cancer. The good news is after a gruelling year of immunotherapy, his last cystoscopy showed no active cancer cells. But he is a shadow of his former self. Physically, he’s not too bad but he believes it will come back and that it will, in his words, ‘get him in the end’. He is waking up each morning wondering if today is the day it comes back. My Mum is getting more distressed. I was looking for any advice on how I can help both him and my Mum.
Hi SEG and a warm welcome to the Online Community although so sorry to hear about your dad and the concerns you have, this is such a hard time for all the family but I do hope you will find lots of comfort and support from people who understand here on the Online Community.
The New to Community area is like our reception where you can be signposted on to our many dedicated support groups so can I recommend you start by joining our Bladder cancer group. This is a safe place to talk to other people who might have a similar diagnosis, treatment experience or are supporting someone on their cancer journey.
If you'd like to connect in with this group, you need to join the group. First click on the Green link I have created above. Then once the page opens up click on the black banner that says [click to join] at the bottom, or the [Join] button under "Group tools."
You can then introduce yourself by putting up a new post by clicking in the box near the top right with + New (Computers) or + (Mobile Devices). You will then see a dropdown menu so why not hit ‘Start a Discussion in New here, say hello’
You could copy and paste the text from this your first post. You can also search through existing ‘Discussions’ and click [reply] if you want to put up a comment.
When it comes to the practical challenges of supporting someone you may benefit from joining our supportive Family and friends and Carers only groups 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, emotional support, benefit and financial guidance or just a listening ear. You may also find our Ask an Expert section helpful as well.
Always around if you need further help in navigating the community.
All the very best.
Hi SEG and welcome to the online community
That's great news that after immunotherapy your dad's last cystoscopy showed no active cells. However, most of us who have had cancer will know how he feels as I don't think the worry of it recurring ever really goes away.
As the online community is divided up into different support groups I'm going to recommend that you join the family and friends group which is a great place to ask your question, share experiences and get support.
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'. To save you typing this all out again you could just copy and paste it into your new post.
It would be great if you could pop something about your dad's diagnosis and treatment so far into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on 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
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