My mum is so angry that dad’s dying…

  • 1 reply
  • 20 subscribers
  • 208 views
  • Hi everyone, my wonderful dad was a very fit 83 year old until 6 weeks ago when he started being so tired & had a little pain in his chest. 6 weeks on he’s been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. He’s had 1 round of chemo to hopefully shrink the tumour a little bit. If he didn’t have the chemo he’d have apparently 6 weeks to live. To say this is a shock is an understatement & all his friends & family are obviously devastated. My mum however is behaving very oddly. She always been a very sweet & kind lady but she’s become so angry & nasty. She’s saying she’s had enough of all the drama & upheaval & just wants him to go into a home or hospice. She’s going round talking to herself & slamming kitchen cupboards & doors. Telling my dad she’s had enough & it’s all too much as she has to dress him now too. I’ve offered to move in to help many times but she’s having none of it & says she can cope but she’s far from coping. My dad can hear her saying all these things & has witnessed her behaviour.  It breaks my heart that in his maybe last few weeks/months alive, he has to deal with this. 

  • Any advice on how to deal with this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. 
  • Hi  and welcome to the Online Community but so sorry to hear about your dad’s diagnosis. 

    A cancer diagnosis like this in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time and from what I have read on the community your mum’s reaction is unfortunately not that unusual.

    You have done the right thing in reaching out to the community will give you the opportunity to ask questions and getting support from others who are on the ‘exact’ same journey.

    The Community is actually divided into Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) and when it comes to the practical and emotional challenges of supporting family and friends you may benefit from posting in our Family and friends and Supporting someone with incurable cancer (that I see you have already joined) support groups where you will connect with others navigating the exact same support challenges.

    To join a group first click on the “Bold Link” I have created above then once the group page opens click on “Click to Join” when the black banner appears or “Join” under “Group Tools” (this all depends on the device you are using)

    You can then put up your own post when you’re ready by clicking “+new” or “+” in the top right next to the group title. You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post. You can also scroll through other members posts and click “Reply” to get involved.

    Our Support Line teams are available 7 days a week, 8am-8pm on freephone 0808 808 00 00email or live webchat where you will find one of team there to help you out. We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.

    Talking to people face to face can be very helpful so do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area, do also check for a local Maggie's Centre as these folks are amazing.

    Do get back to me if you need further help.

    Mike (Thehighlander)

    It always seems impossible until its done - Nelson Mandela

    Community Champion Badge