Hi everyone, I hope you all had as good a day as is possible.
Down to business, I don't have cancer but my sister does which is what brings me here. I don't know what to expect, apart from kind words of support because I have used a similar forum in the past when I personally suffered ill health.
My sister is, ironically, a specialist oncology nurse. She hasn't been told she's terminal though she has been told her cancer is no longer treatable, there is no timescale so we don't know how long she has. She is really suffering a lot of pain and it's breaking my heart. There's nothing I can do, I feel so helpless and useless. I try to stay strong in front of her, I try to be cheerful which she says she appreciates because it distracts her. She is handling it incredibly well, as brave as anybody I have ever known. I'm ok when I'm there, it's when I come home I struggle. I cry often because my sister is more important to me than I can adequately say, our mother was alcoholic, our father was largely absent, my sister and our gran were my surrogate parents. If I am in any way a decent person it is because of these two wonderful women, losing our gran was hard, losing my sster will be the worst thing yet to happen to me.
Any words of advice will be very gratefully accepted.
Hi Sullutac and welcome to the Online Community but so sorry to hear about your sister. A cancer diagnosis like this in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' support challenges can help a lot.
I have an incurable cancer so only understand the journey you are on in part but you would be best joining some of our great support groups.
So can I recommend you join and post in our Family and friends and Supporting someone with incurable cancer support groups where you will connect with others navigating the exact same support challenges.
To join a group first click on the “Bold Links” 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.
It’s a challenging time for you so you may want to use the Macmillan Support Line is open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00 or via Webchat and Email too. This service provide cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
It’s a hard time for you all but there are lots of support available for you and indeed your sister.
Do connect in with the groups and I am sure that you will benefit from getting stuff out and taking with folks who understand ((hugs))
