My 83 yr old father has stage 4 myeloma. He has had 13 cycles chemo and last week five radiotherapy sessions to the head .
he has dementia which is declining rapidly .
in order to prolong life he has been offered chemotherapy in tablet form .
thoughts welcome
Hi Ally C and welcome to the Online Community but so sorry to hear about your fathers diagnosis.
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' cancer type and support challenges can help a lot.
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) and we do actually have a dedicated Myeloma support group.
I also have an incurable blood cancer so I help out across our blood cancer groups but I am not sure if there is anyone in the group at the moment who fits where your dad is at in his treatment journey.
When it comes to the practical and emotional challenges of supporting family and friends you may also benefit from joining our Carers only and Supporting someone with incurable cancer support groups where you will connect with others navigating the same support challenges especially when it comes to treatments to prolong life, in reality this will most likely be seen as palliative care.
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.
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.
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 navigating the community.
