Hi my 71 Yr old husband was diagnosed just over two years ago. He has had hormone treatment, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. At diagnosis there was evidence that metastases had appeared and more recent scans show mets in parts of the spine, four ribs and the clavicle. The oncologist says chemo will continue as maintenance and there will be no cure.
The added complication is that we live in a Spanish speaking country and although the doctors do communicate in English I always feel there's something lacking.
There are no English speaking support groups here and we seem to be just muddling our way through. My husband is angry, exhausted and can be very difficult. It's hardly surprising. I am just exhausted and sleepless. I feel as though I am detaching from him and I don't understand it. I would do anything to make him well.
Sorry for the ramble and thank you for reading.
Hi Eilean13 and welcome to the Macmillan Community but so sorry to hear about your husband's diagnosis and the challenges you are facing living in Spain.
A cancer diagnosis 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) so can I recommend you consider joining and posting in our dedicated Prostate cancer support group. This is a safe place to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from family members who are navigating the same journey.
When it comes to the practical and emotional challenges of supporting family and friends you may also benefit from joining our:
Supporting someone with incurable cancer
Living with cancer outside the UK
support groups where you will connect with others navigating the same support challenges.
To connect in with the groups 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)
When you are ready you can put up your own post 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 (UK time) on +44 207 0912230 or via Webchat and Email too. This service provides 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.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
