Hello my name is Sharon and I live in the Midlands. My husband has very recently been diagnosed with a rare cancer called pseudo myxoma. I have never heard of this but have read up on it and although treatable it’s going to be a hard battle . This is coming of the back of losing my brother to lung cancer 2 months ago and also that I lost both my parents to cancer.
im trying to be so brave for my husband (I am a strong person) but I’ve been getting up early so I can have a good cry. Life feels very stressful at the moment.
Hi Sharron Worried for my best friend and a very warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but sorry to hear about your husband's diagnosis.
I know well what living with a rare cancer can be as I was diagnosed way back in 1999 with a 7 in a mission type of blood cancer.... treatable but incurable..... but I am still here living a great life. You may find this Macmillan information on Pseudomyxoma helpful.
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 will help a lot (I have a totally different type of cancer)
The New to Community is like our reception desk where we look to direct you to the best part of the Community for you to get support. The Community is divided into dedicated Cancer Specific Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you join and post in our dedicated Pseudomyxoma peritonei 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 support journey.
As for the practical and emotional challenges of supporting your husband you may benefit from joining and posting in our Family and Friends (that is see you have found) and our Carers only support groups where you will connect with others navigating the exact same support challenges.
To connect with a group click on the “Bold Italic 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 is an emotional time supporting family so you might find this Macmillan information your feelings when someone has cancer helpful as well as this link getting help with your emotions.
The Macmillan Support Line is open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00. 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.
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 and support all the family.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
