My Dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer last year he’s 84. He’s been having chemo every 3 weeks to maintain. A couple of weeks ago he had a bad fall outside the hospital and was unconscious he broke quite a few bones in his face I felt so helpless. Today we found out that the cancer has grown so they are stopping his chemo. I’m not sure what to expect now or how to handle things. I know he’s 84 and lived a good life but I feel so helpless as I see him struggling.
my Mum is still with us but has recently been in hospital and my only sibling is in a care home with dementia. My husband is a saint but he is still grieving for his mum so I don’t want to put too much on him.
i need to know a little of what to expect and how I can help my Dad and my Mum through this.
Hi MichW and welcome to the Macmillan Community but so sorry to hear about your dad and the journey you are all on.
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.
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 Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) and when it comes to the practical and emotional challenges of supporting your dad you may benefit from joining and posting in our >
Supporting someone with incurable cancer
….. 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.
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. 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.
Please do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
