Hi everyone I've only joined tonight.
My mum was given a prognosis of 6/12 months this afternoon.
She has lung cancer which has metastisized to her lung, lymph nodes, breast and eye.
She has received 5: radiotherapy sessions to try and relieve eye pain. We were told today that she can have chemotherapy to prolong time she has left but will make her poorly. She's 78 and not in the best health so she refused chemo.
I'm now faced with helping her arrange funeral etc and don't know where to start with it all.
How do I arrange help for her at home? Is it through the gp? I've never dealt with anything like this before. I only lost my dad 2 years ago and now I'm losing my mum too, I'm heartbroken.
Sorry for the long post.
Hi Sniggy and welcome to the Macmillan Community but so sorry to hear about your mum’s diagnosis and prognosis. 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 mum and indeed yourself you may benefit from joining and posting in our…..
and
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 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.
You may find it helpful to call the Macmillan Support Line 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 3 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.
It’s a journey that we tend to not be looking to go on…… do connect in with the areas I have highlighted as there are many people waiting at the end of their keyboards or on our helpline to support you ((hugs))
