Hey, so my dad got diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer over Christmas and it's been really hard at times.
I don't live near him or drive so havent been able to visit as much as I would have liked but I've also felt really scared and sad at times. I'm a very emotional person as it is, I have autism and ADHD aswell as fibromayalgia. I lost my mum when I was 10 years old in an accident and I've ended up leaning on my partner alot for support at times. He's really struggled with this, not that he doesn't care but it's made him worry a lot that he isnt doing enough and also with how emotional I can get and when I have pain or health flare ups. I recently had a nasty virus which affected me for a whole month and made me a hermit so I wasn't seeing friends, mostly my partner and its safe to say I've leant too much as he has his own life and we have only been together just 5 months or so. I really don't want a breakup on top of having a poorly parent but I do need emotional support, as it'll be a while before the close is clear.
My dad is having chemo, having his dose upped recently and we are currently waiting on the results of his first pet scan since starting treatment. I guess what I am seeking is support and advice, how I can help ease my anxiety without tarnishing my relationships and so there can still be a healthy balance.
Thank you in advance.
Hi Poppy Jay and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.
It's perfectly natural to feel as you do when someone you care about has a cancer diagnosis.
As the online community is divided into different support forums I'm going to recommend that you join the family and friends forum which is a supportive place to talk to others about your emotions and receive support.
To join, just click on the link I've created and, once you've joined, you can start a new post in the same way as you did here and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.
It would be great if you could put something about your dad's diagnosis and treatment to date into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
