Hi
My mother in law was diagnosed with bowel cancer totally out of the blue 6 weeks ago and it has already spread to her ovary and liver. She was given 4-6 weeks 3 weeks ago. My husband and I are caring for her at her home as this is her wish. Me days and my husband nights. We have carers but this is only for 1/2 an hour 3 times a day. We have been doing this for 2 weeks now. My husband’s still working full time and is shattered both emotionally and physically. The local hospice have given us 4 nights night cover. It is both physically and mentally exhausting. My mother in law appears to be in denial and talks about getting over it and doing things when she gets her energy back. Im not sure what we should be doing for the best. Any suggestions on how to manage this please would be appreciated.
Hi 40Towers and welcome to the Macmillan Community but so sorry to hear about your mother in laws diagnosis.
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 you a lot.
This New to Community area is like our reception desk where we try to direct you to the best part of the Community for you to get support. The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) and when it comes to the practical and emotional challenges of supporting your mother in law and indeed yourself you may benefit from joining and posting in our
Supporting someone with incurable cancer
……. support groups where you will connect with a wide range of members 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 in the [ Black - Click to Join - Banner ] that appears at the bottom of the page and this will then confirm that you have joined the group.
When you are ready……. you can introduce yourself by putting up your very own post by clicking [ + Create new post] or [ + ] in the top right of the group page.
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.
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.
