Hello 
My mum was first diagnosed with a bowel tumour about 2 months ago, following a US scan we were told that it has also gone to her liver and is terminal.
She was given options on how best to move forward toward a course of chemotherapy and she decided to have a stoma in order to prevent a blockage (bowel tumour is quite large). She is two weeks from having had her stoma and is managing really well with it…I temporarily had one myself some years ago and she was by my side through it all. So she had some insight into what it would be like.
Next week she is having her port fitted and then 4 days later she will be having her very first chemotherapy infusion of Cetuximab, Irinotecan and Fluorouracil.
The clinical stuff feels like it is being managed well, where I feel we are lacking is with the emotional support. Mum is on her own, no husband or partner and I feel our relationship is based on her putting a brave face on for my benefit. I wonder if depression and anxiety therapy with a relative stranger, who will broach the hard questions, where she does not need to keep her brave face on, might help her just a little…she’s a tough nut to crack though and will probably just say that thats not for her yet.
Desperate to help her in any way and to make this terrible stage as positive an experience as possible. Thank you.
Hi Rosie_M and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.
I'm sorry to read that your mum has been diagnosed with terminal cancer but it sounds like she is getting a lot of support from you.
The online community is divided into different support forums so I'm going to recommend that you join the supporting someone with incurable cancer forum which is a great place to talk to others who are in a similar position.
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'.
If you have any problems negotiating the community, just drop me a reply and I'll be pleased to help.
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
