Hi,
My husband has had prostate cancer for 10 years. He now has small cell cancer so its spread, he's on chemo (for about 2.5 years now) although not at the moment as his white blood cell count is too low, and we know his prognosis. I can cope with the physical side, and so can he (he's very stoic and is always cheerful with medical staff) but its very hard to cope with the emotional rollercoaster that he feels but suppresses. I try to do all I can to make his life as easy and enjoyable as possible whilst keeping up with a few activities and friends myself. I really feel that talking things through with someone would help but don't know where to start. We have been donating to MacMillan for some time so thought I would contact you.
Helen
Hi HelenAtHome and a warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but so sorry to hear about your husband.
A cancer diagnosis in the family like this 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……. I have a completely different type of cancer and treatment journey.
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 husband and indeed yourself you may benefit from joining and posting in our……
and
Supporting someone with incurable cancer (if applicable)
……. 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.
The Macmillan Support Line is open between 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 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.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
Hello HelenAtHome
After reading eddiel's post here's a link to take you to the Prostate Cancer forum-
Best wishes - Brian.
Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week between 8am-8pm
Strength, Courage, Faith, Hope, Defiance, VICTORY.
I am a Macmillan volunteer.
