My mother-in-law has just been confirmed with mesothelioma which is advanced and only palliative care is recommended due to her weak state and age. Having sleeplessness tonight trying to digest what this now means for all the family. She’s a well loved member of my immediate family, esp by her two granddaughters. How do we get through these next precious months?
Hi Catgene
Welcome to our community though sorry to hear about your mother-in-law, you are so right about how the impact of a diagnosis spreads out.
I know when I first heard palliative care I made a mistake of thinking it meant the end was really near, however actually it means treatment to control symptoms rather than cure so there is not really a signal there.
Some of the most common suggestions I have seen on here include looking back through older memories as that can help bring out some of the information that might otherwise be lost. Also with my parents we talked a lot about the time before we were born - absolutely fascinating to hear about how they were brought up and how far they came.
How old are the granddaughters? We have specific advise for talking to children and teenagers and it can be helpful to include schools in the conversation too.
<<hugs>>
Steve
