Mental health suffering

Hi Chris20 and welcome to the group. Sorry to hear about mum and the anxiety caused by the waiting. We all know how stressful it is waiting for appointments and results. Things tend to get easier once treatment starts. Radiotherapy itself is quite painless and each session takes about fifteen minutes.  Try and keep mum active with things to keep her focused. Lots of experience and help here and always someone to answer any questions. Best wishes.

Hi Chris, sorry to hear about your mum's diagnosis but it sounds like her hospital is being thoughtful about what treatment would be most appropriate for her. Surgeons frequently think surgery is the only way, but recommendations for my bladder cancer treatment have always been made by a multidisciplinary team which I think is very positive. There are many different successful treatments for bladder cancer and radiotherapy is a less intrusive one than major surgery. As Rily says the waiting causes us all stress particularly at initial diagnosis but this is a time to be super kind to yourselves (treats?) and trying to make the best of every day helps. Overtime one does get used to the slow turning of hospital wheels and over past 5 years since my diagnosis I have learned to feel really confident in the system and supported by my CNS nurse. Hope you are able to distract yourselves from too much anxiety, let us know how things go? Sending best wishes Hx

Thank you rily and herothedog, we are trying to get her to focus on the future and what life will be like after hopefully successful treatment. She is doing her best to keep busy, I think the melanoma on her leg was just overload mentally but we had a positive chat today and that helped. Thank you both for your kind words and advice.  I hope you are both doing OK. 

My OH had melanoma removed from his ear with a wedge excision in amongst the bladder cancer treatment and monitoring. It really hasn't bothered him other than NHS hearing aids no longer lodge behind that ear so he has paid for private ones. And has healed up 99.9% invisibly quite quickly. Maybe this will reassure your Mum a little I hope.

Denby

It's fantastic to hear that she's an amazing and fit lady for her age.Supporting her during this time is essential, and sometimes maintaining a positive outlook can be tough. Just being there for her, offering your love and understanding, can make a big difference. Encourage open conversations about her feelings and fears.If you're looking for more advice or resources, you might want to check out MentalHealth.com. It can provide information and support for both you and your mum during this challenging period.