Hi everyone, I'm new to the group. Just been sat here looking through some of the discussions and the support is just amazing.
My Dad is currently going through chemotherapy, he will be starting his 3rd round next week, which is a drip then he takes 4 tablets daily for 3 weeks, then a weeks break. He is doing amazing, he has the odd bad day but overall he's doing so well.
Dad found out about his cancer after having major surgery last November, on something completely irrelevant - an aortic aneurysm. The surgeon didn't like the look of his appendix so they removed it, low and behold it was cancer.
For me, I'm feeling so confused and left in the dark. I'm completely clueless to it all, I haven't a clue what his chemotherapy is called, what stage the cancer is, is it treatable, nothing. My parents aren't the type of people to talk about their emotions and I feel like they would keep some information from me to protect my feelings but I'm struggling because I have so many questions. I'm too scared to ask questions because it results in my parents getting their backs up with me so I don't want to cause more upset than needed. Dad will be having a scan when he comes to his 4th round so we will know more then but honestly at the moment I feel completely overwhelmed - I'm a mum of 2 young boys, in my first year of a social work degree at university, plus the pandemic, it's all just a little too much
I feel better already by writing this
Hi
Just want to welcome you to the forum . Sorry to hear about your dad . I can see you are trying to piece information together and it actually happens a lot here . I think parents often want to protect us despite our age . Or sometimes they only take on board what they are able to process . It’s such a lot for you just now with young children , studies and trying to be there for your parents and that’s before you get to the pandemic part !!
You will get a much better feel for his situation after his scan . The scans go back to the Multi disciplinary meeting for assessment and discussion. From there they will recommend the right treatment pathway for him depending on his situation . Some people will go onto surveillance whilst others might continue on an active treatment plan . Or so it seems to me anyway! We always get that information via the oncologist but my mum’s GP always gets a copy of the decisions via the clinical portal . We have often forums the GP to be a very valuable part of her team .
Your dad sounds as though he has tolerated chemo very well . That’s fantastic in itself . Sounds as though he had a sharp eyed surgeon too!
Glad you joined us and hope it can help reduce some of the stress from you .
Take care ,
Court
Helpline Number 0808 808 0000
Hi Court
Thank you so much for your reply, I really do appreciate it.
My Dad doesn't process information very well as it is, he's very laid back so I think that's what is happening right now. At first I thought they were keeping information from me but I actually think they don't have the information to tell.
I just hope he continues through his treatment well and doesn't suffer too many side effects. Thank you for explaining the next steps in regards to the MDT looking at and assessing the scan and going from there.
Thank you again, I'm sure I'll be writing in here a lot looking for support.
I think that’s sometimes a survival strategy and not always a bad thing if that is how he gets through it .
But not always easy for the family in terms of information. We can only ever do our best with the circumstances we find ourselves in .
We are certainly here to support you .
Take care ,
Court
Helpline Number 0808 808 0000
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