Hi, my brother has just been diagnosed with CLL. I’m here to find out more so I can support him. He isn’t coping well at all and has MH issues already. He’s has scans etc which confirmed the diagnosis but the appt for consultation to discuss treatment isn't for another 5 weeks and he’s struggling. He's in pain with an enlarged spleen and is really fatigued. He's trying to work as he is self employed but struggles on a day to day basis. But needs to work for the money.
He has a partner and 2 daughters and is in his 50’s.
His support network at home isn’t great, he's the one who normally carries everyone else.
I just need to find anything that may help him and his family so we as a family can support him as much as we can.
Thanks for reading x
Hi Peanut16 and a warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but I am so sorry to hear about your brother’s CLL diagnosis.
I know from experience having been on my cancer journey coming up to 26 years with two very rare, hard to treat types of Non Hodgkin’s Lymphomas (one incurable) that navigating this journey can be such a stressful and challenging time but talking with and getting support from people who have walked or are walking the ‘exact same' journey both with this kind of cancer or supporting can help a lot.
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you look to join and post in our dedicated…….
……. support group.
This group is a safe place to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from family members who are navigating the same support journey.
As for the practical and emotional challenges of supporting your brother and indeed yourself you may benefit from joining and posting in our general cancer……
……. 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 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.
As always 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, benefits and financial guidance 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.
