Hi this is my first time posting, just wondering if anyone else is having trouble with there partner being angry? My husband has stage 3 throat cancer and has just finished treatment last Friday. He is not in a good place and seems to be taking it out on me. Just wondering how everyone has coped through this.
I’ve been in both a caring/supporting role and a cancer patient at different times, and in both positions we need some support, and it’s difficult to be the partner of the person who is ill and undergoing challenging treatment.
Obviously your husband will be in a bad place at the moment, but can he get some support from family members or friends other than yourself, so the demands get spread around a bit?
If possible, gently point out that you are there for him, but it’s not OK for him to focus his anger or frustration on you.
There is a group on here for carers and partners of cancer patients (Carers Only Forum) so it may be worth reading or posting there to get some feedback from people in a similar position to yourself.
Thank you Cathylivesflowers, I will take a look at the section on here for carers.
Hi Juneyann and welcome to the forum
I'm glad your husband has finished his treatment but sorry that he's making your life difficult.
He's probably in a lot of discomfort at the moment. Did he have radiotherapy and chemo? Is he taking his pain medication regularly?
Many people suffer with depression once their treatment has finished. If you can gently persuade him, it might be worth him having a word with his GP.
Linda x
Hi and welcome. Your husband is at his worst for the next two to three weeks. One common thread that runs through all our treatments is that truthfully nobody but somebody who has been through the same understands the pain and feeling of being out of control and hopelessness we encounter. Like Linda says depression is common. There were times I was horrid to Stan who was doing his very best to keep my mood up. It will pass but in the meantime try to look after yourself and take some Me Time.
Have a look at this publication by a psychologist. It really usefully puts a lot of context into the equation
Best wishes
Dani
Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019
Hi Juneyann.The next 2-3 weeks are hard on us the patients and our other half’s. I know I wasn’t pleasant to my long suffering husband he did everything for me including getting uo in the middle of night to help me with my feeding tube never complained. I in the other hand was short with him on more than one occasion. The best thing he did was find an impartial friend a neighbour who he started to visit Rob our neighbour had lost his wife 20 years earlier,,John said it was good to off load to someone who wasn’t family.These next few weeks are difficult we’ve gone from seeing medical people every day to almost nothing. We are told a few weeks and everythjng will start to feel normal sadly that’s rare it’s more like 3-6 month we feel improvements. We are all different and I hope your husband makes a quick recovery. There’s an old saying you always hurt the one you love the one you shouldn’t hurt at all, my mum used to say that and it’s true.
There is the possibility as well that he’s frightened the treatment hasn’t worked ,plus head and neck cancer patients often suffer mild depression as Dani and Linda have suggested maybe a gentle word with him to see or at least speak to his G P or cancer nurse.
Hazel x
Hazel aka RadioactiveRaz
My blog is www.radioactiveraz.wordpress.com HPV 16+ tonsil cancer Now 6 years post treatment. 35 radiotherapy 2 chemo T2N2NM.Happily getting on with living always happy to help
2 videos I’ve been involved with raising awareness of HNC and HPV cancers
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