Hello,
I have come here today to see whether talking to you about Myeloma (blood cancer) and hopefully develop some ways of coping with the fact that my Dad has it. While my Dad has been diagnosed with Myeloma for 6 years (I think - he told me a year or two after his first being diagnosed), I feel that I haven't really dealt with any of the emotions that go with learning your Dad has cancer and that there is no cure for it. I thought I would explain my current situation in more depth, so please be aware that you may find the next paragraph a bit distressing. If you want to avoid this, skip to the end paragraph. I look forward to hearing from you.
The pandemic, and all the time it has allowed us all to dwell on things, has finally got to me and I am now having to face my Dad's illness alongside work stress, looking after my partner (who has his own issues) and a number of my other family members with health issues (my grandparents are 90 years old, my Auntie also has cancer, and I worry about my Mum who has to care for her husband - my Dad - and her parents - my grandparents), in addition to my partner's Dad suffering from long-COVID (post-viral fatigue) and my partner's Mum working as a keyworker). As you can see, there is a lot to deal with here.
I thought that connecting on here might be a positive step to at least deal with my Dad's illness. From being told he might only have a few months to live to him being here for 6 years (and hopefully a lot more) is admittedly a blessing, and I am grateful, but I am also very aware of the inevitable. I've never 'done' a forum before, although I have heard that they are useful. Having said that, no one I know has used one (or at least, they haven't told me), and so I'm not sure what to expect. But am open minded and I want to get better at coping with the current situation I find myself in and to prepare for the future. I look forward to hearing from you.
*apologies for cross-posting* - also posted in the general 'new to the community' forum.
Hi and a warm welcome to the online community
It can be a very difficult time when a member of your family has a cancer diagnosis so it's good to connect with others who are in a similar situation to yourself to learn coping techniques from them.
Reading your post it looks like you have had a lot to deal with recently so it's no wonder that you feel that you might not be coping.
This group is a great place to ask questions about your dad's diagnosis along with any questions you have about his treatment. However, I think you'd also benefit from joining and posting in the family and friends group which is a safe and supportive place to share your worries with other people who have a loved one living with cancer.
If you think this might be helpful then clicking on the link I've created will take you straight there where you can join and post in the same way as you did here.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
