When should we worry?

Hello Irish Terrier 

i am so sorry to read of your worries - there is help available and if I may can I make the following suggestions:

* At Macmillan we offer free BUPA counselling sessions to Community members suffering the effects of cancer. If your husband thinks these would help here's the link

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/bupa-counselling

* Do you have a "Maggie's" near you. These are cancer drop in centres provided by the charity - you can just drop in  - have a brew and a chat. Again here's the link

https://www.maggies.org/

* Anxiety UK is a service offered to anyone suffering stress and and their contact details are : 0344 477 5774 ow www.anxiety.org.uk

* Our support line on 0808 808 00 00 (8am to 8pm 7 days) will be able to offer you some extra help and support.

If there is anything else I can do for you please let me know. We are all here for you.

Best wishes - Brian.

Sorry to see your so stressed Irish Terrier. This group is great and puts us women’s minds to rest a bit . My husband was diagnosed in March and we are still treading the waters . Just take a day at a time and breathe . That’s what we are doing and if you have a cancer nurse give her a call and just talk through yours and your husbands concerns . Even talking helps you to put things into perspective. Hugs & keep in touch with this wonderful group xx

PTSD is such a hard cross to bear! I hope things settle down for you both. When my husband was so poorly in April - on top of all the other medical issues, I really felt as if I couldn’t take any more! He said that even had the oncologist had not told him his HT therapy had come to an end, he didn’t feel as if he could take any more also! We both hit rock bottom together! But, you have no choice but to plod on. 

so, roll forward 2 months - we’ve just been out on a shopping spree and stopped for a double scoop of locally made ice cream on the way home. The sun is shining and we’re having a cup of tea looking out at our garden coming into bloom. Life is good!

The bad days happen but sure as night follows day, the good times come round too!

I hope things improve for you soon, too x

Oh an icecream sound wonderful . I’m sitting making a memory bear out of old T-shirts just to keep busy. They are going to the shop where we bought them as we still have strong ties with it . ( T-shirts are too big for husband so he suggested we do something with the fabric)   . It’s keeping my mind on something else . 

Oh, he’s gorgeous! You’re very clever! 

we have an ice cream parlour about a mile down the road on a farm. They make their own ice cream from the milk from the cows. They usually have about 12 different flavours to try. We sat outside today looking over the fields. It was just bliss! Oh and I had a scoop of mint choc chip and a scoop of maple and walnut! More calories <sigh>

Thank you . Enjoy your day xx

Hello Irish Terrier .

My husband suffers from PTSD so fully understand the extra challenges this brings with it. Being diagnosed with prostate cancer exacerbated the anxiety and depression so we have had to learn to work on the coping strategies he was taught by the psychologist many years ago. Look after yourself and spend some time doing the things you enjoy as a distraction.

The mood swings can be a part of the hormone therapy and it is difficult at times to watch our loved ones trying to cope - sometimes it is as if he has had a personality transplant. What his diagnosis has done is bring us closer together. We have learnt to enjoy the good days by getting out and doing little things like going for an ice cream, a coffee, lunch and even an evening meal. We spend a lot of time in the garden or just sitting on the terrace looking out to sea, anything that means we can be together. Once your husband has finished chemotherapy things will hopefully settle down for you both.

Thank you everyone, it helps to get it off my chest and I understand about the hormones causing mood swings and sometimes it is like he has changed into a different person. 

I'm trying not to keep asking if his ok it must be annoying. Hopefully by end of August we can take a holiday.

Unfortunately we have to go to France and sell our holiday home as I'm worried about being left to cope with that as well, we were planning to do it in a few years but it has been brought forward.

Take care everyone and thank you again