Seeking support and friendship
Hello lovely people, My mum was diagnosed with early breast cancer last Thursday. I felt a rush of mixed emotions and thoughts. I felt scared, upset, sad, and isolated. My dad passed away just over a...
Forum Discussion
@Dani1981 Hello and welcome! I am a few months further along than your mum also with early stage but will have the whole gamut of preventative treatment. I think you are a similar age to my wonderful son so am drawn to sharing our experiences as a family. Nearly 7 years ago he was told he has MS and we were shattered. It has been a roller coaster ride with him as he has had success in keeping MS in remission with immunotherapy but awful and ongoing side effects. His beautiful partner(now wife) and my husband and I went your present journey with him and early on agreed that as a team we were stronger. We agreed on no secrets and after every appt they shared all details so there we could deal with knowns. We also agreed to acknowledge how we felt and so could help each other when one was struggling to look at the end goal. Now my diagnosis has added to what we have to deal with and caused tears and fears again. However by continuing the same way and recalling how much it helped me with being a support but helpless to change the situation I find that now the roles are reversed it is a great relief to be able to dip into the love and support that surround me knowing we are all on the same page. I went to a psychologist after his diagnosis and the CBT strategies she taught me then have stood me in good stead now. It also helped me unload those initial intense emotions on someone not directly impacted so I didn’t have to hold back for fear of adding to my loved ones problems. You can get up to 10 subsidised visits with a mental health plan from your gp if you think it would help you too. I can see the love you share with your mum and like me she is regarded as a strong person so you will find your way together and be stronger for the sharing of all the ups and downs of the roller coaster ride ahead. We find many things to feel lucky for along the way (especially the arrival of a beautiful baby this year) and I am sure you will too. Your mum’s first one is having you as her daughter - trust me! Thinking of you both. 😘