Coping with cancer in the family!!

From diagnosis and throughout- dealing with a family member with cancer

Sailing through cancer can be very emotional with many ups and downs

Journey of fear, anger, resentment and guilt is very turbulent with frequent breakdowns

Right from the diagnosis with why me and what next ?

And, scrolling through the internet about the kind and spread to every single text

Then, next focus is to can my cancer be treated to what are my treatment options?

And, frequently arguing with god about why did he punish you and for what sins!

Sometimes, without no warning at all, you feel the strike

It takes time to understand that not all cancers are alike

Suddenly, family dynamics, priorities and responsibilities tend to shift

Friendship, love and affection all seem to drift

For some time, the thoughts change to how likely are my family and children to get cancer

And, visiting every single doctor possible to get the proper answer

Then comes the frequent hospital appointments for tests, treatments and follow-ups

The exhaustion and turmoil is even more painful than failures and break-ups

Treatment options and procedure are a difficult and emotional experience that everyone will be dealing in their own way

As, new and better treatment options are being discussed by the oncologist every single day

Sometimes, there are good days when you feel positive and calm

And, then comes the bad days when your worries and fears create a sense of alarm

From fighting stigmas with relatives and co-workers if the cancer is contagious

To, giving information about how a cell becomes a cancer can sometimes be very outrageous

Author's Note

As a pathologist, I can understand the emotions the patient and the relatives experience when we give a diagnosis of cancer.
Dealing with a family member with cancer is not easy and there are not set rules for how to handle the situation
The person who has received the diagnosis has a lot to process as does the rest of the family

Reviews

[John Sullivan]

We've lost a few members of my family to cancer, it's a terrible thing to see

[Dr Sharmila Parajuli]

Yes it is indeed. I had to sign few histopathology reports of my own extended family members and break them the diagnosis which was very very difficult to me.
Thank you

[Im His Daughter]

With all due respect, cancer IS NOT contagious. :( I had it.

[Dr Sharmila Parajuli]

Yes,it is not contagious but a lot of cancers are hereditary like the breast, colon and prostate runs in families.
I had a friend who had the diagnosis of breast cancer in her late thirties. I later found out that her aunt and two of her elder sisters also had been diagnosed with the same.