Not everyone is lucky enough to have family support. Sometimes that support can be overwhelming. They want to do everything for you to the point that you get angry. You don’t want to be treated like an invalid.   You want to do things yourself and not be treated different.  Your family doesn’t know how to handle this either. This is all new for everyone. Sit down and talk about what you think you will need from them and what they have to let you do yourself.  They are only trying to make it easier on you as you deal with this.  Let them help you.  Things that were easy to do before may become difficult now and it’s ok to let them step in to help.  It doesn’t mean you will never do it again. The ones you love feel as you do through this. This is just as hard on them.  Use your support system. This journey is easier when there is an army standing with you.

Of course it is. I remember getting the phone call and hearing the word cancer.  I shut down completely after that.  My husband was away on a fishing trip and I wasn’t going to call him and tell him this over the phone.  Honestly I didn’t know what to tell him because I didn’t hear anything else the doctor said.  I cried.  I got angry and I cried again. I said several choice words that I’m pretty sure all the neighbors heard and I cried some more.  The nurse navigator called me the next day.  Her first words were “my guess is you heard the words cancer and nothing else so let’s start from the beginning again”.  I immediately started crying.   She told me to go on and cry.  It was ok and when I was ready we would continue to talk. There are so many emotions going on at once. You are angry, afraid and losing control.  Why me?  What’s going to happen?  What am I supposed to do now? You can’t let it control your life. You have to channel those feelings in to something positive and productive.  Do I still get emotional?  I’m sitting here crying as I’m writing this as all those feelings are flooding back. It’s ok.