It sounds so familiar-
I posted here the other day and received some wonderful responses-helpful and caring.
My roommate has cancer. He'd done chemo and radiation, had surgery, now doing 6 months of chemo again, one day in hospital, 3 days wearing a pack, 10 days off and then...yep, doing it again. And, his son is a heroin addict.
Here's what we've learned:
1. If the family you have is not offering the support you need, create your own family. His son is so involved with his addiction he is not there for his dad. Instead, my roomie connects with me, his sister, old friends and new ones. It may not be the Leave-it-to-Beaver ideal "family", but it's working.
2. "Is it manageable?" That's the question they ask all the time at the cancer center. We're doing our best to apply that question to many of the issues surrounding his son (and his other still functioning but using son). We have created ways to "manage" it.
3. Take advantage of every support option your cancer center offers. It has made a world of difference for my roomie. Meetings, support groups, the other "experts"-dieticians, visiting health care etc have made a significant difference.
And lastly, know you've been given a second chance. Your disease can be stopped. While the treatment is far from fun, you've been given a marvelous gift.
ENJOY your life. Embrace the good stuff in it. Detatch from the negatives. Live, as the comercial says, richly.
I hope you find peace and I can tell you this is a marvelous place. Be well. Be happy.