When someone close to you has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer you will probably have different feelings at different times. These might include shock, distress, fear, confusion and denial. It may be hard to know what you feel, or how to explain your feelings to others. You may feel that you don’t know what to do, or that you don’t know enough about pancreatic cancer to help them. If your family member has been unwell for some time, you may even feel a bit relieved that at least now you know what is wrong with them. There is no ‘right’ way to feel, and how you react will be very individual to you.
When you are caring for someone with cancer, you might think that your feelings come second to theirs, or you might be too busy to think about how you are feeling. Your family member may be everyone’s focus, but that doesn’t mean that what you do as their carer is not appreciated.
You may think that you always have to be the strong one who copes with everything. And you may find it difficult to talk to your loved one about their cancer. Macmillan Cancer Support have information on talking about cancer.
People tell us that one of the hardest things can be feeling that you are the only person in this situation. But you are not alone. Many others are going through similar experiences, and there is support available. Make sure you get support when you need it.
