Liposarcoma patient caregiver

Mischelle

Dont really know what to say so I will get straight to the point....Karen has Liposarcoma. She was diagnosed in 1998, they supposedly got it all (was in her upper thigh), she became disabled in 1999, it either came back or she attained another primary tumor in her sacrum in 2007. She underwent 30 radiation treatments in '07 then begam\n chemo in Jan. 2008 and is still receiving treatments. This is MASSIVE chemo, she goes 4 days a month for 6 hours a day (24 hours of chemo monthly because the cancer is so rare anf the Dr's do not know much about it let alone how to treat it. In Oct. 2008 her scans showed that were the cancer had migrated up her spine to her neck was receeding, thanks be to God. She still is going because the Dr's want her to go until its gone. Her next scans are in 3 weeks so we continue to pray.

I am her partner of over 20 years and her caregiver of over 11 years; not to say that she is incapable of taking care of herself. I do what she needs and take care of our raising our grandson (her son's son), taking care of our 5 dogs, and all the housekeeping/yard work. Pre-cancer, she always took care of the house and I took care of the yard; not hard to tell whose role is what huh? Anyway, it all worked out up until her cancer recurred 2 years ago. I then became THE house, yard, kid and dog keeper as well as her caregiver. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it I just can't handle it. I was working 50-60 hours weekly up until I lost my job of 8 years in December and have major lower back problems. I am at my wits end and just needed to vent I guess. I do see that it is taking a toll on me though. Any advice????

slickwilly

caregiving
Mischelle. No caregiver can keep going forever without breaks for themselves. It does not take long to burn out and you won't be much good when your sick. I would be stressed with one child, 1 pet and a home to take care of. Many people here have been in your position and it comes down to drawing on friends and family for help. Sometimes making hard choices about what is important and what is not. I know my wife would come before my dog even though he is a better friend sometimes ha ha. Maby you could find someone to take the pets off your hands for a bit until things settle down. And my home would go quickly if I could not keep up with both and no other option was available. There is no way of telling how long the treatments might last so I think its time to sit down with Karen and talk. It seems that hard choices and changes in our lives surround cancer. And its not over even if we manage to get into remission as there are sided effects from the treatments. Best of luck Slickwilly