Is it a dream? Found out dad has a brain tumour

Hi, 

i am new to this chat but not new to cancer. 
I had breast cancer when I was 35 and had a mastectomy, reconstruction, chemo and herceptin; this was 14 years ago. I wax the first and only person in my family to have cancer, until my sister got cancer of the tongue last year. As a family we stuck together and fought together and my sister is ok after an operation. 
yesterday we received devastating news that has rocked us as a family, my hero of a dad who is only 69 has a brain tumour, I'm so destroyed and scared as he is my rock.

Hearing my dad cry and seeing him go from being a very physically able man to not even being able to adjust himself in a sitting position is heart breaking. I keep thinking this is a horrible dream and then realise it's not. 

He is still in hospital and today we get the results and plan of action following his MRI and CT Scans. Whilst I'm upbeat and brave with him and rest of the family because I'm the strong take charge one of the family; when I'm alone I'm falling to pieces as everything I read the prognosis is harsh and I don't want to face losing my dad

  • Hi allisonllama

    Im so sorry about your bad news.  Im replying as I am in a very similar situation, lost Mum 5 years ago due to cancer and now my Dad has a brain tumour which was diagnosed one month ago today.  Its been a rollercoaster month too! 

    My Dad is in his 70's but very independant and active, and this has come from nowhere.  We are currently in the last week of his 3 weeks of radio and chemo therapy, unfortunately his tumour is inoperable.

    I was also scared, I know normally people say dont google stuff, but I have read every article I can find about it and I have found that this has helped a great deal as I know a bit more about what the doctors are talking about and it has also helped me prepare for things, mentally.

    I went through the exact same as you with initial diagnosis, and the one who has to take charge of the family,  I have learned to put my 'game face' on and for the moment, Im managing to keep it together, partly due to being so busy with appointments and everything else this awful disease brings.

    I hope you have a positive outcome today, I cant offer any advice really but please know you are not alone.

  • Hi Molly, 

    it has been a crazy couple of days, my father is now home waiting on an operation. The scans show it is not anywhere else in the body, so it is a primary cancer but due to size they consider it small. 
    im holding onto a little bits of positive news and family action plan is positivity with a fight to beat it. But in the meantime we are also making the most of everyday we have with each other

    i hope you are ok x