Struggling with loss

Hi, I've recently lost my granny to cancer three weeks ago 22nd January 2020 and I have been massively struggling to cope with the grief and haven't been sleeping. She was diagnosed with cancer again after having breast cancer previously 10 year ago and she was told it was incurable and received her chemo and radium after finishing her treatment she was told she couldn't have any more treatment, seeing how sick the Treatment had made her was very hard to watch 7 weeks after her treatment around Christmas she was becoming more active again and more lively then all of a sudden she got sick and was in hospital for a week and told it had spread from her womb right through to her body... the last two weeks of her life shook me massively seeing her going from some what healthy to lying lifeless on a bed unable to talk, glazed eyes barley breathing.. two days before her death I had seen her and she couldn't really see me but she could tell by my voice it was me and managed to say my name. The day of her death I had went to see her she was struggling massively to breath and very unresponsive I was told to go to a cousins house and when I returned to her house a few hours later she had just took her last breathe... I couldn't believe how quickly it all happened and how much she suffered right up till her last breathe... I hadn't left her side at the wake but  since her passing I've struggled with sleeping and I've been very low and have been finding it hard to concentrate in college and in my daily life... every time I fall asleep I dream of the events leading up to her death and all I can picture is her lifeless body in the coffin as beautiful as she looked it's affected me in ways I never thought it would I can't get the image out of my head.. I'm not sure on what to do I've tried talking to her before bed and I've tried talking to a friend as well as meditating before bed but nothing seems to be helping.. I'm unsure if I need to speak to my doctor as I feel depressed and anxious as well as being sleep deprived, could anyone please give me advice on what I should do?  Thankyou.

  • Hi sorry about your gran watching a love one die does leave us all with some trauma its only normal to get flashbacks its a real shock .if you ring your local hospice spk to head counciler and see what they can suggest talking to friends etc is good but these people deal with this every day it does help but dont think its a magic bullet people seem to give up after a while as its not what they expect its one small step of a number of small steps which make a big diffrence . Have a word with your dr . But it does get eisier you just have to take a day at a time you will come through this we all do . Best wishs paul

  • Hi Char,

    You're doing well just to talk about it and sharing your pain helps trust me! Those events are harrowing and stay with you but you have to try and think of all the positive moments you had together and let those become more powerful than the images at the end. You'll get there.

    Definately reach out to your doctor and look at what services you have locally to support you - you'll never regret doing that! 

     

    Scott