Hi Pooh31, 

A very big welcome to our forum where I hope that you will meet others who find themselves in a similar situation having to look after a loved one who has been diagnosed with non small cell lung cancer. There is a lot of information probably for you to take in at the moment following the diagnosis and your experience as a nurse and as your mum's only carer will understandably put you in a frame of mind where you want to know what to expect and get all the facts about your mum's cancer. You might be interested to read the information we have on our website on lung cancer and I would also suggest you ring our cancer nurses on this free number 0808 800 4040 - their helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and they will be happy to answer your questions and give you some guidance to help you prepare yourself and your mum. It is however really difficult though sometimes to know what to expect when dealing with cancer and it must have been distressing to be told to celebrate Christmas 2 months ago but the truth is no one can really give you an accurate idea of what may happen and I certainly hope that you will get to spend Christmas with your mum this year. It's very nice of you to be by your mum's side as her only carer. I hope that you are not too exhausted and that you have good support around you so that you do not feel too isolated. 

Have a look too at our information for Family, friends and carers which gives good tips and ways to support someone with cancer but also to think about caring for the carer which is also very important as you need to look after yourself and breathe from time to time in order to look after your mum. There is support available and organisations like Carers UK that can help and advise you so don't hesitate to get in touch with them. Carers Trust is another good resource and I hope that you will also hear from members of our community who have been or finding themselves in a similar boat. 

You are not alone here and I wanted you to know the forum is always here for you if you need to offload or talk to others who understand what you and your mum are going through at the moment. 

Best wishes, 

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator