Anticipatory Grief

Hi all, my mum was diagnosed with Stage 4 Brain Cancer in January this year and even as I write this, it seems so surreal. Her treatment has ended and she is starting to deteriorate. It seems the cognitive deficit is affecting me more, I am finding my ability to function is dwindling - handling these waves of grief is all encompassing and not one of my friends has experienced this yet, I feel alone and in pain. I don't want to sit, stand, speak, be quiet, be loud etc...it is a living nightmare watching her deteriorate and I don't know how I will get through it - and then face life without her. Life seems so bleak right now. Yet everyone goes through this at some point, it is the law of nature - doesn't feel so natural to me :(

Parents
  • Hi, I found this post after looking at posts at this forum because I am losing my mind. I know exactly what you're going through.

    My mom got diagnosed in January and these last months have been hard. Before we thought she had lyme disease and it was still awful to see her in pain, but it never occured to us she can die. After she got back with diagnosis and doctors saying there's not much we can do it's awful.

    She got better at first, no pain and able to be on a wheelchair, was doing all the things like she had all the time in her life. Then two weeks ago she went down, sleeping all day, unconscious.

    I'm pretty sure I've been grieving since January. I feel like an anticipatory grief is different in a way that you think about everythink after the death happens and at the same time deny the death happening. This is what I do at least.

    I'm honestly really scared about what comes after. I had depression for some years now and just before my mom got diagnosed I got really better and even finished theraphy. But I'm really scared that when my mom dies depression will get a better of me and I won't be able to help others. We have autistic sister and she needs to be taken care of so I have no idea how can we do that immediately after death because I don't know how I'll be and how my dad will be or my other sister. I'm just scared that we won't be able to cope. I already feel like falling apart, I cry all day or dissociate. But if you all say it will be okay, maybe it will. I hope so.

Reply
  • Hi, I found this post after looking at posts at this forum because I am losing my mind. I know exactly what you're going through.

    My mom got diagnosed in January and these last months have been hard. Before we thought she had lyme disease and it was still awful to see her in pain, but it never occured to us she can die. After she got back with diagnosis and doctors saying there's not much we can do it's awful.

    She got better at first, no pain and able to be on a wheelchair, was doing all the things like she had all the time in her life. Then two weeks ago she went down, sleeping all day, unconscious.

    I'm pretty sure I've been grieving since January. I feel like an anticipatory grief is different in a way that you think about everythink after the death happens and at the same time deny the death happening. This is what I do at least.

    I'm honestly really scared about what comes after. I had depression for some years now and just before my mom got diagnosed I got really better and even finished theraphy. But I'm really scared that when my mom dies depression will get a better of me and I won't be able to help others. We have autistic sister and she needs to be taken care of so I have no idea how can we do that immediately after death because I don't know how I'll be and how my dad will be or my other sister. I'm just scared that we won't be able to cope. I already feel like falling apart, I cry all day or dissociate. But if you all say it will be okay, maybe it will. I hope so.

Children
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