Hi Granddaughter,

A warm welcome to our forum.

Looking after your sister must be very hard. As you say, mood swings can be very difficult to deal with and these are quite a common occurrence. I would imagine that the chemo and radiotherapy didn’t help her moods much either. Would you say that your sister is depressed? Sometimes a mild anti-depressant can help.

A lot has happened to her since June, so I’m not surprised to hear that she is anxious too. Anti-depressants could help with this as well. Would she consider seeing a counsellor? This is not for everyone, but some people find this really helpful. Her care team or GP should be able to arrange this for her. As her relative, you too could see a counsellor. You do not say how old you both are.

 I cared for my mum for 12 years with breast cancer. In her final year she was told that it had metastasised into her brain, bones, liver and lungs. I know just how hard it was to care for her, particularly at the end and, I certainly don’t envy you the task.

I hope that you have good support in looking after her at present. Take any offer of help you get and try not to let your sister’s comments upset you. This isn’t your sister talking. It is the cancer.

Please stay in touch and let us know how you are both getting on. We are always here for you, whenever you feel like talking.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx