Hello. My name is Phil, and I'm 69 years old. My wife, Pat, who is 67, was diagnosed with lung cancer in March, and that's when everything changed. About a week after diagnosis, she developed a blood clot in her lung, was rushed into hospital, nearly died, and was only saved by the skill and expertise of wonderful hospital staff. She started chemotherapy, but was plagued by side effects - and it didn't work. We are now waiting for her to start a short course of radiotherapy to alleviate the pain in her back, and then, if she is strong enough, her oncologist will consider second line chemotherapy. We have been told the chances of this working are small - about 1 in 10. But I don't think we will ever get to that because she is too weak. We are getting support from the experts, as well as all the medication we need. When I look around the living room, it seems that we have more drugs, pills, and potions than Boots. I suppose that my reason for being on here is to 'touch base' (I hate that expression) with people who know what we are going through. Friends and neighbours are very kind and sympathetic and make all the right noises, but they don't know what it's like. That's partly my fault. When asked how I am, I always say that I'm OK. I come from the post war generation where showing emotions was considered a weakness. Stiff upper lip, spirit of the Blitz, and all that stuff. My wife is very brave. She has taken the poking and prodding, the blood tests (she has a real phobia of needles), the CT scans, bone scans, biopsies, and everything else, and kept smiling through it all - including the injection I have to give her each day to keep the blood clots at bay. I don't think I could have borne it so well, if at all. She sleeps a lot these days. Now she's having difficulty getting up the stairs to bed, but we have a stairlift coming in the next week or so, so that should help a lot. She doesn't have much appetite, and it's difficult to get her to take nourishment. Sorry to go on. I usually deal with any problems myself without bothering other people. But this is different. It feels as if we are the only ones going through this, but I know there are thousands out there in the same boat. For the first time in my life, I feel the need to unburden myself, and to ask for help and advice from those who really know what I, and, more especially, my wife, are going through. Thank you for reading this.
