My 5 year old has just been diagnosed with wilms tumours on both kidneys. I'm traumatized, beyond devastated and finding it hard to sleep and function. Please tell me how to cope and handle this as I'm not coping at all
A very warm welcome to our forum, although I am sorry to hear why you have joined us.
As a mum myself, I truly feel for you. Trying to deal with a diagnosis like this, can be overwhelming, especially when you have to support your son through so many hospital visits and try to take in all the medical terminology. It is not unusual to feel all sorts of emotions from denial, to anger, disbelief and sadness.
I am not a doctor, but I understand that these tumours are most common in the under 5's. On the whole the outllook for these is good, provided that treatment is started early, so I am sincerely hoping and praying that you get the miracles that you are praying for.
Do you have any other children to care for? It can be difficult looking after the rest of the family, when you are tied up with hospital visits. Take all the help that is offered and don't be afraid to ask for help. How is your son coping with his diagnosis and seeing so many different health professionals?
Have you got a treatment plan in place yet and do you have a suitable children's cancer hospital near you? There are a lot of different issues to consider for you and your family throughout the coming months. For starters, the hospital should be able to put you in contact with the sort of support you may need. They can make all sorts of arrangements from child care to financial issues.
There are cancer charities, like Maggie's or the Haven dotted around the country. These offer the support of others, a welcome cuppa, yoga, alternative therapies (such as Indian head massage, reiki, reflexology) counselling for you and/or your family, walking groups. These can help to reduce your stress a little, but I can appreciate that you may not have time for these at the moment. There are also a number of local charities, which offer these services.
Do you have a good support network of family and friends behind you? It is important that you do, as you are the lynchpin in your son's recovery, so you need to take care of yourself too.
