Hi cgg

I'm so sorry that you have found it necessary to come to these forums. Its such a shock to be given such a devastating diagnosis. My own husband  was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer in early June. We are both 54. Like yourselves we do everything together and contemplating a life without him is just too difficult to think about.

Has your husband been told what treatment he will be offered? My own husband is having 6 cycles of chemo and has had 5 sessions of RT.  Both treatments being palative. 

Probably your best course of action  would be to chat with the nursing staff on your husbands ward (I'm assuming he is on an Oncology ward) as they will be able to tell you what support will be available in your area. One thing is for sure you won't be alone. 

Does your hospital have a Macmillan pod attached to it? This can be an invaluable source of information help and support. If there isnt a pod at the hospital you can always call the macmillan freephone support number which should be readily available at the hospital (sorry.. I dont have it to hand right now) 

We currently have either the district nurse or our Macmillan community nurse calling in to our home daily. This is just for support rather than medical interventions. We've also had our local hospice community nurse call on us this week to tell us about their services. 

I hope you get your husband home soon with lots of support in place.

Please don't ever feel.alone. Lots of people here know what it feels like to be on this journey. You can rant and rave get advice belly ache about the unfairness of it all... whatever you need to do. You are among friends here

Sending both yourself and your husband virtual hugs

Netty x

Hi

Welcome to the forum though, of course, sorry for the reason you find yourself here.  My husband of 37 years had a three year journey with terminal cancer of the lung linings and underwent a short dose of palliative chemotherapy to help prolong his quality of life. In our area (Middlesex) we were wonderfully supported by his hospital consultant/support worker (24hr phone line) and when it became necessary for extra help our GP arranged for community nurses to keep an eye on us and help with sorting all necessary support. My husband was fortunate to have all his care at home which he chose and all necessary pain relief/practical aids were arranged through Community Nursing.  As your husband is currently in hospital I am sure they will make sure you have any necessary services arranged prior to discharge but its always worth asking questions when you meet with his medical team.

On this forum you can rest assured that you can talk through all your worries and stresses and there are some lovely people who can 'keep you company' as you take this journey.  If you would like to talk to the Nurses on this site there is a freephone number (from UK landlines and most mobiles) at the bottom of the page and they are available 9-5  Mon to Friday (there is also an Ask the Nurses section though it can take a few days for their responses to come through due to level of workload). 

Netty has give you some good hints and tips and I hope you will feel able to come back anytime you need to offload.  Sending a virtual hug at this difficult time for you both.Jules54