Hey everyone out there in the cyber world.
I thought I would give this a try, as I don't really seem to have any other advice or support at the moment.
This year has been a tough one, especially the second half of the year. My Poppa was sent to hospital at the start of June to what was suppose to be a routine aortic operation, to fix up an enlarged aorta. What actually happened is a different story. The surgeons ruptured his bowel three times in the process of the operation, he was in intensive care for about a week afterwards recouperating, then sent to the ward. A few days later his breathing became all screwed up so he was sent back to intensive care, where he spent the next 103 days struggling for his life on life support due to pneumonia and a chest infection which developed. The docters told us that he wouldnt pull through it twice, yet he still had the strength and the will power to pull through.
Through this all, my nana (both my grandparents are in their early 80's) was diagnosed with bladder cancer, she had the initial surgery which i think was to try and remove the cancer, as well as a dose of chemotherapy. Since then, she has had further explorative surgery and the surgeon told us on Saturday just gone, that the cancer is still there, and more agressive than they thought. It has infultrated the muscle wall. He told us that radiation is an option, although because my nana also has an aortic aneurysm which is growing to the point where it can burst at any time, radiation treatment may not be the best solution.
I am so confused about everything at the moment, I am unsure of what is going to happen next with both of my grandparents, who I love dearly. Nana refuses to let my mum sit in on her appointments, and it is extremely frustrating because nana is quite forgetful and gets confused very easily. She does not understand at all the impact that this is going to have on her life, and she pretty much takes for granted my mum and myself to do everything that she requires.
Currently, my Poppa is still in hospital (coming up six months this week) in the rehab part of the hospital, and me and my mother think it is extremely unlikely that he will ever come home. He is a frail old man now who cannot even get out of bed by himself, or be independant in any way.
I struggle to think what is going to happen over the next six months, whether nana will have radiation to treat the cancer, or whether it has developed further to the point where it is terminal.
Any advice or suggestions would be great. I am only 19 years of age and am not sure whether I can step out of this situation in order to go to university or go on my OE at this time, but this situation is doing my head in!!! I have recently been diagnosed with depression and stress, which my docter has said is because of this long time running situation. Any thoughts guys?
Thanks for your time