On 5/16/2007 Brandon-cg wrote:
Hi, I am 34, my wife 32 was diagnosed with a brain tumor in February of this year. We have been through a lot, still going through quite a bit. While she is doing quite well with radiation and chemotherapy treatments, this has totally turned our worlds inside out. I am exhausted by it all. I have no alone time for myself, its been work, then home to take care of all the normal things 2 people might share. Plus, I get so little space to myself because my wife is always at home now resting most of the time. She is also understandably more emotionally needy. Believe me, I have been doing everything I should and can do for her, for the situation as a whole. Ive tried excepting help when offered, I have talked to my doctor who gave me Ativan to take at night to help me relax and fall asleep. To be careful I don't get addicted, I cut my pills in half, taking only 1-mg per night. I usually sleep well but I still feel exhausted. My doctor said that therapy really wouldn't help me because there is no fixable problem with all of this, its just something that I have to cope the best I can with. Im not so sure and Im wondering if anyone has any insight on this. Has anyone had some talk therapy, counciling, etc....? My guy friends are not much help, and to be honest neither is my family. They all mean well, but I have some real monkeys on my back that I need to talk about. Anyone else?
I know just what you are talking about - the exhaustion. First you have the disbelief that it is happening at all and that you will wake up and everything will be normal. You are such a young family to be going thru this. It makes me sad. My husband has stage 4GBM and he is 62. He has a 3rd surgery tomorrow where they will insert a balloon in his head and in a few weeks he will have radiated gas poured into the balloon for 5 days. I think the doctors just try everything they know to do but I feel like the inevitable will happen anyways...it's just a matter of time. I just don't want my husband to suffer. There has been one crisis after the other and I have to work full time or we don't eat. He's already getting leave without pay right now and I am frantic to try to pay the mortgage. I know if must be way more difficult for a young family to cope with. Life is so unfair. Just keep on keeping on...that's all we can do. There are only a few of us out here going thru this and we all know how horrid it is. Take care of YOU first of all and try to get some rest.