How to be a better caregiver to my mother with a neck tumor?
Hi! I hope I'm in the right community/group. Recently, the doctors detected a tumor and lumps in the neck to my mother. They are going to remove them soon. I wanted to know how I could be a better caregiver for her. I don't know what we are going to face and I'm gathering information and such. I'm 25 and unfortunately I deal with physical and mental illness, but my mom is a priority rn. Any tips or recommendations? I don't even know where to start. Thank you and have a nice day.
@Emmiistrying
Hi, I had to respond to your post. My husband had throat cancer back in 2008 and I was his caregiver. He beat it and has been doing well since. The best advice I can give you or at least what helped for me was to make absolutely sure I took care of myself. I have mental and physical health challenges, as well, and being a caregiver is hard enough without adding all the extra health issues to the mix. If you need someone to talk to, I am a listener here. I am usually on here during the night, eastern US time, but I am also in school so I can get busy. I will try to get back to you as quickly as possible.
If you're looking for practical tips, then check around your community for helpful resources. I asked the social work at the hospital for recommendations, and she was a big help in getting me connected to other agencies that could teach me a few skills. They really seem to throw us in the deep end, don't they? I had no nursing skills, no information, no elder care training, and yet, there I was, expected to keep this other human being alive and comfortable. Definitely reach out if you need help getting the hang of the practical stuff.
