Father inlaw

[Natty72]

My father in law has  stage 4 bladder cancer spread to liver lungs & bones.He was hospitalised 3 weeks ago as the cancer has effected the hip bone so badly its rubbing on the femur causing pain & urine wasn't draining so now he has a catheter.

He had his first round of radiotherapy on Friday..on Sunday he had a rigour temp & a UTI so he was extremely delirious.It was very hard ti see him so ill.

He told his wife today (my mother in law)he would be getting the radiotherapy but I find this hard to believe.Is it normal for doctors to allow a patient to get radiotherapy when they have a chronic infection  (UTI)?

Also no counseling has been offered to our family.

My mother in law gets calls from a social worker but my husband and his brother nothing.

I have a 7 yr old son who adored his Poppy so we need advice on how to speak to him about all of this too.

[Katekat]

Hi @Natty72,

Welcome to our online community!

Sorry to hear about your father-in-law's cancer, it must be extremely difficult for you all right now. 

With regards to counselling, you should first enquire with your Father-in-law's cancer treatment team. You can also chat to your GP about it, but I'd try first through the treatment team. If you Mother-in-law is already in contact with a social worker, could she perhaps mention it to them? You can also contact 13 11 20 and see if our health professionals can recommend anything.

Talking to children about cancer is never easy. We have a booklet on 'Talking to Kids about Cancer', available for download in PDF or EPUB format. If you would prefer a hard copy, I'd be happy to send you out one, just send me a private message or just reply to the one I sent you earlier today.

Cheers,

Kate