[Anonymous]

Hello all
Henry is still struggling with this nasty chest infection and on his second week of antibiotics. He has decided he wants some counselling so asked the gp for a referral and guess what they don't do it anymore. They gave him the phone number of the place I went to and he went along this evening. £35 fee to see a counsellor. He tried ringing Macmillan and couldn't get through. He spoke to myeloma nurse and she mentioned the support groups of which there isn't one near us or the peer buddy system.

Please Can anyone give us some advice or pointers. He just wants to talk to someone that isn't emotionally involved. He is quite down at the moment and fed up with work and maybe just realising that he is not the same person he was 2 years ago:(

It upset me so much today as he has been so strong and stubborn. But I suppose it has just hit him and to helped with having this bad chest.

My email is: sezziemc@aol.com

Love
Sarah xxxxx

[teds31Participant]

hi Sarah, Very sorry to hear your news and I hope that things will get better. Afraid I cant help with counselling , but I too suffer with chest infections as I have a chest problem to start with and then the problem of damage to the immune system due to the MM, I find that all I am offered is antibiotics and I have had about 5 bouts since Christmas. Sorry I have no answers. Ted

[PhilipandfionaParticipant]

Hi

I would persevere with Macmillan. My husband got a referral to them through his consultant. Speak to his consultant's secretary / nurse manager / assistant – whoever you need to. It may also be possible if your hospital has a cancer centre that they will have Macmillan counsellors attached and can give you a direct number. Good Luck.

[tomParticipant]

Hi Sarah and Henry

Its a bugger these chest problems I seem to have too many and I don't bloomin smoke now??.

Now I understand how Henry feels, we had a councillor at the hospital in hull where I had my SCT I used that and he was pretty good 😀 dint even kn ow I was having it till I started to get a bit weepy 🙁 but Hey it worked 😎
Try your local Hospital and Hospice to see if they can help out.

All the best

Tom Onwards and Upwards xxx

[BabsParticipant]

Hi Sarah and Henry,
I was going to make same suggestion as Tom, both our local hospital chemotherapy team and hospice have counsellors, if you have not been to a hospice before you need to be referred by your GP and then assessed by the hospice.
I do not have a support group close to me but my hospice runs a drop in morning where I get to meet others, with very different conditions but we talk, laugh, read the paper and generally help each other, ie DLA,holiday insurance etc.Free tea,coffee,biscuits and cakes too!!! This also gives our carers some time for themselves and they also have their own days where they get to talk with other carers – I suspect they swop stories of how their lives have changed.
Good luck
Babs

[VickiParticipant]

Hi Sarah and Henry

Yep same as babs, we got counselling for Colin through the hospital and the stem cell nurse. Both of them were great….it really helped Colin and still. Does. Best route as they get what's going on x

Vicki and Colin x

[Author]

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