This is my first attempt to tell my story and i am a new member so please if anyone reads this please don't judge me, well here goes, i have known my father in law for 25 years we worked together about 20 years ago until he was made redundant at 60, he was a fit and healthy and proud man. He enjoyed the birth of his 2 wonderful grand children and saw them grow up to high school age then tradgedy struck he was diagnosed with small cell cancer of the lung and was given 2 months top to survive he had the option to die or try extensive chemo and radio therapy which he did, i never missed a chemo session even after i'd been on nights i would grab an hour and take him to get his treatment at our fantastic national health hospital.
Moving on to after his treatment and his regular check ups again none of them missed until 5 years later he was given the all clear the cancer had gone! left him with one lung and breathing problems but he was alive.
Not long after i noticed a difference in him that concerned me, initially i thought it was the radio therapy he had had to his brain which was the strongest dose you could give anybody, i discussed my concerns with our local GP explaining the changes in his behaviour and his memory issues, this was ignored and put down to age and the chemo/radio therapy treatment.
I accepted this for a while until i heard a broadcast on Radio 1 about a news reporter and her experience of her father being diagnosed with alzheimers it was a moving but comical look into the disease.
Alarm bells started ringing in my head because his behaviour was just the same, i again confronted our GP and he did some basic memory tests which i couldn't attend, he was passed and sent away, at the time my mother in law was not well either so i was worrying about her.
Sorry if i'm going on but i need to get this out, just lately he is getting worse to the point where i am considering taking his car keys off him because every time he goes out he gets lost and brings the car back with another bump or scrape he wont go to doctors with me for more tests and he wont give up the car. My mother in law is at desperate measures now as mentioned she is not well and has lost her hearing just about and finds it really hard to cope, i try to do what i can for them but with work issues i'm finding it hard.
On another issue their daughter and i have just seperated after 21 years of marrige to compound matters and she isn't making the time to help me with their support and other issues.
i have not gone into too much detail about his condition as i find it really hard to talk about, this is my first attempt but from the stories i've read i can understand what every one else is going through and most stories seem the same but there seems to be the support there that i feel i need to help me through this tough time in my life, but not as tough as what my dear father and mother in laws are going through, i would like some response to my story an dany advice as to what i can do next and if there is any help i can get to get some definate diagnoses of his condition, whether it be alzheimers or dementia or just plain old age he is 77 by the way.
Thank you for letting me tell my story, look forward to any supportive responses that may help me.
Many thanks
Seymour.
Moving on to after his treatment and his regular check ups again none of them missed until 5 years later he was given the all clear the cancer had gone! left him with one lung and breathing problems but he was alive.
Not long after i noticed a difference in him that concerned me, initially i thought it was the radio therapy he had had to his brain which was the strongest dose you could give anybody, i discussed my concerns with our local GP explaining the changes in his behaviour and his memory issues, this was ignored and put down to age and the chemo/radio therapy treatment.
I accepted this for a while until i heard a broadcast on Radio 1 about a news reporter and her experience of her father being diagnosed with alzheimers it was a moving but comical look into the disease.
Alarm bells started ringing in my head because his behaviour was just the same, i again confronted our GP and he did some basic memory tests which i couldn't attend, he was passed and sent away, at the time my mother in law was not well either so i was worrying about her.
Sorry if i'm going on but i need to get this out, just lately he is getting worse to the point where i am considering taking his car keys off him because every time he goes out he gets lost and brings the car back with another bump or scrape he wont go to doctors with me for more tests and he wont give up the car. My mother in law is at desperate measures now as mentioned she is not well and has lost her hearing just about and finds it really hard to cope, i try to do what i can for them but with work issues i'm finding it hard.
On another issue their daughter and i have just seperated after 21 years of marrige to compound matters and she isn't making the time to help me with their support and other issues.
i have not gone into too much detail about his condition as i find it really hard to talk about, this is my first attempt but from the stories i've read i can understand what every one else is going through and most stories seem the same but there seems to be the support there that i feel i need to help me through this tough time in my life, but not as tough as what my dear father and mother in laws are going through, i would like some response to my story an dany advice as to what i can do next and if there is any help i can get to get some definate diagnoses of his condition, whether it be alzheimers or dementia or just plain old age he is 77 by the way.
Thank you for letting me tell my story, look forward to any supportive responses that may help me.
Many thanks
Seymour.