Please let me know if there’s any information on this forum that could help. I’m looking for a patient advocacy group or a support association in the US where my mom might find some psychological help—ideally through talking to someone who actually beat this kind of nasty disease. She had surgery for breast cancer 22 years ago and everything was fine until last year. During a routine checkup, her CA marker—I think it was 15-3—came back elevated. Her oncologist suspects a recurrence, and since then, she’s been stuck in a loop of endless tests and appointments. It feels like she’s at a clinic every single week. That marker value has jumped to 53 now. On top of everything, she had a PET/CT at Medicol, and the results were catastrophic. There's pathological glucose uptake in the lymph nodes and the thyroid, a thickened stomach wall, and a whole list of other issues. The conclusion was clear: the findings point to an active malignant process. My mom has completely fallen apart mentally. She cries constantly. Even without a formal diagnosis yet, she’s already sorting out her paperwork for the apartment, the car, life insurance—everything—as if she’s going to die tomorrow. My dad doesn't know how to handle it; he keeps leaving the house just so he doesn't have to look at her. I live on the other side of the city, working and raising a small child, so I can't be there with her nearly as much as I'd like.
Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long post.
Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long post.