I’m late to the party, but thank you for doing this - my mom is stage IV pan can (18 months so far) and I know I’ll be in your shoes soon enough. Do you have any thoughts on the delicate balance of caretaking and psychological self-care?
This is happening 20-30 years ahead of “schedule”, so I’m struggling a lot with being an effective caretaker and also staying emotionally open. My therapist has reiterated the “put on your oxygen mask first” idea numerous times, but man I feel guilty for prioritizing myself. I don’t want to be filled with regret after she’s gone…but I don’t want to be a crappy caretaker and cause her further distress, either. As someone who is a few steps ahead of me (which sucks), any advice?
flapjacknickelsacks2 karma
I’m late to the party, but thank you for doing this - my mom is stage IV pan can (18 months so far) and I know I’ll be in your shoes soon enough. Do you have any thoughts on the delicate balance of caretaking and psychological self-care?
This is happening 20-30 years ahead of “schedule”, so I’m struggling a lot with being an effective caretaker and also staying emotionally open. My therapist has reiterated the “put on your oxygen mask first” idea numerous times, but man I feel guilty for prioritizing myself. I don’t want to be filled with regret after she’s gone…but I don’t want to be a crappy caretaker and cause her further distress, either. As someone who is a few steps ahead of me (which sucks), any advice?
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