Supporting Your Wife Through Cancer:
Hearing that your wife has ovarian cancer can be devastating. You’re undoubtedly scared and probably have many questions about what comes next. Through it all, you want to support her in any way you can. But what can you do to support her, aside from taking her to medical appointments? Offering emotional and physical support, sharing your feelings, and openly communicating can help both of you through this time.
Helping Your Wife
During treatment, your wife will need your emotional and physical support.
- Let her talk: Listen if she needs to talk and let her take the lead if she needs a break from talking about cancer.
- Be there: Sometimes, just a touch or a hug is enough to let your wife know you’re there. Silence isn’t always bad.
- Allow her privacy: Don’t discuss her medical condition with others unless she’s comfortable with that. And never talk about her as if she isn’t even there.
- Discuss changing family roles: Figure out where you can ease her burdens in the family division of labor.
- Encourage her to get out: If she needs time with other family members and friends, encourage her to find the time.
Communicate with Your Wife
Sometimes cancer and the feelings it brings can be hard to discuss, but step outside of your comfort zone as much as you can to support your wife:
- Express your feelings: Try to communicate openly and let your wife know how much you care.
- Allow your wife to express her feelings: Sometimes the people we love need to know that you’re willing to listen because they don’t want to scare us.
- Set aside time: Set aside time each day to talk without TV, phones, or interruptions.
- Don’t stop making plans: Don’t stop making plans for the future. Discuss plans for what you’ll do after recovery, but also talk about what will happen if the cancer gets worse.
Talking about your feelings and making plans for the future will help both of you prepare for whatever lies ahead. Finding support groups in your area may help both of you as well.
Looking for Answers
In many cases, both you and your wife probably want to know why she has ovarian cancer. Why did this happen? Feeling informed about ovarian cancer may help both of you:
- Attend medical appointments: Attend appointments with your wife and be a second set of ears.
- Let her take the lead: Be sure to let your wife take the lead when asking questions about her cancer, but be her backup if she needs you.
- Make a list: Encourage your wife to make a list of questions about causes, treatments, and success rates before you head into the office. Whether she takes the lead or wants your help, a list will help both of you remember what you wanted to ask.
In many cases, we never know what caused ovarian cancer. But if your wife has any risk factors for cancer caused by asbestos exposure or medications, be sure to discuss it with her and with her doctor.If you or a loved one face ovarian cancer that you believe may be related to medication or product use, call the Madeksho Firm at 888-910-6376 or contact us through our online form. Your initial consultation is free, and you never pay a fee unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
