How do you and your children cope, when you are admitted for chemotherapy for long periods of time.

[LCNurse]

Patients with blood cancers are often admitted into hospital for long periods of time.

We are looking at ways in which health care professionals support young children when you (parents) are in hospital.

Can you offer any tips or advice to other parents or the health care professionals who may be struggling to deal with the emotions of a parent and their children.

Any help and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[Christiana_]

I was an isolation inpatient for 6 months give or take a couple days here and there for my treatment.

I had 2 children one in years 2 and one in year 3 at primary school. They knew about my treatment, we explained it all to them (age appropriate).

They came in to visit frequently when I was at our local hospital, up until I moved to the specialist ones for Tbi and my stem cell transplant, when I was really poorly.

We did facetime a lot. They took my obs and 'helped with bloods etc'! Sometimes they bought simple games in with them, other times they sat on my bed (on a 'top blanket that I took off once they'd been so I didn't sleep in it) and we watched films together. My hospital neighbours, in other isolation rooms, sent in chocolates or fizzy drinks for them. Staff always had a chat with them on the way in, whilst they washed and put on their plastic pinnys! One nurse inflated rubber gloves for them to draw on! We tried to laugh lots. We were even encouraged to have a sleepover! It didn't work very well though... too noisy!! Often they came in to see me before school in their freshly washed school clothes. We had breakfast picnics in my room. We had an arrangement with school.

I've written about our all our experiences in a blog: [e-mail]