what can i do to help my uncle who has cancer and is getting very grumpy?

Answer 1

Be there for him and try not to get grumpy back. Just take a deep breath and realize he is really hurting, emotionally and physically, and he doesn't know how to deal with it. If he is religious you may want to have his clergyperson come for a visit, that may calm his nerves.

I'm sorry for your situation
Blessed be

Answer 2

I am so sorry to hear about your uncle. I know that cancer is a horrible thing and I'm sure he's miserable, that's why he's grumpy. Try to understand that it's just from the way he's feeling...phycially and probably emotionally. Perhaps his doctor would prescribe some antidepressants. My dad needed them. Just being there for your uncle helps a lot. When my dad was sick with cancer I would share with him my day, the family updates, photos, and I decorated his room for the holidays to try to cheer him. Help to keep him comfortable and if he's confined to a bed, make sure he has everything in reach when you leave him...fluff his pillows, see if he wants the tv or radio on, get him some water, etc. It's a sad time, but you can help make it more bearable for him. My best of luck to you both. And I'm sorry to see some of the other rude answers you've received on here. Some people just do not understand!

Answer 3

Just understand that it's normal. Some medications can cause bad mood swings, sometimes people are just fed up with being sick. If you're visiting and there are alot of other people there, maybe go out for a lil bit. When my dad was sick I noticed having alot of visitors wore him out & made him grumpy. Try saying "Well Uncle Whoever, it looks like you have alot/enough company so I'm gonna get going."etc.... It lets him know why you're leaving & lets everyone else know(hopefully) to keep their visit short. He'll have his up & down days & that's to be expected. Just do what you can live with.

Answer 4

The grumpiness could be because of emotions about what is happening to him or a side effect of the medicine he is taking. Try not to be grumpy back. Distract him by talking about something he is interested in.

I didn't realize how important it is having people visit when you are dying of cancer, until it was my own mother. Sitting with her for hours on end, it was easy to see that she appreciated people visiting and just talking about normal things.....Some of her best visits were from her greatgrandchildren who treated her naturally....combing her hair, drawing her pictures, sitting up in bed with her...reading her picture books.

When it was just my sister, my brother or I....some of the best times were remembering things we did growing up. Holidays, vacations, and things like that. She seemed to enjoy these type of conversations a lot.

Everyone is different and you will need to do what you think is best in the situation.

Answer 5

Hmm...this is a hard one.

Being a cancer survivor...I can only tell you how it made me feel.

I was always tired, and sometimes afraid (because cancer has claimed so many lives), often aggitated, weird cravings, and sometimes at a loss of hope.

If he's taking chemo, he probably has a funny taste in his mouth. I found popsicles and salty snacks to help with that. Also, anti-emetics to ward off the nausea helped a great deal.

He needs to get a lot of rest. But when he's up, if you're there with him, offer to play cards or something to help him pass the time. If he's in a hospital, its a lot harder to think of activities to make the day go by faster.

This one's hard....because it's case specific and depending on what kind of treatment he's receiving, what kind of cancer it is, where he is at, what his prognosis is, etc.

Just offer your support...offer help around the house or to run errands..anything to help him ease the worries outside of the battle he is fighting with the disease.

Help cheer him up by making him laugh....take a stroll down memory lane with him....just let him know you're there for support. Offer him a book if he's a reader, or fill him in on things outside (if he's in the hospital).

Good luck. I hope he gets better.

Answer 6

You can check with his doctor and see if he needs some change in medication but the grumpiness is probably not going away.
The best you can do to help your uncle is to find ways to take care of yourself and be ready to deal with his grumpiness with kindness and understanding. Don't take unpleasant comments personally,even when they are directed at you, its the expression of his illness not of his ingratitude.
There are support groups for folks who care for ill people. Check with your local General Hospital. Don't over-extend yourself, it will catch up with you around the corner.
Take regular time-off for yourself, even if only half-an-hour a day, even if locked in a bathroom... Dive into a good book, read good poetry, listen to good music, walk in the park, play with children. Praise yourself for the job you're doing .
God will bless you.

Answer 7

See this site. Being grumpy makes the cancer worst.

http://www.graviolaleaves.com

Answer 8

Assuming he is having treatment, encourage him by telling him that these days cancer treatment is not pleasant but does work.It does make people depressed!
Then look up and on the net and introduce him to these incredible natural products that work with chemo or radio - therapy and will help him recover from their effects.
Dr Beljanski worked for the Pasteur Institute most of his life, was a microbiologist and discovered plant products that attack and isolate cancerous cells and others that help the body recover its natural defences.

Answer 9

Take a look at the site below which explains many misunderstood things about the cancer industry, and has some natural cures too.

Cancer
http://dgwa1.fortunecity.com/body/cancer.html

Answer 10

Try to understand, he is afraid of die, afraid of suffer, pain or another kind of bad thing. Try to help him bringing prepared food, because people with cancer does not like to smell odors when somebody is cooking, give him good time quality time, do what ever he likes to do, watch tv, play card, internet explorer, pictures, whatever to have a good time with him. Good Luck, Read to him a good story, novel etc.