Hi Scots - I've had a long long thread going on the General Health section on MN. No definitive results yet although the most recent tests I had, the consultant muttered that he couldn't see any tumours at first glance - so I now think it's less likely it's cancer. However, it could be a number of other life-changing things like ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease or just even IBS and post viral syndrome.

When I started to feel better, I thought it couldn't be something awful but then when it got worse again, I'm worrying a lot again as are the DCs.

We're in the south UK. I think the school would happily talk to the DCs but DCs keep saying no way do they want to talk to anyone. I'm really not now sure what to do, as I think they need another adult to take them aside and answer questions and reassure them as much as possible - but they've only ever really had me and all their lives have off-loaded on me - and now I'm actually the cause of their problems - and not in the most optimistic state myself. So I'm now sure what to do for the best.

There just isn't anyone else in their lives with any kind of emotional attachment to them or them to another. So it's also hard for them to see a stranger and talk to them, whoever that might be. They barely know their teachers as the school is huge and although they get a named tutor each year, they've barely met them and their current ones are just out of teacher training and just 'finding their feet'. I can't see them being much help.

Thanks again Scots. I don't have any close friends really and nor do my DCs - the one with SN has none at all. We're all we've got - a threesome, although some school parents have offered to help practically if I need them to do school runs etc - but I don't really know any of them to call real friends.

The consultant was unable to take a proper look at my colon or take biopsies from there because despite being on the loo the entire night with the runs, when I took the prep. for the scopes, apparently, it didn't clear my colon hardly at all. So all the biopsies are from the upper part of my stomach. That's where the consultant said he couldn't visually see any tumours on first glance but I have to wait for another appointment for him to take a better look at anything they recorded and get the CT scan results and the biopsy results.

If it's irritable bowel, then it's far far worse than anyone I've ever met who's had this before, as I've been bed bound at times, with a flu-like feeling worse than any illness I've ever had.

After 9 weeks and loads of medical appointments, I've had diagnosis and no treatment and apart from a brief respite in symptoms, just before the CT scan, not much let up in the symptoms- so it's wearing me out now. The DCs are witnessing all of this and are being adversely affected. The consultant told me to start trying to eat normally again and it was after eating carrots and apple that my symptoms got a lot worse. Have existed on rice and chicken, mostly and water for 9 weeks now and still don't even know if I could take vitamins or probiotics - just told to carry on as I am until I get some answers.

I'm fully self-employed, so this is massively affecting out family income now (no other finances from anywhere or anyone) and DCs are worrying now about money too.

I've kept in email contact with the school and told them the DCs may be distracted at school (and they have a week of exams coming up after half-term and are revising 5 hrs a day all this week). School have said nice things but there's nothing they can really do and it's difficult for the DCs as they're no longer close to any teachers as they might have been when younger and had a class teacher who really knew them.

Doe anyone know if there are there any national organisations for families where there's a chronically ill parent?