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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

I'm a bit stuck now with some bad news...

412 replies

JustaGirlTrying · 17/09/2025 17:41

Hi all.

Maybes a bit of a long post, so I do apologise.

I have just been given bad news by my ex boyfriend that he has cancer. He's only late 40s and we spent over a decade together and we're friends first. It was a bit of a turbulent relationship at times, but we had some good times, made memories and just couldn't deal with the world well, but we don't hold that against each other.

We properly spilt a few years ago, but remained friends and he helped me out a lot when I hurt my back and the most supportive person when my grandad died.

I am now in a new relationship, but it's a relationship I wish I had never gotten into and it's seems very hard to get out of. Hes a much older man, controlling, condescending and just basically won't get out of my life and I've asked him many times to. We do have nice days, but he is very teenage like, very argumentative and always has to be right. Sexually coercive and just a bit of a head do. I don't want to get the police involved and my parents are very close to removing him from house..... Anyways..... That will all be sorted out soon...

My ex and I are amicable, I do care for him and he's a nice lad, helps anyone with anything type of person. Now that I have been told this cancer news I am immediately wanting to help him. I see him for the first time in 9 months tomorrow at the hospital. He is going for chemo and whatever the hospital say, which is his choice.

He knows I am more holistic and says he will accept natural help after the chemo. He has a loving mother, he has a daughter I don't know of they are estranged still, and he has a sister he half gets on with. He's well known as a good lad around the area and has nice mates.

In my mind, (maybes it's panic), but I am thinking of asking him when he gets better from chemo if he wants to come and stay with me for a bit (nothing sexual) as I have moved out into the countryside. In my mind I am hoping to help him get his immune system back naturally and show him that it's ok to take time out to heal. He's a massive stickler for working and is constantly employed working hard. I live alone (technically) with our cat we got together 11 years ago.

He never looked after his health and I just feel he deserves a second chance hopefully in life to redeem himself and see a new outlook on life and cherish it. I am no way looking to have a couple relationship with him again, but he is a great friend.

When I found out this morning, I told my current partner (1 year) and he started trying to lecture me about cancer as he thinks I'm thick, and were both holistic so I dont know what he was trying to tell me. I told him I wasn't interested in what he had to say as I know what he was pushing and I shouted at him and he got pissy at me and we haven't spoken since. He's left to take his dog out, not even texted me to see if I'm ok. No emotional support at all.

I'm in bad health myself with my bad back and been in bed depressed all day in tears, having to contact old mutual friends and stuff. I've been helping out with trying to get my ex with pip and stuff like that, get the ball rolling until I see him face to face.

I'm literally sick of my current fella draining me like he does and he has his own place but chooses to live here with all his stuff clogging my house up just being lazy and making excuses.

I feel like my ex deserves my help so much more than this narcissist and maybe he will just leave anyways when he's not getting the attention.

I don't know what I'm writing here, I'm just getting stuff out, but do you think it's unreasonable or weird to ask my ex if he wants to stay on a bed downstairs to try and heal? He's been living with his mam for a year or so and she's getting on mid 70s now and wasn't well herself last year.

Obvs I will wait until I get this current one out of my house first!

Thanks for reading if you did, please go easy on me, I'm not after any negativity.

OP posts:
Arlanymor · 24/09/2025 14:49

SummerCanDoOne · 17/09/2025 17:57

Sort out your relationship and stop seeing this ex as a crutch to prop you up in his absence, however well-intentioned your holistic approach may be.

You can be there for him in all manner of ways without moving him in. He also has family who presumably may want to be be involved.

Prioritise your own health and wellbeing first, be a good friend by all means but don't go rushing into this.

This is a very good post and I totally agree. Deal with the situation immediately in front of you - which is getting rid of this horrible relationship - by all means support your friend, but don't rush to offer him a place to stay or get too involved in his illness, because you are not well yourself and that is something else you need to focus on once your current relationship has ended. As the PP says, there are lots of ways to be there for your friend without making him the centre of your universe - he will have other people supporting him too - and genuinely if you are not fighting fit then you are likely to make yourself more unwell.

Swandry · 24/09/2025 14:58

MasterPlaster · 24/09/2025 14:41

It’s interesting, because I get that some people were definitely hurt by what she said, but there were certainly a few self-righteously enjoying themselves.

I was very very hurt by what she said.

I’ve since been back to the hospital.

She said in a post that I’d threatened to hunt her down and punch her in the face. And that I’d threatened to try to find her address.

I never did that. Not ever. And both of those - when I’m dealing with a likely cancer diagnosis myself were appalling.

MasterPlaster · 24/09/2025 15:06

Swandry · 24/09/2025 14:58

I was very very hurt by what she said.

I’ve since been back to the hospital.

She said in a post that I’d threatened to hunt her down and punch her in the face. And that I’d threatened to try to find her address.

I never did that. Not ever. And both of those - when I’m dealing with a likely cancer diagnosis myself were appalling.

I’m sorry, was that the deleted post? That’s not ok if she said that.

Swandry · 24/09/2025 15:22

MasterPlaster · 24/09/2025 15:06

I’m sorry, was that the deleted post? That’s not ok if she said that.

That was one or two of them - that I’d hunt down her address was one (that I think was deleted) and one that definitely was was that I’d threatened to hunt her down and punch her in the face.

And my posts are here on this thread. I never said that to her at all. Either of the things she accused me of. She totally went for me.

I was really really upset. It wasn’t and isn’t a great time for me - my life is a bit of a disaster on lots of levels at the moment and the potential cancer thing is just beyond me. It’s the final straw. I’m hanging on by my fingernails.

I was back on Monday for scans and I’m back on Friday. So who knows.

I did find her posts about cancer offensive and I did think she was focussing on the wrong thing - and yes I was less pleasant than I might have been about the “redeem yourself to your cancer”.
But I did apologise for that - and I meant it - and I wished her friend well.

MasterPlaster · 24/09/2025 16:48

Swandry · 24/09/2025 15:22

That was one or two of them - that I’d hunt down her address was one (that I think was deleted) and one that definitely was was that I’d threatened to hunt her down and punch her in the face.

And my posts are here on this thread. I never said that to her at all. Either of the things she accused me of. She totally went for me.

I was really really upset. It wasn’t and isn’t a great time for me - my life is a bit of a disaster on lots of levels at the moment and the potential cancer thing is just beyond me. It’s the final straw. I’m hanging on by my fingernails.

I was back on Monday for scans and I’m back on Friday. So who knows.

I did find her posts about cancer offensive and I did think she was focussing on the wrong thing - and yes I was less pleasant than I might have been about the “redeem yourself to your cancer”.
But I did apologise for that - and I meant it - and I wished her friend well.

Alright, that’s not ok. I’m really sorry you have all that going on, and sorry if I added to it, that does sound like too much to deal with. I hope Friday comes quickly and goes well for you.

Swandry · 24/09/2025 17:23

Thank you.

Change2banon · 24/09/2025 21:47

MasterPlaster · 24/09/2025 14:39

You know what, I can read, It wasn’t that obvious. I’m not exactly prostrating myself here, I was being generous and am regretting it somewhat after reading your response.

Please tell me exactly what is difficult to understand here - these are my posts ..
Blimey OP you’ve had an unnecessarily hard time on here. How anyone has misinterpreted your OP re his treatment and your holistic approach is beyond me.

She has categorically said AFTER his chemo …natural help after the chemo .. when he gets better from chemo … all of her updates also say categorically she is not trying to stop him having chemo. Please read before you jump on her!

She has categorically said AFTER his chemo …natural help after the chemo .. when he gets better from chemo … all of her updates also say categorically she is not trying to stop him having chemo.

If you actually read correctly you will see OP has NOT ever said she is going to persuade him to stop chemo. She has categorically said AFTER his chemo …natural help after the chemo .. when he gets better from chemo … all of her updates also say categorically she is not trying to stop him having chemo. Please read before you jump on her!

I could go on … but you get my drift … where EXACTLY have I not been clear?? What EXACTLY is difficult to figure out?? 😵‍💫😵‍💫🙄🙄

MasterPlaster · 24/09/2025 23:22

Change2banon · 24/09/2025 21:47

Please tell me exactly what is difficult to understand here - these are my posts ..
Blimey OP you’ve had an unnecessarily hard time on here. How anyone has misinterpreted your OP re his treatment and your holistic approach is beyond me.

She has categorically said AFTER his chemo …natural help after the chemo .. when he gets better from chemo … all of her updates also say categorically she is not trying to stop him having chemo. Please read before you jump on her!

She has categorically said AFTER his chemo …natural help after the chemo .. when he gets better from chemo … all of her updates also say categorically she is not trying to stop him having chemo.

If you actually read correctly you will see OP has NOT ever said she is going to persuade him to stop chemo. She has categorically said AFTER his chemo …natural help after the chemo .. when he gets better from chemo … all of her updates also say categorically she is not trying to stop him having chemo. Please read before you jump on her!

I could go on … but you get my drift … where EXACTLY have I not been clear?? What EXACTLY is difficult to figure out?? 😵‍💫😵‍💫🙄🙄

Wow.. still going, I’ll certainly think twice before apologising next time.

Change2banon · 25/09/2025 15:33

MasterPlaster · 24/09/2025 23:22

Wow.. still going, I’ll certainly think twice before apologising next time.

Yeh, there’s an apology .. and a backhanded apology. It seems you can mouth off to others but can take it. I’ll draw a line here, I know I was more than helpful/defensive towards OP, I’ve done nothing wrong.

MasterPlaster · 25/09/2025 18:45

Change2banon · 25/09/2025 15:33

Yeh, there’s an apology .. and a backhanded apology. It seems you can mouth off to others but can take it. I’ll draw a line here, I know I was more than helpful/defensive towards OP, I’ve done nothing wrong.

I will leave it here too but I’ll just say this first. When I wrote that apology I thought about deleting my original comment first and replacing it with the apology. I decided not to as I was trying to be honest and show that I was wrong and had recognised it. I’m actually not a horrible person but you certainly made me feel like it.

I’ll try to not let it prevent me from saying sorry in future, but the very few times I’ve needed to in the past have actually been received in grace and we had a nice interaction which had made me do the same in turn when receiving an apology. This situation was… regrettable. I’m glad that at least I tried to apologise.

Change2banon · 25/09/2025 18:48

MasterPlaster · 25/09/2025 18:45

I will leave it here too but I’ll just say this first. When I wrote that apology I thought about deleting my original comment first and replacing it with the apology. I decided not to as I was trying to be honest and show that I was wrong and had recognised it. I’m actually not a horrible person but you certainly made me feel like it.

I’ll try to not let it prevent me from saying sorry in future, but the very few times I’ve needed to in the past have actually been received in grace and we had a nice interaction which had made me do the same in turn when receiving an apology. This situation was… regrettable. I’m glad that at least I tried to apologise.

Edited

Oh here we go again … last word 👏👏

crazeekat · 30/09/2025 20:25

JustaGirlTrying · 17/09/2025 18:32

I don't need a cancer diagnosis to get back with anyone.

That's a DISGUSTING thing to say.

Ive spent plenty of time alone, working myself out and you have not one bit of information about me or my life to even say something like that.

Edited

lol seriously u need to re-read you original post and all the others. We know PLENTY about you from just what you have written.
What’s disgusting is actually using a cancer diagnosis to make your own life better, (that’s u, btw).As someone else said, Me Me Me. How correct.

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