If I hadn't . Sometimes people blame themselves or other people for their illness, trying to find reasons for why it should have happened to them. This may be because we often feel better if we know why something has happened, but since doctors rarely know what has caused an individual's cancer, there's no reason for you to blame yourself. It's all right for you, you haven't got to put up with this ' Understandably, you may be feeling resentful and miserable because you have leukaemia while other people are well. Similar feelings of resentment may crop up from time to time during the course of your illness and treatment for a variety of reasons.
Relatives too can sometimes resent the changes that the patient's illness makes to their lives.
Don't bottle up your feelings It is usually helpful to bring these feelings out in the open so that they can be aired and discussed. Bottling up resentment can make everyone feel angry and guilty. Withdrawal and isolation ' Please leave me alone ' There may be times during your illness when you want to be left alone to sort out your thoughts and emotions. This can be hard for your family and friends who want to share this difficult time with you. It will make it easier for them to cope however, if you reassure them that although you may not feel like discussing your illness at the moment, you will talk to them about it when you are ready.