It is understandable that you may be deeply upset by many aspects of your illness and you should not feel guilty about your angry thoughts or irritable moods. However, relatives and friends may not always realise that your anger is really directed at your illness and not against them. If you can, it may be helpful to tell them this at a time when you are not feeling quite so angry, or if you would find that difficult, perhaps you could show them this section of the booklet. If you are finding it difficult to talk to your family it may help to discuss the situation with a trained counsellor or psychologist. 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.
It is usually helpful to bring these feelings out into the open so that they can be aired and discussed. Bottling up resentment can make everyone feel angry and guilty. 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. Sometimes depression can stop you wanting to talk.