Adjusting to change in your relationship

If you or your partner has been diagnosed with a brain tumour, it’s natural for your relationship to change. The new practical and emotional challenges can put a strain on even the healthiest of relationships.

Here we’ll discuss:

• How to approach relationship changes after a brain tumour diagnosis
• Relationship changes you might experience
• What to do if your partner becomes aggressive?

How to approach relationship changes after a brain tumour diagnosis

Adjusting to your new role as a carer, rather than just being someone’s partner, is difficult for many people. Particularly for couples where this is a big change. For those diagnosed, there’s often guilt over feeling like a burden and anxiety about their partner leaving. And the fear they’d be happier if they did.

“I couldn’t leave him alone and go to work”

Stephen and Margaret discuss how a glioblastoma diagnosis has changed their lives.

Talking about these feelings can ease the strain, but what if the tumour or its treatment are making it difficult to communicate? If the areas of the brain responsible for speech and language are affected, finding new ways of communicating effectively can take significant time and patience.

Relationship changes you might experience

Personality changes are common for those affected by brain tumours. After experiencing mood swings, aggressive behaviour or loss of inhibition, people often report their partner feels like a completely different person to who they fell in love with.

It’s often uncomfortable, as you adjust to your relationship changing after a brain tumour diagnosis. It’s natural to feel sad about losing what you had or grieve for the loss of the future you’d planned together.

What to do if your partner becomes aggressive?