I’m so glad I’ve found this thread - I’ve recently been debating going to a therapist to help me deal with the loss of my grandad.
He was diagnosed with lung cancer back in 2016 and had an operation to remove the cancer and was then given the all clear.... a few months later in early 2017 he started complaining of back pain and he just became very weak, we all told him to go to the doctors, which he said he had (we later found out he lied) he self diagnosed himself with ‘sciatica’. Anyway, one day my cousin went up to see him and he was literally yellow and so weak, he took him to the hospital and I went up to visit him and I bursted out crying there and then. I just knew it was cancer. A few days later the diagnosis was confirmed and it was bone cancer. Nothing could be done obviously and grandad didn’t care. In all honesty, I think he just wanted to be with my Nan who had passed away two years prior to breast cancer - he had never, ever gotten over her death.
Anyway, November 2017 was when he passed and I was going through some other personal things in my relationship. My ex was abusive, manipulative and I was going through a miscarriage and the only person I wanted to have a cuddle and cry with was my grandad, he was my best friend from day one and the only person who’d make things feel right in an instant. Because of all these additional things I was going through, I pushed his death to the side and didn’t start grieving until around April 2018 when I finally plucked up the courage to leave my ex. Sometimes I still feel as if he is literally here physically, I’ll have a funny story to tell and think “oh, I’ll ring up grandad and tell him that!” Then reality kicks in and it hurts. I miss him millions and I don’t think I’ll ever experience another loss like it.