Coping With A Cancer Diagnosis
What's the best way to cope with a cancer diagnosis?
The best way to cope with a cancer diagnosis is hard, I don't know that you ever get over it because you feel like your body has betrayed you and let you down. But you do the treatment that the doctor requires you to do, and it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion, or third opinion. And I think for all of us, none of us know what's going to happen. And that was reassuring to me when I was going through cancer, when I had the cancer diagnosis. I think, just on the news around that time, someone had been in their living room and a truck came into their living room, and I remember thinking who knows for any of us how long we have. So the important lesson when dealing with a cancer diagnosis is just to enjoy every day.
What's the best way to tell my family I have cancer?
I think when telling your family you have cancer, you would choose who you want to confide in and be honest with them. Hopefully, you will confide in someone that you have cancer. It's a big burden. If you have a spouse that you can face this together with, share your cancer diagnosis with them, and you may want to be selective about other people. In my case, I was perfectly honest with everyone about my cancer diagnosis, but that's not everyone's choice. So I think it is totally up to the individual.
What's the best way to tell my children I have cancer?
With telling your children you have cancer, create a time where you will be able to all be together and reassure them that you have a disease but there's a treatment plan and you're going to follow the treatment plan. There may be times when you're not feeling terrific but the outcome is going to be good and it's just going to be an experience that we all have to go through. Tell them that you're going to be there for them throughout the cancer, and its going to ultimately be fine. I think they need your reassurance on that.
What's the best way to tell my friends I have cancer?
I was honest with everyone with the fact I had cancer. In retrospect, I don't know if I would be quite as open with everyone. It's just my nature, but now I don't know that I like everyone knowing everything that happened to me. I think it might have been better using more discretion when telling friends I had cancer. I think it's a personal decision but there are repercussions. You have to think down the road how it's going to effect you socially and in your career. So I think there's a lot to consider when telling your friends you have cancer.
Should I tell my employer I have cancer?
I don't know if its a legal requirement, but I think most people I know have needed time off, and so your employer would probably have to know that you have cancer. And there are going to be days when you're just not up to working. I would think your employer would again have to know that you have been diagnosed with cancer, but I don't know that it would have to be the whole office. I think Human Resources would be able to accommodate you.
Should I tell my co-workers I have cancer?
I think that's a rough call. You will probably have to tell some employees that you have cancer, but I would really be careful because it could affect you in other ways. I would proceed with caution on telling your co-workers that you have cancer.
Can cancer cause depression?
I think certainly cancer could cause depression as you have a lot of things to deal with. You have to face your own mortality, the possibility of leaving your children before you had hoped to, not seeing the things you want to achieve in life and just in my case, you feel like your body has failed you somehow. But I wasn't depressed. I felt challenged by the cancer and so I think you have to come up with a game plan on how you are going to fight the cancer and that can really determine your outlook.
Are anti anxiety or depression medicines a good way to cope with cancer?
Anti-anxiety or depression medicines are absolutely a good way to cope with cancer. I've had patients say they don't want to become addicted and I've said let's take this now and then you can deal with addiction later. There's not going to be addiction when taking anti-anxiety or depression medicines when you are coping with cancer. It's a period that you just need to take something to take the edge off of it and I'm a big supporter of anti-anxiety or even depression medication if you need them to get through a period, such as fighting cancer. What's bigger in life than being diagnosed with cancer? It's rough!
Do your emotions change as you go through the different phases of cancer?
You're devastated at first when you are diagnosed with cancer, though I felt very secure when I was in treatment. But when it is at the end of treatment, and you realise that you're going to be out there on your own, it's a little scary because when you're in treatment you know that you are currently fighting the cancer. After the phases of cancer, you just need to stay on top of it with your checkups and all the follow-ups, that's really all you can do after you've gone through the different phases of cancer.
Is there any way to shorten the emotional grief I'm feeling battling cancer?
There is no way to shorten the emotional grief you feel when you are coping and battling with cancer. You deal with everything as it comes up but I think it's important to let it happen. I think it's really important if you're surrounded by people that are safe. You'll need to cry, you'll need to complain, and you'll need to vent and get it out. I think that's where a cancer support group is important. In our case we've paired up individuals and it's so encouraging to know this person has been through cancer. They've survived, they've had all the same emotions and the same fears. They've gone through the same discomfort as you whilst coping with cancer and they've come out of it and they're fine.
Why is positive thinking so important when battling cancer?
Positive thinking is important when battling cancer because the body stores negative emotions, and the mind-body connection is so underestimated. Stored negative emotions when coping with cancer are bad for your body and toxic. So it's very good to get these negative emotions out, and dealt with when coping with cancer.
