Help Dealing with Cancer

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Cancer affects more than just one’s physical body. In fact, the emotional and psychological effects of the disease can be just as impactful: the physical changes (and trauma) that your body experiences during cancer have a direct influence on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviour – and these, in turn, can affect the disease. It’s really important to attend to your psychological well-being from the beginning to ensure that its supporting your recovery rather than hindering it.

The ongoing fatigue and physical pain that usually accompanies cancer can greatly impact one’s quality of life.

Cancer patients often experience:

• A reduced ability to do everyday activities
• A reduced ability to engage in fun hobbies
• Reduction in usual productivity
• Reduction in physical activity
• Reduction in general mobility
• Reduction in independence
• An increased reliance on others
• Disconnection between mind and body
• Overall low levels of energy
• An overwhelming loss of control
• Uncertainty about the future
• Increased stress levels
• Feeling overwhelmed with health-related decisions

Psychological effects of cancer

While individual patients experience their cancer differently, generally speaking these are some of the physical and emotional symptoms that you (or your loved one) may encounter during and after the illness:

• Depression
• Hopelessness
• Anger
• Frustration
• Sadness
• Anxiety

Effects of Cancer on Family and Friends

Cancer affects more than just one person – it also impacts the cancer patient’s family and friends to a great extent. Oftentimes a patient’s loved ones will face similar emotional challenges as does the patient themselves (albeit in a different way). Depression, hopelessness, anger, frustration, sadness, and anxiety are common for a caregiver or loved one to experience.

Read more on emotional support for cancer patients, including resources and helpful links.

Because of this ripple effect, it can be helpful to approach a cancer diagnosis from multiple angles so that everyone’s needs – especially the patient’s – are addressed.

Factors to Consider When Facing Cancer

When faced with a cancer diagnosis, there are a few key areas that patients and their loved ones often need support around, in order to move forward with a greater sense of peace.

• Physical: To begin decreasing stress and anxiety after a cancer diagnosis, it’s critical to understand as much as you can about how to treat your (or your loved one’s) unique form of cancer. Read more on why precision oncology provides higher survival rates with fewer and less severe side effects, and how CTOAM can help you access the most advanced tests and treatment available today.

• Emotional: In order to process your experience with cancer, having emotional support is necessary. This can involve reading online resources, talking to a close friend or partner regularly, reaching out to a support group, or hiring a professional counsellor to help you and your loved ones through this time.

• Financial: Accessing the most advanced tests and treatments usually requires more financial investment than standard treatment. To ensure you get the best treatment for your form of cancer, you need advocates to connect with pharmaceutical and insurance companies to help get most, if not all, of the cost covered.

This is the precision oncology approach: supporting you as an individual from all angles, so that you have the best chance at recovery and the highest quality of life both now and in future – for as close to free and as close to home as possible.

Want to learn more about your options for the best cancer tests and treatments that medical science has to offer? Contact CTOAM today to discover how you can feel better, faster.