After Cancer Treatment
When cancer treatment comes to a successful conclusion, often new challenges arise for survivors. One challenge is found in simply getting back to what survivors considered normal life before treatment. While life is never exactly the same after going through any difficult period in life, there are things that can be done to bring back familiar and comfortable patterns in life.
For cancer survivors, a significant part of getting back to living life comes with processing what happened by talking with people that either know about your cancer journey, or those who may not. These conversations aren’t always easy, and figuring out to navigate them is an important part of the process of returning to normalcy. A few insights that can help you start talking to other people again, post-recovery include:
Cancer Does Not Define You
As you first start to talk to others, post recovery, be mindful that cancer is not who you are. It doesn’t have to be the first thing you tell someone about, or something you need to speak about endlessly. If you feel like talking about it, talk about it. If you do not want to discuss cancer, then don’t. The choice is entirely yours.
Practice Makes Perfect
If you do want to talk to people about your cancer journey, a good way to better communicate with people about your story is found through practicing with a friend or family member. This can help you manage the emotions and get the tone to feel right for you so that you feel comfortable sharing your story.
Other People Might Not Understand
While you endured cancer treatment, and you know what you had to overcome to get back to where you are now, other people may need some help understanding what you went through. It may be tough but be patient.
Do New Things/Meet New People
Surviving cancer is a difficult experience. A great way to improve your mental outlook can come through meeting new people and having new experiences. You can do this by volunteering, signing up for book groups, or playing sports.
Cancer Support Groups
Another option for cancer survivors to help get acclimated to life, post-recovery, is through support groups. Comprehensive Cancer Centers offers support groups for breast cancer survivors, in particular, to create a safe space for patients to express their emotions and hear stories from other patients. Survivors are welcome to attend, and can help themselves by helping others. If you’re still working through the process of communicating your story, there’s no better place to do so than among others on the same path.
The Breast Cancer Support Group at Comprehensive Cancer Centers is for survivors and meets at the Southeast Henderson location on the third Thursday of every month from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The location is at 1505 Wigwam Parkway, Suite 130, Henderson, NV 89074. Social worker, Margo Otto, leads each group. RSVP by calling (702) 952-3400 ext. 13729.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers Can Help
The physicians at Comprehensive Cancer Centers provide a variety of treatment options for cancer including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and/or surgery. Clinical research may also offer treatment alternatives. For a complete list of clinical research studies currently being conducted at Comprehensive Cancer Centers, please click here. To schedule an appointment with the team at Comprehensive, please call 702-952-3350.
The content is this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.