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Treatment’s done…now what?
When someone begins cancer treatment, they are often swept into survival mode. Treatment can be tough, and the side effects are difficult to manage. This part of a cancer journey is expectedly difficult physically, but the emotional part can be surprising. Often, people are such in the thralls of treatment that they don’t have an opportunity to process what’s happening to them.
When treatment stops, whether intermittently or longer-term, people are often faced with a new and difficult set of emotions. These concerns, issues and feelings are all part of a phase of the cancer journey called Survivorship. During treatment, people are just trying to get through; when it’s over, suddenly there is enough emotional space to process what they’ve been going through. These feelings are often a surprise, as people imagine that emotions flood through at the beginning; however, many thoughts and feelings don’t come to the surface until treatment is finishing up or even done.
Throughout survivorship, there are many common concerns/questions: People tell me I should feel better now that treatment is done, but I don’t. My pain persists; does that mean the cancer came back? How do I want to live my life now? How do I communicate my feelings with my family? What are my priorities? Survivorship provides us with an opportunity to process the emotions that surround a cancer journey. If you find yourself in this position, know that almost everyone who’s been diagnosed with cancer goes through a similar experience. These feelings are entirely common, normal and expected.
When treatment stops, whether intermittently or longer-term, people are often faced with a new and difficult set of emotions. These concerns, issues and feelings are all part of a phase of the cancer journey called Survivorship. During treatment, people are just trying to get through; when it’s over, suddenly there is enough emotional space to process what they’ve been going through. These feelings are often a surprise, as people imagine that emotions flood through at the beginning; however, many thoughts and feelings don’t come to the surface until treatment is finishing up or even done.
Throughout survivorship, there are many common concerns/questions: People tell me I should feel better now that treatment is done, but I don’t. My pain persists; does that mean the cancer came back? How do I want to live my life now? How do I communicate my feelings with my family? What are my priorities? Survivorship provides us with an opportunity to process the emotions that surround a cancer journey. If you find yourself in this position, know that almost everyone who’s been diagnosed with cancer goes through a similar experience. These feelings are entirely common, normal and expected.
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Comment on this post
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Comment by SurvivorNow on June 27, 2011 at 8:18am -
It's true that after treatment a survivor may need treatment and support of a different kind. Now that I've finished four rounds of chemo and a stem-cell transplant, I have issues that I don't believe the medical community understands such as great fatigue even though it's been two years since my stem-cell transplant It would be great to find someone that understands the issues that I'm faced with now.
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Comment by Stuart Pinkwater, PsyD on November 8, 2010 at 11:45am -
Hello Kez,
Waiting for a symptom or some sign that your cancer is active is a real pain. It is so hard to "live" when you keep wondering what is happening in your body and when or if you'll need to have something else done to you. How old are you now? Do you have some structure in your daily life? school, a job, a family?
Having a daily schedule or structure is quite helpful. Knowing what you have to do each day, what you wish to do each day and what you need to do each day, plus when makes life a little easier. Journaling your feelings in a notebook is a very helpful way to release tension or upset. Exercise is very helpful and learning some form of meditation can also help. Are you capable of doing Yoga? Do you have someone you can talk with, like a therapist? The issues you are dealing with are quite normal for anyone livng with a cancer diagnosis. You have a choice to either wait for something to happen or be more proactive and take control of those things in your life you can control. Take care, Stuart
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Comment by kezzi.B on November 4, 2010 at 9:37pm
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Hello Sarah, I am new to this site and I see that you post was posted a year ago. I have FAP. I haven't had to undergo chemo, radiation, though I had a total colectomy at age 13 and continual ongoing scopes (both ends). I have battled low self esteem since this time, which doesn't effect every day, but it is there. I however, can relate to all of what you speak of. Like many cancers, FAP starts with small polyps which in time become cancerous. desmoids can also grow in places such as kidney's, pancreas, thyroid, brain, spinal cord, abdo and chest cavities, to name a few. That is the hardest thing about the disease that I find. To me, its like a wait and see game. I am of the understanding that MRI's are not part of the over all surveillence, so its kind of like you wait to see if any symptoms appear scenario....Any advice would be fabulous...Kez
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Comment by SarahLevinsonBauer on November 20, 2009 at 1:16pm -
Would love to hear anyone's thoughts on this one.
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