Cancer can be incredibly scary for someone who has just been diagnosed, especially since you may be worried or uncertain about the future. Then, if you are trying to find ways to cope with cancer and what you should do next, here is a guide to some of the important questions you might ask, either during your cancer treatment or after you have received your diagnosis.
How will cancer impact your life?
Cancer can impact your life in many different ways, both before, during, and after treatment, and you must be aware of the changes that it could make in your life both now and in the future. For instance, cancer treatments and surgeries are not always kind, and they can cause a range of other health issues, even when you have been declared cancer-free.
To cope with your cancer effectively, you need to make sure that you are prepared to manage the subsequent health problems that can occur as a side effect of treatment, as this can help you to improve your quality of life. In some cases of throat and mouth cancer, you may develop swallowing disorders, known as dysphagia, which can make it a struggle to eat. To overcome this problem, you should look into food thickeners such as SimplyThick that can help you to enjoy food again. Another example is that you may have to have a limb amputated to stop the spread in some cases of bone cancer, and you will have to learn to walk with a prosthetic limb instead.
However, it is not only physical changes that will happen, but cancer may also affect family life. For instance, you may start to lose your sex drive, and your relationships may grow fraught as you pull away from others or due to others’ anxiety about your situation. In these cases, you need to make sure that you can communicate openly.
What changes will happen to your body?
You should also be ready for the physical changes during your treatment. For instance, some rounds of chemotherapy or radiation therapy may cause you to lose your hair, while cancer itself may lead to weight loss and accelerate the aging process. You might also begin to see a loss in memory and focus due to the effects of harsh cancer treatments.
How to find a great medical team?
To cope with cancer, your care will not usually be conducted by just one person, and you need to have a great medical team around you to help you make informed decisions about your care. To find this, you should look for professionals who are specialists in your condition, as well as those that you have a good rapport. You should also make sure that you trust these individuals and that you feel as if you can discuss your condition and emotions with them comfortably. You should also make sure that you ask them questions before your treatment starts about their experience and credentials in the field.