• Be your own advocate at all times.

• Take it one day at a time.

• Get a second opinion- always. No one has ever regretted getting a second opinion, but you may regret never having one. Even if the second opinion team says exactly what the first group of doctors said- it will give you peace of mind.

• Don’t be afraid or think yourself as a weak individual to ask for medications to help you sleep and to deal with the anxiety and depression. Give yourself some credit- what you’re going through isn’t easy.

• Find a support group in the area- it is amazing to be able to laugh and cry with people who have been through this. Just try it once- you might surprise yourself at how much you really did need it. If you’re in the Boston area, get in touch with Survivorsbythesea.com We will welcome you with open arms. If you’re out of the area check with your doctor or oncology social worker for local support groups.

• If your hospital has an oncology social worker, meet with them, they can be a great resource.

• Get yourself organized – have a journal and a handirecord with you for all appointments.

• Be prepared for your appointments- write down your questions AND the answers! You’ll be surprised what you don’t remember.

• Bring a family member or friend with you to appointments because they can help you remember important details later. If you have to go alone to an important appointment like a diagnosis consultation, have a friend or family member on speaker phone who is listening. Ask the Dr. first if this is ok- usually it is.

• Consider starting a blog or a page on caringbridge.org or lotsahelpinghands.com to keep family & friends informed of your journey without exhausting yourself. And they can in return comment and send you good wishes.

• Write a private journal during your journey, many survivors found this cathartic and helpful to work out thoughts and feelings. And it’s helpful to look back later and see how far you have come!

• Don’t listen to the offensive, thoughtless or depressing comments. I wish I could prevent people from saying something to you that will be hurtful and offensive, but I can’t.  People have No Clue what you’re going through and can be thoughtless unintentionally. Just know you are not alone, we have all heard some crazy stuff. And you will ask yourself, “Did they really just say that?”

• Don’t compare yourself to other cancer patients. EVERYONE is different- everyone reacts differently to the same exact chemo-therapies and treatment.  Don’t drive yourself crazy that you’re not having the same great experience someone else had.  Go easy on yourself- this is isn’t an easy battle.

• Do whatever you have to do to get through this- loosen up on some of those rules about what you normally eat, etc. When you’re done with treatment you can go back to all of your good habits.

 

 

CanverVictory.com shares the things that survivors, including myself, learned while being treated for cancer. We are not medical professionals and everyone is different, so please consult your physician about anything you read on this site or on any other site. Your health is important and you should make all medical decisions in consultation with your doctor.