Living with Cancer - San Juan Regional Medical Center

Coping With Cancer Overview
Make sure your healthcare provider explains clearly what to expect after your treatment ends: How often will you need to return for checkups? What major issues can you expect to face in the next year or two, and how should you deal with them?

Managing Emotions and Stress
People communicate their fears and concerns in many ways. These feelings of sadness, confusion, anger, and fear are all normal responses.

Family Support
When you or your partner has cancer, it’s natural to be concerned about many things, such as medical bills, treatment options, side effects of treatment, and death. One important way to help overcome this fear is to talk about it.

Records and Documents
A living will tells others how you want to be treated when it comes to life-sustaining measures. It is used when a person becomes terminally ill. Having a living means that your family or friends aren't left with the burden of making difficult decisions about your care.

Sexual Concerns
Cancer treatment can cause different physical and psychological changes that can affect how you feel, look, and function. These changes may be temporary, or they may have lingering effects after your treatment ends.

Spiritual Needs
Hope, a sense of purpose, inner peace, and strength—these are benefits people with cancer say they receive from prayer or having a spiritual belief. Conventional medicine may not always meet the emotional and spiritual needs of people with life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer.

Work and Finances
Work fulfills a critical financial and emotional need for most cancer survivors. In addition to providing income and important benefits such as health insurance, employment also can be a source of self-esteem.

Survivor Stories
Says one survivor: When cancer comes a-knocking, will we be ready to fight, be tough, be strong, and have faith? It is a preparation we must make, getting our houses in order. Make the most of every single moment. Live, love, laugh, dance and eat, but eat well.

Care for Caregiver
Caregivers come in many varieties. Some live in the home with the patient; some live out. Some patients are fortunate to have many caregivers, often in the family. Others have caregivers who live long distances away.

End of Life Care
Supportive, or palliative, care is aimed at comfort versus cure. Palliative care can be provided in the hospital, at home, or in a special care setting.

Grief and Loss
Grieving is a normal response to a loss. The loss can include the loss of your normal daily routine, the impact of the cancer diagnosis on other family members, and the financial impact of the diagnosis.

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