Canopy Cancer Care Talk About Living Beyond Cancer Treatment

Many people find finishing cancer treatment to be one of more stressful times in their cancer journey, and this is something not commonly talked about. There is the expectation that life should be just as it was before the diagnosis, and in this article we explore some of the issues patients face as they move on from their treatment. 

End of treatment can catch some people by surprise, as they don’t necessarily feel they are going to feel that way. They feel that they should be excited, that their family and friends are excited, but often it’s a really stressful time and they can feel quite vulnerable and scared, and a bit lost as to where they’re going. 

At this stage the treatment support option drops off a little bit, so you do lose the support from the medical team that you were regularly seeing, week by week, and family and friends can also move on. Often patients’ families and friends put pressure on you in a way, as they expect you to be back the same way you used to be. They want you to be the old person you were before treatment. 

People are often left with side-effects that take time to recover from, and it’s a ‘new normal’ what you go through, than possibly what you were when you started this whole process. For some people their main concern about finishing treatment is for their family and close friends because they think they worry about things more than the person concerned. 

Recurrence is one of the biggest fears patients experience when they finish treatment, which can obviously put a lot of stress on you and your loved ones. If it comes to the point where you are thinking about recurrence on a daily basis then you need to seek help. This is where Canopy Cancer Care can help with their nurse specialists who may refer you to a psychologist to help you manage those feelings. 

Canopy Cancer Care say you should try to live in the moment, rather than looking too far ahead, so for more information on Living  Beyond Treatment please go to mailto:https://youtu.be/XK-1VZ0A1bM and for more information on cancer, medical oncology and cancer treatment NZ please go to http://www.canopycancercare.co.nz .