McLeod Cancer Center

Shelby’s Group: Recurrence and Coping October 18, 2011

Recently, I had a breast cancer survivor call me as she was worried about a recurrence and questioning each and every sensation in her body. This topic has been raised and discussed in our group often as fear of recurrence evokes anxiety for all of us who have experienced cancer. We rely on our treatments to reassure us that our cancer has been sent on its way to remission.

Year ago, I recall meeting a stranger at a grocery store in Columbia. I told her how much I liked her stylish haircut (having just moved to the area and recently finished my treatments, I wanted to do something stylish with my hair as I was pleased once again that I had hair). In talking to this woman I learned that she was a five-year breast cancer survivor, and she cut and styled her own hair — something that I was not about to do! After sharing this with me, she added, “You know I had not thought about my cancer in a long time.” You may ask why I’m describing this encounter? Simply put, barring any setbacks we will be like the survivor I encountered and the fear of recurrence will no longer take center stage.

As we complete our cancer treatment, we are usually filled with a sense of relief. However, it is at this time that we may begin to feel anxious and have fears that the cancer may return. These feelings are quite normal during the first years after completing treatment. One of the keys to coping with this fear is to be aware that we are not in control of whether the cancer returns or not, but we can control how we let fear impact our daily life.

Here are some suggestions from cancer.net for coping with fear of recurrence:

• Accept that you will experience this fear and that you are not alone.
• Find a way to manage the anxiety created by the fear.
• Know that the fears lessen as time passes.
• Try not to worry alone — talk to someone, join a group, or write down your thoughts in a diary or journal. Give worry time limits for example only 10 minutes a day.
• Talk to your doctor about regular follow-up care; find out more about cancer treatment plans and summaries (previously discussed in a blog) and remember to think of yourself and your doctor as partners in charge of your care.
• Be a well informed patient and become familiar with the fact that most cancers have a predictable pattern of recurrence.
• Focus on becoming healthier: eat healthy, exercise, and get enough sleep.
• Reduce stress by enjoying time with family and friends; walking; laughing; reading a funny book or watching a wacky movie; finding humor in as many situations as possible; joining a support group; and getting rid of clutter in your life

Is this easy? No, but it is worth a try!

Just a quick reminder: Shelby’s Group meets again this Thursday, October 20, 2011, at the McLeod Resource Center at 6:00 p.m. Please consider joining us for a night of sharing with others.

Enjoy,

Raquel