Use lessons from your initial treatment to give you confidence and strength as you face the anger and fear that come with a cancer recurrence.
Your cancer is back, and so are the shock and fear that came with your first diagnosis. The uncertainties are back, too, and you wonder about more cancer treatment and about your future.
The distress you feel is normal — some say the second cancer diagnosis can be more distressing than the first.
What is a cancer recurrence?
When cancer returns after a period of remission, it’s considered a recurrence. A cancer recurrence happens because, in spite of the best efforts to rid you of your cancer, some cells from your cancer remained.
These cells could be in the same place where your cancer first originated, or they could be in another part of your body. These cancer cells may have been dormant for a period of time, but eventually they continued to multiply, resulting in the reappearance of the cancer.
A cancer recurrence means it’s the same cancer coming back after some period of time. In rare cases, you may be diagnosed with a new cancer that’s completely unrelated to your first cancer. This is referred to as a second primary cancer.
Where does cancer recur?
Your cancer can recur in the same place it was originally located, or it can migrate to other parts of your body. Recurrence is divided into three categories:
- Local recurrence.This means the cancer reappears in the same place it was first found or very close by. The cancer hasn’t spread to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
- Regional recurrence.A regional recurrence occurs in the lymph nodes and tissue located in the vicinity of your original cancer.
- Distant recurrence.This refers to cancer that has spread (metastasized) to areas farther away from where your cancer was first located.
Where your cancer recurs depends on your original cancer type and stage. Some cancer types commonly recur in specific area
Coping with Fear of Cancer Recurrence
Fear of recurrence
The question is bound to linger in any cancer survivor’s mind: what if it comes back? Cancer can recur even if it seems that treatment was successful. Cancer cells can sometimes linger undetected and slowly regrow until you become symptomatic. Your genes may have been altered by the cancer in such a way that you’re vulnerable to a new form of the disease.
For that reason, it’s impossible for doctors to say with absolute certainty that your cancer has been cured. And so, many cancer survivors suffer from a fear of recurrence, whether of their own cancer or a new one.
Here are some tips to combat feelings of uncertainty and fear about your health:
Take Control of Your Life
Returning to your normal life after months of treatment and recovery can be difficult, even alienating. Your routines have changed and you’ve come to depend on a day-to-day network of support in the healthcare system that you will no longer need. It can feel strange trying to resume the life you had before your diagnosis. That discomfort can contribute to stress and anxiety.
Establishing new routines, taking control of the things in your life that you can control, can be an important step toward mitigating this anxiety. Your cancer may be out of your control, but your life doesn’t have to be. Even small things can help you feel like you have power over your own fate.
Diet
A healthy diet is essential to feeling good under any circumstances. While there is limited evidence connecting diet to the chances of cancer recurrence, anything that makes you feel good is helpful. And certain foods do seem to have a cancer-fighting benefit; others can increase your risk of certain cancers. At the very least, eating right can leave you as strong as possible in the event of a recurrence.
Exercise
Regular exercise, in addition to helping you feel better and more healthy, has been proven to help with mental health. Physical activity releases a variety of neurochemicals, such as endorphins and norepinephrine, that can help relieve stress, boost your mood, and help stave off anxiety and depression. At the same time, many people find regular exercise satisfying and fulfilling in its own right. It can also help you fight side effects like nausea and keep you healthy in other ways.
Therapy
Seeing a mental health professional can be extremely beneficial when dealing with feelings of anxiety and depression. A therapist can help you learn to cope with your fears, and many specialists are trained to work specifically with cancer patients.
Under the terms of the Affordable Care Act, most insurance plans are required to provide coverage for mental health services. However, if you can’t see a specialist or don’t wish to, connecting with groups of survivors, whether online or in real life, can be a tremendous source of emotional support. You’ll talk to people who have shared your experience and can understand and help you in ways that people who haven’t, even family members, may not be able to.
Stay Informed
The more you know about your particular type of cancer, its chances of recurring, its symptoms, et cetera, the more control you can feel. A major source of anxiety with cancer is the fear of the unknown. Learning as much as possible can help mitigate that fear.
Be Diligent About Testing
Your doctor will schedule regular follow-up appointments and tests to monitor for your cancer’s reappearance. For many people, these tests are extremely stressful–uncertainty and fear of recurrence can be heightened in the time leading up to a scan.
However, these scans are a vital part of your health care plan, and can provide some peace of mind depending on how you approach them. While you may be anxious about a recurrence heading into a scan, regular testing can help you catch a recurrence before it progresses too far, giving you the best chance of fighting off the disease. And once you’ve had a scan, you’ll know that you’re still cancer-free, removing the unknown from the equation, at least for the time being.
Unfortunately, cancer leaves very little room for certainty. However, by taking control of your emotions and parts of your life that allow, you can feel more in charge of your health. Join our online community to connect with other cancer warriors and loved ones.
Questions? Call Pathway at: +245 703 207 052 / 718 994 368 / 733 994 368