Living with cancer is ultimately a nasty experience. From endless chemotherapies sessions to plenty of medications, the despair associated with this dreaded ailment that has claimed millions of lives can be overwhelming. However, cancer patients can still live with this disease provided they understand what living with cancer entails. Below, are 8 important things that everyone living with cancer should know.
1. Find acceptance
Acceptance is vital when living with cancer. Although most cancer patients hardly accept their diagnosis, find acceptance by empowering yourself with information on how to live with the ailment moving forward in life.
2. Continue with your life
The fact that you have been diagnosed with cancer doesn’t mean you can’t lead a normal life like anybody else. Once you have accepted your diagnosis, find ways of resuming your normal life. You can enroll in a survivorship program to empower yourself to return to your everyday life.
3. You need a good cancer treatment plan
When you are living with cancer, treatment is vital for your survival. But not every treatment plan fits you. Here, you have to choose your treatment centre wisely to ensure you are receiving proper treatment that fits your condition.
4. Changing lifestyle is vital
Focusing on lifestyle changes is crucial for persons living with cancer. You can’t stick to your normal lifestyle when living with this disease. You are some lifestyle changes you should embrace to enhance your cancer care. For instance, start exercising regularly, work on eliminating stress, eat healthily and avoid environmental toxins. Also, try alternative therapies like yoga, meditation, and massage to enhance your emotional well-being.
5. You need to create a support system
A good support system is imperative for cancer patients. Finding a support system can give you the strength and comfort to live normally with the disease. You can think of joining a vibrant cancer support group that brings together fellow cancer survivors. Listening to personal experiences from different patients can be quite aspiring in that, it will prompt you to appreciate that others are living with a similar challenge to yours, and thus you aren’t alone. Again, you will learn valuable lessons from a fellow survivor on how to cope with life after a cancer diagnosis.
6. There is a possibility of beating cancer
Success in battling cancer is normally evaluated based on the survival rate among patients. This rate is simply the total number of cancer patients that have lived with cancer for the last five years after their diagnosis. Over the years, survival rates have soared dramatically, courtesy of earlier detention coupled with better treatments. As such, everyone living with this life-changing disease ought to understand that indeed there are chances of beating it.
7. Cancer isn’t curable, but manageable
According to recent statistics from the world’s large cancer body, the National Institute of Cancer, more than 67{7e0259aaa3060fed66852291a7d473d02e5444f60b251106bbd92dbe50858870} of cancer patients, or persons diagnosed with cancer, have lived for up to 5 years after their diagnosis. The number is a significant increase from 20{7e0259aaa3060fed66852291a7d473d02e5444f60b251106bbd92dbe50858870} survival rate recorded in the last four decades. This points out that your survival will depend on how you will manage this disease.
8. Have a recovery program in place
For you to manage cancer when living with it, you need a recovery program in place. The program should have a wide array of medical resources to deal with symptoms of cancer as they crop up. The more access you have to a suitable recovery program, the high your odds of living with cancer manageably are.
Conclusion
A cancer diagnosis shouldn’t be misconstrued to mean the end of life. There is certainly hope for cancer patients who are ready to live with the disease.
