Finding out about a cancer diagnosis is one of those things that turn life around 360 degrees. After these words, which the doctor uttered more or less cautiously in his office, nothing can be the same. All the small worries, which we worry about so devotedly from day to day, merge into one huge, justified concern for the first time - concern for our own life. The shock is always present, both in patients and in their family members, but it quickly disappears. What is more dangerous and almost always present is a series of psychosocial problems that accompany the treatment.
Hospitalization, which occurs soon after finding out the diagnosis, is another stressful factor that can be experienced, followed by surgery, chemotherapy and radiation in most cases. These interventions are outside of a person's previous experience, and it is not uncommon for them to lead to anxiety, confusion, fears, and sometimes even depression. The feeling that life is over in those moments is so real, that the patient can hardly believe that he can still survive.
How to escape from death?
It is impossible, death cannot be escaped. But it doesn't have to happen to every oncology patient, it's important to always keep that in mind. Psychological support for people diagnosed with malignancy includes a wide range of interventions that have only one goal - accepting the disease and looking for ways to continue functioning. Stress is normal in these situations and can occur at any stage of the disease. Common symptoms are excessive worry about health, anger, hostility, difficulty sleeping, thoughts of illness and death, loss of appetite, deconcentration. What most affects the appearance of great stress when dealing with a cancer diagnosis is the somewhat well-founded belief that it is a disease that inevitably leads to death. However, sooner or later one must realize that malignant disease is not what it used to be. Medicine is so advanced that thanks to prevention, timely diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, a high percentage of people are successfully treated.
When we accept - the fight begins
For women suffering from breast cancer, the disease did not begin with the doctor's words at the beginning of the text. Their fear begins when they realize that something is wrong with their breast - when they notice changes, feel a lump...Many will "bury their heads in the sand" for a few weeks after noticing the changes and remain silent about their knowledge. But that's a mistake. Those few weeks will be hell for them and they will only lose the precious strength that they will need in the post-diagnosis period.
Faced with cancer, many women tend to deny the fact. Many have a sense of injustice and feel great anger. They get angry at life, God, the universe, other people, and finally at themselves. Questioning: "Why did this happen to me?", "Why didn't I take care of myself more", "Why did I get sick", lead to feelings of guilt and sadness. Grief can lead a woman to depression, loneliness and deep suffering. Just finding out about the disease for all women is a big shock that brings with it a huge fear. Fear of what will happen next, fear of death, pain, therapy, the future...
Depression is associated with feelings of helplessness. It reflects the attitude that whatever a woman tries to do, she will not succeed, because she is helpless in the face of cancer. Giving in to such feelings leads to the passivation of a person, and if this condition lasts longer, it can cause serious problems.
Negative emotional reactions to cancer can be extremely strong and violent and can often represent a bigger problem in treatment than the physical disease itself. When a woman with depression develops as a reaction to cancer, she must seek the help of an expert. When a woman accepts the fact that she has cancer as her reality, she starts to fight, to develop strategies to fight against the disease, and she gains hope and faith that she will succeed in this fight.
Psychotherapy as part of treatment
The research results show that the probability of survival is higher in patients who receive both psychotherapy and chemotherapy than in those who receive only this second method. What is important to ask patients who have decided to face the disease is the purpose of their disease, what it serves them, what it brought to them in life and what it took away, do they want to live, do they have enough love in life, as they lived in the last few years before the onset of the disease. The point of searching for answers to these questions lies in taking responsibility for yourself and your life, and actively participating in treatment.
The author is a psychologist
The text is taken from the free supplement "About health", which is published on Thursdays with "Vijesti"
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