Cancer Effects Emotionally and Physically

 by: Remy Vixama

“I am sorry, you have cancer” is a devastating news no one wants to hear from a physician in these days. Not only the disease is life threatening, but also the side effects of the treatment make the bravest man stumbles. For most people, cancer is like a death sentence, which is not true at all. In fact, being depressed increase the effects of developing cancer and your risk of dying from it. Cancer effects can be emotional and physiological. In this article, although it is impossible to detail all effects of cancer in your life, I talk about its main emotional effectsr, and the way to cope with them.

Fear – if you are a cancer survivor, whenever you have pain or feel not good, the first idea that tends to come up to your mind is “the cancer has come back”. In fact, around 80% of the times the pain has nothing to do with cancer. If you look back to your past, you may realize that you used to have those similar experiences years before the genesis of the first cancer cell in your body.

Anger - wanting to overcome is in human nature. When you feel unable to fight against cancer, it may happen that you become angry against the cancer itself, your health care providers; friends spouse and family, God, even against yourself. This behavior worsens when you are misunderstood or underestimated.

Loneliness – as the majority of victims of cancer, you can be full with visits at the beginning. As time goes by, the number of visits decreases or stops completely, presence and simile disappear gradually. It may happen you do not receive visits or phone even from your lover; she/he is gone. You look around you, there is no one. You call, nobody answered. You feel that nobody loves or understands you, you feel alone; you are lonely.

Feeling of guilt – when you are living with cancer, you may feel guilty all the times. Because, according to you, you are responsible for the disease because of your lifestyle and habits. In addition, you may feel guilty for having too upset your families; you think, emotionally and financially, you are a burden for them.

Everyone breaks health principles at one time in their life. Do not depress yourself; we all need someone to lean on at a moment in life. In fact, this tendency will affect your behavior and word, which will increase problems of your family. Be confident that tomorrow you will be healed and giving back what you are receiving now.

Sadness and Depression – any person affected by cancer tend to feel sad after the diagnosis or during treatment; it is a normal reaction to stressful and overwhelming situations. However, you need to overcome the sadness, because if you do not, you will do more harm than good to your health. It is said, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22).

To strengthen your morale, look for company of people who can make you laugh. Sing and pray. To fill your time, participate in a support group. An important thing you can do is starting a home business (be careful about internet scams), it will help you not only make money, but also have less time to think about the disease. Joining an online discussion board or a chat room; there are many of them on the internet (soon I will add one on cancereffects.com).

Stress and Anxiety – cancer, especially during treatment, is often accompanied by stress and anxiety. These emotional problems are often the result of changes in your life, or the effects of media (news about people die from cancer). If left untreated, stress and anxiety can lead to minor health problems rapid heartbeat, dry mouth and difficulty swallowing, sweating, headache, tremor, nausea or diarrhea; problems or trouble sleeping, feeling of oppression or tightness in the throat or chest, muscle pain, rapid breathing and low, and more.

If you are, however, a family or friend of a cancer victim ... you should know that fighting cancer is a very difficult time to go through. Your comprehension and help are precious. You may notice some unreasonable frustration, but try to listen and share your partner’s apprehensions. If, despite everything, she/he discharges her/his anger on you, remember that it is probably a reaction against the disease and the situation, not against you; do not to fight back. Try to talk to your spouse (fiance(e)) nicely, very often; if you are not welcome, leave her/him alone for a while. Maybe, if you were in the same situation, you would do worse.

If you are a spouse of a cancer victim, and you want to quit, do not accuse her/him falsely; you increase her/his pain. The changes you see are resulted from the cancer; do not use them as alibi. Remember, what happen to partner today may happen to you tomorrow, and what you have done to him will be done to you. This article was about emotional effects of cancer.