Having skin cancer, or any type of cancer for that matter, can be difficult. Your body is going through changes and you may be feeling depressed and sad during these changes. You have to deal with different treatments and you keep getting told different pieces of information on how your body is reacting to these treatments. It is a lot for anyone to go through, and you should not have to go through it alone. Luckily, there are many different ways to get support throughout the lifetime of your experience with skin cancer. Making sure you have support and that you are not alone during this journey will make it easier to cope with the many changes that you are now experiencing.
1.) Educate Yourself
When people are sick and have a certain disease or condition, they will want to ensure that they are getting factual and real information about any questions they may have. Knowing exactly what is happening to your body when you have skin cancer, as well as what is happening to your body during treatment will ensure that you are not as scared or nervous about all of these events. You can talk to your doctor and ask them any question that you may have. It is always better to go to an expert rather than go onto the internet to find information because it could lead you astray and give you false information.
2.) Ask For Help
Although you may feel like all of the people around you are helping you enough with your cancer journey, it is important to talk to them about what is happening in your mind. Even if you feel that you are bothering them, it is not the case. You can feel scared, embarrassed, or even depressed about what is happening. You can talk to loved ones or doctors and nurses that you are comfortable with about these feelings. It is important not to let cancer take over your life and the person that you have become, and asking for help will aid you with this process.
3.) Join A Support Group
As much as loved ones and family members try to help a person when they have cancer, many patients feel that they do not fully grasp the situation. This is when it may be helpful to join a support group and surround yourself with people who have had or are going through the same experiences that you are going through. You can talk and relate to one another and feel comfortable knowing that everyone has probably felt the same emotions that you have.
4.) Giving Yourself A Positive Plan
There will be days when cancer takes over and makes your body feel tired and weak. This is okay. You can surround your other days with positive and practical things that make it seem like the cancer is not even there. You can try simple tasks each day, and then try to do even more the next day. You can try to get outside and exercise, eat healthy and take time to reflect on everything that is positive in life. Although cancer may be the biggest thing in your life, you can be influenced by hundreds of other positive things.
5.) Talk To An Organization
The Skin Cancer Foundation is aimed at helping people who are dealing with cancer. They have different support groups for people dealing with different emotions throughout their cancer journey. For example, one organization is called Look Good…. Feel Better. This program teaches beauty techniques to people who are going through chemotherapy. They help people remember that they are beautiful no matter what cancer has done, and that they are still the same person, with or without cancer. They have many programs that can help with whatever is ailing you.