Maintain Control After Your Cancer Diagnosis

After being diagnosed with cancer, you have many things to consider and keep track of. Doctor appointments, surgeries, and dealing with medical bills and insurance companies become a full-time job. Emotional hurdles will challenge you every day as well.

Having everything piled on you at once often creates additional stress and feeling a loss of control. You may feel like life is spinning and you can’t do anything to stop it, or that you’re drowning and can’t come up for air. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to maintain some semblance of control during your journey though cancer.

1. Create something. Write a blog or journal. Share your feelings, fears, concerns, good and bad days, and everything in between either privately or publicly. Document what you’re going

through so one day you can go back and reflect on far you’ve come. Compose some music.

Document what’s going on when you create it. Paint or sculpt. Create something representing

what you’re going through. Get your family involved in a house project to gain a sense of control over what’s going on.

2. Volunteer to help cancer patients. Offer to speak to groups of patients undergoing treatment. Provide one-on-one emotional support for patients during their journey. Raise money for a cure. Find a way to feel control over your life.

3. Do something you always wanted to but never had time for. Learn how to knit or speak a

foreign language. Drive several hours to see the coast meet the mountains or the lake meet the sunset. Read the books you bought but never finished. See how many items you can check off your list. Finding ways to gain a sense of control over your life will relieve some of the stress of the unknown.

If you or someone you know is fighting cancer, reach out to Chix 4 a Cause. Learn more about our Gifts of Love program at chix4acause.org today.

Overcoming Food Anxiety After Cancer

Food plays an important role in everyone’s life. It provides nutrition for health and healing and plays a part in social interactions, traditions and celebrations.

A cancer diagnosis changes all that. Eating your favorite foods often becomes a chore. While going through treatment, your sense of taste may change. Certain chemotherapy regimens can cause food to have a metallic taste. You might lose your appetite or desire to eat, especially if you experience nausea and vomiting. If you had gastrointestinal issues or disordered eating before your cancer diagnosis, they may worsen. Chewing and swallowing can become challenging or almost impossible if you have sores from head or neck cancer.

Not wanting or being able to eat can be frustrating for both you and your caregiver. The best thing to do is be patient. Set expectations before making changes. Figure out what you’re able to eat and have it ready when you feel like eating it. Avoid feeling guilty about not being able to eat at typical times. Don’t dwell on body issues either. Losing muscle and having loose skin is common.

To help with your eating issues, consider joining a support group. There may be monthly nutrition seminars in your area for you and your loved ones to participate in. They can help you overcome the emotional hurdle of eating during and after cancer.

Most cancer centers have registered dietitians on staff or can refer you to receive such services. They can teach you to practice mindful eating. For instance, a dietician might give you a piece of chocolate and ask you to smell and feel it rather than eat it. They could request that you hold the chocolate in your mouth but not chew it. Such acts teach you to focus on living in the moment and being aware of your feelings, which can apply to other areas of your life as well.

If you or someone you know is fighting cancer, get in touch with Chix 4 a Cause. Visit chix4acause.org to learn about our Gifts of Love program today.

Journal Your Way Through Cancer

Like many cancer patients, you may find that journaling helps you find your way through your journey. When something becomes really intense and your mind keeps thinking about it, it may help to write about it. Since many therapists recommend journaling, you may want to consider it. Writing down your thoughts can help you stay a bit saner than keeping things inside.

There is no one right way to journal. You may choose to handwrite or type, draw or sketch, even clip pictures from magazines. You can add to your journal many times per day, once a day or whenever you feel like it. You may feel like ranting, providing a detailed observation, list, letter never mailed or copy of a letter or email someone sent you. You even could keep a travel log of your life experiences.

Depending on how you feel and what you experience at any given moment, your journal may be a combination of any or all of these elements. Your technique, frequency and content are up to you. If you find yourself falling into patterns, remember you may change things up at any time. Your journal is for your eyes only. It’s there to help you keep things in perspective

If you or someone you know is fighting cancer, get in touch with Chix 4 a Cause. Learn about our Gifts of Love program at chix4acause.org today.