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Survivorship: Life after cancer
For many of the nation's 10.5 million cancer survivors, the end of treatment can be bittersweet. Although you are happy to end treatment, you suddenly end a routine that has become the "new normal" for you. Oftentimes, the end of treatment means less-frequent contact with your health-care team that has surrounded you over the past months and years. While this is a milestone to celebrate, it also represents a new beginning in how to best care for yourself after treatment. The reality is that while you might be cancer-free, you are not free of cancer. Once diagnosed with cancer your treatment becomes a part of your medical history that will influence how you manage your healthcare going forward. Improvements in cancer treatments have allowed many cancers to be managed as chronic conditions that need coordinated follow-up. Simply put, a diagnosis of cancer changes your health-care needs for the rest of your life.
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Questions Survivors Should Ask
Like most patients, cancer survivors want to be empowered to take care of themselves and remain healthy. Once cancer treatment ends there are some questions every patient should be asking their doctor to be informed about their own care and to know what to expect next. These include but are not limited to the following:
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Nutrition After Treatment
Because cancer creates lasting physical, emotional and psychosocial changes, survivors often feel vulnerable after treatment. Many feel a need for guidance. Many want to know: What can I do to help myself? How can I protect myself against recurring or secondary tumors? How can I return to an active, healthy life?
Unfortunately, the painstaking process that yields science-based recommendations on diet and exercise for cancer survivors has not yet reached its conclusion. Until recently, nutrition research has focused on reducing the risk of primary cancers.
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Fatigue
We all have down days, times when we don't feel like doing much of anything. For cancer patients and survivors alike, such occasional sluggishness may morph into a more intense, longer-lasting form of tiredness. Fatigue is the most common side effect reported by people undergoing cancer treatment, affecting up to 90% of patients, according to American Cancer Society estimates. Some research puts the number as high as 99%. For most people, the fatigue will end soon after the chemo or radiation treatment is over. But this is not true for everyone. A significant number of people continue to struggle with fatigue well after their cancer treatment has concluded.
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Memory and Chemobrain
People receiving chemotherapy sometimes find it hard to think clearly, describing the feeling as their brain is in a "fog." The popular name for this is chemobrain, which may mean different things to different people, but for the most part, describes a change in one's ability to think clearly, concentrate, or focus on one task. Many cancer survivors report similar symptoms even many months or years after completing treatment. The causes of chemobrain are not clearly understood, and the severity and duration vary from person to person. It is important to discuss any symptoms that affect your ability to think clearly, concentrate or focus, do mathematical calculations, or even read a map. Some of the symptoms usually described include:
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