When you are diagnosed with cancer
It is a shock to learn that you have a serious illness. The word cancer has an evil ring to it, though the images we have of the disease do not necessarily match it in reality.
At first, being sick seems unreal. Is this really happening to me? There must have been a mistake. Everything around you goes on as normal, and yet your life is at a new turning point.
Your feelings will generally fluctuate. It is usual to go into denial, to feel angry, afraid, anxious, sad, depressed, guilty and lonely. Such feelings are perfectly normal responses to having the illness.
Being diagnosed with cancer may signal a crisis. It is worthwhile knowing its various stages.
Initial shock:
Everything feels unreal. You may appear calm but be in complete inner turmoil.
Guilt:
Once you have passed the stage of initial shock, you undergo a response in which you comprehend your situation. That is when you experience feelings of guilt and bad conscience and you dither over your options. Feelings of desperation are usual.
Adaptation stage:
Your feelings of anxiety start to diminish and you develop coping mechanisms for protecting yourself.
Renewed direction:
This is the stage when you realize the uniqueness of life and that each day is precious.
Reliable information helps
Cancer is a common disease in Finland, because the population is ageing. One in four people in Finland become ill with the disease. The numbers of cancer cases is on the increase, but it is reassuring to know that the outcomes of cancer treatment in Finland are among the best in Europe and the world.
There is a good recovery rate among cancer patents in Finland. Some cancers have a nine out of ten recovery rate but this is not so of all cancers. Cancer is an extremely individualistic disease, and is the general term for over 200 kinds of malignant tumour.
It is possible to make a full recovery from cancer, but patients have to take their treatment of the disease seriously. Cancer treatment is individual, but is based on a combination of surgery, medicines and radiation treatment.
It makes things easier to have reliable information about the disease. This can be sought from healthcare professionals providing treatment and from the advice services of the Finnish Cancer Organisations. The experiences of other cancer patients may also help. The Finnish Cancer Organisations provides a support network offering such peer support.
Cancer treatment affects everyone, whether or not you make a recovery. In symptom-related treatment or final stage treatment it is important that quality of life is maintained that there is analgesic care.
Things to bear in mind:
- What is important now is you.
- There is no ‘right’ way tell those close to you about the disease. You may need to take a break, but not necessarily.
- It is normal to feel mood swings.
- It is usual to experience anger, guilt and depression.
- Help is available.
- Trust your health professionals: doctors, nurses and others are experts in healthcare.
- Make use of advisory services.
- You can recover from cancer: over half of cancer patients survive.
- All cancer patients in Finland receive treatment regardless of their age or how advanced is the disease.
Updated 10.7.2009
