Awareness Week: Life is Mental

Hi blog,

Well, today is the end of Awareness Week, it's the last post. Subsequently, I also think it might be the most important. This post isn't just for cancer patients and survivors, it's for EVERYONE. Not only is there a little something for everyone to take away, but there's also an enormous amount of awareness (go figure) embedded within the words that will follow these. So sit back (or forward, maybe stand if you want, whatever you like), hold on, and use your eyeballs.

Cancer isn't just about cancer. I can hear you scratching your heads from here (might I suggest a better shampoo?), but hear me out. The actual cancer itself is just part of the problem, there's so many more aspects of the disease that come into play, both directly and indirectly. In my previous post I discussed two side effects that don't get a lot of attention, but left out the most important of all side effects. It's an almost taboo subject in our society, regardless of whether or not you've had cancer. But for cancer survivors, it's one of the biggest hurdles for recovering and living a normal life. It's something I have struggled with for some time and am slowly making progress on. Give up? It's a little something called "mental issues." (Although I suspect the title might have given it away some)

Yes, mental illness is extremely common amongst cancer survivors and patients. It makes perfect sense when you think about it, but most people don't. It is an underwhelmingly undiscussed topic both in cancer recovery and in life in general. People hate talking about mental illness. My theories on why this is the case are not relevant to this blog, although I have several. The goal of Awareness Week is to spread, wait for it...AWARENESS about the problems that cancer patients and survivors must go through. It is an enormously difficult thing to piece your life back together after being dealt such a crippling physical blow, but you and everyone around you is so focused on getting your physical health in as good a shape as they can that often your mental state is neglected to some degree. The people around you, those who are supporting you, don't really understand that not only are you battling the cancer, but also any range of mental and emotional problems such as: depression, anxiety, paranoia, intense anger, panic attacks, nervous breakdowns, manic behavior, suicidal thoughts and tendencies, and the list goes on.

There are a few aspects of this topic that I would like to cover. One for the patient/survivor, and another for those supporting them.

How to cope with mental pain:

• Depression: Probably the most common feeling associate with a cancer diagnosis, both for the patient and their family and friends, depression can be a difficult problem to kick. Remember that there are social workers at the hospital who are used to talking to cancer patients and have a sympathetic ear, they will listen if you talk to them. Also, don't be afraid or ashamed to ask for
  
  anti-depressants, they can help to improve your mood to some degree and (if you read the first post) being in a better mood can actually increase your chances of survival. Another good way to stave off depression: laugh (mentioned in the first post). By laughing, you are telling yourself that things aren't completely hopeless, that you can still find joy in the world. Finding some happiness  will go a long way toward dispelling some of that darkness that threatens to cast a pall over your thoughts. One last tip: talk to yourself. Tell yourself that you are feeling good and that you will get through this. At first, it will seem silly and like you're lying to yourself, but if you repeat this to yourself often enough, you will start to believe it and it might make all the difference in the world.
• Anger: It begins with the diagnosis itself. Being told that your life is about to radically change, likely forever, is enough to rock even the most thick-skinned people to their very core. There is a sense of betrayal, your body has turned on you and is eating you from the inside out. That's normal. Anger is normal. It is extremely difficult to be able to direct all of that hate and fury to the cancer though, because you can't necessarily see it and so a lot of the anger ends up transferring to people around you. Inevitably, you will snap at somebody you care about for doing something that normally would not bother you in the least, but without an outlet for your anger, you will lash out at those closest to you. It is your duty to apologize and let that person know that you didn't mean it. The best thing you can do to actually deal with the anger is to find an outlet for it, whether it is in violent video games, beating a piñata, or yelling into a pillow, if you can find a method of dispensing that anger into an inanimate object, it will alleviate the rage to some degree.
• Anxiety: Probably the issue that I have the most problem with myself, anxiety can be a nearly crippling force that threatens to overwhelm you in every possible way. Luckily, there are a number of anti-anxiety medications available and this will dull the most potent effects of the  
  
  anxiety. It would help to learn some relaxation techniques (Relaxation Techniques for Stress Relief) as well, as this will serve to calm your thoughts and sooth your racing mind. Personally, I find that deep breathing (easy one: breathe in for 5 seconds, hold breath for 5 seconds, breathe out for 5 seconds, hold breath for 5 seconds, repeat as necessarily) and visualization (slowly putting yourself into a relaxing scene, like being on the beach, be sure to include all 5 senses) are the most helpful, but these methods differ from person to person and you should be encouraged to try as many out as you want to find the ones that work best for you.
• Suicidal thoughts: Obviously the most dire of mental problems, if you (or the person you are supporting and/or caring for) starts to have suicidal tendencies or thoughts, you should tell your doctor right away so you (or they) can get the help that they need. This is not something you should tackle on your own, the stakes are too high for that. When things are this bad, you want as much professional help on your side as you can get. Here is a link to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline: click here.

How to offer support: To those who are trying to support somebody going through cancer, it can be a difficult experience for you as well. Watching somebody you care about slowly deteriorate before your eyes can be an excruciatingly painful experience. It might feel awkward to be around them because you don't know what to talk about and don't want to feel insensitive or like you're babying or pitying them. Sometimes this causes people to drift or pull away, and the support for the cancer patient or survivor will almost always dry up to some extent as time passes, but the people who care the most, the ones who the patient can count on, will stick with them even through the bad times. As a cancer survivor and somebody who lost quite a lot of support almost immediately after finding out I wasn't going to die, I have an inkling about the sort of things that work best for helping to support your friend/family member who is going through their treatment/trying to put their life back together afterward. Here are a few friendly tips for supporting the person you care about:

• Treat them like a human: There is nothing worse than having every damn person give you a pitying glance when they find out what you're going through/have been through. It doesn't make somebody any less human to have gone through cancer, they are still the same person you used to know, so treat them like it! They will still like the same movies (most likely, unless it's a sad movie about cancer, then probably not so much), enjoy the same jokes, like the same music, but for some inexplicable reason people start to act like the survivor/patient is five-years old and needs to be coddled at every step. We don't. We want to be treated like an actual person, who deserves all of the respect and friendship that we had before we got sick. 
  
• Share things with them: Don't feel like you have to hide aspects of your life from somebody just because they're going through cancer. You may feel guilty for being able to enjoy life while they're stuck in a bed, but you shouldn't. Cancer treatment is characterized by very boring periods followed by short, intense periods of crazy stuff. During those boring times, it helps to hear how  friends are doing and learning about their lives, sometimes it allows patients to live vicariously through you. Just because a patient is undergoing chemotherapy does not mean they don't want to hear anything about you. If you have a funny story about a bad date that you went on last Friday, tell it! Don't feel bad about sharing your life with them, they won't hold it against you that you aren't sick. 
• Stick with them: It will be a hard thing to watch at times, but the single most reassuring thing for a cancer patient is to know that your friends are there for you when the going gets tough. It can be demoralizing when somebody you've known for years stops coming around and won't return your calls, it can make you feel abandoned. As their friend, you want to try and keep the person going through their cancer treatments in as good a mood as possible (see above). A very simple way to accomplish this is to put aside your discomfort for a few minutes and take the time to visit, call, or even just text them and see how things are going. 
• Don't give up: Sometimes it is difficult to believe things will be okay. Sometimes you know things won't be okay. This does not mean you should just give up and stop trying to help. In fact, that is precisely when you should be even more supportive. When things get bad, it is imperative that the cancer patient gets as much encouragement as possible to help them get through it. As their friend/family, you have an opportunity to lift their spirits and help them fight off any feelings of hoplessness. If you hear them talking about giving up, don't be afraid to call them on it and tell them they are being ridiculous, because they are. Never let them give up, and you shouldn't either. Miracles can happen (I'm walking proof of that, I shouldn't be alive), so always have faith and be as supportive as human possible (and a little more).

And the last thing to remember is that there is no shame in having issues with your mental or emotional health. It is a very common side effect of going through cancer and the treatments associated with it. Ask for help, follow the guidelines above, and remember: things will get better if you believe they will get better. Life is 85% mental, your brain has a mysterious way of molding physical health and can be one of your greatest allies. A positive attitude is your greatest weapon. 

And supporters? Be there for them, they need you now more than ever. You have the power to help save their life, don't forget that. Make them smile, show them you're there for them, and never, ever give up on them.

Well, that's it for Awareness Week. I hope that you have learned some useful facts about cancer, cancer treatments, side effects, and ways to cope with all of the above. If you know somebody who is currently going through cancer, has gone through cancer, or has friends or family doing either of the former, please share this with them and spread some awareness. Hopefully by getting some of this information out there, we can all help change perception of cancer and learn how to better hope those who are forced to endure it.

If you have any comments or facts you wish to share, please post them in the comment section below (that's why it's there!). Have a wonderful day.

And blog? Thank you. Sincerely, your boss, Andrew

Awareness Week: Combating Side Effects

Hi blog,

I will continue to commandeer you for Awareness Week until, well...the end of the week I guess. You'll thank me later. Maybe. If not, then you'll have to forgive me, and if you can't, well that's not my problem at that point.

Today I will discuss some of the side effects that come about as a result of cancer and the treatments involved with it. I'll deal with short term effects for this post, and while non-cancer patients might not find this particularly useful (unlike my previous post, which was partially helpful in general), you may know somebody who might find it helpful in one way, shape, or form, so please, do that person a favor and pass this on.

Pass it on!

Many of us know about a couple of the physical side effects of cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation: the nausea, hair loss, lack of energy, weakened immune system, stuff like that. However, there are a few other unfortunately common effects that are not as well known that generally do not come to people's attention until they deal with the issues themselves or know somebody close to them who is going through cancer treatments. I shall focus on the two of these that I think are the most important (and another one to cap off Awareness Week that gets its own post because it is THAT significant) and give you (the reader) some useful tips that help to combat and alleviate these issues that will invariably crop up as a results of many treatment plans.

Chemobrain: The first of these problems that you (as the cancer patient) might come across is a little (not so little) something called chemobrain. Essentially, chemobrain is a decrease in mental acuity that generally manifests itself as issues with concentration, memory, and a general sense of not functioning at the same level of mental sharpness as one did before treatment. To put it simply, your brain doesn't work as well as it did. You might lose things easier, forget dates, important bits of information, have difficulty focusing on a task at hand, not do as well on a test, have trouble following a conversation, etc. At the moment there are several theories as to why people go through chemobrain, but none has been definitively proven, and besides, the goal is not to cure the chemobrain, but to find ways of coping and negotiating your way around it. Here's some tips:

• Make lists: As soon as somebody tells you something, write it down! Whether it's groceries you have to pick up, medication you need to take, or movies somebody tells you that you should watch, be sure to write it down as soon as you hear about it, that way you have a visual reminder of what you need to do and can refer back to it if your memory proves to be stubborn and unhelpful. And be sure to cross off any item that you complete as well, you don't want to do it twice. 
• Get a planner or notebook: Similar to the previous tip, a notebook will allow you to jot down any old thing that you may need or want. Somebody tells you a funny joke? Write it down! You need to remember somebody's name or information? Write it down! Have an appointment you need to keep? I'll let you guess what you should do. A notebook basically functions as a paper/electronic  (if you want to use a computer instead) memory bank that you can fill with whatever information you deem worthy of retaining. Don't be shy about writing things down either, even if you aren't sure whether it's important or not, write it down anyway, you never know. Besides, notebooks aren't really that expensive, feel free to fill up as many as you please!
• Keep a journal: Remembering how you feel on certain days can be helpful, especially if you have a problem that has been going on for a few days and you need to keep track of it. Having a detailed account of your physical, emotional, and mental well-being might also make for interesting reading for later as well, when you're telling people about how freaking awesome and brave you are after undergoing your treatments.
• Avoid distractions: When you need to concentrate on a task and have trouble with focus, making sure that you are in an environment where nothing is going to break your train of thought is important. Personally, I have trouble with this (even in quiet environments, I have a weird habit of breaking my own line of thought with excessively random tangents), and I find it incredibly
  
  helpful to be somewhere nice and quiet where I can count on being able to do what needs to be done without having some six-foot noisebox (also called a human) come in and talk about their cat while I'm trying to write a blog post. Don't hesitate to tell your friends or family that you need some time to think while you complete your chore or task, they'll understand. 
• Talk to your nurse or oncology social worker: These people will be able to give you some more useful facts and tips about chemobrain and other problems that you may encounter during the course of your treatment. They are an invaluable resource that you should use often and freely. For more tips on how to combat chemobrain, see CancerCare's article: Combating Chemobrain

Drug dependence: An issue with treatment is that it can cause additional pain. To deal with the pain, narcotics are very commonly used. Based on the nature of this point, you may worry about addiction, but actually addiction is different than physical dependence (which is what this part is about). Addiction is characterized by the compulsive use of drugs (in this case prescription because you will likely have access to a lot of those) for for mood-altering effects rather than pain relief. I went down the road of addiction, but it's not too common to go to that extreme, so don't worry about that. What you do need to concern yourself with is physical dependence, which will show up as you come off of the drugs. You may notice side effects such as: anxiety, paranoia, agitation, sweating, diarrhea, and insomnia. It is possible to notice these signs and work toward ensuring that you come off of your painkillers without suffering too much in the way of withdrawal effects, because you have enough crap to deal with already. 

• Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about drug dependence and if you notice that you are asking for the drugs even when you don't need them, tell somebody immediately, because addiction is a beast you do not want to tangle with, it can get you killed if you aren't careful.
• Don't be afraid to ask questions about the types and doses of painkillers you are on. If you are in more pain, don't worry about getting "hooked" on your drugs, because your main concern should be staying as comfortable as possible rather than toughing out extra pain due to a fear of becoming reliant on your drugs. 
• The best way to mitigate the effects of withdrawals is to come off of your dose slowly, lowering it a little at a time until finally you can come off it completely. Talk about a plan to wean you off your drugs with your doctor. 

There is one more big effect that is almost taboo to talk about, yet should come as no surprise to anybody. Sadly, I'm a tease, and if you want to learn what this last problem is and learn ways to alleviate it, tune in later this week for the conclusion of Awareness Week.

If you found this post helpful or enjoy this blog as a whole, please subscribe by clicking on the button to the right (of the screen, not in three-dimensional space) and/or leave a comment below. Also, I would appreciate it if you shared this with somebody who might be able to put it to good use, you'll gain a smidgeon of karma if you do and who knows, if you share it with enough people the universe might look kindly enough on you to let you win the lottery! (Doubtful, but you never know!)


Thank for for the repurposing today blog, mucho appreciado, your cliffhanger loving master and commander, Andrew