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What is Normal After Cancer Treatment?
After you've finished your cancer treatment
Congratulations on Finishing Your Cancer Treatment!
Ending cancer treatment can be both exciting and challenging. Most people are
relieved to be finished with the demands of treatment, but many also feel
sadness and worry. Many are concerned about whether the cancer will come back
and what they should do after treatment.
When treatment ends, people often expect life to return to the way it was
before they were diagnosed with cancer. This rarely happens. You may have
permanent scars on your body, or you may not be able to do some things you once
did easily. Others may think of you--or you may view yourself--as being somehow
different.
"While I was having chemo I just quit doing most anything ... so, the
challenge for me was, what am I going to do now with my life? What should I go
back to doing?"
Len, colon cancer survivor, 60
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One of the hardest things after treatment is not knowing what happens next. "Because
the doctors and nurses never told me the range of what to expect, I had
expectations of wellness that were absolutely unrealistic," one woman
said, "and so did my family and friends. This . . . led to a great deal of
worry."
What is "normal" after cancer treatment? Those who have lived through treatment
talk about the first few months as a time of change. It is not so much "getting
back to normal" as it is finding out what is normal for you now. You can also
expect things to keep changing as you begin your recovery. As one man put it, "I
thought when I had finished treatment--when they looked at my tests and they
said it looked good--I thought, 'OK, this is done'. . . [but] it is not over."
Your new "normal" may include making changes in the way you eat, the activities
you do, and your sources of support, all of which are discussed in this
document.
The information in this document is designed mainly for cancer survivors who
have recently completed their cancer treatment, but you may find the
information helpful even if you were treated a long time ago. The purpose of
this document is to give cancer survivors and their loved ones a better idea of
what to expect during the first few months after treatment ends. It covers what
may happen with:
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Your medical care
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Your body
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Your mind and your feelings
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Your social relationships
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Practical matters such as job and insurance issues
As you'll see, this document talks about many concerns of those who have been
through cancer treatment and offers suggestions that have helped others move
forward. As you read, you may find yourself saying, "That's just how I feel."
Although this document describes issues that are important to many survivors,
each person has a unique response to having cancer. While some of the issues
covered in this document may reflect your experience well, other issues may not
concern you. Focus on finding what works for you. The information in this
document is not intended to be all-inclusive. Resources are provided if you
need more information on a given topic or one that is not included. We
encourage you to be active in getting the information and support you need.
We use two symbols to help you find your way through this information:
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means that this section discusses medical approaches to addressing this problem.
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means that this section has helpful hints.
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Keep in Mind
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In this document, the term cancer survivor is used to include anyone who has
been diagnosed with cancer, from the time of diagnosis through the rest of his
or her life. You may not like the word, or you may feel that it does not apply
to you, but the word survivor helps many people think about embracing their
lives beyond their illness.
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