Coping with Cancer 

Having cancer is hard and has both physical and emotional effects. It can bring up feelings like fear, sadness and despair. Cancer symptoms and treatment side effects cause sickness and fatigue. This can make it harder or impossible to engage in some activities. Plus, when one person has cancer, it affects their family members and friends. 

Three keys to coping well with cancer are working with your providers, focusing on self-care and seeking support. These keys will help during any stage of cancer, from diagnosis and treatment to remission and recurrence. 

Work with your providers 

• Take an active role in your treatment Ask your providers any questions you have. Tell them how you feel (physically, mentally and emotionally). This will help them give you the care you need. It will also help them refer you to the right specialty providers. 
  
• Follow your treatment plan As time goes on, let your providers know how it is working for you. Also tell them if you are having trouble following it. They may be able to adjust it or help you follow it. 
  
• If you have an advance directive, tell your providers An advance directive is a list of healthcare decisions you make for yourself to be followed if you can no longer make decisions for yourself due to illness. If you have an advance directive, let your providers know about it. Learn how to create an advance directive.
  

Focus on self-care 

• Choose a healthy lifestyle It is always important to eat well, get enough sleep and exercise. But it is especially important when you have a serious illness. Taking good care of yourself in these ways can really help you feel better physically, mentally and emotionally. 
  
• Look your best Having cancer can change your body and appearance. Treatments like chemotherapy can cause hair loss. Some surgeries can result in breast loss. How you look affects how you feel. Wearing wigs and breast prostheses can help you both look and feel more like yourself. 
  
• Nurture your relationships Part of self-care is bonding with people you care about and who care about you. Spend quality time with family members and get together with friends. Let your spouse/partner know how you feel and what you need. A health crisis like cancer can actually bring you closer to those you love.
  

Seek support 

• Tell people how you feel While talking about your feelings can be hard, it can also help you feel better. You can talk with your partner, family members and friends. You can also talk to a therapist. 
  
  • HPSM covers outpatient psychotherapy 
    
• Let people help you Even if you have cancer, you may still be able to do many activities yourself. But you may also need others to be your caretakers. They may need to help with your medical needs. You may need them to do housework or run errands. It is important to ask for help and accept help when you need it. 
  
  • People with cancer may qualify for Long-Term Services & Supports or In-Home Supportive Services 
    
• Tell people what you need Be specific about what kind of support you need. For example, if you feel down, you may need someone to listen to you. Or you may need someone to go grocery shopping. Be direct so people know how they can help you. 
  
  • You may qualify for no-cost round-trip transportation to approved health care visits 
    

Support resources for cancer patients

HPSM resources

Local resources

National resources

Caregiver support resources

More about breast cancer

Back to the main breast cancer information page