Starting out, it’s understandable that you might feel overwhelmed when thinking about what comes next— what you’d like to do with family and friends, your responsibilities, and your future. There might even be times when you question what you can or should be doing as a cancer survivor, as well as what you should avoid. And, of course, you might be concerned about cancer recurrence.
Free Guidebook:
Life as a Cancer Survivor
Download our FREE Cancer Survivorship Guidebook! Take the information in this section with you to read or share with friends and family.
Adjusting to the New Normal of Cancer Survivorship
At Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers (RMCC), we understand that transitioning from cancer patient to cancer survivor can be quite an adjustment.
During treatment, your RMCC cancer care team was there with you, making it much more convenient to ask questions about how you’re feeling and what’s normal. Now that treatment is over, these opportunities are less frequent, which could leave you feeling anxious as you adapt to what your new “normal” should feel like. If you start to feel different or have new side effects, we encourage you to reach out to your primary care physician or oncologist. We also encourage you to attend all of your follow-up appointments so we can keep an eye on both your mental and physical health.
Of course, the number one question on the minds of most every cancer survivor is: will my cancer come back? Unfortunately, there is no definite way of knowing this. Therefore, we hope you will focus less on the unknowns and more on practical concerns, such as:
- How will you transition back into your pre-cancer roles/responsibilities within the immediate family?
- Will you go back to your old job or find a new one? If so, will it be full-time or part-time?
- How will you deal with friends or co-workers who may not know exactly how to treat you?
- What can you do to make healthy choices regarding nutrition, physical activity, and mental health self-care a priority?
- What can you do to keep post-cancer depression and anxiety at bay?
- Are there any post-cancer financial concerns that I need to take care of? If so, how?
Cancer Treatment Experiences Shared By Our Patients
