What are the most common feelings after a cancer diagnosis?
Cancer is a disease that destroys your physical and mental health. As soon as you are diagnosed with cancer your life changes totally. So, what are the most common feelings faced by cancer patients after a cancer diagnosis?
According to the world health organization, Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide with an estimated 14.1 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths.
People who are suffering from or diagnosed with cancer often struggle with intense feelings of fear, stress, and anxiety. These emotions negatively impact the sufferer's quality of life. As a person’s life is interrupted by panic and anxiety, relationships may suffer, and a career can also be affected. It is a disease that often involves a series of losses, such as the loss of good health, temporary or permanent changes to your appearance, not being able to work or participate in normal activities, changed finances, a loss of independence, changed relationships, and change even in yourself. It is quite common to react to these changes, but it usually takes some time to adjust. From this, it is clear that people who have cancer may find the physical, emotional, and social effects of the disease to be stressful.
Common Feelings that you face after a cancer diagnosis
The common feeling you face if diagnosed with cancer are:
Shock and disbelief
Fear and anxiety
Panic attacks
Anger or guilt
Loneliness
Loss of control
Sadness
Shock and disbelief
The primary response to a disease analysis is in many cases shock. Some of the common feelings of shock are:
You might feel numb
Unable to believe what’s going on
Unable to express what you feel
Not being able to understand anything.
Want to listen to the same information repeated to you
Due to these reasons, it may take time some time to accept that you have cancer, especially if you have no feeling of sickness. Just try to understand the condition with a calm mind and if you don’t feel well for a long time, just try to talk to your specialist and care team about how you are feeling.
Fear and anxiety
In times of stress, your body releases adrenaline, in this situation your heart might beat faster, your blood pressure often goes up, your breathing can become shallow and rapid, your hands may get sweaty, and your mouth can also go dry. These natural reactions of the body to respond to danger, allow people to react quickly to a sudden threat. For most people, these feelings settle after some time, but for others, they make you irritable and short-tempered and change the way you think.
Cancer treatments are greatly improved in the last few years, but it is still frightening to hear the word “cancer”. It’s natural to worry about the treatment because of its side effects, test results, and long-term outcome. Most people can cope better when they learn more about the diagnosis and treatment options, and then develop a plan according to the situation for how they will manage the practical issues. But for some period before a treatment can be particularly fearful, but as soon as treatment starts you might feel calmer.
Panic attacks
Anxiety or fear can lead to panic attacks sometimes. This will happen in a particular situation, such as having a medical test or before a medical procedure, or after therapies but sometimes there is no clear trigger.
It happens suddenly and is very alarming. Shortness of breath, racing heartbeat, dizziness, sweating, shaking, chest pain, a choking feeling, and overwhelming fear is its most common symptoms. Some people just want to escape even if there is no physical threat or danger. In a panic attack, these feelings may be intense, but they will normally peak and pass within a few seconds or minutes. But severe attacks also lead to heart attacks and other serious health conditions.
Anger or guilt
When you are diagnosed with cancer, it is common to ask, “Why me?” You might feel irritated with your family, friends, doctors, or even yourself, especially if the disease is diagnosed late. Cancer often does not cause any symptoms in the early stages, or it may cause normal symptoms that you can’t even notice. Because it takes some time to get a diagnosis. You may know some of the risk factors for cancer, but you may never have a clear answer whether you have it or not.
People with cancer often say that their main concern is for their family because they feel guilty for putting them through such a stressful situation.
Loneliness
In cancer, you might feel lonely if your family and friends have difficulty understanding and coping with your diagnosis or if you are too sick to work, socialize with your friends or enjoy your usual activities. Our aligned community at The Deep Center can be a big help.
Loss of control
Being told you have cancer can be overwhelming, and you may feel that your emotions are difficult to control. It may also seem that you are losing control of your life because you feel helpless or powerless. This can be more difficult, especially if you are independent or are the one who takes care of everyone else.
Sadness
Feeling sad after a cancer diagnosis is normal because it is a natural response to misfortune and disappointment. You may be grieving the way cancer has changed your life, your body, and your future. The feeling of sadness is normal, but if you cannot get over these feelings within two or three weeks, we say that you probably suffer from depression.
Feeling blue in life is normal, but as soon as you are diagnosed with a disease, it changes your life. People experience different emotions after a cancer diagnosis. This may be when they first find out that they are suffering from cancer or at various times during and after treatment. It might feel like you’re on a roller-coaster of emotions. You may experience times of distress and a different range of strong emotions, such as disbelief, fear, anxiety, anger, and sadness. These feelings not only destroy your physical health but your mental health too. So, if you are suffering from any of the above conditions, just try to find a solution to restore your peace of mind.
Remember: this post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.