William Penn Life, 2004 (39. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-08-01 / 8. szám
Living each day with cancer How to face the challenge of living a life changed by cancer from the National Cancer Institute Cancer is a major illness, but not everyone who gets cancer will die from it. Close to 10 million Americans alive today have a history of cancer. For them, cancer has become a chronic (on-going) health problem, like high blood pressure or diabetes. This article is written for those who have cancer. But, its message is just as important for those with a loved one battling cancer and--indeed--for all of us, since we, too, may one day have to deal with cancer in our own lives or the life of a loved one. Living each day Is living with cancer the biggest challenge you could ever face? For most people, it is. Dealing with cancer and facing thoughts of death is a lifechanging event for most people. "My cancer made me take a closer look at how I spend my days," said one cancer patient. "Realizing that they might be limited, I was determined to make them as good as possible. I vowed to use my time in ways that were good for me or brought me pleasure." Try to live each day as normally as you can. Enjoy the simple things you like to do such as petting your cat or watching a sunset. Take pleasure in big events such as a friend's wedding or your grandson's high school graduation. Keeping up with your daily routine If you feel well enough, keep up with your daily routine. This includes going to work, spending time with family and friends, taking part in hobbies, and even going on trips. At the same time, give yourself time to be with your feelings about cancer. Also, be careful about acting cheerful when you are not. Avoiding your feelings may make you feel worse, not better. Use these questions to think about how you want to spend your time. • Who do I like to be with? • Who makes me laugh? • Fiow do I want to spend my time? • What makes me feel happy? • What types of things do I enjoy the most? The least? • Is there something I want to do that I've never tried? Fun, physical activities Sometimes people with cancer try new, fun things that they have never done before. For instance, have you always wanted to ride in a hot air balloon or go deep-sea fishing? What fun things have you always wanted to try, but have never taken the time to do? A young woman with cancer put it this way: "Too often we patients fill up our lives with meaningful activities and neglect the frivolous outlets that keep us sane." Try to do something just for fun, not because you have to do it. But be careful not to tire yourself out. Some people get depressed when they are too tired. Make sure to get enough rest so you feel strong and can enjoy these fun activities. Many people find they have more energy when they take part in physical activities such as swimming, walking, yoga, and biking. They find that these types of activities help them keep strong and make them feel good. A bit of exercise everyday improves your chances of feeling better and keeps your muscles toned. It speeds your healing, controls stress and helps free your mind of bad thoughts. Éven if you have never done physical activities before, you can start now. Choose something you think you'd like to do, and get your doctor's okay to try it. You can do some exercises even if you have to stay in bed. Start slowly, doing an activity for just five or 10 minutes a day. When you feel strong enough, you can slowly increase this time to 30 minutes or more. Let your doctors and 6 Williu Pen Life, August 2004
