Finding out that you have cancer is tough. The news can be shocking and upsetting and may have left you with many more questions than answers. Whether you want it to or not, it will change your life.
Keep reading to find real answers about all kinds of lifestyle stuff, from partying and drug use to depression. It’s about to get real.
Cancer feels like an emotional roller coaster.
After receiving your diagnosis, it is normal to feel very emotional or even look for outlets for your pain or frustration.
Click here for questions and answers about depression
Eating Disorders
A cancer diagnosis can leave you feeling helpless and out of control and without even thinking, you may look for ways to reclaim control of your life. Some cancer patients may turn to food as a source of control, especially if they have suffered from eating disorders in the past.
Eating disorders are tricky because it can be tough to recognize that you aren’t eating right. It can often be easier to chalk up your way of eating or weight loss to “dieting” or just not feeling hungry.
The specific diet and nutrition guidelines from the Cancer Institute team are important to keep your body and immune system as healthy as possible before, during and after treatment.
Click here for questions and answers about eating disorders
Cancer and Drugs
Getting the news that you have cancer can be really hard. You probably feel confused, angry, and overwhelmed with questions. Your emotional and physical pain may cause you to want to turn to a drug you’ve never taken before, return to a drug you used to take or cause you to continue using a drug that you’ve been taking. While you may want to give in to drugs for relief or escape, it’s important that you stay as healthy as possible during this time and avoid drug use. Below are some of the most common questions our patients ask about using drugs while undergoing cancer treatment.
Click here for questions and answers about drugs and your body
Cancer and Drinking
Being diagnosed with cancer is tough. You probably feel confused, angry and overwhelmed with questions. You may turn to drinking alcohol to help relieve the physical and emotional pain that you experience or may want to continue drinking with friends as you’ve done in the past.
Click here for questions and answers about drinking and your body