10 Things People with Cancer Want You to Know
Fighting cancer is hard on so many levels and for all people involved. Patients are fighting for their lives. Their friends and loved ones often want to so much to help, but are afraid of doing too much or too little. They don't know if they should push to help more, or even how they can help. Others are so afraid for you, for them, that they just back off. Not because they don't care, but because of their own ignorance or fear. Following are 10 things people with cancer want their friends and loved ones without cancer to know:
Choosing where you'll go for cancer treatment is a huge and complicated decision for many cancer patients and their families. Those who are newly diagnosed can be so overwhelmed, it's hard to know where to begin when making this important choice. Cancer centers want to care for you, but you want to know that you're selecting the best place that meets your individual needs. We asked our network of cancer fighters what they love most about their own cancer centers and what makes them a great partner. Here's what they had to say:
Once you get hit with a cancer diagnosis, you have to figure out the best strategy for financing it as well as for fighting it. Even if you do have health insurance, and especially if you don’t, costs for treatment and other practical issues can be beyond overwhelming. The good news is that there are a lot of resources that can help. Following are some helpful ideas and resources:
There are several amazing organizations that will clean the homes of cancer patients FREE of charge. Regardless of geographic area served, all of these amazing groups partner with licensed & bonded professional cleaning services to clean the homes of cancer patients. Listed below are the different groups that I know of so far. As always, if you know of any other organization that provides free house cleaning to cancer patients, please email me at robyn@cancerhawk.com OR post the info here...
You've been hit with a cancer diagnosis, told that you'll need to undergo chemotherapy and/or radiation and that you need to do your best to maintain proper nutrition and a healthy weight. It's not always so easy to accomplish. We asked the WhatNext network to share the foods, drinks and tips (and some tasty treats!) that helped them to get through treatment. Here's what they offered up:
Many chemotherapy drugs are derived from plants. It is no surprise that herbal dietary supplements are often promoted as cancer cures although few have actually been studied as drugs. Turmeric is an exception, having been extensively studied as an anticancer supplement.
Most people have had those times when it's been, um, tough to "go." But for people dealing with cancer treatments, constipation can become more of a regular occurrence. We turned to some experts on cancer and constipation - people who've been through it, to see what worked for them. Here are their tips:
Hair loss resulting from chemo is traumatic for most women and men. From itchy scalps to wigs and scarves, it's hard to figure out what will make you feel most comfortable as you deal with the loss of your hair...and not being sure exactly how your hair will look when it does return. To get some insight from those who have been through it, we asked the WhatNext network how they dealt with their hair loss. Here's what they had to say:
Adding greens to your diet is easy, and your body will thank you for it with increased energy, more balanced moods, faster healing from trauma, and fighting or preventing disease. If you do nothing else – just get those greens in on a daily basis, if possible. Make a greens salad, steam greens or sauté kale, collards or spinach with a little olive oil, sea salt and garlic. Or try this simple and yummy recipe from Kicking Cancer in the Kitchen: The Girlfriend’s Cookbook and Guide to Using Real Food to Fight Cancer.
