How To Comfort A Loving One Who Has Cancer
There aren't many harder things to cope with in life than realizing that someone you love was just diagnosed with cancer. Cancer is a very scary disease no matter what type of cancer it is, and it is common to be anxious and fearful about it. Keep reading this article to learn how to properly console a loved one when he or she is diagnosed with this terrible illness.
Try participating in treatments that will fight cancer instead of just allowing it to happen. Always stay involved in the situation, and pay attention to what is going on. Acting in this manner doe snot help you; however, a positive attitude will contribute to your victory over cancer.
You should do some research and learn more about the specific type of cancer your loved one is dealing with. Different types of cancer affect people differently, so educating yourself will allow you to know just what types of struggles your loved one is currently going through. This will make you more aware of what types of tasks they will have trouble with so that you can help them more in those areas, plus you will be able to talk to them more about what they are going through.
Getting plenty of sleep is extremely important when going through rigorous cancer treatments. Getting enough sleep will be vital for your body to be able to recover from cancer treatments. About seven hours of sleeping should be adequate and also an hour nap.
Cancer patients will sometimes feel lonely and understandably anxious when they travel to chemotherapy or other cancer treatments. Help them out by offering to go with them to their treatments. Being there with your loved one will relieve some of the stress and clear their mind a little bit. It also makes the time of the treatment go by faster if you are there talking with them during their chemotherapy.
If a loved one receives a diagnosis of cancer, make yourself available to them. Doing this can be hard sometimes, but the cancer victim you know really could use any chance they can to express their emotions. Try to listen without interjecting your ideas or opinions. Let your loved one have this time to simply release some of the difficult thoughts and sentiments he or she is struggling to deal with at this challenging time.
Don't just give moral support, give physical support too. Cancer patients are not as strong as healthy people so you can offer do to some housework for the patient. Let the patient know that it is important for them to rest and not exert themselves too much.
Carpool with a friend or loved one to doctor's offices, especially if you are undergoing chemo or other treatment for cancer. Let your friend drive so that you don't have to. Dealing with cancer could be rather exhausting, and the effects of certain treatments could limit your mobility as well as your reaction times. Just be cautious and have someone else drive.
If you and your loved one are religious or spiritual, you should use that as a source of strength. For example, you can say some prayers along with the patient. Sometimes doing so will relive the stress of the situation and make you and your loved one believe that everything will turn out alright.
Talk to them! If you do not feel as if you are getting enough support from your family and friends, approach the topic with them in a polite way. Just lay out the details about what you are going through and what type of help you need; the odds are excellent that they want to help you. Proceed with caution, however. Having cancer is tough. Make requests from a place of love, though. Don't have any regrets!
There are thousands if not millions of cancer survivor stories out there. Remind your friend about these stories, especially some of the more courageous ones. Perhaps bringing up an inspirational celebrity who is well-known for powering through cancer is a good way to talk about it.
Some clothing will not protect your skin adequately from the effects of harmful sun rays. One place to look for UV clothing, if you cannot purchase it locally, is on the Internet.
Cancer patients will often be going through a significant amount of physical pain so figure out how to help in that area. You can give them a massage yourself if you feel comfortable enough doing so, or you can just treat them to a relaxing day at the spa. These solutions are just temporary, but at least for a day you and your loved one will be relaxed and not have to worry so much about cancer.
One form of cancer that is commonly contracted is skin cancer caused by excessive exposure to the sun. Wear a hat when you go outside and be sure to use plenty of sunscreen.
It can be very difficult for both you and your loved one when they get cancer. However, there can also be a silver lining to the whole situation since it can allow you to bond more with your loved one. By helping out or just being a friend they can talk to, you can help them get through this rough time.
