The Emotional Impact of a Cancer Diagnosis An Educational Guide for Patients on Coping Introduction When you are told you have cancer, you may feel scared, uncertain, worried, or angry. You may feel numb or confused. You may have trouble listening to, understanding, or remembering what people tell you during this time. This is especially true when you first learn of the diagnosis. It is not uncommon for people to shut down mentally once they hear the word "cancer”. There is nothing fair about cancer and no one deserves to have it. Accepting the diagnosis and figuring out how cancer fits into your life is challenging. As you face and cope with the many demands of cancer, you may look more closely at your personal and family values, your religious beliefs, and what's most important in your life. This can help you figure out how you want to handle the situation. After you are diagnosed with cancer, you may feel shock, disbelief, fear, anxiety, guilt, sadness, grief, depression, and anger. Each person may have some or all of these feelings, and each will handle them in a different way. No one way of coping is better than another. One of your first emotions may well be shock, because no one is ever ready to hear that they have cancer. It’s normal for people with cancer to wonder why it happened to them or to think life has treated them unfairly. You may not even believe the diagnosis, especially if you don't feel sick. You may feel afraid. Some people fear cancer itself, while others may be afraid of cancer treatments and wonder how they will get through the process. You may feel guilty. You may ask yourself if you could have noticed your symptoms earlier or wonder what you've done that may have caused the cancer. You may wonder if you were exposed to something at home or work that led to cancer. Or you may worry that other members of your family will also get cancer. Some cancer is hereditary, passed from parent to child, and an appointment with a genetic counselor can help you figure this out for your family. You may feel hopeless or sad if you see cancer and the suggested treatment plan getting in the way of leading a normal life. Just thinking about treatment and the time it will take out of your life can seem overwhelming. You might feel angry. While some people may not outwardly express their anger and frustration, others may direct their anger toward family members, friends, or health care professionals. This is usually not done on purpose. You are probably only trying to vent your feelings, so let people know that you are not angry with them and that it is not their fault. Also let them know that you don't expect them to solve your problems -- you just want/need someone to listen. Talking about your feelings can be helpful. Your reactions may be affected by a prior Coping with Cancer
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