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Mentally Coping

If you have lung cancer, the first order of business is to get appropriate treatment under way. But don't underestimate the importance of your feelings.

Normal Feelings About Lung Cancer

  • Shock
  • Devastation
  • Anger
  • Depression
  • Frustration
  • Guilt

Fear Facts

  • It is very important that you give yourself permission to feel and express your fear.
  • Fear and anxiety are normal.
  • Too much fear and anxiety may stop you from taking care of yourself.
  • The fears may be worse than the reality.
  • You may help yourself overcome fear by connecting with others.

"What About My Future?"

It’s a natural reaction to worry about your future: Will you die? What will happen to your family? It’s also natural to want to know your prognosis, so you can continue to live your life as normally as possible or to make plans for whatever lies ahead. Your prognosis, which may change over time, depends on such factors as:
  • Type of lung cancer
  • How far lung cancer has spread
  • How aggressive the tumor is
  • Your age and overall health
  • The treatment you receive
Remember that even the prognosis your doctor gives—after considering your individual circumstances—is really just an educated guess. No matter what the survival statistics for lung cancer are, no one can truly predict how you will respond to a given therapy (see Looking at Cancer Survival).

Looking at Cancer Survival

  • There are more than 8 million cancer survivors in America today.
  • Many therapies are now available to treat lung cancer, and more are being introduced.
  • While doctors can cite American Cancer Society statistics on survival time for a specific cancer, they cannot predict outcomes for individual patients. As Dr. Susan Love, a well-known cancer surgeon has written, "There are patients who, according to the statistics, should die in four months and they live four years. . . ."

Coping With Stress

For some people, the emotional upset they experience after cancer diagnosis and treatment will decrease over time. Until then, here are some actions that you can take to help yourself cope:
  • Talk to your family and friends. Help them understand how they can help you.
  • Talk to your clergy.
  • Consider getting professional mental health assistance.
  • Join a cancer support or self-help group (see Is a Survivor’s Group Right For Me?, Virtual Support, and Choosing a Support Group).
  • Learn to pace yourself. Don't try to be a superhero. Stop before you get tired.
  • Take time for activities you enjoy.
  • Try relaxation exercises, including meditation, self-hypnosis, or yoga. These activities can help alleviate anxiety, insomnia, and pain by relieving muscle tension and providing a calm, contemplative emotional state.

More Coping Tips

  • Be kind to yourself.
  • Say "no" to others when you need to.
  • Help others by reaching out.
  • Try not to be too stubborn in disagreements.
  • Try to laugh every day.
  • Keep a journal. The process of writing down your feelings and experiences can be therapeutic.

Is a Survivors' Group Right for Me?

To help yourself decide if joining a survivors' group would be right for you, answer these questions:
  • Do I enjoy being part of a group?
  • Am I comfortable sharing my feelings with others who are in a similar situation?
  • Do I have helpful information to share with others?
  • Could I benefit from the advice of others who have gone through cancer treatment?
If your answer to these questions is "yes," you may benefit from belonging to a survivors' group. To find out about groups in your area, contact:
  • Alliance for Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support, and Education (ALCASE) at 1-800-298-2436

  • The American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345

  • The Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER

Virtual Support

If you are not the kind of person who likes to join groups, or if your cancer therapy and its side effects are keeping you close to home, an alternative to in-person support groups is available—a virtual group. There are now many online forums in which you can "chat" with other people who have lung cancer. Here are just a few places you can find online groups:

Choosing a Support Group

  • Decide how often you want to meet with others.
  • Think about whether or not you want to talk to the same group each time.
  • Determine the size group in which you will be most comfortable.
  • Identify the group's focus—a group of people with lung cancer may be more useful or offer more support for you than a group that deals with general cancer issues or various types of cancer.
By visiting this Web site, you've taken a step in learning how to fight your lung cancer. As your treatment takes place over a period of weeks or months, you may have more questions. Please visit the following topics throughout our Web site for additional information:

About Lung Cancer
Coping With Cancer
Diet & Chemotherapy
Money Matters
For the Caregiver

For additional information about resources for coping with lung cancer, visit:

http://www.lungcanceronline.org

Additional Resources

Lung Cancer: Making Sense of Diagnosis,
Treatment & Options
Lorraine Johnston
O’Reilly & Associates, Inc.
ISBN: 0-596-500002-5, 511 pages
2001

Lung Cancer
Frank V. Fossella, Ritsuko Komaki, and
Joe B. Putnam, Jr. (editors)
Springer
ISBN: 0-387-95507-0, 316 pages
2003