If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, know that you are not alone. There are many people who have been through this experience and have found ways to cope.

How To Cope With A Breast Cancer Diagnosis

A breast cancer diagnosis, in particular, is an overwhelming experience. And there’s no denying that coping is harder. Your thoughts and emotions are all over the place. You may struggle emotionally. Or you may try to be practical about it and focus on its treatment or other decisions.

A breast cancer diagnosis can be a very difficult time. Learn about how to cope with the emotional and physical challenges of breast cancer, and how to find support.

Introduction

According to a study, nearly one-third of cancer patients suffer from psychological problems, with young people and women at a higher risk than others. Womanhood, health status, job situation, living with uncertainty, roles in the family, and the risk of death are reportedly common concerns among patients<a href="#accordion">[1]</a>.

There is no one or right way to feel about a <a href="https://merisehat.pk/disease/breast-cancer">cancer diagnosis</a>. Stunned, frightened, sad, or angry &ndash; whatever you feel is normal. Here are some tips to help you deal with your diagnosis. 
&nbsp;

Understanding The Emotional Dilemma

The emotional part of the process may imitate the five stages of grief identified by Elisabeth Kubler-Rose in 1969<a href="#accordion">[2]</a>. These include: 
&nbsp;

<ol>
	<li>
	<h5>Denial</h5>
	</li>
</ol>

The news of being diagnosed with a serious, life-threatening disease like cancer can leave you reeling from shock and disbelief. You&rsquo;re numb. &ldquo;Is it really happening to me?&rdquo; Because this is not how you envision your life. So, you&rsquo;ll deny that the event is actually happening until, you know, you feel you can handle it. 
&nbsp;

While denial makes it easy for you to survive or endure the first few days post your diagnosis, it can delay treatment if you&rsquo;re stuck in that phase for an extended time.

If you feel numb and in shock for a long time such that your mind resists treatment, make sure to inform your doctor. 
&nbsp;

<ol start="2">
	<li>
	<h5>Anger</h5>
	</li>
</ol>

Anger is not just &lsquo;normal&rsquo; but also necessary to proceed to treatment. The emotion may stem from the fact that you don&rsquo;t feel in control of your life any longer.

You may also be triggered if you feel your family and friends are not reacting to the &lsquo;news&rsquo; the way you wanted them. &ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t fair!&rdquo; Further, you feel betrayed if you come to know about your genetic predisposition. &ldquo;Why me?&rdquo;

It&rsquo;s also easier if you&rsquo;re a man to be angry than to express that you&rsquo;re afraid or sad.

While anger can be healthy in some instances, you should consider getting in touch with a doctor or therapist to help you process it if you&rsquo;re angry all the time. Especially at things that did not make you angry.

It&rsquo;s also essential to seek professional help if you feel that you&rsquo;re holding onto anger and are unable to release it safely; otherwise, it may cause depression. 
&nbsp;

<ol start="3">
	<li>
	<h5>Bargaining</h5>
	</li>
</ol>

The &ldquo;if-only&rdquo; part you experience after being diagnosed with breast cancer. &ldquo;I should have&hellip;&rdquo; You are trying to get back some control. You&rsquo;d believe anything that suggests you could have prevented cancer diagnosis.

The what-ifs and could-haves only induce more anxiety. Stop doing that to yourself. Focus and live in the moment. 
&nbsp;

<ol start="4">
	<li>
	<h5>Sadness And Depression</h5>
	</li>
</ol>

With the diagnosis, you feel the loss of a life you could have lived without cancer. You feel hopeless and you feel like crying more than you usually do. You have trouble sleeping. There&rsquo;s a significant drop in energy. You may withdraw from family and friends, too.

Your depression comes from helplessness. But it may also be from guilt &ndash; from needing help from your loved ones, from not being available for your loved ones, from the financial burden of your treatment that your loved ones have to bear, etc. &ldquo;Why should I get treatment if I die anyway?&rdquo;

Note: Depression is a serious issue. Inform your doctors if you spot these signs and symptoms. They&rsquo;ll be in a better position to help you. 
&nbsp;

<ol start="5">
	<li>
	<h5>Acceptance</h5>
	</li>
</ol>

No one is suggesting that it&rsquo;s okay to have breast cancer. What acceptance here means is to acknowledge this new reality. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have to let cancer define me.&rdquo;

What&rsquo;s more, acceptance doesn&rsquo;t mean you&rsquo;re over your feelings of denial, anger, sadness, and fear. No. It only helps you make better decisions while experiencing all your emotions at any point. It&rsquo;s like your inner strength. You hope for the treatment to make you better and you resolve to overcome cancer. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to get the help and I&rsquo;m going to fight for my life!&rdquo; 
&nbsp;

Note: It&rsquo;s important to mention that they don&rsquo;t occur in a specific order or for a specific time. Also, understandably, not everyone reacts to their diagnosis in this manner. If you experience these emotions, embrace them. And if you don&rsquo;t experience these emotions, accept that as well. 
&nbsp;

Nothing &ndash; I repeat, nothing &ndash; can undermine how you feel currently. But if you&rsquo;re unsure what to do next, here are some things you can do to cope with your diagnosis: 
&nbsp;

<ol>
	<li>
	<h5>Get All Your Facts</h5>
	</li>
</ol>

Got any questions? Ask them all, without hesitation, when you visit your doctor.

<ul>
	<li>Where is the cancer?</li>
	<li>Has it spread?</li>
	<li>What are my treatment options?</li>
	<li>What are my chances of getting cured?</li>
	<li>What are the side effects of my treatment?</li>
	<li>What should I expect during my treatment?</li>
	<li>What can I do to prevent it from recurring?</li>
	<li>Is it a genetic/family thing? Are my children at risk as well? 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

You can always note down to remember all the stuff your doctor tells you. But it&rsquo;s better to bring a family member or a friend to these appointments so they can understand the situation and help you along your journey.

If you think all this is too much information and would stress you out further, you should tell your doctor to stick to the basics only and skip/omit the details. 
&nbsp;

<ol start="2">
	<li>
	<h5>Anticipate Physical Changes</h5>
	</li>
</ol>

If you&rsquo;re mentally prepared for how your body will change due to breast cancer, you&rsquo;ll reduce how such changes affect you in the long term. Additionally, you&rsquo;ll adjust and adapt quickly accordingly. 
&nbsp;

Ask your doctor about any possible changes in your case specifically. E.g., will the medications cause hair loss? Will you be able to continue with your daily routine? Will you be spending more time in the hospital?

If your treatment means you cannot perform all your duties, like taking care of your pets, you can make due arrangements before your treatment begins.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

<ol start="3">
	<li>
	<h5>Anticipate Social Changes</h5>
	</li>
</ol>

Not all people around you may be aware of what it means to have breast cancer. You may come across many stigmas. E.g., your boss may doubt if you&rsquo;re healthy enough to complete your tasks. Your neighbor may not talk to you for fear of saying the wrong thing.

Determine how you deal with them. Don&rsquo;t be afraid to communicate or show your emotions. Cancer&rsquo;s no reason for you to feel alone. Get support. Your family and friends can help prepare meals or run other errands; they can even take you to your appointments so you won&rsquo;t miss them.

Allowing your loved one a way to help you during a difficult time can help you relieve stress. And if you&rsquo;re specific in the kind of support you need, like &ldquo;Can you shop for groceries this week?&rdquo; it will reduce frustration among you and your loved ones.

Remember, you&rsquo;re not alone. Don&rsquo;t isolate yourself. 
&nbsp;

<ol start="4">
	<li>
	<h5>Anticipate Financial Strain</h5>
	</li>
</ol>

After your diagnosis, you may not feel too confident about your future. Numerous expenses may crop up now and then &ndash; costs of medicines, traveling for treatment, etc.

Planning and organizing help ensure you don&rsquo;t stop completing or following up on your treatment plan. Talk to your doctor about your options. Talk to your insurance company to see what programs you qualify for. Talk to other survivors to know what to expect during treatment and how they dealt with these issues. 
&nbsp;

<ol start="5">
	<li>
	<h5>Prioritize Self-Care</h5>
	</li>
</ol>

Nothing can lift you like what you do for yourself. So, make sure you bring your A-game to win your fight against cancer.

<ul>
	<li>Find Ways To Relax. Meditation, painting, woodworking, or reading; whatever helps you unwind when you&rsquo;re worried.</li>
	<li>Be Kind To Yourself. Be as active as you can. Eat healthily.</li>
	<li>It&rsquo;s hard to deal with the fears of other people while you face your own. Say no to things you don&rsquo;t enjoy or stress you out. This applies even if others harbor no ill intentions and are trying to be empathetic in what they think is best.</li>
	<li>Journal to organize your thoughts.</li>
	<li>Go To A&nbsp;Counselor or join a support group if you want.</li>
	<li>List The Pros And Cons of each choice if you are unsure of which decision to take.</li>
	<li>Look Your Best. It&rsquo;ll automatically uplift your mood. Dressing or being intimate can cause complex emotions due to a mastectomy or lumpectomy. Indulge in wigs or breast prostheses. Trying different solutions can help you find what works for you.</li>
	<li>Share Your Feelings, especially with your spouse. Discuss how you feel about your body. Your needs to be comforted and reassured are valid. Let them know even if you don&rsquo;t want to be physically intimate.</li>
	<li>Inform Your Doctor about any changes you&rsquo;re feeling. Your doctor can help you understand what you&rsquo;re feeling and why you&rsquo;re feeling and also suggest appropriate referrals. 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Key Takeaways

<ul>
	<li>Cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming for many reasons.</li>
	<li>You mainly feel your life is out of control. Treatments and doctor visits disrupt your routine. You feel like you can&rsquo;t do things you enjoy.</li>
	<li>It also makes you unsure of the future and if you&rsquo;ll survive. As such, it&rsquo;s natural to feel afraid and panic.</li>
	<li>You&rsquo;re also naturally anxious about being in pain due to cancer itself or from treatment. Looking different is also a matter of concern.</li>
	<li>People using medical terms that you don&rsquo;t understand and friends and family members not meeting your expectations irritate you.</li>
	<li>You feel generally helpless, disabled, and lonely.</li>
	<li>Coping is a way to take charge of your life. Learn about your cancer. Don&rsquo;t be afraid to tell your doctor if you don&rsquo;t understand anything. Some of the fears are based on misinformation or rumors. Get your facts straight.</li>
	<li>Get professional help for anxiety and depression.</li>
	<li>You don&rsquo;t have to pretend to be ok. But you can accept the new circumstances and adjust to them. Acceptance doesn&rsquo;t mean you have to be positive all the time.</li>
	<li>Don&rsquo;t stop doing what you love - work or otherwise. 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

[1] Hajian S, Mehrabi E, Simbar M, Houshyari M. Coping strategies and experiences in women with a primary breast cancer diagnosis. Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP.

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