i just read an amazing article posted by the group, choose hope. the title of the article is " for patients fighting cancer, PTSD, is one more battle." the article went on to say that " new research shows that at least 20% of patients develop PTSD within six months of a cancer diagnosis. this is a rate similar to that of combat veterans."
wow! i personally think, and i do not have any concrete research to back this up, that the percentage is much higher than this. i feel this way, not only because i myself have been struggling with PTSD, but several other cancer patients that i know have had similar problems with PTSD. what we desperately need is a holistic treatment for cancer. we have great surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, and other health care professionals in this country. but we are lacking in mental health services for cancer patients. in canada, there is a more holistic approach to cancer treatment. almost every cancer patient has the option to see a therapist who is trained to deal with PTSD. the article in choose hope said that while this service is available, not every cancer patient in canada chose to accept it. even when holistic care is offered, there is still a stigma associated with needing care for mental health issues.
the above mentioned article, listed several examples of cancer patients with PTSD who have benefited from various treatments for anxiety and depression. one patient is a thyroid cancer patient, who has been dealing with the effects from having her thyroid removed due to cancer, for most of her adult life. so many things tag along with the big C. not only PTSD, but weight gain or loss, being on medications- sometimes for life- and dealing with the side effects of the very medications that keep us alive and functioning, just to mention a few cancer hanger-ons.
for me, the big deal is A N X I E T Y. i am not a depressed person, but boy, oh, boy, am i an anxious one. testing anxiety, and the fear of recurrence are forever in the rear view mirror of my life. unless it is a testing day, i can pretty much control my anxiety during the daylight hours. but come evening and bedtime- well, it is another story. i worry about my family should something happen to me, although i know that they would be fine. and every lump, bump, nauseous feeling or fever takes on tremendous proportions during the night hours. i bet at this point, you are marking me off your " would like to have a pj party at her house" list. i am certainly not perfect, but i am trying to feel more at ease. i know basically what to do to feel better. i am involved with crafts ( beeswax candle making to be exact), i am walking some ( exercise is so good for mental health as well as fitness), and i am on the waiting list for a Tai Chi class. i have been wanting to take Tai Chi for some time, but had been unable to find a class. this one, the one i am on the waiting list for, is offered at our local senior center. yes, i swallowed my pride, age is just a number-ha, and called the center. seems like there are lots of enlightened seniors that have beat me to the punch. but i am on the waiting list, as i said.
one of the other ways to treat PTSD is talk therapy. this has been the hardest subject to broach for me. i know it is not shameful to need some mental health counseling, but i have not been able to make myself do it. there i said it. ( or i wrote it) . out loud. talk therapy is said to be as effective as medication, when it comes to treating depression and anxiety. perhaps i can make some progress on this in the near future. i said i was not perfect. remember?
so, we cancer patients have been beat up and battered around. we really do need to be handled with some care. we are facing so much more than just surgery, chemo, and radiation. it is our life at stake here, and we need not only to take the best care of ourselves that we can, but we need for our families and friends to understand what we are going through and be supportive. think of humpty dumpty. when he fell off that wall, he had many pieces that needed to be put back in place. i know that he did not get reassembled, so to speak, but i do believe that with the right holistic care, cancer patients can put back most of the pieces.
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