Coping with Mesothelioma

_______________________________________________________________________________

If you, or someone you know has been diagnosed with, or thinks that they might have mesothelioma cancer, it is often daunting and can be difficult to know where to seek help.  However, you are not alone: there are organizations and doctors who can help.  Coping with mesothelioma means that you need a system of support.  You will need to become a master at developing emotional, physical, social, and financial coping strategies to help you deal most effectively with your disease.

Different Types and Sources of Mesothelioma Support

There are different categories of support.  First and foremost do not underestimate the importance of support from family and friends.  Human connections in difficult times become even more important and precious, especially with people with whom you are close. 

You may want to consider counseling, whether individual, couples or family, as a way to help deal with emotions like anger, sadness, depression, or concern about the future. Counseling can also help communications among family members.

Not only the mesothelioma patients require help coping with this disease.  The patient's family members and friends also require help to effectively deal with this menace. 

Another way of providing mesothelioma help is to create awareness about the evil affects of asbestos, the root cause of mesothelioma.  Alternatively donating for asbestos research and mesothelioma cancer research is a way of helping this cause.

Researchers are beginning to investigate therapies that may alleviate stress and correspondingly improve immune response. Most of these therapies are considered complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

Mind-body interventions, a type of CAM, are often used to address stress issues.  These techniques claim to alter a patient's mental state and create a corresponding shift in their physical body. Examples of mind-body interventions include meditation, music therapy, and laughter.

Speaking of laughter, numerous researchers claim that laughter has health-related benefits.  Indeed, studies done by Dr. Lee S. Berk, a pioneer in eustress, the field of positive lifestyle behaviors, show that mirthful laughter is good for the body because it can stimulate the immune system and make it more effective in fighting illnesses.

Not only this, but humor and laughter can foster a positive and hopeful attitude.  That is, we are less likely to succumb to feelings of depression and helplessness if we are able to laugh at what is troubling us.  Humor also gives us a sense of perspective on our problems.  Finally, laughter provides an opportunity for the release of those uncomfortable emotions which, if held inside, may create biochemical changes that are harmful to the body.

Types of Coping

When you learn that you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, your first inclination will probably be that your “normal” life is about to change, and in many respects, this may be true.  You will have to come to terms with your diagnosis and then inform family and friends.  There will be treatment decisions to make, appointments to keep, and medical bills to pay.

Your usual routines will probably become disrupted or totally changed.  How well you successfully manage or cope with these difficulties will probably be one of the most important steps you will take in sustaining a positive attitude about your disease and about your life.

Emotional Coping

When you are facing a serious illness, your emotions can play an important role in how you feel about life, and these emotions can extend to your family and friends as well.  You can minimize the impact by understanding that your feelings are normal, and then by moving ahead and becoming proactive in your treatment and care.

Each individual may react differently when they find out they have mesothelioma, and may experience a range of emotions such as shock, disbelief, fear, anxiety, guilt, sadness, depression and anger.

Physical Coping

Many people think of coping as only an emotional process, but dealing with treatment regimens and their potential side effects, as well as quality of life concerns must also be addressed.  While you can’t control the fact that you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you can learn to minimize its effects on your health and wellness.

Part of physical coping process is the management of the pain that is usually associated with mesothelioma cancer.  In fact, it is important to realize that mesothelioma pain can weaken your ability to fight your cancer.  

If your pain is severe, your appetite will usually decrease.  Therefore, you may not be receiving sufficient nutrition to maintain energy, which, in turn, can lead to exhaustion and feelings of sadness and depression.

As this cycle continues, a person is worn down gradually, may become more vulnerable to infection, and the ability to withstand necessary cancer treatments may lessen.  For more information about managing mesothelioma pain, please click here

Financial Coping

Serious illnesses like mesothelioma can deplete your life savings quickly. Most cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation can be costly, and because of the rarity of mesothelioma, you may feel you want to travel to a specialist for a second opinion or for treatments not available in your local area.

By being aware of the financial resources available, including compensation from the asbestos industry, you can help ease the stress on yourself and your family and, in turn, maintain control over your life.

Coping Strategies

Know About Your Illness

Ask your doctor to explain about Mesothelioma.  If your primary physician is not a specialist, ask about a referral to someone who is.  Find out the type and stage of your illness, as well as what treatment options will be available to you.  You may also wish to research on your own through your local library or the Internet.  All of these suggestions really point to the importance of educating yourself about this disease.  Stated differently, the more extensively you arm yourself with  "mesothelioma education," the more options for positive outcomes you will have:-)

Some sources of information are:  The National Cancer Institute at 1-800-4-CANCER or at http://www.cancer.gov/, or the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or at http://www.cancer.org/

Take Charge of Your Life

Ask questions about recommended medical procedures, including the nature of surgery, possible side effects of chemotherapy, and availability of clinical trials specific to your disease.  The more you know, the more actively you can manage your course of treatment.

Go to your appointment with a list of questions already prepared.  Patients often find that their perspective changes for the better when they take the driver's seat of their life, even sometimes using humor as a tool to get them through difficult times.

Develop A Sense of Hope

No one wants to foster false hope, but hope is sometimes all you have to get through a grueling disease such as mesothelioma.  Remember this, there is no type of cancer from which someone has not survived (including mesothelioma survivors).

Hope may be the most important aspect for people with mesothelioma. Hope provides strength.  Indeed, fighting a disease like mesothelioma requires an incredible amount of strength.

Many people with mesothelioma draw strength from their families, or spiritual convictions, while others take stock of their accomplishments and resolve themselves to preserver though their struggle.  As long as hope is alive, the struggle against mesothelioma is never in vain.

Maintain a Support Network

A support system can help you cope with anxieties as well as physical and emotional pain. Your network may include family and friends, the health care community, and formal support organizations.  Although formal support groups aren't for everyone, they can be a good source of practical information.

It has also been shown that emotional support and open patient discussion of issues helps patients' quality of life and patients are more likely to finish their chemotherapy cycles.

Set reasonable goals

Having realistic goals can help you feel in control and can give you a sense of purpose.  You may not be able to work a 40-hour week, for example, but you may be able to work part-time.  Many people find that continuing to work can be helpful.

Fatigue is common with mesothelioma patients.  Know your own limits, especially during treatment, and learn how to be sensitive to your own changing needs.

Take care of yourself

Good nutrition, moderate exercise, and getting enough rest can help combat the stress and fatigue associated with cancer.  It is also important to plan ahead for times when you may need to rest more.

Stay active

Although you may have to curtail some of your activities, being diagnosed with cancer doesn't mean you must stop doing the things you enjoy.  It is important to stay as involved as you can.  Staying in contact with friends and keeping up with events, hobbies, and the world around you are critical tools in living with cancer.

Look for a connection to something beyond yourself

Having a strong faith or a sense of something greater than yourself is a key factor in successfully coping with cancer.  In fact, because of their disease, cancer patients often experience a change in priorities and a new search for meaning.

Look for success stories

Seek out those who have been successful in their battles with mesothelioma or with other kinds of cancer.  Be on the lookout for cancer success stories.  Remember, as horrific as mesothelioma and other forms of cancer are, there are survivors of EVERY known kind of cancer!

In many instances the probabilities of beating cancer are extremely remote.  It is, however, worth repeating— that every form of cancer known to the medical community has been defeated by someone. Use this fact as your center of reality as you start on your mission to slay your dragon!

Learn how to laugh

If laughter can do a lot to boost a person's health, then imagine what laughter can do for a person with a terminal illness, such as terminal mesothelioma cancer!

Coping With Mesothelioma:  Conclusion

Coping with mesothelioma can certainly be difficult.  Keep in mind, however, that you are not alone: there are doctors, organizations, family members, and friends who can help.  Coping with mesothelioma means that you need a system of support. 

You will need to become a master at developing physical, psychological, financial, and social coping strategies and support systems to help you deal most effectively with your disease. 

____________________________________________