Mental Health Ups and Downs With Colon Cancer

Slide 1

Mental Health Ups and Downs With Colon Cancer

Living with colon cancer may be hard on your mental health, but knowing what to expect may help

Slide 2

Waiting for a Diagnosis

If you’re concerned that you have colon cancer, waiting for an answer can be hard. As you wait, you may feel:

Slide 3

Anxiety and stress

• More than 1 in 2 people feel anxious about getting a colonoscopy

Fear

• Fear of cancer is one reason people avoid getting screened, even though screening can help prevent cancer.

Slide 4

After a Diagnosis

Going through colon cancer treatment may cause a wide range of emotions, including:

Fear

• It’s normal to be afraid and worry about things like whether you’ll be in pain, whether you’ll be able to continue working or whether you may die.

Anger and frustration

• People may ask, “Why me?” while dealing with cancer. They may lash out at healthy people, including their providers and loved ones.

Slide 5

Depression

• People with colorectal cancer are more likely to deal with depression than those without the disease.

Hope

• It’s common to feel hopeful that treatment will work. It’s okay not to have a positive attitude 100% of the time, but feeling hopeful when you can may help your quality of life during treatment.

Slide 6

After Treatment

The relief of making it through colon cancer treatment may also be accompanied by:

Lower self-esteem

• It’s normal to feel self-conscious about body changes after colon cancer treatment, particularly if you have a pouch like a colostomy or ileostomy outside the body that collects waste.

Loneliness

• Returning to your normal routine can cause you to feel disconnected from others. You may feel disappointed in how some people handled your illness, or you may feel like no one truly understands what you’ve been through.

Slide 7

Anxiety and stress

• Relief of having beaten cancer is often followed by worry that the cancer will return. For some people, this fear of recurrence harms their ability to enjoy their life.

Excitement and hope

• Many people feel they’ve been given a “new lease on life” after successfully completing cancer treatment and are excited about the future.

Slide 8

Healthy Ways to Cope

• Let it out. Whether you share with a trusted loved one, a support group or a counselor, expressing your feelings is key.

• Relax. Deep breathing, mindfulness, and meditation may help lower stress and anxiety.

Slide 9

• Move. Regular exercise (even if it’s just gentle stretching) may boost your mood and ease anxiety.

• Focus on what you can control. Being involved in your care and choosing how you spend your time outside of treatment may help shift your focus away from what you can’t control.

Slide 10

Resources

National Cancer Institute – Emotions and Cancer

This educational resource was created with support from Daiichi Sankyo.

Slide 1

Mental Health Ups and Downs With Colon Cancer

Living with colon cancer may be hard on your mental health, but knowing what to expect may help

Slide 2

Waiting for a Diagnosis

If you’re concerned that you have colon cancer, waiting for an answer can be hard. As you wait, you may feel:

Slide 3

Anxiety and stress

• More than 1 in 2 people feel anxious about getting a colonoscopy

Fear

• Fear of cancer is one reason people avoid getting screened, even though screening can help prevent cancer.

Slide 4

After a Diagnosis

Going through colon cancer treatment may cause a wide range of emotions, including:

Fear

• It’s normal to be afraid and worry about things like whether you’ll be in pain, whether you’ll be able to continue working or whether you may die.

Anger and frustration

• People may ask, “Why me?” while dealing with cancer. They may lash out at healthy people, including their providers and loved ones.

Slide 5

Depression

• People with colorectal cancer are more likely to deal with depression than those without the disease.

Hope

• It’s common to feel hopeful that treatment will work. It’s okay not to have a positive attitude 100% of the time, but feeling hopeful when you can may help your quality of life during treatment.

Slide 6

After Treatment

The relief of making it through colon cancer treatment may also be accompanied by:

Lower self-esteem

• It’s normal to feel self-conscious about body changes after colon cancer treatment, particularly if you have a pouch like a colostomy or ileostomy outside the body that collects waste.

Loneliness

• Returning to your normal routine can cause you to feel disconnected from others. You may feel disappointed in how some people handled your illness, or you may feel like no one truly understands what you’ve been through.

Slide 7

Anxiety and stress

• Relief of having beaten cancer is often followed by worry that the cancer will return. For some people, this fear of recurrence harms their ability to enjoy their life.

Excitement and hope

• Many people feel they’ve been given a “new lease on life” after successfully completing cancer treatment and are excited about the future.

Slide 8

Healthy Ways to Cope

• Let it out. Whether you share with a trusted loved one, a support group or a counselor, expressing your feelings is key.

• Relax. Deep breathing, mindfulness, and meditation may help lower stress and anxiety.

Slide 9

• Move. Regular exercise (even if it’s just gentle stretching) may boost your mood and ease anxiety.

• Focus on what you can control. Being involved in your care and choosing how you spend your time outside of treatment may help shift your focus away from what you can’t control.

Slide 10

Resources

National Cancer Institute – Emotions and Cancer

This educational resource was created with support from Daiichi Sankyo.