Life After Cancer

Life after cancer can present a whole new set of challenges - the cancer journey doesn't end the moment your doctor declares that you are in remission. Here are some situations you may find yourself in once you're in the clear:

• Having anxiety about a cancer recurrence
  It is completely normal to have anxiety about this during life after cancer - everyone that has had cancer in the past worries about a recurrence. The key is to find a way to control your anxiety so it doesn't control you.
  
  Take the words of my oncologist to heart:
  
  "You can’t live your life in fear that it’s going to come back – maybe it will, maybe it won’t – that’s not the point. The point is that you have very little control over whether or not the cancer returns, so why dwell on it? Focus on the things you can control in your life, like your job, your hobbies, and your relationships. Focus on living.”
  
  He's a smart man.
  
  You may find it difficult to control your anxiety about cancer recurrence on your own. If this is the case, there are a lot of wonderful support groups out there devoted to cancer survivors and dealing with life after cancer. Check out the links in the Cancer Resources section of this website to find one.




• Getting your chemo port removed
  I couldn't wait to get my chemo port removed - I hated having that thing in my chest. My oncologist gave me the go-ahead to have it removed about three months into my remission. Your doctor may advise you to wait longer.
  
  I was put under using twilight anesthesia for the port removal procedure, but some people have it removed while they are fully awake. You will have a scar afterwards, but there are creams and oils available to help it fade. I used Vitamin E oil on my scar, and I think that helped to some extent.




• Growing out your hair
  I was so anxious for my hair to grow back! I took prenatal vitamins to try and help it along, but I really don't think those sped up the process for me at all.
  
  Your hair will come back, but it will take it's own sweet time. It may or may not be the same hair you had before your chemo treatments - it may be curly when before it was straight; it may be straight when before it was curly; or it may come back a different color entirely! My hair came back the same, but I know someone who had straight brown hair before chemo - and it came back wavy and completely grey! No color whatsoever!
  
  My advice is to find a good stylist that can give you some ideas on how to style your hair as it grows out.




• Dealing with people that still think of you as a cancer patient
  This one is really frustrating for me. I touched on this subject in the "Family & Friends" section as well, but it's worth repeating here.
  
  Even now, almost two years into remission, people I run into ask me, "How are YOU feeling?" I just smile sweetly and reply, "Fine, thanks," but what I really want to say is "I'm fine. How are YOU feeling?"
  
  When someone asks me "how I'm feeling", I know exactly what they're thinking: "There's Ali. She had cancer. How horrible."
  
  Yep, it was horrible, but now it's over. I've learned to accept that some people will always associate me with the word "cancer". It's annoying, but I try to remind myself that these people are asking how I'm feeling because they care about me - they don't realize that their words serve as a reminder of something I'd like to put behind me.




• Be open to sharing your cancer journey experience with others
  The funny thing about life after cancer is that you will find yourself crossing paths with other people that are diagnosed with the same type of cancer you had. I've had this happen to me three times already, and I've only been in remission for a relatively short time.
  
  The first time it happened was three months into my remission. I got an email from a woman I worked for during college. Her best friend had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, and she wondered if I would be willing to correspond with her friend about my cancer experience and to answer some of her questions. I was more than happy to do this, and I couldn't help but smile - I felt like I had come full circle.
  
  You see, when I was first diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a friend of mine put me in touch with his old college roommate who had beat Hodgkin's a couple years earlier. I remember how scared I was right after my diagnosis and how many questions I had - questions that my doctor couldn't answer because he had never been in my shoes. I was so thankful to have someone to talk to that could really relate to how I was feeling and could understand my concerns and fears. And now here I was, one year later, on the other side of the situation - it felt good to have the opportunity to pay it forward.
  
  As much as you may want to put the whole cancer thing behind you, I strongly encourage you to be open to sharing your cancer journey experience with others. Pay it forward. You'll be glad you did.

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