According to psychologists’ statistics, finishing the cancer treatment might be the hardest challenge to the survivors. Understanding of ‘no evidence of disease’ is frightened too, confess the ex-patients of cancer hospitals. Sofia F. Garcia as a clinical psychologist hears their innermost thoughts regarding the cure process and surviving the cancer. Finishing the therapy and illness’ disappearing are real challenges for people.
To survive the cancer is a total victory of complex therapy — medicinal, psychological, physical, that’s why understanding “I have no cancer” sometimes frightens the cancer survivors. Psychologists know very well this strange feeling, because patients often mention it after the recovery and starting new life.
Absolutely new life is the next challenge for ex-patients, and sometimes people do not understand where to go and what to do with their life in foreseen future. During therapy-time their life was focused on taking the medicines and procedures only. So, many survivors are not prepared for those realities and need to adjust to the notion that cancer is a chronic illness that they will need to manage over their lifetimes. Ex-patients often talk about “picking up the pieces” of their lives after treatment, and sometimes they realize they cannot or do not want to put them back exactly as they were before cancer.
A life-threatening illness can prompt many to reconsider their values. In response to those needs, during the the last 10 years psychologists created clinical practice guidelines for survivorship care. Those could be extremely helpful to clinical psychologists and patients who fight with this serious disease.
