{"id":16606,"date":"2022-10-17T14:35:54","date_gmt":"2022-10-17T19:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=16606"},"modified":"2025-12-10T16:07:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T22:07:36","slug":"dealing-with-cancer-treatment-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/dealing-with-cancer-treatment-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"Dealing with cancer treatment stress"},"content":{"rendered":"

Receiving a cancer diagnosis is an extremely stressful experience. Not only do you have to cope with the fear and anxiety of having a possibly life-threatening condition, but you have to begin right away dealing with treatment options<\/a>, financial concerns and logistics.<\/p>\n

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Expert guidance throughout the cancer journey<\/p>\n

Oncology nurse navigators can make all the difference<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re in the doctor\u2019s office, it\u2019s very overwhelming,\u201d said Patricia Ramirez, a breast cancer nurse navigator at OSF HealthCare. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to miss hearing about the first step of treatment or your staging<\/a> information after hearing the news of your diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seemingly all at once, a cancer patient has to deal with anxiety, their own heavy emotions, as well as those of friends and family, insurance coverage questions, scheduling treatments and securing transportation back and forth.<\/p>\n

In addition, a tidal wave of important medical information floods your brain.<\/p>\n

It all adds up to information overload and a huge amount of stress.<\/p>\n

Stress management for cancer patients<\/h2>\n
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Spiritual and mental health are essential.
Click here to download a prayer<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

One important thing you can do as a cancer patient to manage stress, or even reduce stress, is to rely on people closest to you for help.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very common to have information overload,\u201d said Erin Mclaughlin, an oncology nurse navigator for OSF HealthCare. \u201cHave a friend or family member with you at least for your early appointments. You won\u2019t understand or remember everything \u2013 that\u2019s totally normal. So get printed handouts, if you can, or have your friend or family member take notes for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having that second set of ears with you can prove vital, according to Patricia Ramirez.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always say we would like them to have a second set of ears with them,\u201d she said. \u201cA second set of ears who can ask questions you have not thought of or were too overwhelmed to think of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another tip is to ask questions<\/a>. Don\u2019t be shy. Your care team is there to answer all of your questions. You can even schedule another appointment if you realize later that you have questions you forgot to ask initially.<\/p>\n

Keeping and organizing medical information<\/h2>\n

Another useful practice that can help you reduce stress and even help your care providers is to keep copies of all your paperwork and records.<\/p>\n

Fighting cancer often requires the services of more than one type of specialist, and they may all be working at different facilities and for different organizations and serving different purposes in your treatment.<\/p>\n

Keeping your records organized for them can help answer any questions they may have about your course of treatment up to that point and anything else they may need to know to do their job of giving you the best care they can.<\/p>\n

This approach certainly beats trying to remember all the details of your cancer journey and trying to recount them accurately when asked.<\/p>\n