Support Groups: Managing Thyroid Cancer

Dealing with cancer is one of life's most difficult challenges, even when the type of cancer in question has high cure rates. That's why so many cancer support groups have been formed. They're invaluable in providing support for cancer patients and their families when it's most needed.
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer of the thyroid, connecting with a thyroid cancer support group can help you though this difficult period.

What Cancer Support Groups Can Do

Support groups help patients and their loved ones in many different ways. For example, the Thyroid Cancer Survivor's Association (ThyCa) offers e-mail support groups, local support groups and a person-to-person network. The Experience Project maintains a web site called "I Have Thyroid Cancer," featuring YouTube videos of members sharing their stories.
These many forms of communication provide both emotional and practical benefits.
Going through diagnosis and treatment for cancer of the thyroid can be emotionally draining. Some of the key emotional benefits support groups provide include:
  • Giving patients a chance to help one another
  • Helping patients realize they're not alone
  • Offering the friendly ear of someone who knows what thyroid cancer is like
  • Providing inspiration.
Cancer support groups offer participants a wealth of practical and real-world advice based on other members' experiences. Some of the tips and information given are things that only a cancer survivor would know. Examples are:
  • Clinical trial updates
  • Helpful resources
  • Information on public policy
  • Strategies for dealing with treatment
  • The latest opinion on medical treatments
  • The latest research
  • Tips on returning to "normal life" after cancer.

Finding the Group That's Right for You

With so many support groups out there, you may have to narrow down the list to find one that meets your unique needs. You may want to consider:
  • Informational vs. emotional support: Some patients go to cancer support groups seeking hard facts about living with their disease. Others seek comforting words and emotional support.
  • Online or in-person: Some patients are content with virtual communication, while others need face-to-face contact.
  • Professional expertise vs. peer support: Some patients seek the expertise of medical professionals, while others prefer to connect with fellow thyroid cancer patients.

Focusing on Cancer of the Thyroid

When you join one of the many cancer support groups available, you're tapping into the knowledge base of people who have already walked a mile or more in your shoes. The need to explain technical details is eliminated, the opportunities for sharing blossom and the specifics are bound to be useful.
Here are examples of topics that thyroid cancer support groups address:
  • Coping with fatigue
  • Getting used to regular testing
  • How to transition from being a cancer patient to being healthy again
  • How to deal with the emotional effects of thyroid cancer
  • What it's like to take thyroid replacement hormones.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pernicious Anemia: Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Image
Anemia  is a blood disorder in which the number of red blood cells or the amount of hemoglobin is lower than normal. With fewer red blood cells or hemoglobin, insufficient oxygen is delivered to the body 's cells. Pernicious anemia  is a type of anemia caused by a deficiency in vitamin B12. In pernicious anemia, the lack of vitamin B12 is due to the body 's inability to produce enough  intrinsic factor , a protein necessary for the absorption of vitamin B12. Pernicious anemia is a type of  megaloblastic anemia . Megaloblastic anemia is defined as, "a blood disorder characterized by anemia, with red blood cells that are larger than normal, usually resulting from a deficiency of folic acid or of vitamin B12 .  " (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Pernicious anemia by any other name . . . Pernicious anemia is known by a number of other names, including: macrocytic achylic anemia congenital pernicious anemia juvenile pernicious anemia vitamin B12 deficienc
Keep reading

Stress Relaxation Techniques

The ultimate goal in stress coping and management is to reduce the negative effects of stress. Different relaxation techniques have proved successful and can be used based on individual preference. Brief descriptions of various techniques follow. If you are interested in pursuing the use of these techniques further, more information is available in books or on tapes. These books and tapes can be purchased at bookstores or may be accessible at your library. Deep Breating as a Relaxation Technique Deep breathing is the most basic relaxation technique and is often the foundation for other methods. The primary benefit is that deep breathing can be done anywhere and anytime. It is beneficial to practice deep breathing several times a day. The methodology consists of completely filling the lungs when breathing so that the abdomen expands out ward. You begin by taking a deep breath and then exhaling slowly through the mouth. A hand can be placed on the stomach to ensure that it is fully e
Keep reading

Nutrition & Cystic Fibrosis

Image
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder that affects the body's exocrine glands, including the various mucus and sweat glands found throughout the body. Since cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease, most people with the disease are usually diagnosed by their first birthday. The most common problems due to cystic fibrosis are related to the lungs and the digestive system. In the lungs, the mucus produced by the various exocrine glands is abnormally thick, creating obstructions in the breathing passageways and, eventually, damage to the lungs. Furthermore, the thick mucus creates an ideal breeding ground for various bacteria and other organisms, which results in frequent lung infections, damage to the lungs and, ultimately, respiratory failure. Cystic fibrosis also affects the pancreas. The pancreas is responsible for producing various enzymes to aid in digestion, but in cystic fibrosis the pancreas is unable to excrete sufficient amounts of pancreatic enzymes to help digest foo
Keep reading