Health Blog | I Give You Health

Upon hearing the diagnosis of colon cancer, a set of mixed emotions can flow that can make you feel overwhelmed and stress. You are pressed into a situation where everything suddenly seems uncertain. Forced to look over future financial concerns, the shock of knowing your condition can put you to a breaking point.

The good news is, despite such worrying circumstances, this is a normal reaction of a cancer patient. The better news is the prospect of dealing with cancer should not discourage you to defeat the disease. There are a slew of success stories that will encourage you to face your situation with courage and joy.

Managing colon cancer despite the emotional weight can be dealt with by sticking to a set plan. There are many ways to cope with colon cancer and its stressful effects. With enough education and support, you will have the tools to deal with the diagnosis and treatment of colon cancer.

Know the Disease

Colon cancer is a disease stemming from the growth of cancer cells in the colon and rectal area. Colon cancer basically starts from the abdomen with the ability for the cancer cells to spread as the condition becomes more complicated. If colon cancer is detected early, there is a high rate for survival.

Knowing the nature and the nuances of colon cancer will prepare you to face the disease. Once you receive the diagnosis of your cancer, start to engage on different discussions and consultations with the right people. As you educate yourself and know the disease more, you will have a better perspective of the disease and your situation. You should be prepared to undergo a set of colon cancer testing and treatment with the right information.

Getting Comfortable with Cancer Testing and Treatment

The location of the colon and rectum presents an uncomfortable procedure for cancer patients. Some people suspected of colon cancer delay their tests because they find colon cancer testing embarrassing. This attitude although understandable is not helpful in facing colon cancer.

The usual colon cancer testing requires a stool sample. Doctors can recommend a home based fecal occult blood test kit, which is a test that checks for blood in your fecal waste. If you are uncomfortable with the procedures of colon cancer testing, be sure to talk to your doctor so that he can stress the importance of colon cancer tests. Advanced colon cancer tests will definitely involve scanning and monitoring of the rectal area so it is necessary for you to be prepared for future tests.

Dealing with colon cancer treatments is a matter of choice. The doctor will recommend different treatment options depending on the stage of your cancer. Talk to your doctor about the side effects of colon cancer treatment and consult with you friends and family on the financial concerns of these treatments. Different colon cancer treatments involve different factors such as size and location of the tumor, overall health, stage of the colon cancer, your age, and your personal need and concerns. Every treatment choice should result from a comfortable decision made by you with the help of your support group.

Dealing with Colostomy

To deal with colon cancer, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove the tumor and the bulk of the cancer cells from your body. Colostomy involves removing most or all of the colon and rectum. While this is an effective treatment, it leaves colon cancer patients with devastating side effects for the unprepared. After colostomy, you will need artificial procedures to remove your fecal waste.

To get over this feeling, you should trust your doctor when he says everything will be fine. While you are given the choice, you should also weight what is best for you. If you fear that your peers will reject you, you can talk to them so that they can understand your situation. As long as you communicate your fears and concerns with them and they reciprocate it with understanding, there is no reason not to go ahead with the surgery. While the trial of having colostomy is a tall task, just remember that this treatment will help you in the end.

Developing Coping Skills

In coping with colon cancer or any other cancer for that matter, you can develop different coping skills to face the disease effectively. You should feel empowered every step of the way. Do not let others decide for you. In dealing with colon cancer, it is important that you stand up and decide on your own. This will prevent you from feeling helpless.

It is true that colon cancer is an unpleasant condition, but with rigorous planning, constant colon cancer testing and treatment, developed understanding of the disease, and strong support group to surround you, you have everything you need to fight back a disease that can be beaten.

How to treat arthritis and joint pain from Pharmacologist Joe Graedon of the popular public radio show, The People’s Pharmacy.

Patients with advanced cancer often have pain as their chief complaint. Although advances in cancer treatment have lengthened survival among cancer patients, cancer pain remains under treated in patients. It has been estimated that 25% of all cancer patients who die, do so without adequate pain relief, despite the fact that the tools for adequate pain control are available. With advanced disease, 90% of patients with cancer require strong opiates to control their pain. However, many physicians remain concerned about inadvertently making a patient an addict if they prescribe narcotics to treat pain. Cultural and attitudinal barriers, knowledge deficits among health care professionals, and the influence of state and federal drug regulatory agencies also contribute to the fact that the pain experienced by cancer patients, all too often, is under-treated.

Cancer pain is classified according to pain duration and quality. Duration of pain can denote the acute or chronic nature of pain. It is common to experience anxiety, apprehension and depression in patients with cancer pain. The types of pain most commonly experienced by cancer patients are:

- Acute cancer related pain

- Chronic cancer related pain

- Pain unrelated to cancer

- Pain in opiod tolerant cancer patients

- End of life pain

After an appropriate medical history review and a physical, a pain physician will tailor a suitable pain treatment program. Because everyone has a different response to medications and therapies, the other types of drugs with pain relievers. They include anti-inflammatory steroids, anticonvulsants, and antidepressants. These drugs may be effective treatments for specific types of pain or pain with specific causes. For example, the doctor may prescribe antidepressants to help relieve certain types of pain. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the patient is suffering from depression. Similarly, steroids often are effective in relieving pain associated with inflammation.

Cancer pain can be controlled effectively through therapies already available today. Pain treatments range from mild, nonprescription pain relievers, to stronger prescription medications, to neurological surgery, to alternative therapies such as relaxation, biofeedback, guided imagery, and acupuncture.

Oncologists and pain specialists can devise a treatment plan based on the type and severity of pain, side effects, and how the patient responds to the treatment. Some common approaches to treat cancer pain include:

1. Oral Medicines- Aspirin & NSAIDs, Opiods, Adjuvants

2. Intravenous drugs

3. Transdermal drug delivery systems

4. Nerve blocks

5. Interthecal drug pumps

6. Neuroablstive procedures

Although they have cancer pain, many patients are afraid of getting addicted to pain medicines. When cancer pain medicines are given and taken in the right way, patients rarely become addicted to them. To be sure, they should talk to the doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about how to use pain medications safely. Many patients only need pain medicines for a time, until the cause of the pain goes away due to other treatments like chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery. When they are ready to stop taking the medicine, the doctor gradually lowers the amount of medicine they take. By the time they stop using it completely, the body has had time to adjust. Some patients will need to take pain medicines for the long-term. Taking medicines regularly should not make patients feel like an “addict.”

Physical dependence, tolerance to medication and addiction are three different issues in people treated with strong pain medications. The patient’s physician can explain the subtle but important difference between them. It’s often easier to control pain in its early stages, because it becomes severe. Therefore, it is better for cancer pain patients to ask for adequate pain relief.

A primary care physician or oncologist can help explain the possible options for pain relief and can make a referral, when necessary, to a pain medicine specialist for optimal pain management.

About Walton Rehabilitation Health System:

Walton Rehabilitation Health Systems (WRHS) is a leading not-for-profit comprehensive, multi-specialty, dedicated provider of physical medicine and rehabilitation. Our mission is to be an advocate for wellness by providing a continuum of services to treat the whole person. WRHS, whose reputation extends throughout the south, is a trusted partner with just the right expertise and treatments to help people with disabling injuries and illnesses return to work and to a fulfilling life. By pursuing its mission, WRHS has grown to include Walton Pain and Headache Centers, Walton Community Services, Walton Options for Independent Living, Walton Foundation for Independence, and Walton Technologies. We are located at: 1355 Independence Drive, Augusta, GA 30901-1037. For more information visit www.wrh.org or call 866-4-WALTON.

www.MeTheDoctor.com Coping with the emotional challenges of hearing that you have cancer is a challenge, but in addition to this, you must learn how to cope with the physical issues that cancer causes. Many of the physical symptoms that you experience will be directly related to the changes that you experience as the cancer divides and multiplies within your body. To Learn MORE about Cancer, please visit: www.MeTheDoctor.com

59 year old Mark Spindle is faced with difficult choices after a diagnosis of prostate cancer.