End Of Treatment

So now what? You’ve had your surgery, or the last treatment is over. You’re out on the other side of the wild ride of cancer treatment and the dust is settling, even though you’ll still have follow-up visits to your doctors.

Though you’ve come through, you may feel just as uncertain now as you did when you began your journey. You may have a new perspective on life, perhaps you want to live it more fully, to give something back, to find your true calling.

You may feel fear, depression, hope, and a desire to pursue your dreams all at the same time!

As you move towards your new normal, it’s helpful to look at your thoughts and feelings now.

Thinking tools to try:

One-page Profile | Good Day – Bad Day

Try these thinking tools to help you figure out how to have more good days in your new normal. They’re good, for example, if:

  • I’ve started working again
  • I’m healing but I don’t feel 100 per cent – I’m tired, have some pain, have gained weight, have no sex drive …
  • I’m trying to figure out what this experience has meant to me
  • I’m trying to develop my own survivorship plan

What’s Working Not Working | Four Plus One Questions

Try these thinking tools to solve problems relating to a specific issue. They’re good, for example, if:

  • I can’t do what I used to do for work or physically and it makes me frustrated and depressed
  • I’m in pain
  • I’m annoyed with the medications I still take or ongoing treatments
  • I want to resume or improve my intimate relationship with my partner

Hopes and Fears

Try this if you’re having fears of your cancer coming back.

SHOW ME


Co-survivors

It’s common for supporters to think they’re not needed any longer once treatment is over and the cancer is gone.

Rather, the kind of support the survivor needs has changed. As a co-survivor you can help them find their new normal in life. You can help them to work through the thinking tools we’ve suggested above, and to put any decisions into action.

Don’t forget to think about the support you need too: you’ve been through cancer as a co-survivor.