Accept That You May Not Need A Test
Deborah Korenstein
Just like you, your doctor doesnt want to miss anything important during your appointment. When doctors are evaluating a new problem, a lot of the time were making sure its not a really bad thing, Dr. Korenstein says. She adds that some doctors could do a better job of communicating the rationale behind their recommendations. For example, if a doctor decides not to order bloodwork or another test, a patient might think they havent been thoroughly evaluated. But doctors are assessing you as soon as they greet you, checking things like your speech, how your eyes look, and other hints into your overall health. The evaluation starts the minute the doctor walks in the room, she says. If you are worried about something in particular, share that with your doctor. Chances are, he or she can reassure you based on your symptoms. If your doctor;knows why youre;concerned, its much easier for them to communicate with you, adds Dr. Korenstein.
What Is Cancer Phobia
Cancer phobia or fear is known as Carcinophobia.
Its the fear of getting cancer, typically affecting those who have had the disease or have known people afflicted with it or are in the notion that one day they will catch the disease.
Though its completely normal to have fear of such kind and one should be considerate and cautious towards the causes of the disease but people with carcinophobia often take their fear to the extreme level and this starts impacting their everyday life adversely.
It is one of the most debilitating fears of all kind.
Taking the fear of heights in comparison to this, in this the person afflicted can avoid heights and continue his life normally. But a person suffering from carcinophobia carries fear lifelong.
Whenever such a person experiences any pain in his life his first thought is Am I afflicted with cancer now?. The anxiety of getting diagnosed with cancer keeps haunting him. And he starts associating everything ranging from the possibility of undergoing painful treatments, loss of hair, spreading cancer to other organs, and finally dying of cancer.
These several concerns and much more keep haunting them and often arise before theyve even visited a doctor. Eventually, the fear becomes so overwhelming that the person starts refusing to leave their safe and comfortable environment and start shunning people and social life. Thus, he starts to live in the cocoon of himself.
But there is no need to worry about it.
Counseling May Be Combined With Antianxiety Or Antidepressant Medicine
Counseling should be tried before medicine. Some patients are not helped by counseling or have a mental health problem, such as severe anxiety or major depression. These patients may be helped by an antianxiety or antidepressant medicine along with counseling. See the PDQ summary on Depression for more information.
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Health Anxiety Can Interfere With Your Life But It’s Highly Treatable
You spend hours on the Internet researching health information. When you get a scratchy throat you automatically think cancer not a cold. And even when medical tests come back showing that you’re healthy, it doesn’t make you feel better. In the back of your mind you still feel like something is wrong.
If this sounds like you or a loved one, it may be health anxiety.
Health anxiety is a condition that causes healthy people to worry that they are sick even when they have no symptoms, or minor symptoms like a scratchy throat.
“People with health anxiety for the most part tend to fear severe illness, such as HIV, cancer, or dementia. They worry far less about strep throat, twisting their ankle, or getting a cold,” says Dr. Timothy Scarella, instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. This fear that they have a serious illness can interfere with their daily life. It might lead them to seek out unnecessary testing, to waste hours in the doctor’s office, and to spend days consumed by worry. But it’s not only their own health that people with health anxiety may focus on. “Some people also worry excessively about their children’s health,” he says.
Feelings Of Physical Emotional Social Or Spiritual Distress Can Make It Hard To Cope With Cancer Treatment
Almost all patients living with cancer have feelings of distress. Feelings of distress range from sadness and fears to more serious problems such as depression, anxiety, panic, feeling uncertain about spiritual beliefs, or feeling alone or separate from friends and family.
Patients who are in distress during any phase of cancer need treatment and support. Patients are more likely to need to be checked and treated for distress during the following periods:
- At the start of treatment.
- At the end of treatment.
- During remission.
- If the cancer comes back.
- If the goal of treatment changes from curing or controlling cancer to palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
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Do Fear And Anxiety Keep You From Dealing With Unavoidable Situations And Emotions These Expert Tips Will Help You Overcome A Paralyzing Pattern Of Behavior
Article by:Recent Studies on Anxiety and FearFacing Your FearTips to Overcome Your Fear
It is human nature to avoid emotions that scare us. ;Who wants to walk directly into what promises to be a painful experience? Except that by continually avoiding looking at the boogeyman within, you become hostage to the monster. Typically this involves hiding from any potential stressor that might cause upset and engaging in endless distractions. Alas you are also hiding from potential challenges that can lead to growth and joy. Plus, you cant hide forever from fear. Its going to strike, despite your best efforts to suppress it. And it is likely that it will strike at a time when you most need emotional equanimity.
The good news is that once you face your fearand give the boogeyman airrather than shove it into a distant compartment of your brain, it begins losing the ability to rule you and dictate your decisions.
Frozen With Fear: Pagophobia
Pagophobia is an intense and irrational fear of ice and frost, which can be triggered by a traumatic event, including slipping on snow.
In extreme cases, individuals refuse to leave home in such weather conditions and avoid anything frozen.
The word derives from the Greek phrase paggos meaning ice and phobos meaning fear.
Symptoms can vary from mild anxiety to full-blown panic attacks and nausea, causing major disruption to everyday life.
If left untreated, the anxiety can become completely debilitating.
Treatment follows the usual recommendations for dealing with a phobia, which include:
- Counselling via a referral from GP
- Hypnotherapy
- Cognitive behavioural therapy
In severe cases, prescribed medication for anxiety.
I couldnt even stand to hear ice clinking in glasses. Id have to drink warm drinks.
Mrs Wiffen even nearly missed her own wedding with husband Peter four years ago when forecasters predicted snow.
She said: He knew I wouldnt make if it snowed. I wanted to do the ceremony over the phone.
However, she now believes the phobia is a problem of her past after receiving treatment on the daytime show on Friday.
Viewers saw her burst into tears when hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield showed her an ice cube before treatment and a nurse had to be called after her blood pressure rocketed and she almost fainted.
Speaking after the treatment, she said: I want people to know this treatment can work, it can change your life like it has mine.
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Medicine May Be Used Alone Or Combined With Other Types Of Treatment For Anxiety Disorders
Antianxiety medicines may be used alone or combined with other psychological therapies. These medicines relieve symptoms of anxiety, such as feelings of fear, dread, uneasiness, and muscle tightness. They may relieve daytime distress and lessen trouble sleeping.
Studies show that antidepressants are useful in treating anxiety disorders. Children and teenagers being treated with antidepressants have an increased risk of thinking about suicide and suicide and must be watched closely. See the Treatment section of the PDQ summary on Depression for more information.
The Fight Or Flight Response
When your body is faced with something stressful or frightening, it releases adrenalin , which prepares your body to either run, or fight the stress. This is known as the fight or flight response. Its what makes you leap out of the way to avoid being hit by a car that appears from nowhere.
The adrenalin makes;your body functions speed up, your heart beat faster and your muscles contract. It also makes your gut movements shut down.
But the natural response that is supposed to protect you can become the problem. The more you worry, the more likely it is that your fight and flight response starts up and so your symptoms increase. It can become a vicious circle and you may end up feeling as though you have no control over your situation.
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There Are Different Kinds Of Treatment For Anxiety Disorders
Patients with anxiety disorders need information andsupport to understand their cancer and treatment choices. Psychological treatments can also be helpful. These include the following:
Using different methods together may be helpful for some patients. See the Psychological and Social Distress section of this summary for more information.
What The Patient And Caregiver Can Do
Cancer patients and caregivers might have signs and symptoms of anxiety. The signs and symptoms might be more serious if they happen most of the day, nearly every day, and they are interfering with daily activities. In these cases,;a referral for mental health evaluation could be helpful. Keep in mind that sometimes, despite having all the symptoms, a person may deny having these feelings. But if theyre willing to admit that they feel distressed or uncomfortable, therapy can often help.
- Encourage, but do not force, each other to talk.
- Listen carefully to each others feelings. Offer support, but dont deny or discount feelings.
- Remember that its OK to feel sad and frustrated.
- Get help through counseling and/or support groups.
- Some psychoeducation may help. Psychoeducation combines education with group or individual counseling.;
- Mindfulness activities such as yoga may help with focus and is recommended for some levels of anxiety.
- Meditation, prayer, or other types of spiritual support might help.
- Try deep breathing and relaxation exercises. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, focus on each body part and relax it, start with your toes and work up to your head. When relaxed try to think of a pleasant place such as a beach in the morning or a sunny field on a spring day.
- Exercise, from light walking to a regular workout routine, may help lower anxiety.
- Talk with your;health care team about using anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medicines.
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What I Learned About Cancer Paranoia
Writer Kit Stone educated herself after being consumed by her fear of cancer.
It was the summer of eighth grade when I first noticed that I didnt have periods like the rest of my friends. When I first got my menstrual cycle, it seemed regular painful cramps, heavy to light blood flow, and finished within the week. After a few months, I noticed that my period wouldnt always show up. Sometimes the cramps would be unbearable sending me to the emergency room for something stronger than ibuprofen. Then, when my period would show up, Id have to take birth control to control the bleeding. My mother took me to the doctor and I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome , a hormonal disorder that affects women during their reproductive age.
My fourteen-year-old brain didnt really understand what that meant and I continued on as if everything was fine. It wasnt until my junior year in college that I understood the risks associated with my diagnosis. I discovered that in addition to hair growth, acne, weight gain, darkening of the skin and other seen and unseen side effects, women with PCOS are at high risk for type 2 diabetes, infertility, and endometrial cancer.
The thoughts in my mind have evolved from simple concern to anxiety and now full-blown paranoia. Is this normal or am I losing my mind? How do I stop obsessing about the possibility of getting cancer?
Fear Of Cancer Self Help Treatment
No one need suffer from any form of phobia. There are treatment programs for all such fears. As such, if the fear of cancer has taken over your life then help is at hand. Our recommendation is one of the best, guaranteed, proven and effective solutions on the market today. Its available and affordable for EVERYONE with carcinophobia, the fear of cancer.
Were talking about the aptly named Overcome Fear Of Cancer program. Its a highly effective self-hypnosis audio download purely focussed on this condition. Follow the program and you can quickly and permanently cure your fears once and for all. Its simple, fast and comes with a 90 day money back guarantee making it risk free. At less than $15 it incredibly cost effective too! We suggest you may want to check it out:
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Studies On Anxiety And Fear
A study published in the journal Science by researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne does a good job summing up how the brain actually has to re-experience a fear in order to extinguish it. Heres what the researchers did: They put rodents; into a small box and gave them a mild shock and then took them out. Over a long period, the researchers returned the mice to the box but didnt administer shocks. Initially, the mice froze, but with repeated exposure to the box, and no additional shocks, they eventually relaxed.
For humans;repeated exposure to the event that created the trauma can help the anxiety subside. For example, the treatment for fear of flying is often exposure therapy that involves slowly and repeatedly being exposed to the object that is feared in a controlled environment.
Worrying About Cancer Coming Back
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This booklet is for anyone who has had treatment to cure cancer and is worried about it coming back. It has suggestions to help you manage your worries, uncertainties and fears, including how to get more support
Head over to our Help section for answers to some frequently asked questions.
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Are You Suffering From Anxiety
Take our 2-minute anxiety quiz to see if you may benefit from further diagnosis and treatment.
For example, the person who is immobilized at the thought of flying might, in an exposure therapy treatment, might begin by reading a story about a plane crash, and gradually work up to going to an airport without boarding a plane, then boarding a plane without taking off, then finally taking a short flight
With repeated exposure in a safe place, such as a therapists office, to the event that created the trauma, the anxiety level subsides.
How To Beat Your Irrational Fears And Phobias
Admitting that youre afraid is the first step you should take to beat your fears. The major mistake that most people make as they seek to overcome fears and phobias is pretending that they are fine. Nevertheless, acknowledging that youre afraid is such a powerful thing because it gives you a clear picture of what you are trying to fight. You cant fight what you dont know, right? Again, if you assume that things are okay, you will be shelving what you should face, and this only makes it worse. The truth of the matter is that everyone has fears they go through at some point in their lives, and they affect us. In fact, you could be experiencing fears on a daily basis. But, you dont have to let them bring you down. H ow to beat your fears and phobias begin by acknowledging that your fears and work towards silencing them.
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What Are Adjustment Disorders
Adjustment disorders may cause serious problems in daily life. An adjustment disorder occurs when the patient’s reaction to a stressful event:
- Is more severe than the expected amount of distress.
- Affects relationships or causes problems at home or work.
- Includes symptoms of depression and anxiety or other emotional, social, or behavioral problems.
Causes of adjustment disorders in cancer patients include the following:
- Diagnosis.
- Recurrence.
- Side effects of treatment.
An adjustment disorder usually begins within three months of a stressful event and lasts no longer than six months after the event is over. Some patients may have a chronic adjustment disorder because they have many causes of distress, one right after another.
An adjustment disorder may become a more serious mental disorder such as major depression. This is more common in children and adolescents than in adults.
Counseling can help patients with adjustment disorders.
Individual and group counseling have been shown to help cancer patients with adjustment disorders. Counseling may include treatment that focuses on the patient’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
The following may help patients cope:
- Relaxation training.
- Plan for events that may happen in the future.
- Change beliefs that are not true.
- Distraction.
- Thought stopping.
- Positive thoughts.
Stress Can Be Caused Both By Daily Responsibilities And Routine Events As Well As By More Unusual Events Such As A Trauma Or Illness In Oneself Or A Close Family Member When People Feel That They Are Unable To Manage Or Control Changes Caused By Cancer Or Normal Life Activities They Are In Distress Distress Has Become Increasingly Recognized As A Factor That Can Reduce The Quality Of Life Of Cancer Patients
Malin Dollinger, M.D., and Bernard Dubrow, M.S.*
We revel in lifes beginning, wrestle with its challenges, and take pride in our achievements. We know deep down that we are mortal and that our lives will end some time in the futurethe distant future, we hopebut we are not consciously aware of our mortality from day to day.
Understanding the patterns of reaction to a prolonged illness with perhaps years of remission and a significant chance of being cured will help you put your emotional survival in focus while your doctor concentrates on your physical survival.
The media bombard us with flashes of death in stories and graphic pictures of car accidents, plane crashes, murders, and wars, but we block them out in our minds. We feel protected and safe. We can accept the death of war heroes and old people, but reject the idea of its happening to us. We focus on guarding and enjoying our lives and intuitively distance ourselves from thoughts of our mortality.
But what happens when we are jolted by the diagnosis of a possibly fatal illness such as cancer? After recoiling from the shocking news and accepting its reality, how can we cope with this new state of uncertainty? How can we adjust our lifelong attitudes and renew our trust in the future? For the first time, we find ourselves in the strange and disruptive situation of having to cope with living and dying at the same time. How can we do it?
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