Once cancer treatment is completed, survivors often experience a whole new set of challenges that can be related or unrelated to the treatments they have undergone.
For example, many cancer survivors find they still suffer from fatigue, peripheral neuropathy (a numbness or tingling in the extremities) and just general difficulty readjusting to life without cancer.
Others wonder what they should eat after completing treatment. You may want to start eating better, or need help achieving goals of becoming more physically fit.
One of the most common symptoms some cancer patients and survivors experience is “chemo-brain” – when you don’t remember things as well. You may feel a little foggy and not as alert as you once were. This is a feeling shared by many patients, regardless of their disease or what treatment they received.
What is most important to understand is that if you are experiencing any of these symptoms or other challenges, you are not alone.
Our research into survivorship issues reveals that there are things you can do to remedy fatigue, such as ensuring adequate sleep or rest, exercising more and paying attention to nutritional information.
We have established the Support For Life After Treatment Clinic so that we can be here for you or your loved one at any stage of your cancer treatment and after treatment is completed. Our team includes psychologists, social workers, rehabilitative and nutritional experts.
We welcome you to come meet with us, so that we can review what your treatment entailed, evaluate your individual post-treatment needs, and begin to help you through this next phase in your life after cancer.
For more information, email the Support For Life After Treatment Clinic at supportforlife@roswellpark.org.