Being Declared Cancer-Free After Your Breast Cancer

So you were diagnosed with breast cancer and have successfully completed the full range of surgeries and/or treatments that your team of doctors has recommended. You have been tested along the way at every turn and have been re-tested upon completion of your last treatment and have been declared cancer-free. You are jumping up and down and celebrating – or are you?

“After all, you have worked very hard to get to where you are in dealing with your cancer treatment and recovery and shouldn’t have to deal with this fear as you face what will hopefully be the very best part of your life that is yet to come.”Barbara Jacoby

Most people believe that once a person is declared to be cancer-free that all is over. Hopefully that will be the case. However that is not always so and anyone who has ever dealt with breast cancer is well aware of this. Long after the doctor has given you this wonderful news, you still think about your journey and wonder if the cancer will come back. But, you keep these thoughts in your mind and live with this sense of fear always lingering in the back of your mind wondering if you just might be one of the very few for whom the cancer will return.

All of us have heard about the cases where women have been cancer-free after breast cancer for 15 years or more and their breast cancers have suddenly and inexplicably returned. You know that you could possibly have the same outcome and you know that despite your best efforts to live a healthy life and do the best that you can, there is no guarantee that you won’t suffer the same fate. You find yourself thinking about this on a regular basis and perhaps allowing it to occupy way too much of your thinking so what should one do?

Being realistic! Just about every survivor will think about this on occasion. When it comes time for yearly testing, you pray and hope beyond hope that nothing new will be discovered. This is perfectly natural but if you find yourself having these thoughts frequently, it is time to do yourself a favor and seek professional help. You first need to understand that you are not alone and that there are many others who are feeling exactly the same way. For some, they will find that as time goes by and they go back to a more normal life again, they will get caught up in the present and many of the experiences that they had during their cancer battle will dissipate and pretty much disappear. But, for those who find themselves being overcome with worry about a recurrence on a regular basis, there is help available.

If you feel that you could use some help, talk to your doctor. He/she will most likely have had other patients who have felt the same way and want to let go of this fear in order to move forward in their lives and to actually enjoy each day to the best of their ability. Your doctor might not feel qualified to help if they have had limited or no experience in this arena so they might refer you to another medical professional who can help.

I would also like to suggest that if you seek direction in dealing with this from your doctor and don’t get satisfaction or your concerns are just brushed off as nothing about which you should be concerned, I suggest that you talk to another member of your medical team. Your fears are very real to you and you deserve to find help in dealing with them in order to live the best life that you can. After all, you have worked very hard to get to where you are in dealing with your cancer treatment and recovery and shouldn’t have to deal with this fear as you face what will hopefully be the very best part of your life that is yet to come.