Should I Join a Breast Cancer Support Group?

From the moment that a person is diagnosed with breast cancer, you are considered to be a breast cancer survivor regardless of what your course of treatment may be. And, of course, once you are diagnosed with breast cancer, you may feel the immediate need to talk with and/or share your experiences with others who have already traveled this path. Whether a person ultimately joins a support group is an entirely  personal decision and one should never feel pressured to do so.

Hopefully your medical team has already dealt with a number of other patients who are breast cancer survivors and can readily direct you to a support group at your local hospital or other nearby location. If the subject is not addressed, you shouldn’t hesitate to inquire about such a program as it might just have been overlooked in the discussion of all of the medical information. Barbara Jacoby

Personally, my choice at the time of my diagnosis was non-existent. No one suggested anything and I never even thought to inquire about such a thing. In addition, I am a pretty private person so I am not sure that I would have been inclined to jump on such a bandwagon while walking around in a complete fog of not knowing or understanding. I was only inclined to follow the instructions given to me by my team of doctors and ignore the cancer for the rest of the time. I just didn’t even want to talk about it and never shared my diagnosis with anyone, including my family, until after the first surgery was completed.

My first introduction to the leader of the support group at the hospital where I had surgery was as I was coming out of anesthesia. This woman was so busy talking to the nurses who were helping me to understand what I needed to do with the drain tube that had been inserted that she acted as though I didn’t exist. Furthermore, she never even once addressed my husband who stood right by my side and who really could have used a bit of support himself. Needless to say, I never joined her or her group after the first or the second surgeries.

I have spoken to a large number of women who thought that they might want to participate in a support group so they attended a meeting. These women were all unfortunate enough to meet with other women who only wanted to complain about everything. Their individual focus was entirely a self-centered approach as they forced the others to listen to them for long periods of time about their person journey in a step-by-step story and a list of complaints a mile long about everything. Needless to say, they were never inclined to return to that group or to seek out another group as they really didn’t think that they would find anything different.

However, so many more women who want to find a group were much more successful. They found a group of survivors who were truly focused on supporting one another and doing everything possible to provide each other with assistance, support and a place where everyone felt safe to discuss their every concern and situation. This is what is truly needed and the availability of such groups is priceless. But, how does one go about finding such a supportive group of survivors?

Hopefully your medical team has already dealt with a number of other patients who are breast cancer survivors and can readily direct you to a support group at your local hospital or other nearby location. If the subject is not addressed, you shouldn’t hesitate to inquire about such a program as it might just have been overlooked in the discussion of all of the medical information. If you do not receive an adequate answer, check with others that you may know who have dealt with breast cancer or the staff members of your medical team.

You might also look to breast cancer organizations in your area such as the American Cancer Society or the Susan G. Komen organization or any one of the many other non-profit organizations that may provide such a service in your area. You might also want to check at your local churches or community center or local YWCA to find out whether they have such a group. And if all else fails, you might just want to talk to your local medical centers and/or hospitals to find out whether they would be willing to start such a group in their own locations. With the number of people dealing with breast cancer anywhere in this country or in other countries, I am pretty certain that you will find that there are medical personnel somewhere nearby who will be willing to create such a supportive program for those who are their patients and their support people.