Support group

How to Develop a Cancer Support Group

March 16, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

If you are looking for a support group because you are suffering from cancer or you need it for a friend, a cancer support group is an extremely vital part of maintain an optimistic and positive attitude when dealing with cancer. However, finding a cancer support group at the right time which fulfils all your requirements can be tough. Thus, here are a few points by which you can yourself establish a cancer support group:

Starting Your Support Group

Look for a national cancer support group. This will help you with advice and detailed information as to how you can start your own cancer group. Visit different type of groups in order to find out the deep rooted problems which they faced when starting their own group and how they dealt with those problems.

Make it a point to establish a contact and keep regular touch with a medical professional as this will help you in understanding the details of the problem. You must also ask for referrals from medical experts who specialise in the field of cancer. Also, keep in touch with a few mental health professionals in order to help patients cope with depression which tags along this disease.

Establish a contact with individuals who will help you in coping and organising the cancer support group. Post your leaflets and pamphlets everywhere and look for people who share same interest as you.

Hold planning meetings on regular basis with your fellow organizers. Chalk down the rules and regulations which a member must adhere to and find a location and publicize your meetings.

Prepare for your first meeting. Give members an idea of the meeting layout and make sure everybody sticks to it.

Filed Under: Family Support Tagged With: Cancer, Health, Support group

Help Is Here

December 19, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

A diagnosis of cancer is devastating. Hearing those words will be one of the scariest things anyone can hear. A doctor will go into great detail what happens next. It is a lot to digest, and some people cannot process it. So they do the research. There are hundreds of books on cancer and its treatment, hundreds more on survival stories and how each person deals with it, and yet hundreds more on faith healing, herbal treatments and home grown remedies.

What is the right thing to do? Whom do you trust? In the cancer world, unfortunately, it is hit and miss, with no cure currently available. There are so many options, and hopefully with the proper doctor and proper research, the right treatment will come. The treatment that will make you a lot sicker before it makes your better, but in the long run, send you on the road to remission, where cancer takes a break and leaves you to get back to the business of living.

The good news is that there are support groups out there. If you google search “cancer support groups” on the Internet you will see over nine million places to look. There are support groups that are made up of cancer survivors, people who share their own stories of the fight. There are cancer support groups made up of psychologists trained in helping you deal with the daunting task of living with this monstrous disease. There is probably more advice out there than you want to hear. Remember, knowledge is power. If you are fighting cancer you need all the power you can muster. At a time when you may feel completely out of control, being able to chose the path of your treatment is important. Being informed and talking to the right people, learning as much as you can about your disease, will enable you to take control, to make the best decision for you.

Filed Under: Help & Guidance Tagged With: American Cancer Society, breast cancer, Cancer, Cancer support group, Conditions and Diseases, Health, Support group, Website

Rehab-International.org For Those Needing Rehab After Cancer Treatment

December 12, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Life can be hard. For those that have had the pain of cancer and then cancer treatment, there is also the issue of those that become addicted to the pain medication they were given during treatment. This can compound the hardship of having had cancer and can make you feel depressed even after beating cancer.

Rehab-International.org is for those needing rehabilitation after having survived cancer. Having a drug addiction doesn’t mean you are incapable of making the right decisions and it doesn’t mean you are weak. Sometimes medications that help us with pain are hard to stop taking and you may need a little help. A rehab center can be the best decision you’ve ever made after getting treatment for cancer. The people are there to help you and heal you, not judge you. You’ll be in a safe environment with people that understand exactly what you are going through and how hard it is to become well again.

There are many programs there to help you such as group therapy, support groups, lectures and one on one therapy, as well as a serene environment to get well in. It doesn’t matter what your drug of choice is or who you are, you can be helped and there are others just like you so it’s not as if you are all alone in your journey. Just think, you’ve already been through a major change in your life and you’ve beaten it. Now why not continue on that journey into getting totally healthy by kicking that habit that really isn’t your fault? Let the people at Rehab-International.org turn you into the person you’ve always been; sober and happy. They’re professionals who have seen it all and know that each person is unique and has a different story. They’ll listen to yours and help you.

Filed Under: Treatment and Medications Tagged With: Cancer, Conditions and Diseases, Health, Organizations, Substance dependence, Support group, Tumor, University of Tokyo

Cancer In The Family

December 3, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

A patient gets the diagnosis of cancer. The doctors begin aggressive treatments and the patient spends most of their time being prodded and poked, getting toxic medications to hopefully kill the cancer, radiation treatments that can bring a person to their knees. This is all in the hopes of stopping the spread of the cancer, and possibly even killing the cancer cells that are there. While the patient endures these treatments, the caretaker has to stand by and watch. The caretaker, maybe not by choice, but with all the love they have, becomes one of the most important pieces of the treatment pie. There has to be someone to keep an eye on the patient when he or she is not with the doctors. Someone has to make sure the medicines are being taken properly. Cancer patients are not helpless, but there are times during treatment when they will be too sick to take care of themselves. A spouse or close family member becomes the caretaker.

The other family members are affected as well. Children have to take on more responsibility, other family members need to pick up the slack of helping with getting the children where they need to be, maybe bringing dinner or sitting with the cancer patient and spending time with them.

While there are no real “treatments” for the family, there are support groups out there. The caretaker is thrust into the role, and while they want to do everything they can, they may not know exactly what that is. There are “Friends and Family” support groups to help the entire family deal with this all encompassing disease. It is more important than ever to get emotional support so that when you are on the other side, and hopefully cancer is no longer the center of your family’s attention, you can then help those who are where you have been.

Filed Under: Family Support Tagged With: Cancer, Conditions and Diseases, Family (biology), Health, Organizations, Patient, Radiation therapy, Support group

Choosing A Treatment Center

December 2, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

If you have recently been recently diagnosed with cancer, you are more than aware of all of the decisions you need to make to ensure the best possible treatment for this vicious disease. You may need to make decisions regarding the medications used, surgery that may need to be done, or any number of other decisions, at a time when your brain is not quite working at warp speed. You have had a lot to deal with. Choosing the right place to have your cancer treated is extremely important in your journey. The road to remission is paved with decisions.

You will probably start out at whatever treatment center the physician you have chosen works through. Obviously that treatment center will be in tune with the course of treatment you and your physician have chosen for you. You may choose a local treatment center, as some local hospitals have cancer treatment centers, or you may choose a center in another part of the country. There are well known cancer centers in all parts of the country. Your particular type of cancer and course of treatment will guide you to the right place.

Whether you choose to receive your treatment locally or you are flying half way across the world to help you with your cancer treatment, make sure you are in a place you feel is the best fit for you. Is the cancer treatment center addressing every part of your treatment? Are you receiving enough support from the cancer treatment center personnel? Have you been given the opportunity to ask questions, and speak to the people who know the answers? Do you feel that you are being treated as a person, and not just a disease?

Cancer treatments are grueling. Feeling confident that you have chosen the right place for you is one less thing you have to worry about, and one more thing you can feel good about.

Filed Under: Treatment and Medications Tagged With: Cancer, Conditions and Diseases, gastrointestinal, Head and Neck, Health, Management of cancer, Oncology, Support group

Getting Help From Support Groups

November 27, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Cancer or heart disease, mental health issues such as substance abuse and similar health issues cause an emotional toll. In additiona if you are in the role of a caretaker for a child, parent or other person with an illness, you are experience those same emotional effects. It is a huge game-changer in your life. You may finding yourself feeling alone, or perhaps you just need to get a hug and maybe cry. You may find yourself longing for some time to yourself.

You can find the support you need in many different venues. There are seminars and groups, groups of people in the same situation, and your family and friends.

By getting help from support groups you may no longer feel like you are as alone. You can learn to find new alternatives to your problems.

You may feel like the only people who can truly help are medical professionals and your family and friends. But outside people are also just as beneficial, because if you are in a group of people who are experiencing what you are, you may gain valuable insights.

There are support groups that are education-based, and are often offered by teachers, doctors and the like. Another group, called peer groups, comprises people who are in the same situation as you.

This peer group-type of support will make you realize you are not the only one experiencing these difficulties. You will find that they are feeling the weight of the same challenges. The people in the groups will be invaluable in providing you advice and encouragement.

Paying attention and sharing your feelings and thoughts in these groups is important. Your experiences may actually help someone else in the group. You will find that type of interaction to be valuable and encouraging, as well as rewarding.

Filed Under: Treatment and Medications Tagged With: Health, Mental health, Support group

Cancer Advice and Support for Cancer Patients

September 29, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Cancer is something that nobody wants in their body especially if a child is a cancer patient. And since there are people who do have cancer, going to get some cancer advice and support group is a good thing for the body and soul. It is never a good idea to be alone at a time like this since you are vulnerable. There are people who may feel exactly the same way as you do when finding out that they have cancer. The support groups are all around you. All you have to do is get your foot in the door in order to feel better.

You can use a search engine to help you find some cancer advice and support group in your area. Or if you do not have an Internet access at home, can call or see a doctor about some support group that you can attend to. They have many connections in the medical field which if they do not know, they might know someone who does.

There are websites that give some cancer advice and support such as WebMD. They have many articles that you can read about cancer such as “how to cope with cancer” or “what to do to prolong your life with cancer.” It is very comforting to know that there are many support groups from others that may or may not be in the same boat as you are in.

A social media site is a good tool to use when you need to get some ideas on where to get cancer advice and support. Many companies are on Facebook and Twitter for example. Hospitals and clinics are starting to catch on that more people come on the Internet and it is a good way to market the company and can get friends and followers.

If you found some wonderful cancer advice and support groups, pass it on to others that can also benefit too. Living with cancer does not mean you should close yourself from the outside world.

Filed Under: Cancer, Family Support Tagged With: Cancer, Health, Support group, WebMD