By Sandra Ray, Staff Writer
Going on a mini-shopping spree
Eating lunch out with a friend
Learning a new hobby or restarting ones you
may have put aside.
By paying attention to your needs during these
challenging times, you can improve your ability to
care for your loved one. In addition, redefining
“success” in your given situation can also help to
overcome some of the anxiety of the situation.
Redefining success means recognizing that reaching
smaller goals during the treatment and recovery
process can be just as rewarding as overcoming large
barriers.
If Death is Unavoidable:
For women facing stage III or IV ovarian cancer,
treatment may only delay a woman’s death. Survival
statistics for advanced ovarian cancer are low,
especially the longer the disease is undetected and
the further it has spread throughout the body. If
the cancer recurs in other areas of the body, it may
also be a sign that the disease has reached terminal
stages.
Some women at this point may decline treatment,
preferring instead to enjoy the time that they have
left with their friends and family. Chemotherapy can
be difficult to endure, and if the patient feels
that treatment will only prolong the disease and not
offer a cure, she may feel that there is little
reason to begin. Whatever her decision, caregivers
need to stay informed and be supportive.
Communication can be especially difficult during
these months as each person struggles to “fit a
lifetime” into a few short months or weeks.
Learning about palliative care or hospice care
options may be especially beneficial. Palliative
care or comfort care is often used when patients are
no longer seeking a cure and, instead, are looking
for ways to enjoy the remaining months or weeks of
their life. Caregivers may find it difficult to move
from curative treatment to comfort treatment.
Honest communication is important to the patient
and the caregiver when facing a diagnosis of ovarian
cancer. Caregivers play a critical role in helping
the patient cope with emotions and feelings at home,
as well as sorting out the medical information they
will need to understand during their treatment.
Combs offered this one last piece of advice when it
comes to understanding ovarian cancer treatment:
“It’s a matter of mind over body. Your caregivers
can help you sort out what is right for you, but
education is important for everyone.”
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