Handling Anxiety and Fear by Cancer Patients: Panic attacks and cancer

Handling Anxiety and Fear by Cancer Patients will go along way in offering lasting solutions to cancer treatment

Every time we are faced with any life threatening situation, we become depressed, fearful and our anxiety level goes up. This is common with people because it is inbuilt. The problem often becomes more complicated when we fail to be calm and panic in the process. Like for instance, the news about cancer infection can be very lethal on the part of the patient especially when they were not prepared of the possibilities of being cancerous. The luck of preparedness is the major cause of the greatest portion of fear and anxiety. Besides this, the fear of treatment, frequent visit to the doctor’s clinic and tests might also cause apprehension. Because of the impact attributed to these feelings, we want to discuss the best ways of handling anxiety and fear by cancer patients in the present generation.

According the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury’s care, it’s normal to feel afraid and scared when you’re sick. Like for instance people may be afraid of hysterical pain, dying, or the aftermath of death, including what might happen to loved ones. These same feelings may be experienced by family members and friends as well. It is therefore very important that we are aware of what signs that will indicate the presence of such fears and anxieties. The following are some of the signs and symptoms of fear and anxiety

• Portraying anxious facial expression
• Hysterical worry
• Difficulties in solving problems and focusing thoughts
• Muscle tension
• Quivering or trembling
• Restlessness, may feel keyed up or on edge
• Dehydrated mouth
• Irritability or angry outbursts

Doctor Akoury recommends that when an individual is showing majority of these signs daily, and they are causing interference with their lives, then at this point a mental health evaluation could be helpful. Under these circumstances you can be very instrumental in advising the patients by observing the following.

Handling Anxiety and Fear by Cancer Patients: What to do

• Polite encouragement to share the experience.
• Share feelings and fears that you or the anxious person may be having.
• Listen carefully to each other’s feelings. Offer support, but don’t deny or discount feelings.
• Remember that it’s OK to feel sad and frustrated.
• Get help through counseling and from support groups.
• Use meditation, prayer, or other types of spiritual support if it helps.
• Embrace deep breathing and relaxation exercises. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, focus on each body part and relax it, start with your toes and work up to your head. When relaxed try to think of a pleasant place such as a beach in the morning or a sunny field on a spring day.
• Talk with a doctor about using anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medicines.

Handling Anxiety and Fear by Cancer Patients: Do not

• Make effort to argue with a person whose fears and anxieties are severe instead consult with a doctor on the kind of medications to help.
• Keep feelings inside.
• Persuade one who is not willing to open up and talk to do so.
• Blame yourself or another person for feeling fearful or anxious.

Handling Anxiety and Fear by Cancer Patients: Panic attacks

Panic attacks can be an alarming symptom of anxiety. Panic attacks happen very suddenly and often reach their worst in just about 10 minutes. The victim may seem fine between the attacks but is usually very afraid that they will happen again. The following are some of the symptoms of panic attack.

Handling Anxiety and Fear by Cancer Patients: Symptoms of a panic attack

• Shortness of breath or a feeling of being smothered
• Running heart
• Feelings of dizziness, unstable, lightheaded, or faint
• Chest pain or discomfort
• Feeling as if they’re choking
• Quivering or trembling
• Sweating
• Fear of losing control or “going crazy”
• An urge to escape
• Impassiveness or tingling sensations
• Feeling “unreal” or “detached” from themselves
• Chills (shaking or shivering) or hot flashes (may involve sweating or facial reddening)

If a person is having any of the first 5 symptoms or any five for that matter, it can mean an urgent or life-threatening condition. In this case the presence of a doctor would be required right away to attend to the patient if someone unexpectedly has any of these. It is also very important to note that these symptoms can be signs of other, more serious problems such as shock, heart attack, blood chemistry imbalance, collapsed lung, allergic reaction and many other chronic conditions. Therefore it’s not safe to make an assumption that they are panic-related until are diagnosed and confirmed by a doctor.

Handling Anxiety and Fear by Cancer Patients: What to do

• Check with the doctor to be sure that the symptoms are caused by panic and not another medical problem.
• Stay calm and speak softly during a panic attack.
• Sit with the person during panic attacks until he or she is feeling better.
• Call for help if needed.
• After the panic attack is over, encourage the person to get treatment for the panic attacks.
• Provide transportation to treatment if needed. The person may be afraid that a panic attack will happen while driving.
• The ideas listed under “What to do” in the section “Anxiety and Fear” may also be helpful.

Handling Anxiety and Fear by Cancer Patients: Do not

• Minimize or make light of the person’s terror or fear.
• Judge the person for feeling scared and acting strangely.
• Try to talk the person out of their fear or other feelings.
• Hesitate to call the doctor if you have questions about what’s happening.

Finally for us to win the good health back, we must ensure that we change our attitude towards anxiety and fear more so when it comes to handling cancer patients. Everything we do will matter a lot in the healing process of the cancer patients. Therefore seeking for treatment in good time and from experience and qualified doctors will be the best you can do for yourself. Doctor Dalal Akoury is one of such professionals you can contact for any health conditions you have that is cancerous. Make the best decision today and schedule for an appointment with doctor Akoury for a life changing treatment that will give you your life back enjoying it to the fullest.

Handling Anxiety and Fear by Cancer Patients: Panic attacks and cancer