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Managing panic attacks in cancer patients

Managing panic attacks

Managing panic attacks in cancer patients require professionalism and care

Managing panic attacks in cancer patients: This attack can be life threatening

Careful consideration should be taken in managing panic attacks in cancer patients since it can be an alarming symptom of anxiety. According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury MD, panic attacks can 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.

Managing panic attacks in cancer patients: Symptoms of 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.

Managing panic attacks in 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.

Managing panic attacks in 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.

Managing panic attacks in cancer patients: This attack can be life threatening

 

 

 

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Helping cancer patients cope

Helping cancer patients cope

Helping cancer patients cope with this disturbing condition requires a lot including healthy living

Helping cancer patients cope: Attitude and beliefs

People value the care they get from their cancer care team, but many also want to take an active role in dealing with their illness. Dr. Dalal Akoury the MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center has been in the medical practice for well over two decades and she is going to be very instrumental in helping cancer patients cope with this condition progressively as we continue in the discussion. She says that for a better understanding of these concerns, it is important to segment the useful ideas on coping with cancer in to two categories. The divisions is based on attitudes and beliefs that clearly are beneficial (and she calls them the Do’s) and those that are harmful (which she referred to as the Don’ts). The following are some of the doable.

Helping cancer patients cope: The doable attitudes

Only go for those coping ways that have been helpful for you in the past in solving problems – It is important to note that everyone will only want to associate with those people who will add value to their lives. Therefor be selective and only go for those whom you will feel comfortable sharing and talking with about your illness freely. In the event that you can’t talk to anyone, you could opt for meditation, relaxation or listening to music as alternatives of calming you down. Do what it takes and only apply what has worked for you before and in the unlikely event that nothing works and coping is becoming difficult, then at this point getting professional help becomes necessary.

Deal with cancer “one day at a time – For effective dealing with cancer, it is very important that you keep distance from elements of worries. The business of coping with cancer will be less tasking when broken into smaller units which are manageable. By doing this, you will be able to handle your daily objectives.

Register for support and self-help groups – Only associate with value additions groups and leave any group that makes you feel worse.

Find a doctor who lets you ask all your questions – In the journey of answering this question “how can I help myself cope with cancer?” it will be very important that you in all your association there must be the feelings of mutual respect and trust. Always insist on being a partner in your treatment. Doing this will enable you to be informed of the problems you are likely to face before they come, and addressing them will become even easier.

Explore spiritual and religious beliefs and practices, such as prayer, that may have helped you in the past – If you don’t consider yourself a religious or spiritual person, get support from any belief systems that you value. This may comfort you and even help you find meaning in the experience of your illness.

Keep a personal notebook of your doctors’ numbers, dates of treatments, lab values, x-rays, scans, symptoms, side effects, medicines, and general medical status – Information about the cancer and your treatment is important to have, and no one can keep it better than you.

Keep a journal if you find a need to express yourself without holding back – It can help you process the journey, and you may be amazed by how helpful it can be.

Helping cancer patients cope: Attitude and beliefs

 

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Facilitating cancer patients in handling this condition

Facilitating cancer patients

Facilitating cancer patients in handling this condition entails healthy living which includes using natural food stuff.

Facilitating cancer patients in handling this condition: Boldness and strong beliefs

Cancer is a life threatening condition and when it knocks on your door step, devastations, anxiety and fear also settles in your life. These accompaniments are equally dangerous for the wellbeing of the patients and that is why it is very important that when it happens, facilitating cancer patients in handling this condition becomes very essential. And according to doctor Dalal Akoury MD, President and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, there are very many things one needs to do and those that must not be done. In helping the situations the following are some of the don’ts”

Facilitating cancer patients in handling this condition: The don’ts elements

  • Believe the old saying that “cancer equals death – remember that many cancer survivors are healthy today thereby disqualifying this statement.
  • Blame yourself for causing your cancer – There is no scientific proof linking certain personalities, emotional states, or painful life events to getting cancer. Even if you may have raised your cancer risk through smoking or some other habit, it does not help to blame yourself or beat yourself up.
  • Feel guilty if you can’t keep a positive attitude all the time, especially when you don’t feel well – The saying “you have to be positive to beat cancer” is not true. Low periods will come, no matter how great you are at coping. There is no proof that those times have a bad effect on your health or tumor growth. But if they become frequent or severe, getting professional help would be ideal.
  • Suffer in silence – Make cancer a communal problem and refuse to struggle with it alone. Get support from your family, loved ones, friends, doctor, clergy, or those you meet in support groups who understand what you are going through. With these supports, you are certainly going to cope better.
  • Be embarrassed or ashamed to get help from a mental health expert – If it becomes necessary to seek for the services of a mental specialist for conditions like anxiety or depression that disrupts your sleep, eating, ability to concentrate, ability to function normally, or if you feel your distress is getting out of control, don’t feel embarrassed and proceed boldly.
  • Abandon your regular treatment for an alternative therapy – If you use a treatment that your doctor didn’t recommend, use only those that you know do no harm. Find out if the treatment can be safely used along with your regular therapies to improve your quality of life. Psychological, social, and spiritual approaches are helpful and safe, and medical professional across the board are encouraging the use of such treatment modes. As we had mentioned things like relaxation and meditation are good ways to deal with distress.

Facilitating cancer patients in handling this condition: Other coping methods like exercise

Doctor Akoury says that exercise is not only safe for most people during cancer treatment, but it can also help you feel better. Moderate exercise has been shown to help with tiredness, anxiety, muscle strength, and heart and blood vessel fitness. And in fact most people with cancer can do some form of exercise. Like for instance, walking is a good way to get started and a good way to keep moving when you are feeling stressed. Remember that with cancer involve not all cancer patients can be engaged in all types of exercises. Get the opinion of your doctor about your exercise plans before you start. Keep in mind that even though exercise may help lower distress levels in some people, exercise alone is usually not enough to help people with moderate to severe distress. Therefore, for comprehensive health information about our discussion topic “how can I help myself cope with cancer?” schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today and your healthy will never be the same again.

Facilitating cancer patients in handling this condition: Boldness and strong beliefs

 

 

 

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Beautiful Child wearing a head scarf due to hair loss from chemotherapy fighting cancer

Cancer affects emotional health in many ways

Cancer affects emotional health

Cancer affects emotional health in many ways.

Cancer affects emotional health in many ways: Depression and cancer

It is never fun to be told that you are suffering from cancer. When such news is broken to the patients, devastation, pain and anguish sets in not just to the patient but even to the relatives and loved ones. For sure most patients, families, and caregivers expresses some degree of depression, anxiety, and fear when cancer becomes part of their lives. These feelings are normal responses to this life-changing experience. We want to settle into the discussion of how cancer affects your emotional health and what you can do to help. We will be guided by the help of doctor Dalal Akoury who is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center where a lot of cancer preventive treatment are done. You can also be part of the many experiencing life transformation with the professionalism approach doctor Akoury is applying in the treatment of her clients.

Like I have just mention cancer is life threatening and people struggling with cancer will have the feelings expressed above which can be caused by many things, including changes in their families’ roles and even assignment at their work stations. A cancer patient is likely to feel the loss of control over life events, and bear the burden of dealing with changes in their body image. They might feel grief at the losses and changes in their lives that cancer brings. There may be fear of the eventualities like death, suffering, pain, or all the unknown elements that lie ahead. This may not be limited to the patients only but even the family members and caregivers may have these feelings too. It is possible that they will be afraid of losing their loved one. Anger of knowing that cancer is affecting their loved ones will be another concern especially with the knowledge that cancer is genetically inherited. This will in many ways cause both the patient and their loved ones frustration and stress that they are either not doing enough to help or that they have to do more at home.

In all these, it’s important to remember that people with cancer, as well as their friends and family, can feel distress about these things at any time after a cancer diagnosis, even many years after the cancer is treated. And as the cancer situation changes, they all must cope with new stressors along with the old, and their feelings often change, too. For instance, people dealing with cancer that’s spread and is making the person feel worse may have more emotional distress than those dealing with early-stage cancers.

People who have physical symptoms such as pain, nausea, or extreme tiredness (fatigue) also seem more likely to have emotional distress. Most of the time, physical symptoms can be controlled with medicines but it could take more than one try to find the right drug or combination of drugs. Doctor Akoury emphasizes that because of this, patient must keep consulting closely with their doctors and with their cancer team. This way they can help with these kinds of symptoms before you feel overwhelmed.

Take note that this link is tailored to equip you with health information that can help your families, friends, and caregivers to know what feelings and behaviors they might expect from their loved one who has been diagnosed with cancer. It is also to help you understand what isn’t normal and when more needs to be done like getting outside help. Besides, it can also help you recognize when you or others need outside help. Remember that everybody is vulnerable to cancer and all these things can happen to anyone including your caregivers, friends, and family members too. Anyone affected by cancer theirs or a loved one will need help in dealing with the emotions that result.

Cancer affects emotional health in many ways: Depression and cancer

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Clinical depression and cancer

Clinical depression

Clinical depression and cancer treatment solution begins with detoxification effectiveness

Clinical depression and cancer: Emotional health

It’s normal to grieve over the changes that cancer brings to a person’s life. The future, which may have seemed so sure before, now becomes uncertain. Some dreams and plans may be lost forever. But if a person has been sad for a long time or is having trouble carrying out day-to-day activities, that person may have clinical depression. In fact, up to 1 in 4 people with cancer have clinical depression. The effects of clinical depression is alluded to great distress, impairs functioning, and might even make the person with cancer less able to follow their cancer treatment plan. In all these, there is still hope and the good news is that clinical depression can be treated. Therefore if you know of anyone who has symptoms of clinical depression, you can be their link to the much help they need, encourage them to get help from the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. There are many ways to treat clinical depression including medicines, counseling, or a combination of both. With good and timely treatments, you can reduce your rate of suffering and improve the quality of your life.

Symptoms of clinical depression

  • Loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities most of the time
  • Being slowed down or restless and agitated almost every day, enough for others to notice
  • Frequent thoughts of death or suicide (not just fear of death), suicide plans or attempts
  • Continues sadness, hopeless, or “empty” mood for most of the day
  • Extreme tiredness (fatigue) or loss of energy
  • Trouble focusing thoughts, remembering, or making decisions
  • Feeling guilty, worthless, or helpless
  • Major weight loss (when not dieting) or weight gain
  • Trouble sleeping with early waking, sleeping too much, or not being able to sleep

Remember, some of these symptoms, such as weight changes, fatigue, or even forgetfulness can be caused by cancer and its treatment. However when five or more of these symptoms happen consistently daily for 2 weeks or more, or are severe enough to interfere with normal activities, it might be assign of depression. If this description fits your situation, then you need to be checked for clinical depression by a qualified health or mental health professional. If the person tries to hurt him- or herself, or has a plan to do so, get help right away.

Clinical depression and cancer: What to do

  • Promote physical activity, especially mild exercise such as daily walks.
  • Reassure the person that with time and treatment, he or she will start to feel better – and although changes to the treatment plan are sometimes needed, it’s important to be patient.
  • Help make appointments for mental health treatment, if needed.
  • Provide transportation for treatment, if needed.
  • Remember that it’s OK to feel sad and grieve over the losses that cancer has brought to their lives, and to yours.
  • Realize that being pessimistic and thinking everything is hopeless are symptoms of depression and should get better with treatment.
  • Engage the person in conversation and activities they enjoy.
  • Encourage the depressed person to continue treatment until symptoms improve, or to talk to the doctor about different treatment if there’s no improvement after 2 or 3 weeks.

If you suspect you may be depressed, schedule for an appointment with doctor Akoury today.

Clinical depression and cancer: Emotional health

 

 

 

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