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Beyond medication: finding services for physical and emotional wellbeing
When you're living with cancer, medical services will be at the heart of your care. However there are other positives steps you can take before, during and after cancer treatment that can also improve your well-being and your long-term health.
Thinking of ways of looking after yourself at this difficult time might feel overwhelming, but doing so can help you feel as well as possible during treatment, recover more quickly, and feel good about yourself.
So when you’re ready, you’ll find there is a range of services to be discovered on Cancer Care Map to help improve your wellbeing – not only physically, but also emotionally...
Cancer services you never thought of
Sometimes you just don’t know what you don’t know. This is definitely the case with cancer support services. As a cancer patient, or as someone close to someone who is, it's a big and important step to look for support. And if you're reading this, then you've found your way to Cancer Care Map, which is an excellent start. Welcome!
But what next? If you know what sort of cancer care provider you are looking for, that's great! Just enter the charity name, cancer type or key word(s) into the map search. You should find what you need - and if you don't, please let us know.
So what about the type of help you didn't know existed, but which turns out to be a total godsend? Try a search using your postcode to see what surprises come up near you. ...
Scanxiety: you’ve got this
Google 'scanxiety' and you'll quickly see that the anxiety people feel before, during and after cancers scans or appointments is more or less universal.
As someone who, four years after successful cervical cancer surgery, experiences scanxiety before, during and after every vaguely medical appointment (yes, even an unrelated trip to the dentist or optician will trigger it!), I know it's a very real experience and can be hard for others to understand. This explanation resonates:
"People often don't realise there is a difference between General Anxiety and scanxiety. For those of us with Scanxiety. it's not just about what might happen. It's about what did happen. It's about remembering."
Over time you do develop ways of coping though, and it's interesting to see the range of techniques that work for people.
Not long ago we did some digging online to see what ideas local cancer support services and national charities...