By National Cancer Institute Content Team — 2021
Cancer can have a long-lasting impact not only on your body, but on your relationships.
Read on www.cityofhope.org
CLEAR ALL
Imagine being at risk for 12 cancers. Welcome to a life in limbo.
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Until I had doctors remove my breasts and rebuild them again, I was a feminist who never saw herself as particularly feminine. Since then, I’ve questioned my feminist cred and tossed out my jeans in favor of dresses.
When Robert Bruce, of El Dorado, Calif., was diagnosed in March 2011 with stage-4 melanoma, he already had tumors on his head, lungs, ribs and lymph nodes. Bruce said his cancer wasn’t a case of his body betraying him, but actually the reverse: “I betrayed my own body.”
In the end, I fall back on one statement that I repeat to myself pretty often. “We are not given the burdens we deserve, we are given the burdens we can bear.”
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Treatment for breast cancer is difficult for any woman, but for a lesbian, it can be especially difficult.
Americans believe cancer can be cured through alternative therapies alone, according to a survey conducted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Complementary therapies can be used to help with pain. These methods draw your attention away from the pain and release muscle tension caused by pain.
When you discuss a complementary therapy with your health care team and they agree that it is safe to try as part of your overall cancer care, this is called “integrative medicine.”
There are many different methods to control cancer pain.
While all cancers can cause pain, some, such as those affecting the bones or pancreas, are more frequently associated with pain. Regardless of the type of cancer, it’s important to remember that cancer pain can often be treated.