Sunday, March 20, 2016

Tips on managing distress and fatigue from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society


How to cope with distress and fatigue - 

for oncology patients with a cancer diagnosis



by Kathleen Lisson

After my morning run with Team in Training San Diego, I attended the recent Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Blood Cancer Conference in Anaheim. According to the LLS website, the Blood Cancer Conference was "a free educational event for blood cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, family members and healthcare professionals to learn more about treatment options, emerging therapies, management of survivorship issues and LLS resources."

I enjoyed listening to the wisdom of Oncology Nurse Gail Goodell Munzing, Oncology Social Worker Rose Marie Danieri and Center for Cancer Counseling co-founder Frances Wollman Baumgarten. Many of the experiences and perspectives they shared reminded me of what I saw growing up as a child whose mother was fighting metastatic breast cancer. Crying, fear and anxiety ARE normal. Feeling vulnerable, scared, unable to hide your cancer and experiencing a loss of control are also normal. I was happy to see that one of the patients quoted in the presentation listed oncology massage as one of the ways she reduced her cancer related distress. 




If you couldn't attend the Blood Cancer Conference, the next one will be held in Los Angeles in March 2017. I have listed two resources below, a copy of the slides used in the Managing Cancer Related Distress breakout session and a webcast from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on fatigue and other cancer treatment side effects.  

View the Managing Cancer Related Distress powerpoint presentation here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17SkR-WySB3OcmwbKdcL8dxLTykFdxa0XhuC1NllmwW8/edit#slide=id.p34

Listen to a pre-recorded LLS webcast 'Getting the answers you need: fatigue and other cancer treatment side effects' here:
https://www.lls.org/patient-education-webcasts/getting-answers-you-need-fatigue-and-other-cancer-treatment-side

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