Coping With Fear and Anxiety Around Cancer Diagnosis
- Lindy Thackston, an anchor for FOX 59 News in Indianapolis, could be facing another bout with cancer (this time in her lung), but that isn't stopping her from remaining hopeful amid a stressful and anxiety-ridden time in her life.
- Thackston says that when she went to the emergency room for an unrelated reason a few weeks ago, her doctors found a spot on her lung. For now, she remains cancer free and is back to work.
- Don't be afraid to lean on your family, friends, whoever your support system is during a battle with cancer; it's easy to say, but sometimes hard to do.
In an Instagram post shared today, Thackston says that when she went to the emergency room for an unrelated reason a few weeks ago, her doctors found a spot on her lung; it had grown to about 5 millimeters since she stopped chemotherapy for her colon cancer in April.
Read MoreView this post on Instagram"Getting a biopsy next week," she wrote on social media. "Good chance it's not cancer but if it is, they think they can just cut it out. I don't really know how to put into words what cancer does to you mentally, but I know I couldn't do it without all of you. 💙"
Thackston's Cancer Journey
Following her initial diagnosis of stage 3 colon cancer, Thackston, now 40, began her cancer treatment with four surgeries, as well as 15 rounds of chemotherapy pills and radiation. She then had 10 rounds of "clean-up chemo," as she calls it, which quickly became "pure torture." She experienced plenty of symptoms from her chemo treatments, like fatigue, nausea, neuropathy (weakness, numbness or pain from nerve damage) and gastrointestinal issues; this led to her decision to only receive 10 rounds of chemo instead of 12 as originally planned.
During her time in the hospital, Thackston lost 40 pounds and lost some of her hair a common effect of chemotherapy.
For now, she remains cancer free and is back to work. The biopsy on her lung spot scheduled for next week should give Thackston further clarity on her status and prognosis. We are all sending well wishes her way and hoping she tells us the spot is benign meaning non-cancerous.
Fear, Anger, Anxiety You're Entitled To Your Emotions
Fear, Anger, Anxiety: Remember to Stay Positive
As Thackston says in her Instagram post, it's hard to "put into words what cancer does to you mentally," but she couldn't do it without the support system around her.
In other words, don't be afraid to lean on your family, friends, whoever your support system is during a battle with cancer; it's easy to say, but sometimes hard to do.
"I think the most important advice I would give to someone who has just received a cancer diagnosis is to find people whom they find as a source of support," Dr. Susan Parsons of Tufts Medical Center in Boston tells SurvivorNet. "To allow themselves to go through all of the different emotional reactions to that news the anger, the frustration, the fear, the disappointment; whatever those emotions are, figure out what's important to you and find those people that can help you realize that."
Just as Parsons says it’s important to feel those emotions, it’s also important to remember to stay positive as you navigate a cancer diagnosis yourself or with a loved one.
"My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer … I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK," Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, tells SurvivorNet.
"Now (that) doesn't mean I'm good at saying that the cancer won't grow," he says. "But I'm pretty good at telling what kind of patient (is) going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest. … Those are patients who they have gratitude in life."
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