Living with a brain tumour is not easy. The future can look very unpredictable and the unknown can be frightening.
As well as medical worries about tests, treatments and side effects, it is also common for patients to worry about life’s practicalities. For example, patients may worry about who will care for their family when they feel too ill to do so.
This panic and anxiety is a natural response and one that will affect everyone concerned. Changes in daily routines and responsibilities are often necessary and this is something that involves the whole family. Try to ensure that everyone knows what is happening and has an idea of what to expect.
The following are a few suggestions that may help you, your family and close friends deal with the changes in your lives:
- Seek accurate medical information about the disease and your treatment options.
- Make sure you are involved in decisions about your care and treatment. This can help to dispel the fear of the unknown and the feeling that you do not have any control in what is happening to you.
- Take a notepad with you if you find it difficult to remember questions and the answers, and write things down to refer to later.
- Set your own limits according to how you feel. Do not push yourself to perform at the level you were before the diagnosis and think you have to carry on as usual.
For further information on living with a brain tumour, see Brain Tumour UK’s information sheet Living with a brain tumour.
