Nobody likes to talk about end of life decisions. He ?? s scary to think about.
Yet, talking makes it less scary.
There ?? s normal to want to avoid talking about subjects that feel depressing. In psychology, we call avoidance, and it ?? his common way people
respond to difficult experiences
Adaptation strategies fall into one of two categories: Active or avoidant ..
active coping strategies involve the awareness of the source of stress, followed by efforts to reduce potentially negative. Conversely, avoidant
coping strategies involve ignoring the source of stress, which often leads to activities that divert our attention and assistance in denial of a problem
existing.
Although appropriate for certain situations or as a temporary method of adjustment, avoidance may increase anxiety around the thing you ?? re trying to avoid.
Ignoring stress outrun the ability to find creative solutions. As time passes and nothing
is done to remedy the source of stress, the subconscious mind is aware of the things aren ?? t get better and feared things could worsen.
Often, people can ?? t control stress situations that come into their lives, but they can control how they react to stress. Fortunately, there are
many healthy alternatives to replace avoidance as a coping strategy.
Alternatives to avoidance
The active following strategies coping help people respond healthily to stress:
- Instrumental Coping. Also called problem solving, this approach is to identify the problem and create possible solutions to remedy them.
- Seeking support. Reach out to family, friends, neighbors or a professional help or emotional support can be an effective way to deal with stressful situations.
- Setting Expectations. Sometimes it ?? s useful to provide a series of results of how a situation can turn. This activity can help people achieve rational expectations. When our expectations align with reality, life becomes easier to accept.
- Relaxation. emotional situations can make people anxious, and anxious thought can affect the ability to think calmly and rationally. Engage in relaxing pastime or try relaxation techniques can reduce the effects of stress
and help people cope better.
Questions and Answers support group online in July 2015
Patients and caregivers were asked a number of questions in the latest online support group. Here, we include answers to some of them
Q:.? Why radiotherapy is on its own not generally recommended for pleural mesothelioma
A: Radiotherapy isn? ? t powerful enough on its own, or in combination with other treatments to cure mesothelioma. The application of radiotherapy
chest is risky because it can damage vital organs like the heart.
Radiotherapy is usually given to patients with pleural mesothelioma who underwent extrapleural pneumonectomy to have them removed cancerous lung.
removal of the lung enables easier application of radiotherapy to spaces in the chest where residual cancer may remain after surgery.
Sometimes pleural mesothelioma tumors develop in a solid mass, rather than forming as a sheet around a lung. The solid mass tumors are easier to deal with
radiation therapy, especially if they aren ?? t too close to vital organs. In these cases, radiation therapy has the potential to reduce tumors
reduce symptoms such as pain in the chest wall and breathing difficulties
Q :. Is it safe to temporarily consider taking an antidepressant to help with depression linked to mesothelioma
? A: Yes, it is generally considered safe to temporarily taking an antidepressant to cope with depression related to cancer. Patients and family members can
benefit from the temporary use of a high risk antidepressant without becoming addicted. Patients can talk with members of their oncologist and family can
talk with their doctor first care on treatment options for depression
Q :. I ?? m having trouble sleeping. Are there medications that might help
? A: Yes, there are effective medications to help patients sleep cancer. Some doctors recommend over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids such as melatonin, which
happens to be a natural sleep chemical produced by the body. Take an antihistamine like Benadryl can be useful for insomnia caused by steroids, but
some people feel more awake after taking antihistamines. If OTC sleep t help with gift, ask your oncologist about pharmaceutical medicine sleep resistance
Q :. Is effective chemotherapy for recurrent mesothelioma tumors
A: For some patients, second-line chemotherapy can stop the growth of the recurrent tumor and may even shrink tumors in some cases. In general, patients with mesothelioma
who are eligible for second-line chemotherapy are those who responded to first-line chemotherapy and are physically fit enough to handle another round.
Research shows that patients who responded to pemetrexed first tend to survive longer when pemetrexed and cisplatin are used as second line
chemotherapy against pemetrexed alone. Other chemotherapy drugs used in second-line treatment for mesothelioma include vinorelbine, gemcitabine, epirubicin,
mitomycin and doxorubicin.
Third line chemotherapy has proven effective for some patients with mesothelioma. A study published in Denmark in 2015 assessed the effects of chemotherapy third line with carboplatin, doxorubicin and gemcitabine in people with pleural mesothelioma. Tumors stopped growing in 60 percent of participants and 14 percent had tumor shrinkage. The results impressed the researchers, but the toxicity of delayed blood treatment for 56 percent of participants. Less toxic combinations of drugs will probably studied in the future.
