How Does Counseling Help In Cancer Care

CHENNAI, India - Feb. 23, 2015 - PRLog -- Counselling in Cancer Care

Oh, my God! It can’t be true!

There must be a mistake!

This can’t happen to me!

What will I do? Will I suffer a lot?

I’m scared….These are the usual responses when the diagnosis is cancer.

Cancer is a dreadful disease and perhaps the worst diagnosis a person can deal with. This awful disease attacks the patient’s body and affects his emotions. It also takes its toll on family and friends.

Fortunately, most cancers, if detected early enough, can be treated. Advances in medical (http://www.miotinternational.com/miot-institute-of-cancer-cure/medical-oncology), surgical (http://www.miotinternational.com/miot-institute-of-cancer-cure/surgical-oncology) and radiation oncology (http://www.miotinternational.com/miot-institute-of-cancer-cure/radiation-oncology) have made intervention more successful.

When science is not enough

MIOT’s Institute for Cancer Cure is a dedicated Centre of Excellence. We have some of the best oncologists in India. We are equipped with the very best in technology and infrastructure.

But, for cancer patients, this is not enough. They need medical expertise as well as emotional support. Some patients are lucky to have supportive family and friends, but even they and the not-so-lucky ones need someone who will listen to their fears and anxieties about cancer. This is where the counsellor comes in.

Anika Sidana is our patient counsellor in the Institute for Cancer Cure. She says the most common responses to a diagnosis of cancer are denial, panic and depression.

Denial: Very often, patients do not want to accept that they are afflicted with this disease. The counsellor helps them come to terms with the diagnosis.

Panic: It is human nature to fear the unknown. The majority of patients do not know enough about cancer or lack access to correct information about the particular type they are suffering from. Here, the counsellor explains and helps the cancer patient and his family understand the disease and treatment.

Depression: The Big C is a bad word and it is quite natural for the patient to feel overwhelmed and depressed. A patient who is told she has to have a mastectomy, to have her breast(s) removed feels distressed and insecure about what she perceives is a threat to her identity as a woman. She needs counselling to understand her situation, to know that she is more than just her breasts.

The effects of chemotherapy and radiation can be quite dramatic – nausea, indigestion, loss of hair and/appetite and fatigue are quite common. Patients who have operable cancer need counselling to understand and agree/adapt to surgery and chemotherapy and its after-effects. Patients in the secondary stages of cancer need to make lifestyle changes and those with terminal cancer need comfort and pain management.

Help me, please…

In her role as a counsellor, Anika sees herself as the patient’s friend and offers emotional support and a willing ear. She listens to them with compassion as they speak of their feelings, fears and anxieties. She says “I understand” are important words in counselling.

Our counsellors and translators are always available to talk to or help our patients and their families. Patients from foreign countries need help clearing their doubts or communicating with their doctors and local caregivers. The disease itself and the prescribed line of treatment have to be explained to them.

Niar (name changed), a deaf-mute patient with terminal cancer, came to MIOT from Sudan accompanied by her sister. Anika counselled Niar and her sister in the course of her treatment, and encouraged them to enjoy whatever time they did have. Much to her sadness, she recently received a call from Sudan – Niar had passed away.

Another patient, a well-known public figure, was so devastated when he learnt he had cancer that he withdrew into himself and would not eat. With counselling he came to terms with the diagnosis and completed his treatment.

Anika says it is particularly sad when a child has cancer. She counsels the child and if needed, the parents and siblings.

Giving hope

The counsellor is the link between patients and their caregivers and the hospital and its doctors. Many patients worry that they cannot afford treatment. Anika conveys this to MIOT’s Board who willingly offer assistance in deserving cases.

Counselling plays a vital role with excellent results in the treatment of cancer. With a positive attitude, patients discover an inner strength and even a sense of humour they never knew they possessed.

Even in the bleakest situation, with caring and compassion, the counsellor is able to infuse hope for patients who would otherwise give up. And hope takes many forms – hope to beat the cancer, hope to get better, hope to live the rest of our lives in the best possible way we can.