Do’s

• Rely on ways of coping that have helped you solve problems and crises in the past.
• Deal with cancer one day at a time
• Use support and self-help groups if they make you feel better
• Find a doctor who lets you ask all of your questions
• Explore spiritual and religious beliefs and practices such as prayer that may have helped you in the past
• Keep a notebook of your doctors numbers, dates of treatment, lab values, x-rays, scans, symptoms, side effects, medicines, and general medical status
• Keep a journal if you find need to express yourself without holding back

Don’ts

• Don’t believe the old saying that “cancer equals death”
• Blame yourself for causing your cancer
• Feel guilty if you can’t keep a positive attitude all the time, especially when you don’t feel so well
• Suffer in silence
• Be embarrassed to seek counseling with a mental health expert for anxiety or depression that disrupts your sleep, eating , ability to concentrate or function normally
• Keep your worries or symptoms (physical or psychological) secret from the person closest to you
• Abandon your regular treatment for an alternative therapy

Source: The American Society and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network booklet: Distress : Treatment guidelines for cancer patients: Version I, July 2004.