Step 5: Manage Treatment and Its Effects

You and our advocate have put together your medical team. You've told your family, friends and colleagues. You've made critical decisions and chosen a treatment program.
As you quickly discover, it's as though you now have a second career, another whole role to play in life. As if your one job and the 16 roles you already play in life were'nt enough, now you take on the responsibility of being your own cancer patient treatment manager. You have to make room in your schedule for doctors appointments and therapy treatments. You have to find people to replace you for duties you won't be able to fulfill. And you have to keep track of it all.

The key is to approach being a cancer patient as though it really is another job one on which your life depends. You have to be organized, follow through, and monitor your progress. You have to put together a good staff delegate intelligently and hold people accountable. And throughout it all, you need to remember to cut yourself some slack. Don't completely stress out if from time to time you forget something or mess up. It's normal, it's human. Hey, you've got a lot on your mind!

Organize Your Master Calendar
If you've followed our suggestions and organized all the information you've gathered thus far in a notebook, here is another essential addition. Use a master calendar to help you manage and juggle it all; doing the laundry, shopping for groceries, picking up the kids at soccer, mowing the lawn, gardening, paying the bills and whatever else you can think of.

Create A Personal Support System
Depending on your type of cancer and the treatment you've chosen, this could be a very difficult time. Most cancer patients experience fatigue and nausea during treatmtnet at a minimum and now in particular you really need to call upon the support system we outlined in step two. Another great resource at this time is the Cancer Patient Advocate (CPA). If you don't have a network of friends and family to call upon, or even if you do but feel like you need more support, the CPA is there for you. In addition to helping you navigate the cancer treatment process, the CPA can recommend complementary medicine practitioners, places to research different pain and nausea drugs, and give you many other suggestions to help you through treatment.