Are you breaking up with me?

While receiving cancer treatment as an outpatient, you are often spending much of your time at appointments, getting tests and scans and receiving  treatment. You will be spending your days with physicians (medical specialists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, etc), physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, assistants, techs, social workers, counselors, and the list can go on and on. Cancer patients are followed closely while on treatment for good reasons: 

• How are you handling the treatment itself? 
• What side effects are you having and are they being properly managed? 
• How are you managing the psychological aspects of your diagnosis and treatment? 
• How are you managing financially? Are your bills piling up? 

At some point during your course of treatment it is likely that you will be seeing the members of your team less frequently. They are not breaking up with you. Most likely, this means that you are in a place in your care that your providers feel safe with giving you some freedom from visits. It is an opportunity to spend some time away from the cancer center and out living your life how you’d like to live it.  

This can be a difficult transition. Understandably so. You had the safety of knowing that you were being closely monitored for any issues that may arise. But remember, you got this! Keep in mind that you can always call your provider’s offices with questions and concerns. That’s why they give you those phone numbers! Program them into your phone or keep them somewhere easily accessible if you need to call.  

Enjoy your time away from the chemo suite, the lab, the radiation clinic, the doctor’s office. You’ve gone through so much and this can be a time of great healing both physically and emotionally. Take advantage of it knowing that your care team members are just a phone call away.