{"id":1902,"date":"2022-05-30T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-30T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/?p=1902"},"modified":"2025-10-23T02:40:54","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T02:40:54","slug":"living-with-cancer-as-a-chronic-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/index.php\/2022\/05\/30\/living-with-cancer-as-a-chronic-condition\/","title":{"rendered":"Living with cancer as a chronic condition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"400\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/CancerRibbons_AdobeStock_220085256-700x400-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1903 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/CancerRibbons_AdobeStock_220085256-700x400-1.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/CancerRibbons_AdobeStock_220085256-700x400-1-300x171.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 700px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 700\/400;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Has your loved one been diagnosed with cancer? The vast majority (67%) of people with cancer live for another five years or more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A cancer is considered &#8220;stable&#8221; or &#8220;controlled&#8221; when tumors shrink or at least temporarily stop growing. This is not the same as being cured\u2014no tumors\u2014but it does make cancer more of a manageable chronic disease, like diabetes or asthma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learning to live <em>with<\/em> cancer. <\/strong>Ideally, when cancer becomes chronic, the survivor learns to take it on as simply another aspect of life. A return to &#8220;the way it was&#8221; isn&#8217;t likely. For example, their daily or weekly schedule may now need to accommodate dietary changes, treatment sessions, or a rigid medication protocol. But there can be a happy and fulfilling &#8220;new normal&#8221; for months or years. Here are some tips to help your loved one adjust (and you too, as a family member).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Accept that you don&#8217;t have control.<\/strong> The sooner you make peace with this, the better your overall well-being.<\/li><li><strong>Acknowledge your fears and let them go. <\/strong>It&#8217;s natural to be afraid. But fixating on fear doesn&#8217;t cure the cancer. Let your worries go, as much as possible, to liberate energy for things that actually can make a difference to your day.<\/li><li><strong>Get support.<\/strong> From support groups, counselors, clergy, friends, and family. Feelings are easier to release when you express them.<\/li><li><strong>Control what you can.<\/strong> While you can&#8217;t control the cancer, you can create a more predictable, rewarding life. For example, establish daily routines. Create and work toward realistic personal goals.<\/li><li><strong>Prioritize your time.<\/strong> Most cancer survivors report that their &#8220;new normal&#8221; includes a new emphasis on doing things that are meaningful or fun.<\/li><li><strong>Emphasize wellness.<\/strong> Good sleep, healthy foods, relaxation, and exercise all make it easier for the body to marshal its forces against the cancer.<\/li><li><strong>Stay informed about the disease and treatments.<\/strong> Knowing the options and understanding what to expect promotes your ability to work effectively with providers.<\/li><li><strong>Take each day as it comes.<\/strong>&nbsp;Feelings of fear, anger, or sadness often arise. Let them come, and go. Notice the peace and pleasures of the day, too.<\/li><li><strong>Seek and savor reasons to feel grateful.<\/strong> Even though things are not as you might wish, simple joys are still possible. Strive for them.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Does your loved one have cancer?<\/strong><br>As the greater Cleveland experts in family caregiving, we at <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/\">Careplan Care Managers<\/a><\/strong> know how difficult cancer can be, with many ups and downs. If you would like help navigating the impact on your family, give us a call at 440.476.9534. You don&#8217;t have to do this alone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Has your loved one been diagnosed with cancer? The vast majority (67%) of people with cancer live for another five years or more. A cancer is considered &#8220;stable&#8221; or &#8220;controlled&#8221; when tumors shrink or at least temporarily stop growing. This is not the same as being cured\u2014no tumors\u2014but it does make cancer more of a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1903,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1902\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careplangcm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}