Managing Fear After a Lung Cancer Diagnosis

Fear is a powerful emotion that can strike at different times after you are diagnosed with lung cancer. "I was more frightened of chemo than anything else," says Arlene Rubenstein, a survivor of stage IIIA lung cancer, who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., and volunteers as a phone buddy for the Lung Cancer Alliance.

Even after successful treatment, most people fear that the lung cancer will come back. Rubenstein has been in remission for a decade and is afraid every time she returns to her doctor for a check up. "It has been 10 years for me, and I still get anxiety," she says.

Lung Cancer and Fear: The Signs

When you are dealing with all the emotions and issues that come with a lung cancer diagnosis, you may put feelings of fear on the back burner. It is not uncommon to deny these emotions. Fear can manifest in many ways, both physical and emotional. Some common symptoms may include:

• Tense facial expressions
• Worry that you cannot control
• Difficulty solving problems
• Distraction
• Tense muscles
• Restlessness
• Dryness in your mouth
• Anger
• Irritability

Lung Cancer and Fear: How to Cope

Some strategies for coping with fear after a lung cancer diagnosis:

• Join a lung cancer support group. "I would immediately get into a support group," says Julie Walther Scheibel, MEd, a counselor at Concordia Seminary Counseling and Resource Center in St. Louis. "It just helps to [be around people] who are in the same boat and who you can relate to."
• Enlist a support system. Rubenstein says it also helps to have a strong support system of family and friends. "The people around me were wonderful and kind," she says. Share your feelings with friends, family members, and members of your medical team, who can offer support and a listening ear when you need to talk.
• Stay positive. Keeping a positive and hopeful attitude about her cancer was another way Rubenstein dealt with her fear, even when doctors told her she had only a 30 percent chance of surviving the lung cancer.
• Remember that tomorrow is a new day. "Even when I had surgery, I kept saying to myself, 'It's only pain, and tomorrow will be better,' " says Rubenstein.
• Talk to your doctor. If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms or have feelings of fear that are making it difficult to function, work with your doctor to find strategies for coping with your feelings. Your doctor can also prescribe medication for anxiety or depression so that fear and anxiety don't control your life.
• Practice relaxation strategies. Relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga can calm you and help ease your fear.
• Know that researchers are making new discoveries. "Every single day that you wake up, they are learning something new and better to help you survive," says Rubenstein.

As you move from diagnosis to treatment and recovery, you will experience many emotions, including fear. By facing these emotions and acknowledging your feelings, you will become stronger than ever.