Orlando Health: Will cancer come back? 7 strateges to cope with fear

You have successfully completed treatment and your doctor has declared you cancer-free – so why are you in constant fear of it returning?

Worrying about a recurrence of the disease is often one of the obstacles standing in the way of adapting to a post-cancer treatment.

This fear can be spiked by any number of events, including the anniversary of your cancer diagnosis, checkups and routine tests. Feeling an unusual pain, catching a cold or finding yourself short of breath may immediately send your mind racing.

In many ways, once you are a cancer patient, you are always a cancer patient. You’ll have to come to terms with the changes to your body. You may also have to deal with treatment side-effects, including nerve pain and body swelling (lymphedema). These are clear physical reminders of how you have been changed by the cancer.

Beyond that, though, there is the emotional damage, leaving with a fear that it could come back – and start everything over again.