All Cancers : What topics have you found are most difficult for cancer patients to talk about?

What topics have you found are most difficult for cancer patients to talk about?

Cancel

Topic Tags:

Unorganized

Topic Tags:

Unorganized X

Done

Diseases:

All Cancers

Diseases:

All Cancers

Done

Expert Answers

TheresaBrownRN (Nurse (Verified) ) - 05 / 22 / 2012

I would say that death is absolutely the hardest thing to talk about. Sometimes the family knows the end is near, but the patient is still hoping for a miracle, and other times those roles are reversed. There are docs who aren’t good at admitting to patients that we cannot cure their disease or even keep it at bay for much longer. Whenever the patient talks about her fear of death it’s important to be an attentive and empathic listener. Unfortunately, with how busy most nurses are, there may not be time to really listen well even though that’s what the patient needs.

Join Now to ask a follow-up question or share your experience!
We'll help guide and support you through treatments.

Similar Questions

Do you offer your patients with children at home a support group for either the adults or children to help them talk about parents with cancer?

What coping strategies have you found to be most helpful to you in coping with fear of recurrence?

As an oncology nurse, what have you found causes the most errors in chemotherapy and radiation administration?

In your opinion, what are the most difficult issues for breast cancer patients when going through treatments?

Was it difficult starting your own breast cancer support non-profit organization? What advice to you have for others who are thinking about starting their own?

Note: All content on this site is informational and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with questions regarding your health.

Note: Usernames have been made anonymous and profile images are not shown to protect the privacy of our members.

Flag Content

Please explain why you are flagging this content. Thank you.

Cancel

Thank you for flagging this content. We will look into it right away.

Give a 'Thank you' to

Cancel

Add Answer

1) Question:

2) Background Info (optional): What context or background information is relevant to this request?

Notes:
The more clear and thorough your request, the more likely you will receive support.
Many of our members are learning from this information or english might not be their first language. Please use standard english and spell out all words. For example, use 'you' instead of 'u'.

Thank you for sharing your question.

Our topic related experts will review the question and will either answer right away, find the right specialist, or save the question for the next relevant Q&A workshop. Responses will be sent to your email account as well as viewable at the following link on TalkAboutHealth:

We are finding other members now to join the chat.

Click here to start the chat.

Newsletters