Wish fulfillment organizations allow people with a chronic or advanced condition to have their wishes and dreams come true. Such dreams may include taking a family vacation, attending an event, purchasing a desired item, or meeting someone special. Wish fulfillment organizations aim to help people with advanced illness enrich the quality of their lives and create meaningful memories.
When you first learn you have cancer, learning about your diagnosis and making treatment decisions can be difficult. For instance, there may be several treatment options, and cancer research continues to explore and discover new treatments and treatment improvements. That is why it is important to find experts with experience treating your type of cancer to provide you with information. In order to decide on a cancer treatment plan you are comfortable with, you may want to consider getting a second medical opinion.
It is common for people to feel nervous or worried as their surgery approaches. Knowing what to expect before, during, and after the procedure can help you prepare and feel more at ease.
If your parent has cancer, you may feel torn between independence as a young adult and helping your parent. Caregiving can be a rewarding way to reconnect with parents. It may also limit your freedom and ability to explore new opportunities.
As a caregiver for your parent, you may be concerned about how to provide support with limited time and resources. Meanwhile, the lives of your friends may revolve around careers, relationships, and outside interests. These differences may cause you to feel alone in managing your new responsibilities and emotions.
A colostomy is surgery to create an opening called a stoma. The opening creates a passage from the large intestine to the outside of your body. This is so that solid stool and gas can leave the body through the stoma instead of passing through the rectum. The waste is collected in a pouch worn on the outside of the body. A colostomy can be temporary or permanent.
The large intestine is the lowest section of the digestive system. It has two parts, the colon and the rectum.
A bone scan is a test that can help doctors diagnose problems with your bones. It is a useful tool for finding cancer that has started in or spread to the bone. It can also help your doctor check how well treatment is working for cancer in the bone.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a test that can be used to find a tumor in the body and to help find out whether a tumor is cancerous. Doctors also use it to learn more about cancer after they find it, including:
The size and location of the tumor
To plan cancer treatments, such as surgery or radiation therapy
To see how well treatment is working
An upper endoscopy allows a doctor to look at the upper part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This area is made up of the:
Esophagus, which is the muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach
Stomach
Duodenum, which is the top of the small intestine
An upper endoscopy is also called an upper GI endoscopy or esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD).
At some point during your cancer treatment or follow-up care, you may need to search for a new doctor. There are many reasons why you may need a new doctor. For example, if your doctor retires, if you or your doctor needs to move, if your health insurance changes, or if you do not feel like you and your health care team are a good fit.
Many people diagnosed with cancer find it helpful to be part of a cancer support group. This is a place where you can talk about and work through the feelings and challenges you experience with other people who have gone through similar experiences. Support groups give people diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers a chance to learn from and support each other.
