The more you understand about their cancer and treatment, the more you are able to help your teenager make the best decisions about their care. Being informed can help you know more about what to expect in the days, weeks and months ahead. Be realistic about how much you can expect to learn at the beginning. Many parents are overwhelmed by how quickly things happen after they first hear that their teenager has cancer. Treatment may need to start before there is a chance to fully understand what is happening. Like other parents, you will probably need to ask many questions to understand what’s going on.
Tip: Try not to focus too much on statistics. Remember that your child is unique. Many things that can happen won’t, and things that you don’t expect to happen might. Try to focus on the present, and take it one step (or even one moment) at a time.
Online information
It can help to look for information on credible web sites. If you find information that looks almost too good to be true (such as a "cure" for cancer) or information that is frightening to read, please share it with your teenager’s health-care team. They can tell you if it is credible and whether it applies to your teenager. The teen section contains information about evaluating the credibility of information on the internet.
Staying organized
The first step in staying organized is to figure out a way to keep track of any information you find, questions you have, and appointments related to your teenager’s care. Some parents find it helpful to keep all of this information in a binder or a digital file on a phone, tablet, or computer. Having information available all in one place may help cut down on your stress and help you maintain some control over everything that is happening at a very busy time in your life.
Ask your teenager’s health-care team for any information they can give you. You will find more ideas of where to look for information in the resources page of this session.
Sessions outline
Here is a list of the different topics covered in the teen version of this program:
- About cancer
- Understanding diagnosis
- Cancer medications
- Cancer treatments and support therapies
- The health-care team
- Communication
- Managing your symptoms
- Managing stress and emotions
- Relaxation and distraction
- Therapies, self-monitoring and supports
- Your lifestyle
- Looking ahead
Please take the time to visit these sessions. They contain information about cancer and treatment, as well as strategies your teenager can use to help manage the physical, emotional, psychological and social effects of cancer.
In the next
session, you will learn how to help your teenager to manage the effects of their cancer and treatment more independently.
