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TalkingWell-nighYour Cancer | Lymphoma Canada Jump to navigation Lymphoma Canada Languages Français English Know Your Nodes Contact Us Donate Lymphoma Canada Main menuWell-nighUsOur TeamBoard of Directors Scientific Advisory Board Our Partners Annual Reports Contact Us LymphomaPatient ExperienceTaking ControlFinding Clinical Trials Your Healthcare Team Questions To Ask Your Healthcare Team Young Adults Coping with CancerCoping and Emotions TalkingWell-nighYour Cancer Exercise Nutrition Advocacy Advanced Planning Loss and Grief Advanced Cancer CaregiversBasics of Caregiving Caring for someone with Lymphoma Tips for Caregivers Self-care for Caregivers Caregivers Need from Healthcare ProfessionalsSuperintendencyfor the Caregiver Advanced Cancer Caregivers OverviewCancer Lymphatic System Blood & Bone Marrow Lymphoma CLL & SLLAbout CLL & SLLDevelopment of CLL How CLL Affects theSoulRisks Signs & Symptoms Richter's Transformation DiagnosisLab Tests Staging Watch & Wait TreatmentOverview of CLL Treatment Options Chemotherapy Antibody Therapy Targeted Therapy Radiation Therapy Splenectomy Stem Cell Transplantation SupportiveSuperintendencyCLL ResourcesVideos Hodgkin LymphomaSigns & Symptoms DiagnosisSubtypes Staging Treatment Non-Hodgkin LymphomaSigns & Symptoms Causes TreatmentGoals of Treatment Watch and Wait Biologics Radiation Surgery Bone Marrow Transplant Complementary Therapies Side Effect Management Low Blood Counts Post Treatment Staging Classifying NHL Grading NHL NHL Subtypes TreatmentAggressive NHL Indolent NHL Get InvolvedWays to GiveMonthly Giving Planned GiftBequests Life Insurance Stocks Annuities Charitable Remainder Trust A Gift of Residual Interest ECHOage Volunteer Join an event Create an event Share your story Shared Stories News & EventsNewsImproving Access to Innovative Cancer Therapies Lien pour le sondage patients/proches LLA et LDGCB r/r Big News in Nova Scotia Events2018 National Patient Conference - Quebec City Vancouver Patient Conference - Sept 15 take it to the mat Toronto take it to the mat Montreal Programs & ResourcesPublications Educational Sessions Healthcare ProfessionalsResearch Fellowship SupportSupport Groups Peer Support Program Financial Assistance Helpful LinksGlossary Newsletter Archive Search form Search Search Main menuWell-nighUsOur TeamBoard of Directors Scientific Advisory Board Our Partners Annual Reports Contact Us LymphomaPatient ExperienceTaking ControlFinding Clinical Trials Your Healthcare Team Questions To Ask Your Healthcare Team Young Adults Coping with CancerCoping and Emotions TalkingWell-nighYour Cancer Exercise Nutrition Advocacy Advanced Planning Loss and Grief Advanced Cancer CaregiversBasics of Caregiving Caring for someone with Lymphoma Tips for Caregivers Self-care for Caregivers Caregivers Need from Healthcare ProfessionalsSuperintendencyfor the Caregiver Advanced Cancer Caregivers OverviewCancer Lymphatic System Blood & Bone Marrow Lymphoma CLL & SLLAbout CLL & SLLDevelopment of CLL How CLL Affects theSoulRisks Signs & Symptoms Richter's Transformation DiagnosisLab Tests Staging Watch & Wait TreatmentOverview of CLL Treatment Options Chemotherapy Antibody Therapy Targeted Therapy Radiation Therapy Splenectomy Stem Cell Transplantation SupportiveSuperintendencyCLL ResourcesVideos Hodgkin LymphomaSigns & Symptoms DiagnosisSubtypes Staging Treatment Non-Hodgkin LymphomaSigns & Symptoms Causes TreatmentGoals of Treatment Watch and Wait Biologics Radiation Surgery Bone Marrow Transplant Complementary Therapies Side Effect Management Low Blood Counts Post Treatment Staging Classifying NHL Grading NHL NHL Subtypes TreatmentAggressive NHL Indolent NHL Get InvolvedWays to GiveMonthly Giving Planned GiftBequests Life Insurance Stocks Annuities Charitable Remainder Trust A Gift of Residual Interest ECHOage Volunteer Join an event Create an event Share your story Shared Stories News & EventsNewsImproving Access to Innovative Cancer Therapies Lien pour le sondage patients/proches LLA et LDGCB r/r Big News in Nova Scotia Events2018 National Patient Conference - Quebec City Vancouver Patient Conference - Sept 15 take it to the mat Toronto take it to the mat Montreal Programs & ResourcesPublications Educational Sessions Healthcare ProfessionalsResearch Fellowship SupportSupport Groups Peer Support Program Financial Assistance Helpful LinksGlossary Newsletter Archive Search form Search Search You are hereHome > Lymphoma > PatientWits> Coping with Cancer > TalkingWell-nighYour Cancer TalkingWell-nighYour Cancer One of the most difficult things well-nigh getting a lymphoma diagnosis is having to tell people that you have cancer. Cancer can stupefy the human spirit as much as it affects the body. It can rencontre your values, beliefs and goals. Remember that you are not alone. Your healthcare team will help you with your feelings and emotions. This type of support is an important part of treating your lymphoma. Telling people that you have lymphoma (and explaining your treatment to them) can be very difficult. You need to decide who you want to tell and what you want to tell them. Telling Family Members and Friends Here are some suggestions to help you talk well-nigh your cancer with your family and friends: Make the first move by telling people well-nigh your lymphoma. People may be unsure of what to say, or wrung to ask you questions for fear of upsetting you. Make it easy to have a private, quiet conversation by latter the door, turning off the TV, making sure you won’t be interrupted. It may be helpful to have someone with you who once knows well-nigh the diagnosis. Speak at a level they can understand, expressly when speaking with children.Requiteinformation in small chunks and trammels to make sure the person understands. Don’t worry well-nigh moments of silence. You may find that holding hands or sitting together quietly says increasingly than words. Be as honest as possible well-nigh your feelings. Others may finger many of the same emotions that you have had. Let them know what to expect during your treatment and what you expect from them. If others want to help you, tell them how they can help. Be prepared for difficult questions. Encourage your family members to speak to your healthcare team well-nigh their questions or concerns. Telling Children   Talking to children well-nigh your cancer can be a very difficult thing to do, and may be upsetting for both you and the child. However, involving children in the situation and letting them know what is happening in the early stages can be very supportive to them and can help them (and you) to cope largest with the illness. Your healthcare team can put you in touch with specialists who can help you explain your lymphoma and treatments to your children. Lymphoma and cancer affects the feelings and emotions of the whole family and a child has a right to know well-nigh anything that affects the family. Children can sense when something is wrong, considering they are very sensitive to tension and stress. If you try to protect them by saying nothing, they may fear that something plane worse is happening or they may finger betrayed if they hear the news from someone else. Furthermore, not talking well-nigh lymphoma may suggest it is a subject too terrible to be discussed, and can make children have an exaggerated fear of cancer or illness later on. Children who know the situation can be a repletion to you. You won't need to watch what you say all the time or finger secretive and isolated in your own family. Openness can help all of you to finger closer. Also, children have an worthiness to deal with the truth that adults often underestimate. Not knowing things can make them finger anxious.Planevery sad truths will be largest than the uncertainty of not knowing what is happening. We cannot stop them feeling sad, but if we share our feelings and requite them information well-nigh what is happening we can support them in their sadness. Dealing with cancer in the family can be an opportunity for children to learn well-nigh the body, cancer, treatment and healing. They can learn well-nigh how strong people can be during nonflexible times and how to deal with difficult feelings. Who should tell my children? As a parent, if you finger worldly-wise to tell the children, it is usually weightier for you to do it. This is a very difficult thing to do and there is no easy way of saying it. It is all right to get upset or cry. Seeing you cry gives your children permission to cry too, and crying together can finger very supportive as you are sharing your feelings. You will know if you can be the one to tell them. If you do not finger worldly-wise to tell the children, your partner or a tropical relative such as a grandparent could do it. A nurse or your doctor or a member of the professional staff looking without you can moreover be involved. It is important that you know what has been said to your children, and it may be helpful for you to be present when they are told. When should I tell my children?Withoutbeing diagnosed, it is helpful to explain what is wrong. You don't have to tell everything at the same time. You can requite a bit of information at a time.Surpassingtreatment begins and when you are stuff treated, you can explain the treatment and how it is given. You can moreover talk well-nigh the side effects and well-nigh any changes in treatment, whether things will be variegated at home or how you feel. Some treatments can make you finger very tired and possibly irritable. It is helpful to explain this to your children so that they know that the treatment may stupefy how you behave and relate to them. Try to alimony information relevant to the current situation. It can be weightier to requite children warning that something is well-nigh to happen, such as a scan or treatment, shortly beforehand, but not too far in advance.Withoutyou finish treatment, explain to your children that you will tell them well-nigh your health and well-nigh any changes. Be willing to talk whenever your child asks questions or seems concerned well-nigh your condition. How much should I tell my children? Children need to be told information in a way that they can understand. Tell them what has happened, such as some vital details well-nigh the cancer. Be honest and let them know how the situation affects your feelings and emotions, as well as giving factual information well-nigh the cancer and treatments. Do not be wrung to use the word cancer. Be well-spoken and uncontrived and do not create a feeling that cancer should be a secret by using terms like “the big C”. Reassure children that they cannot reservation cancer from you. Explain what will happen next, such as how it will be treated. Leave them with feelings of hope that plane though you are upset now, there will be largest times. Assure them they will still be loved and cared for but explain how their lives might transpiration since treatment can disrupt routines. Tell them who will squint without them, if necessary. Let them ask questions and listen to them – it lets you know what they can cope with and wordplay their questions simply. Ask them if they are worried well-nigh anything in particular and correct any misunderstandings they may have. Most importantly, tell them how much you love them and that nothing they did caused the cancer since children may worry that the cancer is their fault and they must have washed-up something wrong for this to happen. Telling Co-workers and Employers Whether you are the person with lymphoma or the caregiver, telling people at work is a very personal decision. It might wilt difficult to alimony the cancer a secret at work expressly if you are gone for long periods of time or your visitation changes. Your visualization to tell co-workers will depend on several things such as: Your relationship with them and the importance of your privacy. Do you trust them and consider them friends? Your company’s corporate culture. Are you increasingly like family or is it strictly a merchantry work environment? Previous wits with illness in the office. How did people react when someone else in the office was sick? If lymphoma and treatment will interfere with your worthiness to do your job, you will probably have to tell your superabound and those you work closely with. They will need to know if you need to take time off, if your productivity will be unauthentic or if you will need to transpiration how you do your work. If you are the boss, you may need to explain the situation to some, if not all, employees particularly if the day-to-day operations of the visitor will be affected. If you don’t know where to uncork or are concerned well-nigh how your employer will react, try starting with your human resources department of personnel manager. Their wits may support and guide you through the disclosure process. It may be a good idea to wait until you know the details of your treatment schedule surpassing telling those at work. You will then be worldly-wise to tell them when you will be yonder and for how long. Do alimony in mind that the increasingly whop notice you can requite people, the increasingly you can plan to imbricate your sparsity and making plans for your absences shows your superabound and co-workers that you are single-minded to your job. Do not be wrung to ask for the kind of support that you need. For example, you may not want to talk well-nigh having cancer while at work. You can unchangingly ask a trusted colleague to let others know that you would prefer to focus on your job rather than on the cancer. Responding to Reactions People react to difficult news many variegated ways. Some will know exactly what to say and do and will be easy to talk to. They will know how to support you over the undertow of your illness and treatment. Others may not react in a way you understand. Some may think of cancer as an will-less death sentence. Learning well-nigh the current treatments and approaches may lessen their fears and requite them hope. Those tropical to you may think they are protecting you by not talking openly and honestly well-nigh lymphoma plane when you want to talk well-nigh it. Sometimes people can take a long time to come to terms with cancer or they may want to rush through the process of understanding and dealing with it. You might find it helpful to speak directly and honestly to them well-nigh what you are feeling and what you need. Some people may withdraw from you and this may hurt you. This does not midpoint that they do not superintendency but they may not finger worldly-wise to deal with the situation. They may be wrung to see you looking sick or in pain. They may finger threatened by the illness or worry that they will say the wrong thing or not be worldly-wise to help. If you finger up to it, you can try to phone or e-mail an woolgathering friend or relative. You can let them know what is happening and that you would like to see them. Consider asking them to do practical favours for you – this makes them finger useful and next time they may finger worldly-wise to undeniability or just waif in. Sometimes people just need to be told how they can help. In some situations, you may have to winnow that some people may not be worldly-wise to deal with cancer and while this can be upsetting, remember that you have not washed-up anything wrong. They are just staying yonder considering they are not worldly-wise to winnow or deal with your difficult situation. Lymphoma Patient ExperienceTaking Control Young Adults Coping with CancerCoping and Emotions TalkingWell-nighYour Cancer Exercise Nutrition Advocacy Advanced Planning Loss and Grief Advanced Cancer Caregivers Overview CLL & SLL Hodgkin Lymphoma Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Are you a patient? Get Informed Are you a healthcare professional? See Resources News & Events October 28, 2018 NewsTITTM NewsEvents 3rd Annual take it to the mat Montreal- Registration now open! Idolem Hot... Read increasingly well-nigh 3rd Annual take it to the mat Montreal- Registration now open! October 28, 2018 NewsTITTM NewsEvents 3rd Annual take it to the mat Montreal- Registration now open! Idolem Hot... Read increasingly well-nigh 3rd Annual take it to the mat Montreal- Registration now open! Main MenuWell-nighUsOur Team Our Partners Annual Reports Contact Us LymphomaPatientWitsOverview CLL & SLL Hodgkin Lymphoma Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Get InvolvedWays toRequiteVolunteer Join an event Create an event Share your story Shared Stories News & EventsNews Events Programs & ResourcesPublications Educational Sessions Healthcare Professionals Support Helpful Links Newsletter Archive Social Media Facebook Twitter Google + YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Contact Us Lymphoma Canada 6860 Century Avenue, Suite 202 Mississauga, ON L5N 2W5Telephone 905.858.5967 Toll Free: 1.866.659.5556General inquiries: info@lymphoma.ca Donate With your support, no one will have to squatter lymphoma alone. 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