Grief and depression can both occur normally for brief periods after the patient has gotten on with life. If these feelings do not diminish, it is a sign more help may be needed. Follow-up radiation or adjuvant therapy are also stressful, anxious times. Some patients interpret the need for additional treatment as proof that the cancer has spread and that they may be terminally ill. In fact, the use of one or both procedures has become the norm in breast cancer cases.
Radiation carries some special fears and misconceptions.
Some patients worry that the radiation will itself cause cancer, or it will burn and disfigure them. None of these are true, but the fear and anxiety may persist. The silence and loneliness of the treatment can be scary as well. Adjuvant chemotherapy has its own set of fears and anxieties. It can cause fatigue, nervousness, irritability, tearfulness, depression and sudden mood swings.