Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal reaction to cancer. You may experience it the first couple of weeks after your initial diagnosis. You may become anxious when waiting for test results; beginning, changing, or ending treatments; or anticipating a recurrence of cancer. Everyone experiences different levels of anxiety with cancer.

Anxiety defined

Anxiety is a reaction to a threat-real or perceived. Cancer is a very real threat that persists to some degree throughout the course of your treatment.

The line between "normal" anxiety associated with cancer and debilitating anxiety is not always clear. Anxiety becomes a problem when it persists-and when it interferes with your daily activities. 

Symptoms of anxiety that require medical attention

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, seek help from your oncology nurse or other healthcare provider.

• Prolonged anxiety
• Anxiety that is unusually intense
• Anxiety that interferes with your social functions or emotional well-being
• Feeling shaky, jittery, apprehensive, tense, or unable to breathe deeply
• Sleep disturbances or other problems that can't be attributed to your disease
• Thoughts or images that "intrude" on you repeatedly
• Worries about death.

About half of all patients with cancer experience anxiety that requires treatment; don't ignore its symptoms.