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When Cancer Spreads to the Bone: Surgery for Metastatic Bone Disease

Last updated Thursday, August 13, 2009

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Coping

Strategies for coping

Having a good social support system is critical. Maintaining strong lines of communication with health-care workers is also helpful. If a patient feels depressed or anxious, he or she should consider seeking assistance from a social worker, hospital or clinic chaplain, psychologist, or psychiatrist, depending on the patient’s personal preferences for a counselor and his or her psychological needs.

Asking for help

Patients have different preferences for the kind of help that would be useful to them, as is also the case with their family members. Some patients and their families find it useful to talk about coping with the disease with the physician who is treating them, or with other health care personnel such as nurses or social workers or psychologists. Others prefer to talk with a general medical chaplain trained or one who is trained in counseling cancer patients. Some patients receive support through members of fraternal, social or other organizations to which they belong. There are also support groups offered through local chapters of the American Cancer Society or through various hospitals.

Work

Most people who develop metastatic bone disease are elderly and retired, or are not working because of the severity of their illness.

Family and friends

It is important for people who have metastatic bone disease to have a good support system in place, or to seek out a support group. Having others who can help can sometimes provide respite to family members or close friends who are the primary caregivers for the patient. Caring for a relative or friend who has metastatic bone cancer can be especially challenging for those living in rural areas, because of the distance needed to travel for medical appointments or for others to visit them to offer support. The subject of useful support for caregivers is one that needs more attention from health-care professional and from community service organizations.

Adaptive aids

Canes, braces, walkers may be of use under some circumstances, but the goal of most treatment plans is to try to return patients to a level where they don’t need assistive devices or aids. This doesn’t always work out every time, but it is the goal of treatment.

Stress

Patient should feel free to ask lots of questions of their physicians. They shouldn’t leave the clinic until all of their questions are answered. They might want to have a friend or family member along on doctor’s visits to record their conversations with their physician, because their anxiety is likely to be high and as such they may forget much of what is said. Physicians or other health professionals may know of support groups that can act as an outlet for patients or their family members to share their anxieties or experiences with other cancer patients or family members of cancer patients.

Resources

Patients can obtain information by calling their local chapter or the national office of the American Cancer Society. There are also libraries or patient information rooms at most cancer hospitals. Patients can also go to trusted Web sites, but should be aware that there is a lot of anecdotal information on the Web that may not conform to the general standards of care.

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