Surviving and Living after Melanoma What You Can Do

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Surviving and Living after Melanoma-What You Can
Do

• Anna C. Pavlick, MD
• Director, NYU Melanoma Program
• Associate Professor of Medicine and Dermatology

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Youve been diagnosed with melanomanow what do
you do?

• Ignore the situation-maybe it will go away
• Become obsessed with it
• Learn how to incorporate it into your life, so
  you are aware of your body, but you learn from it
  and make every day the best it can be.

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Stages of Coping

• Denial- This cant be happening
• Anger- Why me?
• Bargaining- Just let me
• Depression- It just doesnt matter
• Acceptance- Its going to be OK

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Sohow do you cope?

• Emotions
• Attitude
• Behavior
• Beliefs

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Emotions

• Can be labile
• Can be either positive or negative
• Can impact on daily life if too extreme

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Attitudes

• I can beat this
• Im going to make something good come out of
  this bad situation
• A mental state of being that controls how you
  behave

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Behaviors

• Run and hide
• Confront it head on
• Educate yourself

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Beliefs

• Think about your own mortality
• Turn to religion for strength
• Re-kindle your spirituality

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Need Balance

• Realistically hopeful
• Emotional response should be proportional to the
  diagnosis and overall prognosis
• This concept is easier said than done.

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Obstacles and Barriers to Balance

• Ambiguity
• Interpersonal dynamics
• Pressure to be positive
• Past coping style
• Meaning of Illness
• Dangers of Optimism
• Response of Physicians

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Ambiguity

• Living in limbo
• Dealing with the uncertainty of the disease
• Whatever attitude

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Obstacles and Barriers to Balance

• Ambiguity
• Interpersonal dynamics
• Pressure to be positive
• Past coping style
• Meaning of Illness
• Dangers of Optimism
• Response of Physicians

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Interpersonal dynamics

• How does this impact on you and your significant
  other?
• Your children?
• Your friends?
• Your job?

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Obstacles and Barriers to Balance

• Ambiguity
• Interpersonal dynamics
• Pressure to be positive
• Past coping style
• Meaning of Illness
• Dangers of Optimism
• Response of Physicians

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Pressure to be positive

• I have to be strong
• I have to be positive for my family
• I cant let my family/friends see me cry
• I can deal with it-no problem

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Obstacles and Barriers to Balance

• Ambiguity
• Interpersonal dynamics
• Pressure to be positive
• Past coping style
• Meaning of Illness
• Dangers of Optimism
• Response of Physicians

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Past coping style

• What other situations have impacted on who you
  are and how you deal with things?
• How does your family expect you to cope?
• How do you expect your family to cope?

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Obstacles and Barriers to Balance

• Ambiguity
• Interpersonal dynamics
• Pressure to be positive
• Past coping style
• Meaning of Illness
• Dangers of Optimism
• Response of Physicians

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Meaning of Illness

• How does this impact on you and your self esteem?
• How will this change who you are?
• What does the diagnosis mean to you?
• How will it change your lifestyle?

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Obstacles and Barriers to Balance

• Ambiguity
• Interpersonal dynamics
• Pressure to be positive
• Past coping style
• Meaning of Illness
• Dangers of Optimism
• Response of Physicians

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Dangers of Optimism

• Denying the real risks
• Ignoring obvious changes
• Afraid that being too positive will jinx things

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Obstacles and Barriers to Balance

• Ambiguity
• Interpersonal dynamics
• Pressure to be positive
• Past coping style
• Meaning of Illness
• Dangers of Optimism
• Response of Physicians

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Response of Physicians

• Can you to talk to your doctor about not only the
  physical problems, but the emotional ones as
  well?
• Is your doctor comfortable with difficult
  topics?
• Do you feel the support you need from your
  doctor?
• Can you be yourself with your doctor?
• Does your doctor provide you with realistic
  hopefulness?

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Identify Support Systems

• Family
• Friends
• Melanoma Team
• Support Groups
• Other melanoma patients

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Education

• Understanding the stage of your melanoma
• Understanding the statistics of your risk or
  recurrence
• Exploring therapeutic options including risks
  and benefits of treatment, standard therapy
  versus clinical trials

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Identify Outlets to Help Relieve Stress

• Internet chat rooms
• Write your own blog
• Take up a new hobby or return to an old one
• Channel your emotions into art or music
• Learn to laugh
• Adopt or spend more time with your pet
• Exercise
• Eat healthy

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Explore Complimentary Therapies

• Acupuncture
• Acupressure
• Visualization
• Guided Imagery
• Reiki
• Yoga
• Massage
• Meditation

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Your charge

• Be an advocate to raise melanoma awareness
• Practice Safe sun
• Live your life to the fullest- be happy and do
  what you enjoy with whom you want to enjoy it
• Loveyourself, your family, your friends, your
  pets and all those close in your heart
• Laughit always makes you and those around you
  feel better
• Take control of your life and make it what you
  want it to be!

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Life is good-do the happy dance every chance you
get!!