Many times in follow-ups I see cancer survivors who want to make big changes in their lives. They are excited about making changes to how they eat, what supplements to take, how much exercise to add back in, and even how they think and respond to stressful situations.
The problem is, in followups, physicians either aren’t trained to help them in these areas, nor do they have the time, as many followup slots are at most 30 minutes. 15 of those minutes are taken up by the nursing and check-in procedures. That leaves only 15 minutes, 5 to 10 of which are taken up by the main reason they came in, to review their cancer status: go over scans, get an exam, review labs and schedule next steps.
This can leave little to no time for these important issues that really are just as important as the “cancer stuff” the doctor is trained in and rightly focuses on. This also leaves the impression that the doctor doesn’t care about a patient’s nutrition. I hear it all the time in coaching, or when a patient has seen another of their physicians: “They told me it doesn’t matter what I eat.”
Many times, it’s just not the doctor’s focus, given the time constraints and the training they have.
That is why I started offering coaching to cancer patients post treatment. Imagine a whole hour dedicated to these topics:
- Diet and how to tailor it to your cancer and immune system
- Exercise : how much, how often and how intense should I go?
- Stress: I know it’s related to me getting sick. What can I do to decrease the stress of my job and my life?
- Mental hangups: How do I get myself out of the mental negativity I find my mind in?
- Emotional baggage: I know I have to clear old trauma, anger and resentments. How do I do that?
Coaching, especially from someone who knows what you already have been through, can be really effective and powerful to help you move forward in your life. Check out the testimonials and free articles available on the site to see if I’m a good fit for you.