Virtual Cancer Survivorship Series - Please Share Your Thoughts

Posted by Sheryl M Ness, MA, RN @smness, Jun 17, 2016

Hi everyone, I am an educator and manager of the Cancer Education Program at Mayo Clinic. We are just in the process of designing a Virtual Cancer Survivor Series to be posted on this site - hopeful to have this later in the year. I would love your feedback on the model and ideas.

Overview
This program would allow cancer patients to access online from anywhere with a virtual online survivorship series. The program will offer the patient, family and friends the opportunity to renew, reflect, and gain support while on their individual journey after cancer treatment is completed.

The series will focus on key areas to enhance individual’s health and the opportunity to develop an individualized self-care plan from a holistic perspective while utilizing autonomy. Through this program we strive for participants to learn powerful ways to optimize their body’s healing potential (mind-body-spirit) while honoring their own healing journey after a cancer diagnosis.

This is what we have outlined for the first three sessions - we plan to add on to this for phase II.

Session 1: Transitions After Treatment Ends
Featuring:
• Managing short-term side effects
• Reconnecting with family and friends
• Returning to work
• Creating a new life routine
Media: Short video, links to key resources and group discussion

Session 2: Emotions: Mind + Body Connection
Featuring:
• Fear of recurrence
• PTSD and cancer
• Relationships
• Reconnecting with your partner
• Stress relief and mind-body connection
Media: Short video, links to resources and group discussion

Session 3: Healthy Nutrition + Eating Habits
Featuring:
• Survivorship nutrition focus
• My Plate, Mediterranean and plant-based diets
• Meal planning
• Recipes
Media: Short Slide deck, links to resources, meal planning ideas and a place to share recipes. Introduce wellness coaching concepts.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Cancer Support Group.

mryzuch | @mryzuch | Jul 18, 2016

In reply to @mryzuch "I would like to see this thread continue. I think it woukd really help me." + (show)

I had stage 3 lung cancer. They rrmoved the lung and some lymph nodes. I also had chemo after the surgery. Than i had cervical cancer and had a hysterectomy. Now i have psoriatic arthritis and have to have a hip replaced. I am actually doibg pretty good right now but i do worry about devoloping another cancer or having the lung cancer return in the other lung. . Thank you for welcoming me to the group.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jul 18, 2016

Nice to get to know a bit more about you mryzuch. You may wish to join this discussion with @burrkay, who's wife has Stage 3 lung cancer. I bet he would like to hear from someone who has been there https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/my-wife-has-had-stage-iiib-lung-cancer-she-had-2-lobes/

If you're interested in meeting people to talk about psoriatic arthritis or hip replacement, check out the Bones, Joints and Muscles group https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/arthritis-and-joint-conditions-268850/

I think a lot of people worry in silence about cancer coming back because they don't want to worry their friends and family or saying it out loud is too fearful. I wonder if you would like to start a new discussion on that very topic? A forum like Connect is a safe place to have such a frank conversation. I'm confident other members will join in.

Here's how to start a new discussion https://connect.mayoclinic.org/get-started-on-connect/#how-to-start-discussion. What do you think?

JohnWBurns | @johnwburns | Jul 19, 2016

I can't point to any studies that will boilerplate the relationship, but I have known a number of cancer patients, of multiple types, who said that a major life stressor preceded the onset of their disease. The relationship between stress and heart disease is firmly established but with cancer I think less so, but eventually will. Trying to minimize the impact of major life events should probably be a goal in cancer prevention like it is with heart disease.
Here's a general doc from MD Anderson about it.
https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/december-2014/how-stress-affects-cancer-risk.html

Jann Becker | @trainwreck54 | Aug 1, 2016

This looks very good-I've just passed the 2-year mark for breast cancer with a clean mammogram. I reallly don't need to hear about nutrition one more time-it's all over the Web and it's the same stuff everywhere. You might want to make that section mainly links to some of the many, many other discussions about a healthy diet. Going through everything yet again looks like padding the site.
Please keep the focus on things cancer survivors want to know and talk about that we can't get elsewhere.

lacey | @lacey | Aug 2, 2016

Happy to hear of your good fortune, I also have been in remission for over a year, but there are others that have just gone through what we have already done, so I guess it is for their sake the same subject if repeated over and over again. Lacey