A Cancer Diagnosis Is Not Always a Medical Emergency – You Have Time to Think, Learn and Decide
One of the biggest lessons cancer taught me was that fear can make us rush into decisions before we’ve fully understood what we’re facing.
When I was diagnosed with terminal, inoperable bowel cancer in September 2018, I was told I had between 12 and 18 months to live with palliative chemotherapy, and potentially just months without it. Understandably, those words create fear, uncertainty and a desperate desire to do something immediately.
But looking back, one of the most important things I did was take the time to learn, ask questions and understand every option available to me.
Now, I want to be clear: some cancers and situations do require urgent treatment. If you have an aggressive cancer, severe symptoms, or your medical team advises immediate action, that advice should be taken seriously.
However, for many people, a cancer diagnosis is not a medical emergency that requires a decision within hours or days. You often have time to gather information, seek second opinions, understand your diagnosis properly, and decide what approach feels right for you.
Become Your Own Advocate
Nobody will care more about your future than you.
That doesn’t mean rejecting conventional medicine. It doesn’t mean blindly following alternative medicine either.
It means becoming informed enough to understand the benefits, risks and limitations of every option available.
For me, that meant combining conventional palliative treatment with lifestyle changes, dietary improvements, supplements, cannabinoids, fasting, exercise, stress reduction and many other approaches designed to support my body physically and mentally.
I never believed there was one magic pill, one miracle supplement or one single answer.
My approach was always integrative.
What Does An Integrative Approach Mean?
To me, an integrative approach means using the best tools available from both conventional and complementary medicine.
Conventional medicine is incredibly important. Surgery saves lives. Chemotherapy saves lives. Radiotherapy saves lives. Immunotherapy is changing outcomes for many people.
At the same time, there are areas where we can take greater responsibility ourselves:
• Improving nutrition
• Reducing stress
• Improving sleep
• Increasing movement and exercise
• Supporting metabolic health
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Addressing vitamin and mineral deficiencies
• Looking after our mental wellbeing
• Building stronger relationships and support networks
These things may not be presented as cancer treatments, but they undoubtedly influence our overall health and ability to cope with illness.
Ten Questions Worth Asking
If you’ve recently been diagnosed, these are some of the questions I believe everyone should ask:
1. What do you believe may have contributed to my cancer developing?
Understanding potential risk factors may help guide future lifestyle decisions.
2. What treatment options are available to me?
Ask about all reasonable options, not just the first recommendation.
3. What are the short and long-term side effects?
Understanding both benefits and risks helps you make informed decisions.
4. What can I do to support my body during treatment?
Diet, exercise, sleep, stress management and supplementation may all be worth discussing.
5. What dietary approach would you recommend?
Nutrition matters, even if experts sometimes disagree on the finer details.
6. What is the goal of treatment?
Is the intention to cure, control, shrink, stabilise or simply manage symptoms?
7. How will we measure success?
What scans, blood tests or markers will be used, and how often?
8. How much time do I realistically have to make this decision?
Many people are surprised to learn they often have more time than they think.
9. What can be done to reduce side effects?
There may be options available that aren’t routinely discussed.
10. Are there supplements, therapies or foods I should avoid?
Some natural therapies can interact with treatment, so it’s important to ask.
The Most Important Thing I Learned
The biggest lesson cancer taught me was that nobody was coming to save me.
Doctors, nurses, family and friends can support you, but ultimately you have to become involved in your own health.
Ask questions.
Read.
Learn.
Challenge assumptions.
Seek second opinions when appropriate.
Take responsibility for the things you can control.
Whether you choose conventional treatment, an integrative approach, or a combination of both, make sure the decision is yours and that it is based on knowledge rather than fear.
I truly believe that knowledge is power.
And while cancer changed my life forever, it also taught me that our health is often influenced by the small choices we make every single day.
Stay curious.
Stay hopeful.
And never stop learning.
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