For most people, the cancer experience doesn’t end on the last day of treatment. Life after cancer treatment can present its own challenges. You may have mixed feelings when treatment ends and worry that every ache and pain means the cancer is coming back.
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Some people say that they feel pressure to return to “normal life”. It is important to allow yourself time to adjust to the physical and emotional changes, and establish a new daily routine at your own pace. Your family and friends may also need time to adjust.
Cancer Council 13 11 20 can help you connect with other people who have had lymphoma, and provide you with information about the emotional and practical aspects of living well after cancer.
Learn more about living well after cancer.
Follow-up appointments
After treatment, you will have regular appointments to monitor your health, manage any long-term side effects and check that the lymphoma hasn’t come back or spread.
Your follow-up schedule will depend on the type of lymphoma you were diagnosed with and the treatment you had. Your doctor may want to see you 3–4 times a year for the first couple of years. Check-ups will become less frequent if you have no further problems. Your doctor will talk to you about your follow-up schedule. During these check-ups, you will have a physical examination, blood tests and, possibly, scans.
Your doctor will also discuss any new symptoms or late effects of treatment. Between follow-up appointments, let your doctor know immediately about any health problems or new symptoms
Dealing with feelings of sadness
If you have continued feelings of sadness, have trouble getting up in the morning or have lost motivation to do things that previously gave you pleasure, you may be experiencing depression. This is quite common among people who have had cancer.
Talk to your GP, because counselling or medication – even for a short time – may help. Some people can get a Medicare rebate for sessions with a psychologist. Cancer Council may also run a counselling program in your area.
For information about coping with depression and anxiety, call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. For 24-hour crisis support, call Lifeline 13 11 14.
Looking after yourself
Cancer can cause physical and emotional strain, so it’s important to look after your wellbeing. Cancer Council has free booklets and programs to help you during and after treatment.
Call 13 11 20 to find out more, or see Managing cancer side effects, Exercise after a cancer diagnosis, Complementary therapies, Emotions and cancer, Nutrition and cancer, Sexuality, intimacy and cancer, Fertility and cancer, and Living well after cancer.
Alternative therapies are therapies used instead of conventional medical treatments. These are unlikely to be scientifically tested, may prevent successful treatment of the cancer and can be harmful. Cancer Council does not recommend the use of alternative therapies as a cancer treatment.
What if lymphoma returns?
For some people, lymphoma comes back after a period of remission. This is known as a relapse. Sometimes lymphoma doesn’t respond to treatment, and this is known as refractory disease. Most people with relapsed or refractory lymphoma will have more treatment.
Treatment for a relapse may include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy and, sometimes, radiation therapy. Sometimes, if the cancer is more advanced or aggressive, your doctor may recommend that you have a stem cell transplant combined with high-dose chemotherapy (see page 44) or CAR T-cell therapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
People with refractory disease may be offered a different treatment than the one they first had.
Find information on living well after cancer in Arabic, Greek, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.
→ READ MORE: Personal stories from people affected by lymphoma
Watch this video to see why eating well is so important after a cancer diagnosis, and what you can do to maintain a healthy diet.
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Research shows that exercise benefits people with cancer during and after treatment. Find out more in this video or see our other exercise videos.
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Dr Ian Bilmon, Haematologist, Westmead Hospital and Sydney Adventist Hospital, NSW; Suzanne Basha, Consumer; Jo Cryer, Clinical Nurse Consultant Haematology, St George Hospital, NSW; Jessica Elliott, Senior Social Worker, Youth Cancer Services, Crown Princess Mary Centre Westmead, NSW; Dr Robin Gasiorowski, Haematologist, Concord and Macquarie University Hospitals, NSW; Prof Angela Hong, Radiation Oncologist, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, Melanoma Institute Australia, GenesisCare, and Clinical Professor, The University of Sydney, NSW; Karen Maddock, CAR T Cell and Cell Therapy Nurse Practitioner, Westmead Hospital, NSW; Jenn Partenfelder, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council NSW; Elise Toyer, Clinical Nurse Consultant Haematology, Blacktown Hospital, NSW.
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