Questions Before Embarking On The Journey

So many questions, where do I start!? Where’s the information I want? Take a deep breath…

How do you approach the initial ‘Cancer’ search?

Trawling through the internet for information can be an absolute minefield even on a good day when your search is fairly focused. The aim of your research is well-intended, that is, you hope for example to find information about improving your lifestyle, your symptoms, your condition, your treatments, etc. In the background, however, we may begin to search excessively for fear of missing out that crucial information. This can gradually lead to health anxiety and sometimes a form of cyberchondria, which can be problematic in itself. Understandably, we are already in a heightened state of anxiety when it comes to anything related to cancer and likely to be under stress, consciously and unconsciously. We therefore need to be mindful about this and place things in perspective. Slow down, take a breath and then plan things in good time – make sure you have time to recharge as well.

So where do we start?

Well, this really depends on where you are on your ‘cancer-free journey’ and what you are looking for. Sure Google, Bing and Yahoo will essentially give you everything in their search function but I mean, literally everything. There is a wealth of information on the world-wide web but the problem is where and what to look for. If you were to plug in the word ‘cancer’ on its own into a Google search, you will get an astounding 1,360,000,000 results. You then have the potential location issue. Say you are someone living in the UK, the various .co.uk, .org.uk websites will come up first over the .com, .org websites, etc. In most cases this would be appropriate for matters that are location-specific but when trying to search for more broader concepts, you may potentially miss out on finding useful cancer information.

One option is therefore to ask more directly focused questions related to cancer and input this into the search but again, the results you get back may still be too broad and varied. An interesting approach to thinking of specific questions relevant to the topic of cancer can be done using something like https://answerthepublic.com, which can generate a wide range of questions in the format of why, where, what, when, who, how, which, will, can, are questions in relation to cancer, which then plug directly back into a Google search on clicking the various links. A slightly different approach to all of this is that one could go to websites like https://www.quora.com to post specific questions where members of the community can then answer your questions; health professionals including doctors and specialists do reply as well. You can also subscribe to various feeds with topics that interest you and read other people’s post.

I don’t understand any of this so far! Please don’t worry and just move onto the next section – all will be revealed.

‘The Cancer-Free Journey’

Rather than blindly embarking on an internet journey of endless searches, here I have tried to be a bit focused and systematic about guiding your (re)search based on what I have called ‘The Cancer-Free Journey’. Decide on where you are on this journey and using the The Cancer-Free Road Map choose the appropriate links that match the topic of interest for you. From there, hopefully you should be able to conduct further searches you feel useful to your current needs. With a bit of structure to your searches, you will then be able to find information that is better in quality, precise and quicker. Once you have completed your search(es), come back here to continue with your journey.

Importantly, this website is essentially an interactive self-help guide and by no means fully comprehensive. It is predominantly written with a UK audience in mind and to a lesser degree for those in the US, but has universally valuable cancer-related (including cancer prevention / general wellbeing) information applicable to anyone seeking out information on cancer management. The word ‘general practitioner’ (GP) used in this website can often be interchangeable with the word ‘family physician’ or ‘oncologist’. The idea here isn’t to list a bunch of facts or to be a textbook for cancer management and treatment. Essentially treat this website as a guide, aided by the various commentary, links, etc. where you can come back to it time and again at different time points of your cancer-free journey. The aim is that it will allow you to take your own readings and search for answers in the direction based on your needs, curiosities and current situation. There is no one-size-fits-all as people are at different stages of their cancer-free journey and will have individual ideas, concerns and expectations unique to them. What ticks for you may be different from someone else but having a moment of clarity or even an eureka moment may simply be the necessary catalyst to turn a leaf and introduce that crucial change(s) to your life. The hope is that this website will help you with this and give you the much-needed motivation and inspiration. I will endeavour to upload new information at regular intervals.

General Comments

Some of the major cancer websites should be your first port of call websites for general cancer information so please do not ignore them. However, navigating them can be sometimes overwhelming even for the computer-savvy amongst us. They may not necessarily link to other websites that may have more information relevant to you or written or laid out in a way that is easy to understand. Furthermore, other sites may have a slightly different take on things or have the latest cutting edge research and development uploaded that may tip the balance to your decision-making process. As you embark on your cancer-free journey you will come to realise soon enough that no one can know everything and keeping up to date with the latest advances in cancer medicine can be in fact difficult and time-consuming. Hence, you really need to be smart with the use of your time and ask the right questions.

I do not want you to spend hours on the internet blindly searching (I’ve already done this on your behalf to save you time) nor endlessly look at this website with its various links to the detriment of your general health. Life after all is about balance, and as they often say, ‘everything in moderation’. When in doubt, please seek professional medical advice from your doctor (especially if there are any concerns over any aspect of your care including new or worsening symptoms) but also try to find a doctor that you feel you have a level of connection where there is open dialogue and trust.

Let’s now move onto The Cancer-Free Road Map where the Cancer-Free Journey is broken down to different topics. This is where it all begins!

Questions & Answers