A diagnosis of cancer is a devastating experience for most people. When they are first told that they have cancer many people feel shocked, numb and unable to believe what is happening or to feel any emotion. Some people feel as though the situation is happening to someone else, as though they are watching themselves from the outside.

At first you may find that all you can take in is the fact that you have cancer. Often people say that once they have been told they have cancer they did not hear the rest of the conversation at all. One person who had just been diagnosed said ‘The doctor’s lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear any sound coming out’.

You may also feel panicky and may have physical symptoms such as overbreathing (hyperventilating), shaking, breathlessness, palpitations (a sensation of your heart beating too fast), sweating, a dry mouth or feeling sick (nausea).

You may find that you can take in only a small amount of information and so you have to keep asking the same questions over and over again, or you need to be told the same bits of information repeatedly. This is a common reaction to shock. Some people may find their feelings of disbelief make it difficult for them to talk about their illness with their family and friends. Other people may feel an overwhelming urge to discuss it with everyone.

The diagnosis and treatment may make you feel a range of strong emotions such as fear, anger, sadness or depression. These emotions can be very frightening and difficult to deal with.

These feelings generally get easier to manage as you learn to deal with what has happened, but time to be sad and to reflect is necessary before you can adjust to your situation and begin to cope with life again.

Some people find that they need help in learning to deal with their feelings and emotions. There are many ways of managing the emotions and feelings that cancer can cause. These are discussed in Cancerbackup’s section on the emotional effects of cancer.