| Summary: | Dr. Suzanne M. Miller works with a woman who has been treated for inflammatory breast cancer but has recently learned that her cancer has returned in her liver. The client describes her cyclical emotions of shock, anger, denial, and sadness when she learned of the cancer recurrence. She describes how the cancer treatment has affected her sense of self, her body image after the mastectomy, and her ability to participate in sports and other activities as she used to before the cancer. In trying to process overwhelming amounts of information about treatment and prognosis, she has learned to manage what she needs to know and to avoid information that is distressing or demoralizing. Since she has been dealing with the recurrence of the cancer, she has found it difficult to discuss the possibilities of death with her husband. She has realized she needs more emotional support than with her first breast cancer treatment and has joined a weekly cancer support group in which she feels comfortable expressing her anger and fears.
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