For Patients and Family
ABOUT CANCER: | Diseases & Diagnosis | Treatments for Cancer | Supportive Care | Cancer Treatment Studies
Supportive Care
Visitor information
Feist-Weiller Cancer Center is part of the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. Read about cancer and Feist-Weiller Cancer Center patient services on this Web site. Please keep in mind this Web site is only meant to be an informational resource, and content should not be considered medical advice. Feist-Weiller Cancer Center physicians are able to offer expert individualized treatment plans following your visit.
Counseling services
Counseling services are available to Feist-Weiller Cancer Center patients. Find out if you are at an increased risk of developing cancer through the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center Hereditary Cancer Risk Assessment Program. Give up smoking for good with help from the Partners in Wellness smoking cessation classes.
Support groups
When first diagnosed, cancer patients' lives are thrown into a whirlwind of information, decisions and emotions. Most patients experience shock and disbelief at the news, and then uncertainty as they try to regain the same sense of balance that they experienced in their lives before diagnosis.
Some patients are fortunate to have family and friends who can rally to their side; for others, the support is minimal or far away. Even in the best circumstances, many patients find themselves feeling lost and isolated.
For those who want to learn how to manage the stress that comes from having a major medical illness, who want to feel a sense of control in their lives, and who want to get strength from others who share the same struggle, Feist-Weiller Cancer Center and the LSU Department of Psychiatry have joined together in the formation of two cancer patient support groups.
Two patient support groups for all types of cancer meet once a week for an hour and a half. To enable group members to build bonds of support, these support groups are not "drop in;" the patient or caregiver must make a commitment to come to every meeting. Each group is facilitated by four committed professionals: a faculty member who is a certified group psychotherapist, an in-house psychiatrist, an oncology certified registered nurse, and a psychiatric/oncology registered nurse from the cancer center.
For information about these two support groups, please call Jo Ann Stewart, RN at (318) 813-1409, Susie Wiggins, RN at (318) 813-1417, or Ron Nierman at (318) 470-6180.
A different support group is for head and neck cancer patients who have undergone laryngectomys. The Laryngectomy Support Group meets at 2 p.m. in the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center Tiger Room on the fourth floor. Scheduled meeting dates in 2008 are April 16, June 18, September 20, October 15, and December 17. For information about this head and neck cancer support group, call Matt Morgan at (318) 813-2701, Emily Loeffler, Speech Pathologist at (318) 813-1328, or Teresa Harris, RN at (318) 813-1427.
Spiritual support
LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport has a Chaplain Service that ministers to the spiritual needs of patients and their families. If you would like to reach a chaplain, please dial 5-5534 if you are in house, or (318) 675-5534 if you are off campus. Chapel services are held every Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. in the Chapel, located on the first floor of K-wing behind the Admitting Office. Patients should check with their nurses before leaving the room to go to the service.