Coping with Cancer: What to Do After Receiving Your Diagnosis
A patient’s life is going to change dramatically after being diagnosed with cancer. While the diagnosis is undoubtedly scary, it is important for patients to immediately start taking control of their health and their future. This includes coming to terms with their disease and creating a long-term treatment and care plan.
Start Researching Your Particular Type of Cancer
There are currently over 100 diseases that are now classified as cancer, and this means that no two diagnoses are identical. You should start off by learning about your exact form of cancer and where it is within your body. All of the information that is collected should come from unbiased medical resources.
Get Multiple Opinions
Not only will a second opinion help you verify the type of cancer that you have, but it is actually required by many insurance companies due to the complexity of these diseases. Seeking out a second opinion on both the diagnosis and your treatment options will give you a better understanding of what your future will hold.
Seek out Support for Yourself and Others
Patients should create a support team comprised of loved ones, professional counselors and local Ovarian Cancer support groups. In addition to finding support for yourself, your family and friends might also need to seek out help from organizations such as Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care, which provide a wide range of counseling services for cancer patients and their loved ones.
Take a Comprehensive Approach to Treatment
Many specialists suggest a “whole life” approach when it comes to cancer fighting foods. This means that you are not relying on any single treatment to put your cancer into remission. In addition to traditional options such as chemotherapy and surgery, you should also create a healthy diet, give up unhealthy habits such as smoking cigarettes, and begin exercising as much as possible.
Create a Long-Term Financial Plan
A cancer diagnosis is going to have a major impact on your personal finances and potentially the finances of your loved ones. Creating a long-term plan will give you peace of mind and make it much easier to cope with your disease. This should include issues such as your ability to keep your current job, health insurance plans, life insurance and estate planning.
Over the past few decades, cancer treatments have advanced dramatically. It is important that you and your loved ones stay hopeful and positive as you overcome the many challenges that will take place after a cancer diagnosis.
