What To Do In The Hours Following A Diagnosis

You’ve just received a piece of news that leaves you speechless. You wonder if you have heard your doctor correctly, and you might ask them to repeat themselves. Eventually, the truth becomes clear, the world seems to slip away and time suddenly stops. You take a deep breath, release it, and reconcile with the fact that you have been diagnosed with a disease/condition that will likely have severe impacts on the rest of your life. 

During moments such as these, it is completely natural to be lost in regards to how to react, what to do next and how to make plans for the future which accommodate this new normal. The reception of a diagnosis can be a reality-shaking moment with life-altering implications, one that clouds judgement and can result in detrimental and even harmful actions being hastily taken in response. 

For many people, the hours immediately following a diagnosis are vital in terms of minimizing damage to mental health, maximizing the potential for improvement of physical and psychological wellness and maintaining both personal relationships and overall happiness in the pursuit of better health. Knowing the best steps to take in order to make the best of such a disheartening situation can make all the difference between a diagnosis being either a mountain to scale or a pebble to step over.

BECOME AS INFORMED AS POSSIBLE

The term ‘knowledge is power’ applies heavily to matters such as these. Being ill-informed in regards to your diagnosis has the potential to cause you to spend your precious time and money on fruitless ventures, accept treatments and prescriptions that have nonexistent or even detrimental effects on your already jeopardized health and can cause you to unintentionally ignore more cost-effective and possibly life-saving opportunities. The possible devastating consequences of a lack of education and understanding of your condition are limitless and have to be acknowledged.

In order to be better informed concerning your diagnosis, numerous resources are available for access. 

For expert input and advice, it is beneficial to consult with physicians and other medical professionals in your area in order to garner a series of diverse opinions concerning what your next move should be and how you should make it. 

In order to garner a healthy understanding of the technical and biological facets of your condition, researching peer-reviewed medical reports and visiting local medical libraries can serve as excellent sources of both information and potential treatments concerning your diagnosis.

If neither of the previous options are available to you, there is no need to worry. Numerous online medical journals such as JourneyCare and the Patient Empowerment Network serve in-need patients looking for assistance in regards to their diagnoses and what can be done concerning them

COMMUNICATE. COMMUNICATE. COMMUNICATE.

When it comes to addressing and combatting a diagnosis, keeping your friends and family informed is vital for your mental health, as doing so makes way for a support network able to offer material and emotional assistance as the diagnosis is dealt with. It is also vital for the mental health of said friends and family, seeing how a diagnosis can be just as devastating to those close to the recipient as it is to the recipient themselves, and while the effects of said diagnosis may appear to not extend beyond the recipient, the reality is anything but. A diagnosis can have severe ramifications in regards to people who may depend on the recipient, can cause severe emotional harm to those particularly close to the recipient and has the potential to bolster their grief following the passing of the recipient if they are left unaware that there ever was a medical issue, as they are likely to be left feeling as if they could have done something had they been informed.

When it comes to communicating and illustrating your diagnosis to those who care about you, and those whom you care about, there is virtually no downside to doing so. When you are up front and honest with the diagnosis you face, not only are you guaranteeing yourself a dependable support network of people who can help alleviate the stress inherent to a diagnosis, but you are also allowing those who care about you to contribute to your overall wellbeing and make preparations for whatever may happen in the future.

BREATHE

As stated previously, a diagnosis can be a devastating, course-altering moment in your life and the lives of those around you. While this is true, it does not particularly have to feel that way. 

When your doctor gives you that piece of bad news, when time seems to slow down and it’s as if the world is starting to spin, closing your eyes and taking a deep, calming breath is one of the best and most beneficial things you can do in the moments following a diagnosis. Doing this serves to remind you that, though it feels like the world is ending, you are alive and the world has not gone anywhere. Once you have exhaled and understand that the future is not set and the present is the time to start working for a brother tomorrow, you can begin the process of making this diagnosis another one of life’s pebbles to step over. 

— Tucker Shuff