Take Your Time Choosing Cancer Treatment, Part 1
Everyday people will experience the shock of being diagnosed with cancer. Some people say it's like a punch in the stomach that leaves you gasping for air. Others just go numb and feel nothing. People often describe the experience of seeing the doctor speaking, but literally not hearing a word she says. Often people just do what the doctor says, newly and have the surgery or other treatment she advises.
Getting a diagnosis of cancer is one of the most frightening events that can happen in any person’s life. You are immediately plunged into shock, and normal thinking ability is frozen. For most people, this feels like the ultimate emergency. For a very few people, it really is an emergency, and must be treated as quickly as possible. But most folks, about 97% according to the American Cancer Society, have at least one week, up to several weeks in which to gather their information and make their decisions.
Just Get This Out of Me!
That's often people's reaction to hearing that they have cancer. They know intuitively that they need surgery immediately. But this is one place where intuition fails you. The number one reason you should not rush into treatment of any kind is that you need to get your feet back on the ground, and your brain functioning again. You need to process this huge shock, going from healthy to having a life-threatening illness in a flash. Most people who hear "cancer" are sure they’re going to die, painfully and soon. Few people can even think at all, much less think clearly. It’s simply not a time to make life-altering decisions.
Most people don’t have a clue as to how the medical system really works until after they've been diagnosed with a serious illness. You want to believe that the system works reasonably efficiently and effectively, at least most of the time, to help people. You want to believe that, because your doctor is caring and competent, he will know the best treatment for your disease. Finding yourself in a strange and threatening land, you take the path of least resistance and hope for the best. Unfortunately, you don't learn that these are fantasies until after you've become a more seasoned veteran of our difficult-to-navigate medical system.
There's a lot of learning to do before you make any decisions about treatment. The first step is to take the time to regain your equilibrium. The second is to start learning what the questions are that you need the answers to, and where to look. Resist the temptation to plunge ahead. In cancer, almost more than any other disease, your very best chance of beating it is in the first round of treatment. It's critical that you get it right.
More later.
All the best,
Judith
http://www.cancer-coach.com
Getting a diagnosis of cancer is one of the most frightening events that can happen in any person’s life. You are immediately plunged into shock, and normal thinking ability is frozen. For most people, this feels like the ultimate emergency. For a very few people, it really is an emergency, and must be treated as quickly as possible. But most folks, about 97% according to the American Cancer Society, have at least one week, up to several weeks in which to gather their information and make their decisions.
Just Get This Out of Me!
That's often people's reaction to hearing that they have cancer. They know intuitively that they need surgery immediately. But this is one place where intuition fails you. The number one reason you should not rush into treatment of any kind is that you need to get your feet back on the ground, and your brain functioning again. You need to process this huge shock, going from healthy to having a life-threatening illness in a flash. Most people who hear "cancer" are sure they’re going to die, painfully and soon. Few people can even think at all, much less think clearly. It’s simply not a time to make life-altering decisions.
Most people don’t have a clue as to how the medical system really works until after they've been diagnosed with a serious illness. You want to believe that the system works reasonably efficiently and effectively, at least most of the time, to help people. You want to believe that, because your doctor is caring and competent, he will know the best treatment for your disease. Finding yourself in a strange and threatening land, you take the path of least resistance and hope for the best. Unfortunately, you don't learn that these are fantasies until after you've become a more seasoned veteran of our difficult-to-navigate medical system.
There's a lot of learning to do before you make any decisions about treatment. The first step is to take the time to regain your equilibrium. The second is to start learning what the questions are that you need the answers to, and where to look. Resist the temptation to plunge ahead. In cancer, almost more than any other disease, your very best chance of beating it is in the first round of treatment. It's critical that you get it right.
More later.
All the best,
Judith
http://www.cancer-coach.com
posted by Judith Frost, MSW, EFT-Adv @ 4:38 PM
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