Five Steps After Diagnosis

When a patient receives a diagnosis of a serious disease or condition, they can experience a wide range of emotions. These include fear, anger, confusion, and denial. Very often, strong feelings revolve around a change in self-image.

Some of the emotions that people experience include feeling vulnerable for the first time in a new way that they hadn't felt before. They felt completely healthy and in charge, and now they feel like they shouldn’t be. They have to alter their self-image. One set of emotions relates to feeling a loss of control. Fear of the unknown, what this is going to mean for an individual, for their families and so forth, "Will I be able to work? Is this going to change what I like to do? Am I going to be limited in my activities?" These are all very common emotions.

And also, just complete confusion, "What am I hearing here? Maybe this isn't right. I don't feel any differently, physically, so how could I have this new diagnosis."

TAKE THE TIME YOU NEED. In fact, that's STEP ONE following diagnosis - there's usually time. Doctors say there are very few situations where a medical treatment needs to start immediately.

By taking additional time to explore options, to get additional information, patients become empowered and feel more in control of their own healthcare, by being able to ask questions, to do research, to get additional opinions, to start to lay out a strategy and a framework for their future care.

Taking time allows for STEP TWO following diagnosis, which is to GET THE SUPPORT YOU NEED. When receiving a new diagnosis, it's incredibly important to engage members of your family or friends, people who can work with you.

Having another person with you when you make visits, when you get tests done, means that there's someone who's at a little more of an emotional distance who can ask questions that you might have overlooked. It's very helpful to have a partner, an advocate – or a Health Coach with you throughout this process.

A partner in the process can also take notes, and help review information following a visit with a doctor. And no one should feel isolated or alone, for there are plenty of places to turn for help.

People who live alone or don't have immediate family, friends or coworkers - can often reach out through other community resources. A professional cancer coach can also be of great help in this situation.

A really good place to start is the physician's office, because the physician, nurse, or other office personnel will often know about resources in the community who can be helpful.

STEP THREE after diagnosis is to TALK WITH YOUR DOCTOR AND MAINTAIN A GOOD, TWO-WAY FLOW OF INFORMATION.

Communication between physicians and patients is one of the most fundamentally important parts of clinical care. If you can't communicate effectively with the physician who's taking care of you, you're not going to get the most of that person's expertise, and you're certainly not going to learn as much as you could about how you can make new treatments, new procedures work for you.

Good communications means a relationship in which a patient feels free to ask questions. Be a well-informed patient.

To be well informed and an active participant, patients might prepare for office visits by writing down questions in advance. Patients must tell their doctor all he or she needs to know about their health. Patients and their doctors must discuss when it is appropriate to seek a second opinion.

ROBERT MUSCALUS, D.O.: I think it's wise for patients to consider a second opinion, especially when the treatment that is being proposed is invasive or has risks that cause the patient to feel uncomfortable.

Sometimes, depending upon an individual's insurance coverage, a second opinion is in fact required. And I think the medical community is very open to the concept of second opinions, so patients should not feel that they are going to somehow upset their physician by asking if they could get a second opinion.

STEP FOUR following diagnosis is to SEEK OUT INFORMATION.

When facing a new diagnosis, there are multiple sources of information. The first source is going to be the physician who ordered the tests, or for whatever reason, found out about the new diagnosis and has shared that information with you. But, from the internet, from all kinds of resources, a health coach or working with a librarian or others who are very savvy about obtaining electronic information, you can learn a whole lot more about what the implications of the diagnosis are, what it means for people like you and that can be very, very empowering.

Health coaches can bring you in touch with reliable sources of information, such as books, patient support organizations, and workshops. And, they can accompany you on your doctor visit and represent you.

There are a lot of well-recognized, respected organizations that provide very good information. Patients need to be careful about information that makes claims that sound simply too good to be true. If they announce breakthroughs or discoveries not known before, there should be some caution with using that information for their own healthcare.

Taking time, engaging support, talking with your doctor, and seeking out information all have one goal, and that's STEP FIVE: DECIDING ON A TREATMENT PLAN.

Following a diagnosis and exploring all options, the ultimate goal is to find out, particularly when there's multiple choices involved, what is the right treatment for you. What is going to be most consistent with your own preferences? What's going to make it easiest for you to continue the life that you've been leading?

Occasionally, there's just one recommended treatment. Other times, there may be no good option, and a doctor might recommend participation in a clinical trial. More often, however, there are choices among proven strategies.

Oftentimes, there are multiple approaches to treating a particular illness. When patients have a discussion with their physician about a diagnosis, they need to discuss the different treatment options. The patient's doctor is probably the best persons to have that discussion with because they know the patient, they know their history, they know their background. A doctor may be able to identify which of those options, in their opinion, is best for the patient If you secure the services of a cancer coach however, she too, through a lengthy assessment and consultation, will come to know you well and will be able to offer you excellent self-care plans. Self-care plans that may aid in your long-term survival and good health - in addition to, or in place of surgery, chemo and radiation.

Choices reflect the quality of available healthcare in our country, and progress in our understanding how to fight disease. But choices also mean healthcare consumers must reach out and take advantage of the good sources of information that is available.

Now, the really good news for all of us in this country is that for many health conditions, there are two or more options for almost any step in the process. However, it also means there's more information to navigate to figure out what's right for you and what isn’t. A cancer coach can help you find the right information quickly. She will also help you to learn what your goals are and the healthiest ways in which to achieve them.

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