Bad News From Your Doctor?

People who receive the word from their doctor that they have what might be a terminal disease often report that event as a paralyzing experience. The easiest thing to do is put your head in the sand – maybe it’s a bad dream that will go away. But it won’t. At a time like this, thank goodness for the internet.

A blogger at Daily Koz published a must read after being diagnosed with Cardiac Angiosarcoma. The take away lesson – there is plenty of information out there on whatever your problem is, but you have to go find it:

So, that’s when you get out the internet rake and start swiping away at the stuff that floats to the top. Dig deeper. Find doctors and specialists who are familiar with your illness. Track down the national website for the disease you have. Veer away from stuff that gets you down in those initial days; go to positive resource sites. Ask your nurses, your doctors. Ask your friends if you can’t do it. Ask your pals to get information for you and request that they tailor it to your particular emotional needs at the time. If you have time. If you have days ahead, if you gain some health back, the bad stuff gets easier to deal with.

Seriously, knowledge is power. If not for you, maybe it will be for a family member. Just the idea that you are engaged in your disease and treatment may buoy your friends and family when they discover that you are not going into that proverbial cave to die. You’re going in there to Google! Or Bing!

She also raises plenty of good questions for the doctor who gives you the bad news:

– Can you give a referral for specialist who focuses on this disease? I’d like a second opinion.
– How many cases of this [disease] have you treated in your career?
– Can your staff help me determine my insurance eligibility for treatment?
– Will you be able to coordinate all of my care while I’m treatment or do I need to talk with my family doctor?
– Can you put me in touch with support groups for this disease?
– What is the short term, long term prognosis of this disease? (Some docs will tell you what they know and they may be uninformed, and some docs may never broach a prognosis with a patient if they are not asked. Always take prognosis discussions with a grain of salt. I’m still here and according to at least two doctors I spoke with in August, I should be dead by now! But it doesn’t mean it’s not a question that should be asked.)

If you have a friend or loved one who is going through a situation like this, please share this information with them.