Top Things to Do After A Cancer Diagnosis

 

If you’ve been for tests and you’ve learned you’ve got cancer, you need to consider what your next steps will be.

It doesn’t matter whether this is your first diagnosis or your 5th, your reaction is always going to come down to a single question. What do you do now?

The steps that you take will depend on the treatment and the type of cancer that you have and you need. Complementary cancer therapies may come with private health insurance, but if you’re not covered, you have to consider what the public system can offer you. Let’s take a look at the steps that you can take after you’ve had that diagnosis.

• Get the facts. Once you’ve been told you have cancer, you need to get as much information as you can about your type of cancer, the grading, and what happens next. Finding out exactly what type you have, as well as how advanced it is, can help you to prepare and plan for yourself. Ask where the cancer is located in your body and consider whether it’s rare or common, because this will impact what treatment you get. Having clarity on what you’re dealing with will help you choose your options with an informed mindset.
• Talk with your doctor about your treatment options. There are a lot of different options that you can use for cancer treatment, from chemotherapies to radiotherapy to surgery, plus supportive complementary therapies – such as aromatherapy, acupuncture and visualisation [source]. You could ask about clinical trials to see what you may be eligible for and figure out whether or not investigational treatments could give you more time and options. You know you’re not a Guinea pig testing something that may or may not work. Instead, you’re taking the best cancer care available from those who are researching it right now.
• Talk to more than one doctor. Cancer is not something that can be handled just by one oncologist. It’s a multidisciplinary disease that should be managed by a lot of different doctors. You don’t want to have to worry about whether or not your medical oncologist, surgical oncologist, and radiation oncologists are all on the same page, and you also need to know whether or not there are therapists available to talk you through this particular diagnosis.
• Talk about the deal Breakers. Cancer treatment can have a big impact on your life, even more so than the cancer itself. You have to identify the non-negotiables. So for example if you have lung cancer but you are a singer, you need to determine what can and can’t be done. This is something to discuss with your doctor and it should be something you do early on.