| "body"> | | | | greet each day with the vitality you'll need to tackle |
| A diagnosis is one of the most frightening things we | | | | your health challenge. Visit the library or your local |
| can experience in our lifetimes. The assumptions you | | | | bookstore and seek out those books written by |
| had about your body and health are shattered in a | | | | patients who have defied the odds. Although your |
| fraction of a second. The diagnosis will require you to | | | | doctor will provide you with the statistics about your |
| persevere through doctor's appointments, lab tests, | | | | prognosis; it doesn't mean that those are your odds. |
| procedures and treatment all for one goal, to get well. | | | | The medical community works on statistics and the |
| The following are three keys to avoiding despair during | | | | prognosis doesn't take into account your individual |
| this tenuous process. | | | | factors. Remember, even when the odds are not in |
| Become Well Informed | | | | your favor, someone has to be on the survival end of |
| The old adage that "ignorance is bliss" is not a reality. | | | | the seesaw...Why shouldn't it be you? |
| There are lots of good surprised in this world and | | | | Develop Confidence in Your Healthcare Team |
| being surprised by a procedure or side effects is not | | | | They call it the practice of medicine, not the perfection |
| the party you want to attend. Become informed will | | | | of medicine. Doctor's are no different than any other |
| not always comfort you but it will remove the fog | | | | service provider in your life. Sometimes the chemistry |
| from the decision making process. It will give you the | | | | is good and other times it lacks a connection. Find the |
| tools you need to discuss your options intelligently with | | | | provider that makes you feel important. Look for |
| your doctor and provide you with a foundation for | | | | providers that are at the top of their game. |
| creating strategies to overcome the challenges | | | | If you're not comfortable with your provider, find a new |
| associated with your treatment. | | | | provider. Remember that the medical team is working |
| Those who become well informed you rise to a new | | | | for you. You may want to enlist the services of allied |
| level of awareness about your body and your illness. | | | | health professionals or holistic providers, make sure |
| This information will allow you develop a sense of | | | | you share that with your doctor. The best way for |
| empowerment and that's a necessary ingredient to | | | | you to develop confidence in your healthcare team is |
| avoiding despair. Knowing that you have the power to | | | | by establishing an open and honest relationship. |
| create your reality can be comforting. You'll become | | | | Everyone should be rooting for you to get well. |
| more resourceful because you'll see the numerous | | | | Despair can creep in as quietly as the fog. It's |
| options that present themselves when you learn to | | | | important that you are aware of what may trigger |
| seek out information. Having alternatives gives you a | | | | your feelings of despair and come up with strategies |
| sense of controlling your journey to wellness and you | | | | to combat its onset. There are as many options for |
| won't feel boxed in or at the mercy of others. | | | | treatment as you want to explore. Look at your care |
| Develop a Sense of Hope | | | | holistically feeding the physical, emotional and spiritual |
| Hope is the guiding principle that encourages you to | | | | parts of your being and you'll keep despair at bay. |