Tips to surviving cancer

I would like to share a few pointers on what to do when you have received a cancer diagnosis.

I have learned these tips the hard way: Walking the path with my sister who was diagnosed with colon cancer in July 2008. I wish somebody told me what I am about to tell you. Perhaps then she would have had a fighting chance. But it is the strangest thing: There are so many support groups and doctors and survivors that one crosses on the journey, yet one is pretty much left to your own devices. It is a very lonely and uncertain journey.


TIP NUMBER ONE: THE NEWS
When you receive the diagnosis, do the sensible thing: PANIC! Cancer is serious. Your life is at stake. Don’t brush it off. Don’t go into denial. Deal with the news, as best you can.

TIP NUMBER TWO: UPGRADE
Cancer treatments are bloody expensive. You need to immediately upgrade your medical plan to the absolute highest plan that you can afford. You do not want to risk not having criticial treatment approved by your medical aid because your plan does not allow for it. You can always downgrade again. You can’t come back from the dead.

TIP NUMBER THREE: LISTS ARE YOUR FRIEND
After you have panicked make an appointment with the diagnosing doctor. Draft a list of questions beforehand. One easily feels overwhelmed when doctors start talking. A list will make sure that you ask everything you want to know. You are paying for his/her time – make the most of it. Use a list for this appointment and every other appointment with every other doctor. Take a pen along and jot down notes as the doctor speaks. The mind is an incredible thing. You will most likely forgot most of what was said the moment you walk out the door. Your notes will be your saving grace. Examples of information you absolutely need at this stage is the type of cancer (and make sure you write down the medical name), what stage it is at, where exactly in your body it is located (let the doctor show you on a diagram of the human body if need be), what your treatment options are, what symptoms you can expect before, during and after treatment and in general and what the next steps are. If the doctor is not a cancer specialist, he/she might not be able to answer all of these questions. That’s okay. It’s a start. You will fill in the blanks in due course. Ensure though that you get a copy of the biopsy report a.s.a.p. and any other reports on your condition.

TIP NUMBER FOUR: YOUR FIRST CHANCE IS YOUR BEST CHANCE
The diagnosing doctor will in all likelihood refer you to a cancer specialist, e.g. an oncologist. That is fine. But before you make an appointment with the specialist, you have to do some research. So just get all the contact information for the next doctor and the referral letter. Doctors are expensive, plus your time is precious. Don’t jump into the referral: It may not be your best option and you may be wasting time, money and your life, in the process. They may be golf buddies for all you know. You need to find THE expert on your disease.

TIP NUMBER FIVE: GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND
Now the research starts. You need to find out absolutely everything you can about your disease, about your treatment options and how you need to adapt your lifestyle. You absolutely cannot just rely on what any doctor tells you. It is your body, your life – TAKE CONTROL.

Start with the disease. Take the biopsy report and translate every word that you do not understand using either a thesaurus or a search engine. Write it down. Make sure you understand the report. This goes for any other reports you have.

Next, google the medical name for the cancer as per the biopsy + treatments. List all the options for yourself as well as what is said about the effectiveness of these treatments. Make sure you understand exactly how the treatment works, how it will affect your body, whether you will be able to work while receiving the treatments, etc.

Now find out what general information there is regarding lifestyle changes. Google “living with (your) cancer”. Browse the websites of cancer organisations you know of. Don’t stick to local sites. How should you change your diet? Exercise regime? Where can you go for counselling? Where can your loved ones go for counselling? Find out! Write it down or print it out. Start keeping a file. Knowledge is power. Take your file and all medical documents, including scans and X-rays to each doctor’s appointment.

Revisit Google every time there is a development.

TIP NUMBER SIX: WHO’S YOUR DADDY?
Your cancer may be hereditary. Anyone that is at risk must consider genetic counselling. There are specialised centres for this purpose. Tell those that may be risk about your disease if you have not done so already. If they decide to go for the counselling, they will need a copy of the biopsy.

TIP NUMBER SEVEN: FIND YOUR MAN
Now that you have assimilated the relevant information it is time to find the expert doctor that will treat you. You may need a few doctors to treat different aspects. It is rare to find a doctor that has enough expertise to treat all aspects of your condition. Very few doctors look at the body holistically. It is your job to make sure that your whole body is being looked after. The immune system suffers. The digestive system suffers. The mind suffers. Get as much expertise as you need. It is hard to find out who the best in any given field is. Speak to people that has or had the same cancer is you. Google the names that are given to you. I am in favour of doctors affiliated to academic hospitals . They are closest to the research and more up to date with any advances in the particular field.

TIP NUMBER EIGHT: SECOND GUESS
So you have found your man, you have drawn up your list and you go to the appointment. Take notes,particularly the exact name of the suggested treatment. Why? Because you are of course going to run it through Google when you get home. Ask the doctor what the success rate is of the particular treatment. You need to make sure that the treatment is proven to have an effect. Don’t assume that the doctor will know what is best. We found out a year and a half after my sister was diagnosed that the first oncologist she saw, the one the surgeon refferd her to, gave her 12 sessions of a drug that has been proven to have NO BENEFIT as a treatment for her particular cancer. Read that again. She ended up wasting a year of the time that she had left and thousands and thousands of rands because we didn’t have the sense to second guess. Doctors have that effect on us. They have that air. Do not be afraid to second guess – IT IS YOUR LIFE THAT IS AT STAKE.

TIP NUMBER NINE: SECOND GUESS. AGAIN.
Find another expert. Get a second opinion.

BOTTOM LINE: GET TREATMENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BUT MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR DISEASE AND THAT YOU ARE GETTING THE CORRECT TREATMENT.

TIP NUMBER TEN: REACH OUT
Look after your emotional needs. Don’t hide your feelings from your loved ones. This is an extremely difficult thing to go through. For everybody involved. Reach out and comfort each other. If you are feeling overwhelmed, take someone along to your appointments to take notes. You don’t want to miss anything, and your mind might play tricks on you. Get an objective third party you can speak to openly about everything that is happening to you.

That’s it. I hope you find this information hopeful.
All the best for what lies ahead.

My new hero

I just love dissenting voices and Julian Baggini is my new hero.

To see why, check out his article "The New Atheist Movement is destructive" here.

Like, seriously

...this isn't funny anymore. How can it be THIS hard to find suitable employment?

Three months and counting...