Facing Cancer with Clarity
A one-stop resource for people who have just been told they have cancer, and for the people who love them.
My doctor told me, “It’s cancer!” What now?
What do I need to find out while I wait for the results of my tests? What do I do in the meantime, while I wait? What does this mean for me and my family?
First, forgive yourself in advance for panicking. For shutting down. For being angry. For being scared. You are still YOU. You will never be just one more cancer diagnosis!
Second, reach out to someone you love and can count on and tell them immediately. Then, you and that person work together to get the help you need now.
Third, watch these short six videos.
You’ve recently been told you have cancer. You are, no doubt, swamped by a range of emotions. Other patients have said they’ve nearly shut down with shock, fear, anger, and denial, as well as uncertainties and concerns about their future, family, job, and finances. They’ve said they wanted to − and knew they must − take charge of things and make crucial choices, but this was the time when they felt at their least capable of doing it.
Here is a free resource that outlines the steps you can take after your diagnosis and helps you to be more informed about your treatment options.
An Essential Resource for Recently Diagnosed Cancer Patients and Their Families: MY NOTEBOOK
Most newly diagnosed cancer patients were told at some point in the chaotic weeks after diagnosis that they should get a three-ring notebook binder to keep all the information they are juggling in one place, to help with the overwhelming and often impersonal medical maze faced by a newly diagnosed cancer patient. Well, most of the people I spoke to said that it was a great idea, but they were dealing with too much just then to take time to create their notebook. So, here it is, and each of you can personalize and customize it for your own use. Take what you need and leave the rest.
It is not cancer-type specific. It doesn’t need to be in these first few months. It does offer enough basics about cancer and treatment options to allow you to actively participate in determining what treatments are best for you. It has been shown that being fully engaged in the process of choosing the best treatment options improves your chances of beating this disease and returning to a healthy normal life. My Notebook helps you do this.
My Notebook PDF Information
My Notebook is intended to be used by newly diagnosed adult cancer patients and their families. Its 3-ring binder format allows each family member to customize each section and/or tab for ease and convenience of use by the individual patient or family member, as they choose. An already-assembled hard copy weighs about 3 lbs. (If you would like to have a fully assembled copy, they can be made available through your primary care doctor’s office.) While it can be a portable resource, it is likely to often be too cumbersome to carry with you to all appointments and activities. Just lift out the section or tab you are using and leave the rest of the notebook at home.
This website has a PDF version of My Notebook, and in similar fashion, the users can customize the download to print only what they need now, or only what they want to see in a printed version. Each page of the first 3 sections of the printed version is formatted to have large blank margins for note taking. If you are not a note-taker, just read the sections (and refer back to them as needed) using the online version.
My Notebook has four sections:
1. Getting Control
This is for you and your family to use in the first few weeks after diagnosis.
This section has four steps to follow, in answer to you and your families’ most immediate and demanding question: What do I do now? This is a LOT of crucially important information to take in at a time when you and your family are reeling and not functioning at your best. So, I put together 6 short videos synopsizing this section. Click HERE to view and review these videos.
2. Getting the Facts
Use this section later to prepare you for participating in treatment decisions.
This is a quick cram course in cancer diseases and treatments. It is not specific to each cancer disease, but offers enough general clinical interpretation and explanation, so that you and your family can better understand what the doctors are telling you.
3. Getting Treatment
Use this section later to prepare you for participating in treatment decisions.
This section has simplified information on standard vs. clinical trial treatments, aggressive vs. conservative treatments, and alternative or complementary treatments vs. conventional treatment. It serves to inform the discussion with your doctors, so that you can more fully participate in choosing the best treatment or treatments.
4. Getting Organized
Use this section as your portable filing system.
This final section is a tool to organize and keep handy important information − physician and lab and treatment facility contacts, test results, insurance information, etc. − to make the medical paper chase less daunting and allow the patient and their family to deal with the most important goal of survivorship.
My Notebook differs from most other resources on the internet, in that it also supports the needs of the new patient’s family and loved ones. This is important, because “when someone gets cancer, everyone who loves them does, too.”
Being Your Own Wellness Advocate
All the things mentioned in the video, “Being Your Own Wellness Advocate” are important components of being at your peak mental and physical wellness while you fight your disease. And the same is true for your primary support person and other loved ones as they...
Why NOT To Ask “Dr. Google” About a Cancer Diagnosis or Test Results
Your doctor just confirmed that you have cancer. I’ll bet you (or if not you, a family member) will go home and start googling pretty much right away. Not a good idea!!! Here’s why: There are over 4 million results when you google “cancer diagnosis.” No matter how...
Cancer-related Expenses That Are Tax Deductible
Tab F of My Notebook is a place for a log and receipts for tax deductions. You can claim an itemized deduction for qualified medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. You can also take tax-free health savings account (HSA), health care flexible...