Getting Control
My Notebook, mostly by word of mouth or at the suggestion of their family doctors, has become a resource for a rapidly increasing number of newly diagnosed cancer patient families. I am very gratified that many of them have shared their comments. A common request is that the Getting Control Section, which answers in detail what to do to prepare the whole family as they face this catastrophic diagnosis, is still too hard to comprehend and follow. It is condensed down to 28 pages, but still, not even the smartest of people are at their best in these first several weeks and months. It is those days between when you are first diagnosed and during the interminable weeks and sometimes months while they run tests and more tests before they can give you the medical answers you need that you are still spinning in the wind trying to know the non-clinical aspects of how their diagnosis is going to impact their future.
So, I developed 6 videos that you can find below. They are a visual version of the Getting Control Section. Together, they can be watched in about a half hour. You can watch each or all of them again and again to help you.
- How and when do I tell my loved ones about my diagnosis?
- Where do I go for treatment, and who will treat me?
- How do I research treatment options?
- How will this affect my family’s finances and what does my health insurance cover?
- What can my family and I do now, while we wait for that time when the oncologists will meet with us to discuss treatment options?
- What support will we need to cope with this upcoming, very uncertain time?