How do you balance being informed VS overwhelmed?
How do you navigate the balance between staying informed about your condition and avoiding overwhelming yourself with medical information or statistics?
I navigated away from Dr. Google and other medical sites and asked my MD for detailed explanations, spoke with other patients, and also got a second opinion.
I try to understand the basic concepts, mostly by reading or listening to my “key” info sources, which are my doctor, blood-cancer.com, Healthtree, and MMRF. There are others, but I use them more sparingly. If the presentations get too far into the weeds for me to make sense of them unless I fully concentrate, I pull back and ask myself if this is information I need right now.
I will be following the advice here very closely. I find it hard to absorb everything sometimes. I was just diagnosed with the 3rd cancer in 9 years and will be looking at a hysterectomy at 62. With a slew of health problems, it really gets overwhelming trying to sort and deal with so much. I am a pretty positive and optimistic person but lately its been very hard not to become depressed and feel like giving up. Totally not my norm but lately its been hard to deal with. I have a therapist I see once a week but she doesnt seem to know what to say to this latest news. How do others deal with secondary and third cancer diagnoses? Any advice? Thanks <3
I have also faced cancer many times (4+) in the past 11 years along with the death of a spouse, covid pneumonia, selling a home, building a new one, and moving to a new state. I sought support from a psychologist who offered Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and it proved to be quite helpful as it helps you look at stress differently. You may want to check out professionals who offer it in your area.
We all have stories that run silently in our heads. While we can not wish away the many cancers and the impacts of each we can change how we think about challenges and look for things in our everyday lives that are positive vs focusing on the negative reminders.
Not easy to be sure but sometimes just taking a walk, sitting by a window, or listening to music can provide a few moments of mental relief. Over time those moments can become minutes and then hours. Hang in there and know you are not alone we are all here to support each other. Dennis(Blood-Cancer.com TEAM)thank you so much. Those links are a huge help. <3
Wendy, my heart goes out to you; you’ve had to deal with more than any person should! If you’re not getting help from your therapist, you may want to ask around and see if you can find someone who better fits your needs. And you may want to check with the hospital where you’re being treated, as many have onc-psych resources. Wish you all the best with what you’re dealing with!
thank you! Thats something I hadn't thought of! <3 
Any time! <3
