Five ways to cope with a blood cancer diagnosis

millss — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:14:06 GMT

No one response to a blood cancer diagnosis is universal, but for many people the time of diagnosis may be a challenging and confusing time. Here are a few ideas on ways to cope, based on tips in our online Coping booklet (downloadable as a .pdf).

Consider sharing your diagnosis. If you have been newly diagnosed with cancer, you may wonder if you should share this diagnosis with others. It’s possible that you may encounter some people that will have a hard time showing support, but more often than not you may find that many will give you the support you need. If you do share, make sure you are ready and comfortable.
Talk about it. As the patient, you may want to talk about your diagnosis and treatment. It is important that the family member or friend you want to talk to is ready to discuss this, as they are likely feeling stressed about your diagnosis as well. Ask them directly if this is a good time to talk, and respect the answer given.
Ask questions. Newly diagnosed patients benefit from asking their doctor(s) questions about their cancer and treatment. If you have several questions, you may want to write them down prior to your appointment to make sure you don’t forget any of them. You can also print out some of our question guides which cover different aspects of diagnosis and treatment.
Coping with side effects. Cancer treatment can be unpleasant, but remember that most side effects are temporary and that the goal is to destroy the cancer. Ask your medical team if there are medications you can take or things you can do to deal with the various side effects like nausea or hair loss. You may also want to warn your family or friends of potential moodiness, which can be a side effect of treatment. Giving them a heads up on this can help to avoid misunderstandings or conflicts.
Understand your health insurance coverage. It is important to know what treatment is covered by your health insurance. Coverage can vary depending on what plan you have, and it is a good idea to keep track of what medical fees the insurance company is responsible for paying.

Download the Coping booklet which has many more beneficial tips for patients, caregivers, family members, and friends affected by a blood cancer diagnosis. You can also download the Spanish-language version of Coping, Lidiando con la Supervivencia: Apoyo para personas que padecen de leukemia en adultos, el linfoma y el myeloma. You may want to download another booklet as well, Each New Day, which also has suggestions on how to cope with leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma.

What are some ways you have been able to cope with a blood cancer diagnosis?

The costs of cancer

millss — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:41:33 GMT

Unless you’ve been hiding somewhere, you’ll know that the economy is having a little bit of a tough time right now. The headlines I’m seeing as I’m typing this are:

“Cash strapped, and driving less”
“The next shoe to drop in housing”
"Financial markets looking for bottom”
“A slice of pizza gets pricier” (And yes, that’s a real headline – and a real shame for pizza lovers.)

It’s not easy dealing with a strapped economy when you’re well, let alone when you have a disease like cancer. You might already be feeling uneasy about your job, retirement income, and assets. On top of everything else you now have medical bills. It’s crazy, and it’s making you crazy (I would be anyway).

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) can’t solve all of your financial woes, but we have a few resources that may be able to help you find some relief.

Patient Financial Aid – This program reimburses for some medications, transportation costs, and procedures.
Co-Pay Assistance Program – This program helps with co-pay and prescription medication costs.

There is also a wealth of advice about your employment rights as a cancer survivor, issues with insurance, and other programs that help with prescription drug coverage.

Finally, there is an archived teleconference in the Survivorship Education Series section of the LLS website called, “Cancer Survivorship: Practical Tips for Managing Your Financial and Insurance Issues.”

What do you do when your medical bills become too high? Are you going through this now?

If you think someone you know would benefit from this information share this blog post with them.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Blog

Five ways to cope with a blood cancer diagnosis

The costs of cancer