Diagnosed and not sure what to do...

LaurenC1234

Hi everyone! I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease in August 2009.  I remember the day like the back of my hand.  I went through a lot of personal struggles after my diagnosis - I did not know where to turn to or who I could talk to.  I wanted to share my fears with people, but I wanted to share them with people that understood what I was going through.  I am writing this because I genuinely want to help people that are newly diagnosed and help in any way I can.  Hearing the words "you have cancer" is probably the scariest thing anyone can hear - regardless of how old you are.  The best advice I could give to anyone would be to reach out to others, read their blogs, e-mail with them, and talk. Because of the fact that I found so much comfort through others blogs (I literally would sit on there for hours on end reading them) - I decided to write my own. It was very therapeutic for me, as well as it allowed me to update my family/friends on how I was feeling.  I did also recently end up transforming my blog into a book - again my goal is to help others and make their journey easier.  I truly wish I had these resources when I was diagnosed. If you want to talk or have any questions - I would love to help.

Ailidh

It sounds like a fantastic

It sounds like a fantastic resource you can now offer! I too felt completely alone and confused with my diagnosis. I was also trying to protect people from it, because people were so horrified on my behalf. Sometimes I didn't want to upset them for their sake, sometimes I just didn't have the energy to console them for their grief about me.

 

Truthfully, I struggled with some blogs I found. The most helpful ones to me were the ones where people were also struggling and being angry. I know people say, "Keep positive" (if one more person says it to me .....) and of course, there are times when that's appropriate but it's also appropriate to be able to say when we feel lousy/scared/tired/terrified/all the other things that people get uncomfortable about if we say them. 

 

I think counselling should be a compulsory part of cancer treatment. Maybe it is in the States? It isn't here in England, I know the system can't afford it - but a gal can wish!

 

Best.