Going to the doctors is something that as an adult we don’t often do unless we have a chronic illness to deal with such as asthma or allergies. It is however always important to have a checkup once a year or so to make sure you are fit and in good health for the year to come. There may, however, come a time when a checkup brings back worrying results or perhaps you have been feeling some strange symptoms and you have come to talk about them. Being diagnosed with any illness is hard, and if you have this year, here is what you should do.
Talk to family
The first thing you should do when you leave the doctor’s office calls your partner or your parents and tell them what is happening. Whether the illness is a chronic but treatable one or a degenerative one, it is important for your mental state to have someone to talk to about it all. The family will always support you and they will be there no matter what.
Enjoy your life
It is so important that you enjoy your life in any case, but when you have an illness it is even more crucial to make every minute count and spend time with the people you love doing the things you enjoy. You can think about taking time away for a week or two and going on holiday with your family to explore the world a little. Have fun and don’t panic about what the future may hold.
Take advice from doctors
Your doctor will most likely ask you to come in for another appointment following your diagnosis in order to speak about your treatment and the things you can be doing to make yourself more comfortable. Make sure you listen to every word they say and do everything they suggest. Your doctor is like your messiah at this point in life and you need to take on board their advice to make your life easier.
Join a community
Even if you do have family and friends to talk to about your illness, it will still feel as if you are alone because you have no one to talk to about the nitty-gritty things like symptoms. Think about joining a group on Facebook or looking for a group on Inspire of people with the same illness as you. You can get advice from others on what helped with their symptoms and you can chat with a group of people who understand you and know exactly how you feel.
Be positive
It goes without saying that positivity is worth its weight in gold when you have some less than great news. It is always important for your physical and mental health that you look on the bright side and see the good in everything you do. Be happy, smile, laugh… all of these things are great for the soul and being happy can relieve the stress surrounding your illness.v
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