Having mesothelioma can change many elements of life of a person, including physical appearance, emotional well-being and relationships with others.
My father has undergone many physical changes, such as weight loss and hair loss, and emotions took a toll on his mental state. His diagnosis also affected many of his relationships. Perhaps one of the most surprising change is the way people interact with him after hearing the news of his cancer.
It can be disconcerting to hear someone you love is facing a disease, particularly serious. When our family heard the news, we all reacted differently. My mother put a happy face for my father, but when she did not hide her emotions, she was visibly devastated.
My brother appears solemn strength, while my sister has avoided any exposure of emotion. Household chores masked my fears and worries.
Just as we are all different people, our reaction to disturbing news as a mesothelioma diagnosis will be different too. My family took the news in a different way. Diagnosis Dad shook the whole family, but it has not hesitated to him either.
The reactions of Loved Ones with a diagnosis of mesothelioma
People can react unexpectedly hearing about a loved one with cancer. Understanding how close react to the diagnosis of cancer can help patients' treatment behavior may present people.
diagnostic dad shocked some of our parents into silence. They do not call or visit. At the time, I did not understand why, and it made me angry.
But now I understand. Their reactions at the time, that seemed abnormal to me, were actually quite normal in the circumstances. When we encounter situations that make us uncomfortable, some of us out of the situation altogether. Others might behave awkwardly or act in a condescending manner.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology identifies some of the ways in which friends and family can react to cancer
- Shock :. Learning that someone close has cancer can be an alarming reminder that it can happen to everyone. Although a diagnosis certainly shocks the person with the disease, some relatives may experience similar emotions
- Painful Memories :. When someone who has experienced cancer themselves or with a loved one, hears about a newer diagnosis, they can recall painful memories. News can also scare them. . Keep in mind their reactions have more to do with past experiences, not your personal journey
- Overwhelmed & Domination: A cancer diagnosis can overwhelm friends and family anxiously causing them to become hypervigilant. They may want to look after you and help you all the time -. Even if you do not need or want their help
Find how to work through those awkward first meetings engages families and friends of the support means and beneficial for the journey ahead. Good communication can help break these behaviors.
strong relationships are essential to take care of a loved mesothelioma face. Social withdrawal and isolation is detrimental to the emotional well-being. From my personal experience, relying on friends and relatives for emotional support is very comforting.
Steps to increase understanding and acceptance
Rather than avoiding an expensive face cancer, raise your level of acceptance and understanding is usually beneficial.
Those who learn about recent diagnosis of a relative should understand some of the physical and emotional changes of patients may experience.
Knowing what to expect when visiting a person with cancer can relieve some of the stress and shock. The balance sheet cancer takes on the body is evident shortly after diagnosis. The side effects of treatments against cancer, such as alopecia and weight loss, radically alter physical appearances.
Because cancer also affects the emotions of a patient, your loved one can possibly behave differently than before.
The American Cancer Society offers some tips to reduce the stress of these first encounters with a new diagnosis loved.
- Do not inform your relatives, especially if they are not asking you: Being knowledgeable and understanding of the illness your relative do an oncologist is not. Be respectful and supportive of their decisions
- Do not avoid discussing the disease: .. Talking cancer journey of your loved one directly can help break ice and soften the subject
- not attending Added a "honey" or unusual "sweet" to your verbal communication can destabilize your beloved. Try to talk and behave as you did before diagnosis.
Learning from experience
My daughter was recently diagnosed with appendicitis, and the test reminded me how easy it is to let a disease change how we treat those we love.
She had an emergency appendectomy, and I went to mother bear mode. I did not notice the change until she asked me to stop treating her like a baby.
In my efforts for support and comfort, I had become condescending and overprotective. The recall my daughter was a reality check. Having realized my mistake, I went back to my role as a mother of an independent pre-teen spend some time in hospital.
When families face a journey of mesothelioma, it is important to remember how much we need each other.
initial diagnosis is shocking for everyone, especially the patient. It is imperative for friends and family to adjust so that they accompany one on their journey their loved one. Remember, mesothelioma does not change the meaning of the person in the lives of those who love them.
See your loved for who they are, not the battles they fight.
