Being diagnosed with an incurable disease may leave you feeling shocked, confused, and stressed. You’re now looking at big changes to your present lifestyle and, possibly, your future plans. You should take heart – while most such conditions aren’t easy to manage, they are by no means unmanageable. You will, doubtless, get better at it with time and even enjoy the same quality of life as before.
Here, Patient Talk offers advice on what you should do if you’ve been diagnosed with an incurable disease:
Remain hopeful
Bad news invariably leads to negativity, anxiety, and stress. You mustn’t ignore or otherwise tamp down on thoughts and emotions. Take time to process your diagnosis and its various implications. More importantly, try to inspire yourself: Give yourself a pep talk if you need to, and surround yourself with people who care about you. Read up on other people who are successfully navigating health conditions like yours and continue living life to the fullest.
Learn more about your conditions
When you’re unfamiliar with your condition, you may be beset by irrational fears and thoughts of worst-case scenarios. Learning more about your condition and understanding your diagnosis can help keep the fear at bay. More importantly, you’ll know what to expect and what you can do to stay on top of the condition. Pharmatutor lists 10 common incurable diseases with some background information about each one.
Have health-related goals or a self-care routine
Your doctor will offer advice and perhaps even design a care plan for you. You must take the advice to heart and follow the plan as well as you can – it’s how you will keep the problem under control long term. Following a self-care routine may also be a good idea. It can give you extra energy and enthusiasm, and it’s something you can incorporate into your everyday life.
Below are examples of simple, actionable goals that will help you achieve better health:
- Drink more water and eat more greens.
- Get more sleep.
- Avoid alcohol and smoking.
- Walk 5,000 or more steps daily.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Start an exercise routine.
Manage stress and improve your mental health
Staying on top of your stress levels and paying attention to your mental health will stand you in good stead. Good mental health automatically gives you extra enthusiasm, makes your condition more manageable, and has a positive impact on your well-being. Some suggestions for improving your mental health are meditating, spending more time in nature, picking up a beneficial hobby like gardening, adopting a pet animal, exercising more, and letting in more natural sunlight into your home.
Keep your medical documents organized
You need to ensure your medical records and files are easy to access: You may need to get a second opinion, consult specialists, inform your insurance provider, and offer reassurances to concerned friends and family. You can digitize your records (or better organized digital records) in PDF. This format is preferred over Excel, Microsoft Word, and PowerPoint (it’s easier to access and more secure). You can use this tool to convert existing files in other formats to PDFs. It’s as simple as dragging and dropping files into the tool and downloading the resulting file in PDF.
Stay in control of your finances
Your diagnosis may have financial implications. You may need to pay for expenses not covered by your insurance, for instance – the Jama Network can explain further. Additionally, your condition may cause you to lose some income or affect your employment. You must stay in control of your finances. Get an overview of your financial health, allocate enough for your needs, budget, make cutbacks, and consider creating an emergency fund. You may want to talk to a financial advisor for assistance.
Conclusion
Incurable diseases negatively impact the quality of your life – at least until you learn how to live with them. Good food, exercise, and stress-busting can help you stay on top of your condition. Keep in mind that you’re never alone – you should ask for support from friends and family or join a dedicated support group for help managing your condition.