Submitted by Dr. Robert F. Lane on
CONFRONT THE ILLNESS
Illness and disease are not the same. Illness is what happens to your life when disease attacks your body. Do not confuse them. You have a role in dealing with both, but it is only the illness for which you have responsibility and over which you must take complete control. Recruit doctors to battle the disease and hand off most of that responsibility to them. Then find the wisdom to deal with your illness as it impacts your life and gather your team to do it. (next section). Unmanaged, the illness can persist for years after the disease is in remission or cured. Many mistakenly assume it will go away when the disease does; it doesn’t. Many who don't deal with the Dragon up front and every time it turns up have him with them forever. Academics call it PTSD or better PTCD: Post Traumatic Cancer Disorder
The disease is an enemy that can be seen, felt, measured and to a significant degree predicted, which gives the doctors a target for their attack. The illness is none of those things, yet it can be every bit as destructive. It can only be measured by the absence of joy, peace and purpose in your life and relationships. It cannot be eliminated, but it can be understood, outsmarted and overcome. With determination, anyone can do it, and with style.
Doctors fight disease with medicines, whereas you must take on illness with ideas. Doctors send you to the pharmacy for medicine, but I am sending you to mentors to learn how they think.
Don’t confuse your role with the physician’s. Some patients get sidetracked focusing on treating their disease themselves with diets, potions, ablutions, abstentions and all kinds of stuff, wasting time and energy that could be focused on their illness, which is threatening to overwhelm their lives and take them out in the meantime.. Not much point in being physically alive if the life you are trying to lead is dead and gone. Direct your attention at the illness – find it, reveal it, expose it and overcome it. Save your life. Let the doctors save your body.
GATHER YOUR TEAM
Don't try to go it alone. The best athletes have a whole training staff and you should too. It is called Collaborative Care. The best centers will set up a whole team of medical specialists to deal with the disease (see the picture on my About Me page for the picture of all the specialists we gathered every week to pan care for each patient) , but it is up to you to gather around you a team to deal with every aspect of the illness. Better yet find a team leader and have them read this and take on part of the responsibility for you and to cajole you into participating - even though you feel too overwhelm already. Here is a list of some of the teammates my patients have had:
Record keeper to go on doctor visits to listen and be your advocate and communicator to the rest of the team
Exercise partner to get you walking, riding , swimming , whatever and regularly - see section on exercise
? Naturopath - some find one who can work with the docs and help manage any side effects
Prayer partner to support you, lift you up and surround you with fellowship
? Dietician - chemotherapy and radiation can change your mouth and taste buds altering interest and even the ability to eat. Nutritional needs persist although the interest/ability to meet them wanes - get help
Masseuse - don't underrate this one - see section on exercise
Confidant - you need someone in addition to family to share your burdens
Fun and Funny person - to get you laughing and to drag you to or bring to you entertainment
Bill paying guru - healthcare finance management can be a nightmare, stressful and depressing.You don't need this now. Find someone who loves you and you can trust to spearhead managing the bills.
Good Luck. Even if you can recruit this team you still need to deal with the Dragon in your thoughts but at least with all this help you will have more time, strength and encouragement to engage that battle and win.
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