The time before a potential cancer diagnosis is stressful and isolating. If you’re positively identified to have cancer, it could change your whole life trajectory. It would create new challenges you never expected to have to deal with. And you almost certainly didn’t think you would have to handle those changes right now. It was predicted that well over a million new cases would be diagnosed in the United States alone in 2018. It’s not alarmist to be cautious and get the information and testing you need. Take a deep breath, and follow these guidelines if you suspect you may have cancer.
Arm yourself with information
If you suspect you might have cancer, take some time to look up the symptoms and identifiers of the disease. Use resources that can be trusted. For example, the American Cancer Association provides great online resources to help answer some of your questions, even before you see a doctor. In general, cancers can cause a variety of signs or symptoms. The symptoms will depend on the size and the location of that cancer as well as how much it affects surrounding tissues and organs. By doing preliminary research, you will come ready with questions and may not be as surprised by a negative prognosis.
Schedule and show up for the appointment
Once you do a little research, make sure you schedule and show up to the appointment. As intimidating as taking this step may seem, it’s important to try to catch cancer as early as possible. It’s thought that testing for cancer by screening could prevent thousands of cancer cases and deaths. Explain all of your symptoms to your general practitioner. They will most likely send you for an MRI scan and potentially recommend you to a specialist in order to get a more thorough examination of your scans and situation.
Get scanned
The only way to really tell what’s going on is to take a look inside. To do this, getting an MRI scan is the best method of checking for cancer. If you want to skip the referral process by a doctor, call and schedule an appointment for an Ezra MRI. Ezra is a new medical technology that is less invasive than traditional detection methods. A full-body scan can be completed in just sixty seconds, and unlike a typical clinical setting, a Medical Provider will spend up to an hour with you reviewing your test results. It’s affordable, accurate, fast, and comes with an Ezra Guide to answer your questions and coach you through the clinical pipeline.
Seek help for your mental health
Dealing with a potential cancer diagnosis is challenging, and speaking with a therapist can minimize the severe amount of anxiety a person experiences. If you suspect you have cancer, you should consider seeking a therapist to ease some of the mental burdens. Finding the right place and person to see is very important. It is said that a collaborative relationship between a therapist and patient contributes to almost 50 percent of the success of therapy, according to the experts at The Therapy Group of DC. They can also give you exceptional care thanks to their collection of experts and specialists that all have individual styles and strengths. When you look at a therapy group, you are sure to find a perfect match.
Confide in a friend
Finding someone to help support you as you wait for results can significantly ease the burden. The Mayo Clinic suggests sharing your emotions openly with your friends and family because you will be able to more adequately persevere through this trying time. Whether it’s your one best friend or a whole network of people, having a community makes all the difference.
