{"id":22976,"date":"2025-02-28T09:04:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T10:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=22976"},"modified":"2025-02-28T10:27:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T10:27:00","slug":"how-to-cope-with-a-scary-diagnosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=22976","title":{"rendered":"How To Cope With A Scary Diagnosis"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p id=\"article-summary\" data-testid=\"onsite-summary\" class=\"css-79rysd e1wiw3jv0\">Everyone responds differently, experts say, and there\u2019s no wrong way to feel.<\/p>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Two years ago, Joelle Kaufman scheduled a preventive double mastectomy after witnessing her mother and sister undergo treatment for breast cancer. But the day before her surgery, she received a shocking call from her doctor: A routine screening had revealed a malignant tumor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cTwo thousand things were going through my mind,\u201d said Kaufman, an executive coach and the author of \u201cCrushing the Cancer Curveball.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">She couldn\u2019t form a coherent thought beyond: What should I do now?<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A diagnosis of a serious illness can be overwhelming, whether it\u2019s happening to you or someone you love. So I asked Kaufman and other experts about what to do immediately after hearing bad news \u2014 and in the weeks to come.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-1u37br4 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-21960cf5\">Focus on right now.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Everyone responds differently to a distressing diagnosis; there is no right or wrong way to feel, said Stephanie Alonso, an outpatient oncology social worker at UChicago Medicine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"Dropzone-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Don\u2019t feel pressure to be positive, or to be a \u201cfighter,\u201d Kaufman said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Instead, remind yourself that you do not have to make every decision at once, said Alison Snow, senior director of oncology social work at Mount Sinai in New York. Ask yourself: What do I need to get through the next hour? What do I need to get through this day?<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Writing down your thoughts can be therapeutic \u201cand stop them from spiraling,\u201d Dr. Snow said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">If you\u2019re being treated at a hospital, ask if they have a social worker on staff who can share resources to help you cope with the emotional, financial and logistical needs that may arise, Alonso said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1336jj\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171quhb\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F28%2Fwell%2Fbad-news-diagnosis-tips.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F28%2Fwell%2Fbad-news-diagnosis-tips.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F28%2Fwell%2Fbad-news-diagnosis-tips.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F28%2Fwell%2Fbad-news-diagnosis-tips.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Everyone responds differently, experts say, and there\u2019s no wrong way to feel.Two years ago, Joelle Kaufman scheduled a preventive double mastectomy after witnessing her mother and sister undergo treatment for breast cancer. But the day before her surgery, she received a shocking call from her doctor: A routine screening had revealed a malignant tumor.\u201cTwo thousand things were going through my mind,\u201d said Kaufman, an executive coach and the author of \u201cCrushing the Cancer Curveball.\u201dShe couldn\u2019t form a coherent thought beyond: What should I do now?A diagnosis of a serious illness can be overwhelming, whether it\u2019s happening to you or someone you love. So I asked Kaufman and other experts about what to do immediately after hearing bad news \u2014 and in the weeks to come.Focus on right now.Everyone responds differently to a distressing diagnosis; there is no right or wrong way to feel, said Stephanie Alonso, an outpatient oncology social worker at UChicago Medicine.Don\u2019t feel pressure to be positive, or to be a \u201cfighter,\u201d Kaufman said. Instead, remind yourself that you do not have to make every decision at once, said Alison Snow, senior director of oncology social work at Mount Sinai in New York. Ask yourself: What do I need to get through the next hour? What do I need to get through this day?Writing down your thoughts can be therapeutic \u201cand stop them from spiraling,\u201d Dr. Snow said.If you\u2019re being treated at a hospital, ask if they have a social worker on staff who can share resources to help you cope with the emotional, financial and logistical needs that may arise, Alonso said.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22978,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22976"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22979,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22976\/revisions\/22979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}