Waiting for a Diagnosis; Tips for Cancer Families.
Waiting for a diagnosisis, actually waiting in general is hands down the most difficult part of a cancer battle.
When you’re helping someone you love battle cancer, the waiting is excruciating. The uncertainty and the stress of a cancer situation is terrible, but the waiting is torture.
And no matter where you are in the journey, you are literally always waiting for something…
- to see if something worked…
- or, if it didn’t work…
- results…
- treatment options…
- next steps…
- referral doctors who can help with specific issues…
- 2nd opinions…
- further options…
- appointments…
- symptoms to subside…
- to see if you’ll be heading to the emergency room…
You get the picture. You are always waiting for something.
Heads Up! If you’re drowning in the overwhelm of a cancer diagnosis, we can help you SIMPLIFY the complex issues that come with cancer. Finding the best care, talking with your insurance company, finding resources that will actually help, and dealing with the fear, anxiety, and overwhelm of this whole situation.
You can get the Cancer Combat Plan FREE here…
The stress and the uncertainty of “not knowing anything” is agonizing. The stress of waiting for a diagnosis is crazy intense and the stress just amplifies everything.
But most of the time, waiting is absolutely terrifying and the most stressful part of cancer, because it feels like your whole future is hanging in the balance.
Waiting freaking SUCKS.
These are our best tips for making the constant waiting a bit easier…
Give it God.
You have no control over any of this. And, all of this stress and anxiety you’re feeling is not going to change anything anyway. And while I totally understand that… actually letting it go, feels like an impossible feat.
I struggle with this one. Hardcore. It’s really difficult for me to let things go. I mean really, who better than me to control, stress, and deal with everything…?
Sigh. ☹ But the reality is, it does not matter how we feel or what we think.
Whatever is supposed to happen is what’s going to happen. And it’s totally out of our control. The Lord knows what we’re going through, and he is going through it right there with us.
You have enough stress and anxiety going on in your head…
- Let some of it go.
- Take a deep breath.
- Ask God for help.
- Give it to Him.
When life is uncertain, that’s when your mind takes over and all of those paralyzing thoughts start running through your head.
We can’t control any of this. And making ourselves sick worrying while waiting for a diagnosis won’t change anything.
We waste a lot of time worrying about things we have no control over. We give time and precious moments to our fears that we will never get back.
Wouldn’t it feel incredible to be free of the stress and the pressure you’re feeling to “get this under control” rather than letting things unfold the way God intended.
I Choose Trust is the bible study that helps me do just that.
Packed full of lessons, scriptures, prayers and assignments, you’re not just reading another book. You’re doing the work, every day.
This is a deep dive into what you’re feeling, what you’re struggling with and how to let it go.
And it’s spending time with God. Real time getting to know him better which has become the highlight of my day.
You can get I Choose Trust for 20% off (use code cancerbomb20).
Prayer
Never underestimate the power of prayer to get you through the most stressful times of your life. And waiting for a diagnosis is no different.
I am absolutely certain that my dad was able to live his life to the fullest and enjoy the experiences we did for 21-months because we had an army of prayers that were building every day.
Prayers are a HUGE part of our cancer journey. If you have never talked with God before, don’t worry. He’s waiting for you.
Just talk to Him the same way you talk to your best friend.
Journaling
Get some of this stuff off your chest.
Write it out…
- All of your stress.
- Your worries.
- Any fears.
- All of the things you appreciate about this experience.
- The things you can’t deal with.
All of it. Get it out of your system and onto paper. It helps tremendously.
Take 5 minutes in the morning to write out everything you’re stressed about. You’ll be shocked by how much of a difference that one little action makes.
It doesn’t fix everything by any means, but it certainly helps get some of this intense stress out of your system. It helps you relieve anxiety, clarify what you’re feeling and you might even stumble onto a few solutions for your toughest problems.
Not sure where to start?
You can download Take Back Your Life, the FREE journal that helped my family find hope and perspective during the most stressful parts of my dad’s cancer journey.
You can grab Take Back Your Life here…
Spend Time With the People You Love
Plan some time with the people that matter. The people who make you happy and support you. The people who keep you busy and can find hope in the situation.
Surround yourself with those people, especially while you’re waiting for a diagnosis. And anytime you’re waiting for the endless slew of verdicts that inevitably come with a diagnosis of cancer.
Spending time with the people you love is a great way for everyone to stay positive and keep your mind occupied so you can move through the waiting period a little bit easier.
Staying busy is the key to NOT losing your mind. (Hint: little kids are a great distraction)
Break Stuff
No joke. Breaking things makes you feel so much better. Seriously.
Have any home improvement projects that need to be done? Walls that need to be ripped out? Plants or weeds that need to be ripped out of the ground? Furniture that needs to be broken apart and discarded?
Do that stuff now!
Breaking things releases physical energy that makes you feel better.
Short bursts of energy where you don’t have to be careful or gentle. Where you can just kind of fly off the handle and direct all of your fear, worry, and energy into whatever you’re breaking is awesome during a time like this.
Breaking things was one of my favorite ways to combat the stress of this whole situation.
Distraction
Distraction is a great way to get through the waiting period. Find a project or a task that has been waiting for you to be ready and dive in. Cleaning out your closets, kitchen cabinets, helping a friend deal with a family situation.
Whatever takes your mind off all of this craziness, dive into it.
Kids are a great distraction. They keep you on your toes, they keep you busy and there is always something new and fascinating going on to catch your attention.
Check Something Off Your Bucket List.
Stewart Scott said it best when he said “you beat cancer by how you live.”
What he meant was cancer doesn’t get to just drop in, ruin your life and steal your time. If you want to really beat this disease, live your life to the fullest despite cancer trying to take over.
If you really want to stick it to cancer, keep doing the things you love.
Take the waiting opportunity to knock off a few things on your bucket list.
You’ll be busy, you’ll be distracted, and you’ll be doing something you really want to do.
Waiting for a diagnosis is never going to be easy (at least it wasn’t for us!) and it seems like as soon as you’re done waiting for one thing, you start waiting for something else. Waiting is without question, one of the most stressful parts of cancer.
P.S. If you have no idea how to deal with a cancer diagnosis, we can help you formulate a plan to SIMPLIFY the complex “stuff” that comes with this disease…
Finding the best care, talking with your insurance company, finding resources that will actually help, and dealing with the fear, anxiety and overwhelm of this whole situation.
We can’t control the cancer, but we CAN show you how to manage this crisis. And it’s 100% Free.
You can get the Cancer Combat Plan FREE here…
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. We only recommend products that we use and LOVE. You can see our full disclosure here for further information.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.