Getting a Serious Diagnosis
How do you cope with getting a serious diagnosis and everything that comes with it?
The mutliple tests and seeing results not knowing how to interpret fully but realizing they aren't good, doctors not knowing anything, the struggles wtih getting a proper referal and then all the stuff that comes when the diagnosis itself is made?
@AffyAvo Yes, it can be very hard if you don't know your proper diagnosis. It can be relieving and in the same time hard to know serious diagnosis. Relieving because you will be now able to develop coping mechanisms for it. Hard because it can be hard to cope with it.
@AffyAvo It's very hard to cope with all of these things. Taking an antidepressant helps me cope. I know that this does not work for everyone. Some people get side effects and for others they don't work. I hope that you can find something to help you cope.
@AffyAvo
None of this is easy stuff and I would like to commend you on asking these hard questions and trying to figure out how to cope with this situation that is just objectively difficult to cope with.
For me, there have been two key pieces to my process.
First is connecting with a chronic illness community. Before I was diagnosed I connected with communities of conditions I thought I was likely to be diagnosed with as well as a broader chronic illness community. Once I was diagnosed I focused more of my attention on illness specific communities. There are so many and finding the ones that were the right fit took a little time but was so so worth it for me. Being able to talk with people who get it has helped me tremendously. It seems like in some ways you're already doing that by posting here so I would like to call out even this post as a way that you are coping and give you props!
The second thing for me has been recognizing that I'm grieving and that that is okay and expected. I thought once I got a diagnosis the grief would be less but for me it actually increased at that point. I knew it was coming and wanted it and it still threw me for a loop. Understanding it as grief and learning about that and allowing myself to feel the associated emotions (and then distract as needed) has been really critical for me.
