Hepatitis B

[pharm_girl]

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My cousin got some news from her doctor.

 

[t33sg1rl]

Anytime someone is diagnosed with something of this type, there's a lot of mental adjusting to do-especially when you're young and thought you had a lot more years left before any chronic health conditions popped up on your radar.
If you really want to help her out, I have two suggestions-one, try to avoid giving her any medical information. It's tempting to help her understand her condition, but if you say anything that could be misconstrued in any way at all, or doesn't match EXACTLY what her doctor already told her, then you could throw her into a panic and make her mistrust her doctor (and having a solid, trusting relationship with her doctor is one thing that she really needs right now). If she asks you to explain something, just encourage her to ask her doctor.
Second, suggest she see a qualified health psychologist. These are counselors specially trained in the psychology of health and illness, and they frequently counsel newly diagnosed patients of all kinds. My aunt freaked out when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and her oncologist referred her one-she said it was very different from "regular" counseling and it really focused on getting comfortable with her diagnosis, not letting it disrupt her life, and developing a positive attitude.

 

[pharm_girl]

Thanks t33sg1rl. I know what you are saying. It's just that I felt sad that I wanted to do whatever I could. But yes, she should talk with her doctor and I shouldn't be providing her information that might get her even more upset. I just removed some things from my other post because I felt that I provided too much detail about her. But yes, I hope she develps a positive attitude about her situation.

 

[twester]

T33 gave good advice. Another good way to help is for you to follow her lead. Let her talk or not talk about it as she decides she wants too. I have a close friend who got an HIV diagnosis several years ago. S/he wanted to talk about it quit a lot at first, but as s/he adjusted to the situation, it came up less and less. The only time we talk about it now is if there's some change in medication regimen or interesting test results to report. Good luck - your sensitivity will be a great help to your cousin.

 

[DNP student]

Anytime someone is diagnosed with something of this type, there's a lot of mental adjusting to do-especially when you're young and thought you had a lot more years left before any chronic health conditions popped up on your radar.
If you really want to help her out, I have two suggestions-one, try to avoid giving her any medical information. It's tempting to help her understand her condition, but if you say anything that could be misconstrued in any way at all, or doesn't match EXACTLY what her doctor already told her, then you could throw her into a panic and make her mistrust her doctor (and having a solid, trusting relationship with her doctor is one thing that she really needs right now). If she asks you to explain something, just encourage her to ask her doctor.
Second, suggest she see a qualified health psychologist. These are counselors specially trained in the psychology of health and illness, and they frequently counsel newly diagnosed patients of all kinds. My aunt freaked out when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and her oncologist referred her one-she said it was very different from "regular" counseling and it really focused on getting comfortable with her diagnosis, not letting it disrupt her life, and developing a positive attitude.

When my mother-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer, I went with her to the doctor so I would know what was said and how it was said. She is from the back-woods country and understand almost nothing medical explained to her by a doctor and refuses to ask questions. I was able to explain things to her without necessarily providing her with new info.