Don’t Make any Rash Decisions

Whenever someone has a life changing event, a death, a kid goes off to college, a new job, moving etc; the one piece of consistent advice they are given is:

“Don’t make any big decisions. Get used to the new normal.”

Ironically, the one thing you have to do when faced with a serious illness, is immediately make big decisions. You have to develop a plan and get that plan in place. So here you are faced with what could be (and many times is) a devastating diagnosis and at the same time you are given a to-do list. Are you not under enough pressure without being given chores? Most of us at this moment, want to pick up our toys and go home. We don’t want to play any more. But life being what it is; we have to keep going.

The first step is information finding. Use every resource you have to get all the information you can handle, and then get more. Talk to your doctors, talk to organizations, find support groups, surf the net, talk to friends and neighbors, let the world know you are looking for information. Once you have all the information, you have to read and absorb it. Don’t panic yet. Some of that information is written by doomsayers and should be discounted. Find the middle of the road and positive information and then go back to the source and ask for more if you need it.

Remember, the folks producing the information have an interest and knowledge base in that area and are generally willing to share what they have. Web sites are invaluable resources as they are easily updated and usually have contact information so you can go right to the horse’s mouth so to speak. Be warned though, as websites are not regulated there is not a quality assurance program so the information on the web can easily be outdated and less than accurate. That is why you need several sources and to pull it all together. Facts will be repeated and inaccuracies will become obvious spotted.

More to come.