How To Help Your Child Cope With The Cancer Diagnosis

How To Help Your Child Cope With The Cancer Diagnosis

Helping Your Child Adjust to a Cancer Diagnosis

Abrupt Changes That Come With Cancer Diagnosis

When children and teens are diagnosed with cancer, their whole perception of the world shifts overnight. Instead of going to school, spending time with their friends, and focusing on the tasks of growing up, they may have to quickly learn how to cope with hospital stays, blood draws, tests, taking medicine, and having an operation or other procedures.

Learning that your child has cancer ordinarily presents parents with the feeling like their world has been torn down. Everything in their life may swiftly feel out of control. Your initial thoughts may be denying and rejecting the fact. A cancer diagnosis is unexpected and terrifying, especially in children. However, the prognosis of childhood cancer proceeds to increase, and the chance of being healed resumes to grow.

It’s Very Hard To Prepare For Cancer Diagnosis

No one is ever prepared to hear that their child has a life-threatening illness.  For most parents, the first few weeks are spent in a blur. Parents have a lot to handle when a child is diagnosed with cancer and the first few weeks especially can be terrifying. Look for tips, suggestions, and resources to help you and your child cope during those first few weeks after diagnosis.

When a child has cancer, every member of the family needs support. Parents often feel upset and confused following their child’s cancer diagnosis. Fair and peaceful communications build trust as you talk with your child and his or her siblings. Taking care of yourself during this stressful time is also very important. As you dig deep for energy, reach out and let others support you.

The Importance Of Conversations

It may feel more comfortable to try to protect children and teens from cancer by not talking to them about their diagnosis and treatment. Most children and teens understand something serious is going on when they do not feel well, are having tests, and they see adults having hushed conversations with health care professionals. Most children and teens will be less anxious and worried if they are given truthful and age-appropriate information about their cancer from the beginning. Having information also helps them cope and builds trust in their parents.

When a child has cancer, following the plan for treatment, the possible repercussions of treatment might have on the child's day-to-day life and the family can help parents cope and begin to plan for the future. At the same time, parents are trying to control their stress and shock, they also are being given a lot of information about their child's cancer, treatment choices, and what will occur. Many parents will feel defeated with information at first and question how to keep track of everything. Parents also have questions about how to tell their child and other family members what is going on.

Lack Of Understanding Is Your Worst Enemy

Sometimes, confusion or a lack of knowledge can be your worst enemy. Arm yourself with information in line to decrease frustration. Do not delay questions about your child's disease. You may want to keep a notebook with all of the medical records and information about your child's diagnosis. Sometimes, parents can be too apathetic or too shocked while at the hospital or healthcare provider's office with their child and realize later that they forgot everything the healthcare provider had said. Write things down. You may even want to talk to the healthcare provider about recording your conversations so you can study them later.

Children perceive the world and what is happening in different ways, depending on their age and other developmental factors. Talk with the cancer care team about all possible resources to help you talk with your child about their diagnosis. Some families prefer to have adults take the information first and then share it with their child. You can ask the cancer care team to talk to your child while you are present in the same room or you may choose to be the one to share the information with your child and a few trusted friends or family members.

Maintain Routine As Much As Possible

In the first few weeks after a child's diagnosis, family programs and methods get turned inside out. The first few weeks can feel like a movie of someone else's life. Part of what supports kids with cancer, and help other family members cope is finding ways to keep as many things the same as possible or creating new expected routines around treatment plans. It can take some time to get through the first shock and learn about your child's illness, but in this blog, we gave you some things to think about. By doing that, it will be a help to you to help you keep or create routines while your child is receiving treatment.