5 Tips to Live Better With A Terminal Illness

0
771
Terminal Illness
Image Source

Acknowledging the uncertainty of life is a hard thing to do, and one often ignores it until faced with a life-limiting disease. Harboring a terminal illness in your body is the most horrifying news imaginable, but that does not mean you have reached a dead end. No patient wants to hear that their condition can not improve, and neither is that true. Although there are many diseases for which effective treatment ceases to exist, it does not mean you cannot do anything. There are always possibilities to explore through which you can enhance the quality of your life and increase its expectancy. If you are also trapped in this nightmare, go through these tips to make your life better.

1. Do Not Stop Fighting For Your Life:

It is natural to spiral down into depression and hopelessness once you discover your illness is incurable. But life is too precious to let go of without a fight. Does the thought of discontinuing your treatment often cross your mind? Or do you find the daily drill of going to the hospital pointless? Try not to dwell on these thoughts and battle against this incurable illness as you would against a curable one. In the end, it will all depend upon your willpower and nerves. 

If a terminal illness inflicts you due to someone else’s negligence, you even have the right to file for monetary compensation against them. For example, if you have acquired mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure at the company you worked for, you are entitled to receive financial benefits from them owing to their negligence. You can take help from an appropriate Mesothelioma Law Firm to advocate for your rights and help you claim the compensation you deserve. Do not miss out on this opportunity in the pessimism that comes in the wake of the calamity. Imagine the immense relief this support will bring you as you would not have to worry about your hospital bills and dwindling financial condition. During this testing time, seek relief from wherever you can get hold of it. After receiving the financial backup, invest it in your treatment and strive hard to hold on to your dear life.

2. Mend Your Relationships:

Coming face to face with death forces us to see things differently. Seemingly significant matters that tend to scar our relationships lose their importance when looking at the bigger picture of life. So if you have strained relationships, here is your chance to mend them. You will need to forgive in some cases, while in others, you may be at the apologizing end. Whatever the situation, you will have to step on your ego and crush it. However, you will soon realize that the task is not as difficult as it seemed at a glance. Improved relationships will shed the unnecessary burden off your shoulders, and despite the circumstances, a feeling of positivity will rush through you.  

3. Come in Terms With Your Circumstances:

Yes, it is easier to say and hard to implement. After all, who can make peace with the reality that not much remains of life? However, shoving away the truth will not extinguish your disease; only standing up to it can do you good if there is any chance. And the first step in challenging the circumstances is to embrace them. Take all the time you need to grieve and adjust to the bleak reality. Once your mind adjusts to the recent developments in your life, you will understand better that unacceptance will only give a push to the already dominating disease. Accepting your condition does not mean surrendering to the disease. It is a means of preparing yourself mentally for all the impending hardships and facing them with an iron will.

4. Get to Know Your Disease:

You must overcome your fear if you wish to improve your life, and people fear what they do not understand. You might panic when strange symptoms hit you with full force. Surely you would want to know what is happening to your body and how it threatens your survival. You will understand how to contain this mysterious illness creeping up your body if you know its dynamics. You may not be able to stop the progress, but you can impede it, or at the least prepare yourself for what lies ahead.

5. Seek Counselling:

The diagnosis of a terminal illness can leave you anxiety-stricken, frightened, and confused. This news will disrupt your smooth pace of life and set it on an entirely new course indecipherable to you. A feeling of depression will naturally make its way through your life. If you are in a similar state, do not hesitate to seek professional counseling. You will have many questions in your mind that will keep nagging your sanity until they push it to the brink of breakdown.

To avoid that, have thorough discussions with your doctor about the symptoms you will face, the intensity of the pain you should expect, and what to do if things seem out of control. You may also be worried about your family and would have reservations about their future. Some unfinished tasks can also incur feelings of regret in a person. In the midst of all these feelings, you might get overwhelmed and should get everything out of your system. So speak up openly and voice all your concerns to your counselor, who can help bring clarity to your thoughts.

Conclusion:   

Thinking straight while your life is in havoc is undoubtedly a difficult task. Ironically, it is also needed the most in such circumstances. No matter how composed you are in your daily life, the distressing news of the disease can knock you down. So while you are carrying the nerve-wracking burden of holding on to your life, set yourself free from all other feelings that block your path. Try to streamline all your focus and energy into improving your health, and do not settle for anything lesser. Though the disease won’t vanish, its progress can certainly be slowed down. So chin up and live your life to the fullest since you have as much right to do so as any other healthy person!