You are not alone: ​​help & contact points after the diagnosis cancer

Table of contents

• What to do if the diagnosis pulls the floor away from the feet?
• Diagnosis Cancer: Where do I turn now?
• Exchange with other affected people
• Council and exchange in a self -help group: Yes! App
• Flurfunk: Pay attention to what you are not doing well
  • YESWECAN! Cer Cancer Convention 2025: Progress meets exchange
• Important addresses and links

Even if the diagnosis of cancer is unfortunately no longer uncommon today, it is still a shock for those affected and their relatives. Usually there are still too much information missing, there are various studies and their results require time and patience. And if you then receive information and findings, you don't understand many technical terms and the confusion of number-letter combinations.

The finding for the further treating doctor or the specialist clinic often reads like a cryptic math task for the layperson. What does adjuvant mean, recurrent and residual tumor? What T3, N1, M0 and everything that is still there?

You are completely new to the topic and all of this is incredibly nerves. How should you think, demand, demand and really grasp all the information - by diagnosing cancer on the ground -?

Also read:

What to do if the diagnosis pulls the floor away from the feet?

Dr. Google is usually not a good idea here, because you often cannot distinguish between reputable and dubious sources. Therefore, it is indispensable to have trustworthy sources of information and contacts exactly in these difficult starts.

Because two things are extremely important after the diagnosis of cancer: 1. A clear, understandable assessment of the situation by experts. And 2.: Nobody should have the feeling of being alone at this time, without advice and strengthening people around them.

Diagnosis Cancer: Where do I turn now?

Many people receive the diagnosis of cancer from their family doctor or a specialist, be it the*The Gynecologue, the*Die Urolog in etc. It is often also a ray institute or a clinic in which you have an MRI, CT , made an ultrasound or mammography or other imaging procedures that tell you the diagnosis.

From this first moment, it is up to you to initiate further therapy. But you will give you addresses and contact persons to whom you can now contact. If in doubt, you call your family doctor how things will go for you. You will definitely explain the further process. If not: demand that.

If you will be presented in a clinic that specializes in the type of cancer in question and ideally certified, your competent contact person will receive and be in good hands there. Here you will answer all the questions you have and be there for your worries.

Of course, one or the other may have had other experiences, but as a rule, there are experts on site who have a very good mix of specialist knowledge and empathy. If you work in this area, it is clear: Cancer not only has a physical aspect, but also a big psychological one who is on the person concerned.

At the first appointment, you often get a large folder with many documents and information about the type of cancer, diagnosis, therapies and much more. This is also very helpful for the beginning.

Important: Especially because you are very stressful yourself, it makes absolutely make sense to take an accompaniment for every conversation with the doctors. Four ears listen more and so you make sure that you also asked all questions and understood all the answers correctly.

Also read:

Exchange with other affected people

Many people who are ill or know about cancer or someone who is affected will know that it is extremely important that the environment is there for you. But some things, especially what is on the psyche, can understand especially people who had to go through the whole topic themselves.

The exchange with people who know the new life situation itself usually feels right for those affected. Simply because you deal the same questions. For example, you can get advice in self -help groups and exchange important information.

Be it the question of what you have to pay attention to when eating in certain types of cancer. Or what you can do for your body during therapy to alleviate side effects. How exactly certain treatments and therapies work and where you can find good sources of information, etc.

Other affected people can often give you valuable tips here that can complement or explain the advice of your treating medical teams. But: Regardless of this exchange, your doctor will of course always be the first point of contact you should contact.

Council and exchange in a self -help group: Yes! App

Self -help groups can be visited personally on site. If you prefer the digital exchange for yourself, there are also apps for you, thanks to the help of which affected people can exchange and network. One of them is, for example, the YES! App.
20,000 cancer (as of April 2022) they haveYES!APPmade Germany's largest digital self -help group.

The app helps cancer patients and their relatives to exchange ideas with other affected people at any time and anywhere. The goal: a safe dialogue, information and experience exchange, in order to provide help for self-help.

Tip: Every Thursday, users of the app have the option of looking for the direct wire too specialists and cancer experts from the large network. 

All offers fromyeswecan!cerare free of charge.

Flurfunk: Pay attention to what you are not doing well

A tip: You should always pay attention to what good you do and what not. If you spend hours in waiting rooms or in corridors by waiting for the doctor, you will notice that.

It is good to exchange ideas with others. But also protect you by not always listening to the disease stories told there. Because that can also be enormously unsettled and scared. Often, bad illnesses and experiences are reported here.

Therefore, always make it clear: what is told here is not your story. Hardly a cancer diagnosis that completely resembles your own and therefore it would be wrong to be crazy about similar, but not the same clinical pictures. Trust your doctor here, but avoid the industrial radio as soon as you notice that you can do it to the substance.

Important addresses and links

Here are some important link addresses for those affected and their relatives:

Diagnosis Cancer - what's next?Council and help for the first few daysYou can find on the side of theGerman Cancer Research Center DKFZ.

Onthe side of the DKFZCan you also follow with your postcodeSelf -help groups and contact points near youseek.

How you can differentiate between dubious sources, you can find out here, on the side of theGerman Cancer Society DKG.

More Sources & reading tips:

Further information on the subject of tumor and cancer can be found on the following health portals:
Onmeda.de
German Cancer Aid Foundation
German Cancer Society
German Cancer Research Center

Important NOTE:This article only serves the information and does not replace a medical diagnosis. If uncertainties, urgent questions or acute complaints arise, you should contact your doctor or ask for advice in the pharmacy. Medical on -call duty can be reached via nationwide number 116117.