How to Cope with a Serious Illness Diagnosis

- Watch our FREE series on anxiety w Dr Ramani HERE: bit.ly/3wcgTNb -

It’s so difficult to describe depression to someone who’s never been there because it’s not sadness.

I have fibromyalgia and the most difficult part about it is people not taking you seriously, including doctors. We’re constantly told we just needs to exercise or lose weight, or it’s just normal old-age symptoms or just in our head, when clearly it’s not. Nobody knows how bad fibromyalgia is until they get it.

After HIV diagnosis 19 years ago it felt like the Earth opened up beneath me. The good, effective meds had only been out a few years so I thought I was going to die a slow painful and shameful death. I threatened to kill myself to avoid that, though I really wanted to live more than ever! After being diagnosed with cancer, I took it very well. I think because of already having a serious diagnosis in the past and things turned out fine. Now I'm undetectable with a strong cd4 count and cancer is in remission! Keeping a positive attitude and having support, meeting others with the same ailment is key. 🙂

I'm a nurse and have always been fascinated with human psychology. After going through my own personal hell of long covid for the past 28 months, this brought me so much peace and comfort. I wish I could show this to everyone when I've tried to explain how personal the healing journey is. Spot on and beyond appreciated. Dr Ramani is the absolute best. I'd give anything to have a counseling session with her one day ❤

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson Keep fighting Y'all! You're more than worth it 🙏

Chronic illness is a stressor in itself but it's the accompanying isolation, poverty end of hopes and dreams. It's the shock of, in my case struggling to maintain my career while being misdiagnosed for ten years being called lazy, doctors second opinions,tests,drugs that didn't work, so much loss. Going from age 31 to the body of a 100 in months.

Psilocybin containing mushrooms save my life. The drastically reduced my benzodiazepine withdrawal allowing me to quite illicit pill addiction after three years of heavy daily use before it would had became medically dangerous to quit

I had mental illness prior to my chronic illness diagnosis. But last year, I had open heart surgery at 24 years old. The heart disease coupled with dysautonomia has been very difficult to cope with. I know I will need open heart surgery again in my life, and that’s a really hard pill to swallow. Definitely experienced grief and growth

I suffer from Asperger's,major depression,addiction and anxiety etc. and when I was extremely depressed I let my health go because I didn't care if I died.Now I'm on the right antidepressants I am finally taking care of my health and got sober.so it definitely affects how you deal with things.

When your single, elderly, and alone with your cats and your cancer, and the snow on your car hasn't been removed in over a week it gives you are warm fuzzy feeling when someone notices. They probably won't do anything about it but at least they noticed. That's what passes for Community Support, Saskatchewan style. You're on your own kid! And what makes you feel even better is you worked your whole life as a nurse and social worker.

Dr Ramani. Kyle. You two are the healing balm. Thank you for unpacking the tricky stuff.

And when doctors gaslight you, talk down to you, raise their voice, tell you to just try cope, tell you you're fine despite tests and symptoms constantly showing otherwise... The added PTSD from the medical system has destroyed me further. I feel very broken and hopeless and alone.

Already dealing with depression and anxiety for many many years.Seeing several pass away in my family with cancer then finding out that I had cancer and had a couple of cancer surgery's the past year and already dealing with peptic ulcer disease and barrett's esophagus and left side colitis has really taken toll on me. Not having a support system is hard! I am so thankful you're help with mental health issues and awareness for people who need help. Thank you for all you do. 💞

Omg, she's so right...when I got diagnosed with cancer breast cancer twice the last thing I wanted to do was share my feelings with a group of strangers...all I wanted to do was not think about death and be there for my little girl ...the reality of death is so terrifying I needed to shut down but I got panic attacks and had to stop working...I don't allow myself to be scared anymore I choose to enjoy life

Thank-you for addressing the deep fatigue that goes hand-in-hand with cancer. Chemo ended in 2019, but I’m numb from exhaustion. The old me is gone.

In addition to dealing with a diagnosis, people then have to deal with all the "well-meaning," ignorant individuals who tell you, "If only you would spend more time at the gym...or if you took this supplement you would be ok...or you just need to meditate." This, while they go about their lives, taken care of by spouses, with the resources to care for their health, and without the situation in their own lives that you are dealing with. You really learn who your true friends are when you face a medical crisis, and that, in and of itself, can be devastating.

My chronic illness is IBS and my moderate to high anxiety makes it worse

Dr Ramani is amazing. Love listening to her words of encouragement and growth.

These kind of videos always focus on cancer but there are so many other illnesses like my own-Gastroparesis that are a death sentence as well. There's almost no treatment or study of my condition so those of us with it have to suffer not only ignorance of the condition but the loss of all quality of life. It breaks you & you lose all hope.