8 Dos and Don’ts After a Poor Diagnosis

Photo Courtesy: David Farr

By Sarah Lloyd, Swimming World College Intern

Swimmers and divers are human, which means that sometimes we get sick or injured enough to warrant a visit to the doctor’s office. What you thought was just a stubborn cold turns out to be a pretty severe sinus infection. That pain you’ve had in your shoulder for a couple of weeks turns out to be some serious tendonitis. That shortness of breath you’ve had? Your doctor tells you that it’s actually asthma that you didn’t know you had until now. A poor diagnosis throws anyone for a loop and you’re left feeling stuck, alone, and confused.

Here are some dos and don’ts for after you’ve gotten some bad news.

Do: Ask questions

After you get the news from your doctor, trainer, physical therapist, etc., you should ask them questions. Get as much information as possible from the professional who originally diagnosed you. Ask about the treatment plan, limitations for workouts, and general plan of action for your recovery. Even if it seems like a silly question, ask it anyway. It’s better to sound a little silly for a second than to be confused about what is happening to your body. If your doctor is using a lot of technical terminology that you don’t understand, ask them to clarify in layman’s terms. Be proactive in getting information.

Don’t: Google

Google is not your friend when it comes to looking up medical issues. As curious as you are about what is happening to your body and as innocent as it can start, Googling your symptoms/condition/diagnosis is a recipe for disaster. Even if you search your diagnosis exactly as it was told to you by your doctor, you’re almost always going to find the worst case scenario and the horror stories. So as much as you’re tempted, stay away from WebMD and ask your doctor if you have any questions.

Photo Courtesy: Web MD

Do: Listen to your doctor

It’s easier said than done, but when it comes to your health and overall well-being, you have to listen to your doctor. If you’re told to stay out of the water for a week, do it. Take the medication you’re given, do all the rehab and do it diligently. If you’re supposed to check in with your team’s athletic trainer before and after each workout, check in with them. As much as it can be annoying or tedious to follow all of the doctor’s instructions after being diagnosed, it’s really important to do if you want to heal on track. Doctors are professionals–if you didn’t need to do something, they wouldn’t tell you to do it.

Don’t: Push your limits

The doctor’s give you limitations in your training for a reason, so don’t go beyond them without communicating with them first. If your shoulder feels better after a week of rest, good. That means the rehab is doing it’s job, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your shoulder is healed. Start off slow and make sure you listen to your body the whole time. There’s nothing worse than jumping back into training too fast and re-injuring yourself. Do what you can do and do it well, but don’t set yourself back by getting back into training too fast.

Do: Communicate

When you get some scary news from your doctor, make sure you talk to your coaches. It’s really important that they know why you’re not training to full capacity right now and they can be an amazing support system for you as well. Not only can they give you alternative workouts, but they can also provide you with a bit of stability and level-headedness in a very chaotic-feeling moment. Talk to your teammates, too. The more support that you can surround yourself with, the better your healing process will be.

Don’t: Deal with it by yourself

Even though it feels like your world has just been shaken up, you don’t have to deal with your diagnosis alone. Even though they may not understand everything, your coaches and teammates can provide a tremendous amount of support for you. So if people ask you questions, answer them– they probably want to understand more about it so they can help you more. Don’t shut people out just because you feel alone.

Photo Courtesy: Doug Keller

Do: Keep things in perspective

Even though it’s easy to think of the “what ifs” and the “if onlys” of your situation, the best thing to do in this situation is to try to stay positive. I’m a very firm believe that life doesn’t throw anything at you that you can’t handle. Remember that you’re always stronger than you believe you are and that even though things are tough, they could always be worse. Remind yourself that you have a coach that cares about you and a team that will always support you. Remember that everything takes time. Take things one day at a time and celebrate the little victories, too.

Don’t: Define your season by your diagnosis

You’re going to be tempted to compare this season to a healthy season, but it won’t do you any good. You won’t be able to focus on getting better if you’re constantly thinking about how this season compares to last. While this season may not be exactly what you had initially planned, that doesn’t mean that your season is not a success. You can find a way to be successful, even if you don’t swim quite as fast as you did before.

Sep 5, 2012; London, United Kingdom; Ian Jaryd Silverman (USA) shows off his gold medal from the men's 400m freestyle - S10 during the London 2012 Paralympic Games at Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Fielding-USA TODAY Sports

Photo Courtesy: Andrew Fielding-USA TODAY Sports

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Claudia Carlson

8 years ago

John Murray 🙂