Tuesday, 1 December 2009

Coping strategies found useful by mesothelioma victims

Mesothelioma is such a disease that affects not only the person diagnosed with the disease, but his or her loved ones, too. The intention to write this article is to offer some resource for patients and their families who are living with this disease. Coping with mesothelioma, unlike other types of cancer, can be significantly difficult. There are few support groups specifically available for mesothelioma. These are quite often informal groups of people who reside in the same area or who occasionally meet each other in doctors’ chambers or hospital waiting rooms. There are larger and more organized support groups for cancer sufferers in general but not for mesothelioma sufferers in specific.

Let’s see how this support groups operates.

Support Groups The main job of the support groups is to help people, deal with the challenges that they are facing. It is known that over 20% of Americans have participated in some type of self-help group. There are mainly two types of support groups that are available. They are online support groups and community centred support groups. Nowadays in an era of internet the number of online support groups is gradually increasing. It is possible that a support group exists in your community or on-line that can help to provide you the required support.

Support groups may provide several benefits:

“A social platform for getting connected with others who are facing similar situations.

"A platform to know how others have coped with challenges similar to the ones you are facing presently.

"A safe, non-judgmental atmosphere where one can share feelings.

"The reassurance that you are not alone, there are other’s too who have either suffered in the past or is undergoing the same presently.

"A platform where you can reliably share information.

"A source of reliable Support from others who understand from personal experience what you are going through

Incidentally there are different types of support groups that are available. This includes groups with strong focus on a particular disease such as mesothelioma, groups of caregivers, and family-centered groups.

Some of the Characteristics of a successful group are as follows:

"A mix of participants from various age groups. "Honesty of purpose "A caring atmosphere "A sense of trust should prevail among members "A good facilitator "Members should abide by the group rules, including confidentiality.

Apart from joining support groups, a patient should be encouraged by his family members to remain relaxed and try to focus on the bright side of the life. A patient should not feel depressed and emotionally drained. The family members or the caregivers should create a healing environment and encourage the patient to think positive. There are lots of inspirational books that tell how people are fighting mesothelioma and other life-threatening diseases. Meditation is another way to keep your mind distracted from morbid thoughts and tension.

Reference:

Matt West

How do you choose the best Mesothelioma Attorney?

There are hundreds of mesothelioma trial lawyers practicing in the United States today, but they all have different qualifications. There is no actual designation for a mesothelioma attorney or trial lawyer, any lawyer can claim to be specialist in this area and lawyer with a recognized law degree can represent you in court.

However there are lawyers who are well versed in asbestos mesothelioma related lawsuits and who have sufficient experience working on such cases, these lawyers can be referred to as being specialist in the field and you stand the best chance of getting compensated with them.

Choosing the right mesothelioma trial lawyers to represent you should start with an initial interview. Get a feel of the attorney or law firm, the gut feeling you get from meeting them, how attentive they are in listening to the specifics of your mesothelioma case will help you to determine if they are good enough for you.

You should also ask your trial lawyer the following questions at the initial interview:

• How many mesothelioma and asbestosis cases has your firm handled? You want a firm that has lots of resources and plenty of experience. You should also find out if the person you are meeting with will be the attorney that will actually handle your case or will it be passed to another attorney. If it will be passed, request to meet the actual attorney you will be working with.

• Are you recognized by your state Bar Association as a specialist in asbestos lawsuits? You can also contact your local bar association and ask for a list of mesothelioma trial lawyers; they will give you contact information for each attorney.

• What is your success rate at trial? Although not every mesothelioma case goes to trial, it is important to know whether the lawyer you are considering has a winning track record facing the asbestos defense lawyer in court. Most mesothelioma trial lawyers will gladly tell you their track record. You can also ask for documented evidence to be sure of their claims.

• How many mesothelioma asbestos cancer settlements have you handled and what amounts have you been able to secure? About half of all cases never see the inside of a courtroom because both sides agree to settle. Find out what you can expect in terms of a cancer settlement negotiation and how the asbestosis defense attorney or trial lawyer determines “just compensation” when negotiating a mesothelioma cancer settlement. For instance, will they ask for punitive damages in addition to medical bills?

If you ask these questions and are satisfied with the answers, chances that you have chosen the right firm is very high.




Bello Kamorudeen.http://www.mesotheliomacorner.blogspot.com