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Getting Your Partner To Go To The Doctor’s… And The Aftermath
When was the last time you nagged your partner to go to the doctor? It can be a difficult thing to deal with, getting a stubborn partner to go to the doctor, especially if they are male. The main reasons that men give for not going can vary, but apart from being too busy, the main concerns are about getting uncomfortable bodily exams, or they are too scared to find out what could be wrong. As a result, men tend to die earlier than women do. So if you have a partner that you think needs to go to the doctor, it can be complicated, especially if the outcome isn’t a positive one, but here are some suggestions.
Speaking To Your Partner
The one thing that shouldn’t be done is to nag, this will only serve to steer them in the other direction from the doctors. Instead, you should speak calmly to your partner and tell them how worried you are and how fearful you are about the situation. It can help if you offer to go with them, but it’s important to remember that your spouse is an adult, capable of making their own decisions. A lot of partners take the nagging approach or book an appointment with the doctor without their express permission, which won’t end up with them seeing the doctor and getting the help they need.
Coping With The News
A common disease in males over the age of 50 is prostate cancer. Dealing with a disease that only specific to a gender group means that there can never be a complete understanding of what they’re going through, much like men can never experience what women are going through in terms of something like pregnancy. It could benefit your partner if, on the outcome that it’s bad news like prostate cancer, you could do your own research into the subject. It may benefit your partner, but it will also benefit you to make sure that you support them as best as you can. The Prostate Cancer Institute of LA website has some useful information on the various types of questions associated with prostate cancer, and there are also plenty of support groups, not just for the sufferers, but also the partners of sufferers.
Living With Disease
Of course, it helps to show them you care, but this is only one-half of the equation. When you are faced with the devastating news that your partner has a disease, it can be very emotionally distressing on you throughout the process, so it’s important to remember that you need to look after yourself, as well as your partner. It can be difficult to bear the brunt when your partner is going through treatment as they are experiencing an emotional rollercoaster of sorts and, as we all know, it’s very easy to take it out on the ones you love. So if you ever feel you need to step away, it can be difficult, but it will benefit you both. Something as simple as getting away for an afternoon is completely understandable from both sides.
Supporting your partner through a tough time such as disease begins with gentle encouragement to go to the doctor. In the hope that an illness has been caught early enough, it will be something that he will be glad he did in the end.
