In my last post, I used the example of a false alarm to illustrate how joy can come out of illness. That wasn't the best example, given how the joyful relief of a false alarm can be mixed with anger, embarrassment, self-doubt and other uncomfortable emotions. 

I don't like that I got cancer. Still, many good things have come out of the illness experience. Many joyful moments have happened because of my illness.

I must have been quite a sight, hobbling from display to display on crutches while taking my med-school anatomy final. I remember thinking how much I hated those crutches. Almost forty years later, I rely on a variety of crutches to manage aftereffects of past cancer therapies and (how great to write this) the effects of aging. I love each and every crutch.

I'm reading a popular new book that lambasts screening tests and the medical community that recommends them. Meanwhile, I just read an article put out by the University of Missouri, reporting "A team led by University of Missouri psychological science researchers has determined that patients may want cancer screenings even if the potential harms outweigh the benefits."

What is going on? Why would anyone abandon effective cancer screening tests? Why would anyone want screening tests they've been told are harmful and not helpful?  

An extraordinary woman offers wisdom to all us ordinary people. Colon cancer recently ended her life, but not before she left us words of wisdom in her blog and

How do you deal with the uncomfortable emotion that may arise after someone else dies of the same disease you survived? 

I've been mulling over options for a label to replace "survivor guilt" --the emotion some patients experience after someone else dies from the same disease they had/have. Key ideas about the feeling:

We do patients a disservice by using the term survivor guilt. It focuses on guilt and, more disturbingly, may reinforce any tendency toward self-blame and shame.

Guilt is the unpleasant emotion that arises when you’ve done something wrong. In my April 7th post, I offered 8 things survivors may feel guilty about after the death of someone else from the same disease.

The disquieting emotion survivors may experience after learning someone died of cancer is less troublesome than fear of recurrence. Yet it unsettles enough patients to merit attention. 

As of midnight, my passion project is out in the world. For a peek inside my new book, read on. If you're looking for a gift of hope for the cancer survivors, caregivers and healthcare professionals in your life....

“Things look bleak? The most important thing is hope!” The time has come to change that conversation. 

Why should the answer to 'How are you doing?' be the ultimate test of how patients are doing only after treatments fail?

"Without scans, how will we know how I'm doing?" For years, she knew the answer by reviewing her test results with her oncologist. After she made the wise—and difficult—decision to stop all anti-cancer chemicals that were causing harm and no longer helping, the testing stopped, too."Without scans, how will we know how I'm doing?" For years, she knew by reviewing her test results with her oncologist. After she made the wise—and difficult—decision to stop all anti-cancer chemicals that were causing harm and no longer helping, the testing stopped, too.

What does the Dunning-Kruger effect have to do with Healthy Survivorship?

"Surprise!"  What images and emotions just came to mind? The joyful excitement of celebrations? An unexpected visit from a loved one? Or the distress of an unexpected phone call bringing upsetting news?

I consider myself a Healthy Survivor. Yet I know I can do better in being my best self and living my best life. My New Year's resolutions provide a jump start to my efforts to get good care and live as fully as possible.