Your Custom Text Here
.
.
WEDNESDAYS WITH WENDY
Hopeful news and views
on Healthy Survivorship
This blog is designed to share a physician-survivor’s perspective on getting good care and living as fully as possible while dealing with a health challenge. When I share personal stories of my successess and failures, it’s not for you to learn about me. My aim is to encourage you to think about your own challenges in ways that help you find the best path for you to make your life the best it can be.
Today, I’m making an exception by posting a personal update.
Read moreAt times, my emotions get stirred up over something trivial. When I’m overreacting, I tell myself, Wait! This is not a big deal. Often that’s enough for the wave of emotion to break and for me to regain my emotional footing. When such emotions don’t abate, instead of fighting them or trying to suppress them, I find a safe place for a time-limited blech session. As the title emphasizes: Ten minutes, at most.
Read moreHealthy Survivors are adept at distinguishing journalism and churnalism.
Read moreThe patient had done everything right. Yet the surgeon told her, “You failed out-patient antibioics. Now you need to be admitted to the hospital.”
Read moreWhen looking at risks/benefits of treatments, time toxicity is the newest kid on the block. This refers to
Read moreReality-based hope lies at the heart of Healthy Survivorship—i.e., obtaining good medical care and living as fully as possible. How might wishing—namely, wanting something unattainable—possibly help?
Read moreSince Debbie Legault’s 27-year-old daughter developed cancer, the loving mother has dealt with a host of unpleasant emotions. One didn’t have a name, so Debbie coined a term:
Read moreA renowned oncologist kept her breast cancer secret from everyone. Why? How?
Read moreIn your effort to comfort someone, you may unwittingly cause distress saying what seems like the right thing. Of the many possible scenarios, a common one is
Read moreHow different (if at all) is your “patient persona” from your public persona—the facade you use in public settings? At doctor visits are you
Read morePreserving your public persona could cost you your health—or even your life!
Read moreWhile others are making (and breaking) New Year’s resolutions, I’m experimenting with a new tack:
Read morerunner Danielle Friedman discusses the health benefits of going for “finish” instead of “gold.” Two nuggests of wisdom about surviving illness:
Read moreShould patients in pain suffer silently to protect their loved ones? Or is hiding pain selfish because it deprives loved ones the opportunity to help, offer comfort, or at least know what’s going on?
Read moreTo all who have read and commented on my blog:
Read moreReporting symptoms is not an easy task. Emotions can keep us from providing an accurate picture of what’s going on and/or how we feel about it. That’s a problem when it leads our physicians away from needed evaluations and treatments or, worse, to believe you want to stop treatment when you really don’t.
Read moreMy most recent diagnosis opened my eyes to the need for resources offering guidance and support for patients who are also caregivers. Shockingly, my Googling various combinations of search words yielded only one hit! A blog post. That prompted me to explore the topic and then write a piece for healthcare professionals that I excerpted and edited for brevity for this post.
Read more