Don’t Be Obnoxious
I sometimes hear people say that they best way to get good health care is to be obnoxious. By this, they mean that you should demand that the doctor see you immediately, or that you should demand that your needs be met first. Let me give you some advice: Don’t be obnoxious. It always works […]
The Art and Science of Oncology
I suspect most people-and many health professionals-think of treating cancer patients as being especially challenging. Some of those challenges are fairly obvious-people with cancer are often very sick, death sometimes looms as a possible outcome, and everyone in the waiting room is scared. Other challenges are less obvious. A cancer diagnosis affects the entire family. […]
Doctor-Patient Interactions
I spend much of my time helping seriously ill patients navigate the health care system. As a result, I’m constantly talking with patients about their interactions with doctors and other health professionals. Although each encounter is unique, I’m increasingly aware of some universal truths that contribute to good patient-doctor encounters. Not surprisingly, good encounters require […]
Human Side of Cancer
Cancer treatment often involves operating rooms, chemotherapy protocols, and high tech radiation therapy equipment. All of which have reduced cancer deaths and improved the lives of those who have been diagnosed with the disease. My job – and it’s a great job — is talking with people being treated for cancer. What they comment on […]
Communicating with Your Doctor
I’m always struck that some people diagnosed with cancer want to know absolutely everything about their disease while others just want to be told when to show up for treatment. Some people complain that their doctors give them too much information while others complain that their doctors give them too little. Every doctor I’ve known […]
Should People with Alzheimer’s be Treated for Cancer?
A woman recently told me that she had a friend with Alzheimer’s disease who was being treated for cancer. She asked me if that was the right thing to do. It was a good question for which I didn’t have a quick answer other than, “It depends.” I’ve been thinking about this for a few […]
The Most Aggressive Treatment is Not Always the Best
There’s a bit of cowboy in many of us when we’re diagnosed with cancer. Often our first response is to want the cancer removed right away with the most aggressive surgery possible. I hear this commonly in men who are waiting the results of a prostate biopsy. They say, “If it turns out to be […]
Cancer and Alternative Therapies
I’ve written that people with cancer often benefit from complementary or alternative therapies such as acupuncture, massage therapy and yoga. In addition to treating symptoms and reducing stress, pursuing these therapies can give patients some sense of control when their lives seem completely out of control. I recently asked a group of individuals with cancer […]
Waiting and Watching
Most cancer diagnoses lead to treatment within a few weeks. For some cancers, however, the recommended course of action is to delay treatment until if and when the cancer becomes worse. Many of us have heard of “watching and waiting” being recommended for some men with prostate cancer, but it also happens with other cancers, […]
Too Little and Too Much Treatment
Although I firmly believe that everyone should be in control of their own treatment decisions, I have observed that some people seem to seek too little treatment when they are first diagnosed and other people seek too much treatment at the end of their lives. Some people prefer to go the alternative route when they […]
