Decision-making with cancer
Everyone diagnosed with cancer has decisions to make. What type of treatment? Where to have treatment? Should the cancer even be treated? The question isn’t what’s best. Rather, the question is what’s best for you. After working with people making these decisions for the past several years, I’ve found that some general guidelines can be helpful: […]
Your doctor can’t read your mind
In the cancer world, patients often differ on what they want to hear from their doctors. Here are some examples: Some patients want to know – in detail – the various pros and cons of every treatment option, while other patients just want to know what the doctor thinks is best. Some patients want to […]
Powerful Tools for Caregivers begins 3/21
Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Register now for one of the 6-week sessions beginning March 21. The classes will help you develop tools and coping skills to assist you in managing the many challenges associated with care-giving, connect with resources, communicate more effectively, and learn to take care of yourself while caring for your loved one. For more information or […]
One take on nontraditional cancer therapies
People often fall into two camps regarding the usefulness of nontraditional cancer therapies. Some people are irrationally exuberant in their support of these therapies: “This dandelion soup is going to cure my cancer!” Others are completely dismissive. As is usually the case, a balanced perspective is more sensible than either extreme. Nontraditional therapies include acupuncture, […]
The opposite of positive thinking is not negative
I often write that friends shouldn’t tell cancer patients to “be positive.” It gives the patient one more thing to worry about. “I guess bad things will happen if I’m not positive enough.” Besides, no one in recorded history has become positive because someone told them to be positive. But it’s important to understand that […]
No right way through cancer
I often say that there’s no single right way through cancer. What do I mean by that? Some people aggressively treat their cancers with surgery and chemotherapy long past the time that others would have switched to comfort measures. Some people keep their cancer diagnosis a secret from nearly everyone while others make it a […]
Beginning a new relationship after cancer
It’s challenging to begin a new relationship after having had cancer. I’ve written about that as have many others. But what about the other partner in a new relationship – the one without cancer? One woman put it this way, “I feel like cancer is a member of his family. I want to understand and […]
Cancer: Simple wisdom from our pets
We’re delighted to announce the arrival of our latest publication! It illustrates our most common pieces of advice with photos donated from the SPCA of Tompkins County. (The photos were submitted by local residents for consideration for the SPCA’s 2018 calendar). Thanks to financial support from the Eagles Club of Ithaca, printed copies are available […]
Crossing the bridge from early to advanced cancer
When you’re first diagnosed with cancer, you cross a bridge that separates the “healthy” from those with cancer. You’re entering a scary place, but the focus is on curing the cancer and getting back to the land of the healthy. There’s another bridge that’s less visible to the general public. This bridge separates people with […]
Cancer-Related Fatigue
When people think about the side effects of cancer treatment, they usually think about hair loss (which is common with some types of chemotherapy), and nausea (which is not nearly as common as it used to be). But in my experience, fatigue is the side effect that’s most universal and least appreciated. Fatigue is different […]
