Wendy Harpham on Healthy Survivorship

Cancer-Colored Glasses

Okay. You were treated for cancer. It doesn't mean every medical problem thereafter is related to your history of cancer.

"Good" and "Bad" Thoughts?

When patients refer to "good" and "bad" thoughts, I often wonder exactly what they mean.

Happiness in the Storm of Alzheimer's Disease

You will never hear me call cancer or any other horrible disease a "gift." So how can I talk of happiness when dealing with Alzheimer's Disease (AD)?

Cheaper Drugs

Yesterday I addressed the issue of availability of antibiotics (without a prescription) on the Internet contributing to the problem of antibiotic-resistant germs. Kairol Rosenthal commented that some patients may be ordering from these Internet sites because they are financially strapped (and not because they are stupidly preferring to self-prescribe instead of follow a doctor's orders).

If Healthy Survivors can't afford their prescriptions, they seek out resources that might be able to help.

Antibiotic Resistance

Soon after penicillin became commercially available (1940s), "bugs" became resistant. It was war: Researchers kept developing new antibiotics. "Bugs" kept developing adaptations to resist the antibiotics and flourish. Today's microbes are gaining the upper hand from one of the hallmarks of our modern age:

Thank You

I launched this blog because I was convinced by others that I had to (see "Blog World"). At first I resented how blogging took away precious time and energy from my "real" writing -- books, articles and keynotes.

But no longer. 

Heberden's Node

Years ago, I was waiting at a red light on my way home from my oncologist's office. A boat-like car slowly pulled up next to me. I looked over and saw a gray-haired woman sitting up straight. Her gnarled fingers gripped the steering wheel at 10 and 2, as if she was doing a pull-up to peer over the front hood.

Staring at her, I had a powerful thought:

View from Remission

My November 21st post talks about "cancerversaries." JBBB commented how she celebrates the ordinary things in life, a notion that reminds me of a poem I composed in 1991:

Cancerversary

JBBB blogger tweeted me a question: "What does your cancerversary mean to you?"

Family's Lesson on Healthy Survivorship

The Biorkman family celebrated Christmas last week. November 8th, to be exact. Is their calendar messed up? No, their timing was perfect.