Wendy Harpham on Healthy Survivorship

Just in Case

What do you call someone who is the opposite of a procrastinator?

Silence

A first year medical student, Felicity, commented on my Time for Talk post: "The hard thing as we learn to interview patients...is to be comfortable with silence. It feels kind of awkward..."

The Toughest Stage

Which is most challenging: The day you are diagnosed with cancer? The day you begin treatment? The days in the middle of treatment? The days after you complete treatment and begin your recovery?

Time to Talk

Often the most time-consuming part of a patient evaluation is eliciting the so-called "history of the present illness." 

"Disease" or "Illness"?

What's the difference between a disease and an illness?  In medical contexts, plenty.

Did My Being an "MD" Help or Hurt?

Ever since the 1991 release of the movie, The Doctor, people have asked me, "Did being a doctor make it easier or more difficult to be a patient?"

Conversation 2008

Last night I delivered a keynote address -- Happiness in a Storm: Embracing Life. Since it was a local event, I enjoyed the honor of having my daughter, Rebecca, introduce me.  How cool is that?

Unexpected Treasures

When I was in practice I had little free time. During those precious minutes when I was not responsible for the care of my patients or my children, I was highly selective with what I was willing to read or do. But I paid a price.

October 18th

I've set this post to publish at one minute after midnight, when a change will take place while I'm fast asleep.

Hope or Action?

In a letter to the editor of the NYTimes, Samuel Reifler opens with "Some advice to the Obama campaign: Lose 'hope.'" He then shares his perception of hope:

Turf War Over Breast Diseases

We've talked about the potential for delays in diagnosis associated with not having mammologists, and outlined steps Healthy Survivors can take to minimize these delays. But the nagging question persists: Why don't we have mammologists?

Waiting for Mammologists

Yesterday's post introduced the topic of mammology, a field of medicine that would specialize in diseases of the breast. I say "would" because no such specialty exists today. What's a person with breast problems to do until then?

Wanted: Mammologists

We have doctors of the heart (cardiologists), lungs (pulmonologists), nervous system (neurologists), and even the rectum (proctologists). But we don't have doctors of the breast (i.e., mammologists). Is this a problem?

Healing Letters

A friend of mine sat with her extended family outside the ICU where her loved one was fighting for her life. Over the next few days, one particular doctor said and did things that were distinctly "un-healing" for the family. 

The patient died. After the funeral, my friend was torn: She didn't want to cause any problems, but she felt an obligation to do something.

Nursing Homes That Belie the Bad Image

Jane Brody's Personal Health column today discusses a model nursing home in Florida. I want to draw your attention to the second half of the article, which highlights the book, Taking Charge: Good Medical Care for the Elderly and How to Get It.

The Patient's Opinion on the Diagnosis

The physician listens closely as his patient, Mr. Jones, describes his new problem as best he can. "So, Mr. Jones," the physician says, "What do you think is causing your problem?"

The Last Gift

In the prelude to Why Faith Matters, Rabbi David Wolpe describes his visit to the bedside of a friend, Isaac, who was dying of cancer. Knowing the Rabbi had been through chemo, too, Isaac asks, "why did it happen to you?"

Spiritual Blogging

Mine is not a religious blog. So why am I writing about Rabbi David Wolpe's book, Why Faith Matters?