Wendy Harpham on Healthy Survivorship

Pearl of Wisdom Campaign

In the waning hours of January 2010, I want to bring attention to the Pearl of Wisdom Campaign.

Too Upsetting

Healthy Survivors use language that helps them get good care and live as fully as possible. In the case of challenges, it is usually better to say "very" instead of "too." For example, "This newspaper article is too very upsetting."

What if a topic really is "too" upsetting? What's a Healthy Survivor to do? 

Mantras for Upsetting News

Yesterday's post introduced a front-page NYTimes story about the risks of receiving the wrong amount of radiation when undergoing treatment for cancer.

A Lifesaving Tool Turned Deadly

In Sunday's NY Times cover story, "Radiation Offers Powerful New Cures, and Ways to Do Harm," Walt Bogdanich reports on the risk of patients being accidentally injured by overdoses of therapeutic radiation. Computer glitches and inadequate oversight lead to mistakes that cause patients serious harm, including death. How are you supposed to respond to such news reports in the context of Healthy Survivorship?

January 24th - Blog Birthday

Today I'm pausing to take stock of this blog on Healthy Survivorship, because today marks the 2-year anniversary of my first post.  

A Silent Epidemic

Imagine a 75-year-old man at a new-patient appointment with a young physician. The patient is meticulously dressed and groomed, and he walks somewhat awkwardly with a cane. His medical history is significant for a fall five months earlier that resulted in two fractures of his pelvis. The fractures are healing nicely, but he now needs help with a problem that developed as a consequence of his treatment.

A Gift of Uncertainty

Cancer did not make my life uncertain. Cancer simply exposed the uncertainty of life.

This insight helps me accept the uncertainty of survivorship, but it doesn't help me deal with uncertainty. So here's one that does:

Facing End-of-LifeTalks, Doctors Choose to Wait

In last week's Science section of the NYTimes, Denise Grady reported on a recent study in which most of the doctors who responded to a survery indicated they would wait until their terminally ill patients felt worse or were out of options before talking about end-of-life care, such as hospice.

I was moved to write a letter to the editor (p.D4 or click here) when I read one of the possible reasons cited: fear that patients will lose hope or that physicians will “yank away” hope by talking about end-of-life wishes.

The Pain of Practice-Changing News

News Flash: "The results of a study prove a promising new treatment to be less toxic and more effective than today's standard therapy. Experts are calling these results 'practice-changing findings.'"

While most people rejoice, some feel upset. Why?

Spoiling the Ending

"You won't believe what happened today," she says. "What happened?" you ask, beginning to worry about all the possible bad things it could be. She then begins the saga, "I was going grocery shopping, and..."

Password, Please

My "Pay the Bill" post addressed the problem of unpaid insurance premiums. Let's take it one step further:

Pay the Bill

Years ago, a young man was diagnosed with an aggressive but very treatable cancer. Suddenly quite ill, the drama of his illness was great. Friends and family rallied round, keeping him company 24/7 at the hospital. Meanwhile, an opened letter sat on his desk:

She, too, said "Yes."

Life has been busy. Besides the flurry of planning Becky's wedding and celebrating holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and New Year's, I've also been preparing a new presentation, which was slated for an 11 a.m. delivery today in Orlando.

"Ask" or "Suggest"?

A patient learns about a treatment for his condition. So he goes to his physician to suggest the treatment as an option. Is there anything wrong with that?

Precious - A Healthy Survivor

Since watching the critically acclaimed film, Precious, I've felt more confident than ever about my three steps to Healthy Survivorship.