Wendy Harpham on Healthy Survivorship

The Hope of "Yet"

Sometimes one little word can lift you from disappointment or even despair.

Tell Me What's Wrong, But Don't Complain.

Patients sometimes get into trouble because they don't want to complain. I'd like to suggest a simple solution.

Live Each Day As If It Is Your Last

CURE is a superb magazine. Excellent writing and graphics serve its mission. As its tagline says, "combining science with humanity, CURE makes cancer understandable." As if that weren't enough, subscriptions are free to survivors and their caregivers.

As a member of the advisory board, I recently submitted a guest blog post, entitled Mantra for a Healthy Survivor

Your Friend's Keeper?

You've survived cancer. Now a friend develops the same type of cancer and is making horrible decisions (in your opinion). She's declining conventional therapies for a treatable cancer or deciding against telling her children she is sick. What's a good friend to do?

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.

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:

Fun Theory

The primary purpose of this blog is to encourage discussions about Healthy Survivorship and to help modern patients (1) get good care and (2) live as fully as possible. I can't address Healthy Survivors' pursuit of happiness without talking about the pursuit of fun.

Paying for Complementary Therapies

As a Patient Money columnist, Walecia Konrad provides financial advice for those patients choosing to pursue complementary therapies.

Healthy Hope

During this week's interview, I introduce the notion of "healthy hope" and illustrate how this hope evolves as your circumstances change and your outlook matures. Here's another example:

The Art of Survivorship

Last evening I was interviewed by Betsy de Parry on Lymphomation Live, a weekly webcast sponsored by Patients Against Lymphoma. In this show entitled "The Art of Survivorship," we discuss how knowledge, hope and action help people become Healthy Survivors. The information and advice are addressed to patients dealing with any medical challenge (not just cancer) who want to get good care and live as fully as possible.

The hour-long interview is available online by clicking here.  I hope it helps.  With hope, Wendy

Hope and Happiness After Colostomy

Hope is complex and dynamic, comprised of patients' many different hopes that wax and wane as their circumstances change and as their outlook evolves. I define "healthy hope" as hope that helps patients get good care and live as fully as possible.

Here's a useful way of looking at the hope-and-happiness issue after colostomy:

Mind Game of Hope

Why would a patient pretend that a temporary debility (such as a colostomy) is permanent?

 

A Halloween Lesson

Last night a man named "B" greeted his first trick-or-treater. B wore blue scrubs, a face mask and a stethoscope. His mom sat in a wheelchair, a blood pressure cuff on her arm and oxygen tubing connecting her to an oxygen tank.

"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?"

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.

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:

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?

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?

Post-treatment Emotions

"Congratulations! Your treatments are over." One of the surprises of survivorship is the flood of unpleasant feelings that can arise after the confetti shower and the round of good-byes.

Healing Touch

What is the role of healing touch in modern medicine?