Millions of Americans live with diseases with no cure. Diabetes. Parkinsons. MS. Dementia. I imagine many of them experience nice people offering encouraging comments. such as, “I believe they’ll find a cure” or “A cure is just around the corner!” What could be wrong with that?
Read moreAiming for Perfection
When dealing with a health challenge, doing things perfectly will increase your chance of the best possible outcome. For anyone who likes to feel in control (who doesn’t?) and has perfectionist tendencies (ahem, that would include me), the desire to do things perfectly can create problems.
Read moreThe Healing Power of a Chair
Everyone needs a “go” bag to grab in case a medical problem ends up requiring hospitalization. Along with mundane items like a toothbrush, hairbrush, robe, and magazine, consider adding a folding chair.
Read moreRecognizing Obstacles to Hope
In Why Don’t I Feel Hope? I talk about hopelessness as a physical problem. If changes in the brain block the proper firing of brain cells needed to experience hope, willpower and/or spiritual faith may not be enough (just as a severed spinal cord makes it impossible to move the legs)—no matter how much patients want to feel hope.
Read moreWhy Don't I Feel Hope?
A patient knew there is hope—a real possibility of a good outcome. That patient wanted to feel hope but didn’t. What could he do?
Read moreClichés of Compassion
In your effort to comfort someone, you may unwittingly cause distress saying what seems like the right thing. Of the many possible scenarios, a common one is
Read morePublic Versus Patient Personas
How different (if at all) is your “patient persona” from your public persona—the facade you use in public settings? At doctor visits are you
Read moreNew Year's Resolution
While others are making (and breaking) New Year’s resolutions, I’m experimenting with a new tack:
Read moreHealthy Survivorship While Also Caring for a Loved One
My most recent diagnosis opened my eyes to the need for resources offering guidance and support for patients who are also caregivers. Shockingly, my Googling various combinations of search words yielded only one hit! A blog post. That prompted me to explore the topic and then write a piece for healthcare professionals that I excerpted and edited for brevity for this post.
Read moreWhen Implants Cause Cancer
Journalists often use heartbreaking stories to make a point. Those stories thrill me when they educate and mobilize people to proper action. They worry me when they risk causing undue fear and leading people away from proper action.
Read moreLaura Miller's Epiphanies and Regrets While Dealing with Cancer Again - Part I
Former Dallas Mayor Laura Miller wrote a smart and powerful editorial, with hope that "Perhaps some of what I've done (and, unfortunately, haven't done) can help others."
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