Gratitude for Chemo Brain

- May 12, 2009 -

For those of you who’ve never had chemo I’m going to give you a short example of what we call chemo brain and how it can affect the daily lives of cancer patients Most people can surmise that chemotherapy drugs are very strong and not well tolerated in general They carry with them a host of terrible side effects as well as lead to future diseases just by their administration Given these facts it shouldn’t be difficult to imagine that chemo can have mental side effects as well However it was only relatively recently that science has admitted that chemo… Read More →

"You're on your own Kid!"

- May 6, 2009 -

Congratulations You’re in remission What an awesome feeling Now what happens Ever feel this way You’re on your own kid Now instead of having a specific point person your oncologist quarterbacking your treatment plan you’ve likely got a bevy of random physicians that you spend time seeing occasionally But who’s in charge of handing off all the relevant data concerning your complex medical history to the next level of care providers Is it your job Is it your oncologist’s job Is it someone else’s job Or is it no one’s job Unfortunately all too often the latter is the reality… Read More →

My Cancer "Rock"

- April 21, 2009 -

Amy I were having a conversation last night about my cancer For those who don’t know I have one more chemo treatment tomorrow and then I take some CT scans I am fully expecting those scans to come back clean and be able to put this foe fully behind me for good For readers who’ve had cancer I don’t need to describe what the anxiety of upcoming scans can feel like inside The closer you get to a scheduled scan the more you worry about what the result will be It’s like you’re waiting on death row hoping the governor… Read More →

Cancer as Career Training?

- April 19, 2009 -

So I was sitting in the chemo room last Wednesday just observing my environment as usual As a five-time cancer survivor I have been coming to Dr Jeff’s office for more than years now But during this particular visit I tied some of my past with my NOW and hatched an idea In a flicker of apparent mental clarity I realized that even cancer’s membership has its privileges When I’m at Dr Jeff’s office I get the warmest collective preferential treatment possible So much so that I actually enjoy my time spent there even in the Chemo Lounge Dr Jeff… Read More →

The Benefits of Hugs

- April 7, 2009 -

A study by University of North Carolina researchers found that hugs increase the bonding hormone oxytocin the one released during childbirth and breastfeeding and decrease the risk of heart disease In fact when couples hugged for seconds women’s levels of the stress hormone cortisol decreased as did their blood pressure Holding hands yields similar beneficial effects and it’s been suggested that simply hugging and holding hands in the morning may help protect you from the impacts of stress for the rest of your day Touch also releases two feel-good brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine which may explain why a solid… Read More →