Cancer unavoidably leads to losses. Letting go of what I have lost has allowed me to accept and be grateful for what I, for the moment, have. I wish that I could have started doing this without getting sick.
"Scanxiety" doesn't appear in any legitimate dictionaries (yet), but it is a very real experience for patients with cancer. You can help your patients manage their scanxiety by emphasizing that you will be there to guide them based on the results of their scans.
We survivors get lots of sympathy, while our caregivers get taken for granted, much of the time even by us.
When you and your patient are in uncharted territory in the cancer landscape, the words you choose to communicate uncertainty and the way you convey them matter a great deal.
In November 2008, Michigan voters voted to legalize medical marijuana by a margin of 63% to 37%. At that time, I opposed the measure. Three years later, I developed a different perspective.