Showing posts with label medical roller coaster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medical roller coaster. Show all posts
Cancer is cancer
This is a very interesting video on thyroid cancer and the stigma of having it.
Here's the premise: You are told you have thyroid cancer, you are told its the 'good' cancer and you will be fine. Then it turns nasty, and you feel like you were mislead and go through the whole cancer roller coaster. And you are being treated by an endocrinologist who may not have all the psycho-social support services available in the oncology department. Its the crazy cancer roller coaster.
Let's take it another step.
You are diagnosed with any type of cancer, early stage, and your doctors think you will be okay. You are on the cancer roller coaster but doing fine because treatment wasn't too bad, you did okay and you are doing fine. Then whammo out of the blue, your easy cancer became a not so good cancer and you are not doing well. The crazy cancer roller coaster is hitting you but much worse.
Society is training us that breast cancer, thyroid cancer or whatever are cancers that you get, are treated and move on. But cancer is cancer and that should never be the case. Society is wrong in this case.
The medical roller coaster is not just about cancer
I admit I have been struggling in some ways for the past few months in terms of that lovely medical roller coaster. So often I think of the medical roller coaster as being focused on cancer - because cancer has such a 'fatal' 'terminal' 'deadly' 'life changing' connotation. I think 'life changing' is the best term here. A cancer diagnosis is life changing.
But also other diagnoses are also life changing. Like rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. When you are diagnosed with cancer, you usually look the same on the outside unless in active treatment. You do your thing - work, exercise, socialize - and have a life.
But with rheumatoid and fibromyalgia, you look mostly the same, might be moving a lot slower and hobbling around. But you are on the same damn medical roller coaster for a life long adventure.
The ways to calm down the medical roller coaster include knowledge, self education, exercise, and maybe even blogging.
I am coping with the medical roller coaster and I think I have been handling it worse than usual these days. I need to get my ailments under control both physically and mentally. I'm a work in progress here.
But also other diagnoses are also life changing. Like rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. When you are diagnosed with cancer, you usually look the same on the outside unless in active treatment. You do your thing - work, exercise, socialize - and have a life.
But with rheumatoid and fibromyalgia, you look mostly the same, might be moving a lot slower and hobbling around. But you are on the same damn medical roller coaster for a life long adventure.
The ways to calm down the medical roller coaster include knowledge, self education, exercise, and maybe even blogging.
I am coping with the medical roller coaster and I think I have been handling it worse than usual these days. I need to get my ailments under control both physically and mentally. I'm a work in progress here.
Is it finally over?
May 30, 2007 I was told I had breast cancer. three surgeries, 16 rounds of chemo, 38 radiation treatments, two years of tamoxifen and nearly three years of Femara later I was told this is all about to end in January. That is when I will have my last dose of Femara and be done with breast cancer treatment. I know I have blogged about this previously but it has been weighing on my mind.
In breast cancer treatment there are a few milestones - the first surgery and first chemo treatment. Then on to radiation and you are done with active treatment. You usually get a little pill to take daily and you start seeing your doctors less and less - maybe every 3, 6 or 12 months. But your daily support system has disappeared.
Next you come to the end of your little pills. What next? I am not sure how often I will be followed by my medical and radiation oncologists. I know my surgeon's office will take charge of my mammograms and their follow up with the nurse practitioner each year. I think I will continue to see my medical oncologist for the next year because of my osteoporosis which was partly induced by Femara. I will find out next week how often I will see my radiation oncologist in the future. I have been seeing her every six months.
The hospital where I go to has a system where you rotate through your doctors and are seen by someone at least once every three months to ensure continuous follow up. I am sure this will start going to every six months at some point. But I do find it comforting that they follow me so closely. Because with my medical history, they need to be sure.
If they took all the follow up away, how would I feel? I like the continuous level of care on some level but I also find all these doctor appointments a pain in the neck. They have slowed down considerably. It is no longer uncommon for me to have a month or more between any doctor appointment. It is doubtful that I will max out my out of pocked expenses this year, for the first time in five years. This is another sign that I am 'healthier' even though my medical file continuously grows with non cancerous diagnoses and treatments.
And life goes on and the cancer roller coaster is still there so no its not over. It may never be.
In breast cancer treatment there are a few milestones - the first surgery and first chemo treatment. Then on to radiation and you are done with active treatment. You usually get a little pill to take daily and you start seeing your doctors less and less - maybe every 3, 6 or 12 months. But your daily support system has disappeared.
Next you come to the end of your little pills. What next? I am not sure how often I will be followed by my medical and radiation oncologists. I know my surgeon's office will take charge of my mammograms and their follow up with the nurse practitioner each year. I think I will continue to see my medical oncologist for the next year because of my osteoporosis which was partly induced by Femara. I will find out next week how often I will see my radiation oncologist in the future. I have been seeing her every six months.
The hospital where I go to has a system where you rotate through your doctors and are seen by someone at least once every three months to ensure continuous follow up. I am sure this will start going to every six months at some point. But I do find it comforting that they follow me so closely. Because with my medical history, they need to be sure.
If they took all the follow up away, how would I feel? I like the continuous level of care on some level but I also find all these doctor appointments a pain in the neck. They have slowed down considerably. It is no longer uncommon for me to have a month or more between any doctor appointment. It is doubtful that I will max out my out of pocked expenses this year, for the first time in five years. This is another sign that I am 'healthier' even though my medical file continuously grows with non cancerous diagnoses and treatments.
And life goes on and the cancer roller coaster is still there so no its not over. It may never be.
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