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WEDNESDAYS WITH WENDY
Hopeful news and views
on Healthy Survivorship
The crisis is over, and you are now fine. Except you keep replaying in your mind a particular aspect of how you handled the crisis, wishing you’d said or done it differently (e.g., recognized a worrisome symptom sooner).
Rationally, you know you need to let it go and move on. It’s in the past. But your mind is fixated on it. What can you do?
Read moreMy post, Recognzing Obstacles to Hope, listed various factors that may impede the ability to feel hope. I brought up those issues to empower you. If hope feels elusive right now, understanding why opens opportunities to address potential obstacles to hope with your healthcare team and your support team.
Read moreIn 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 moreJen Singer is an accomplished medical writer who wrote a book you can judge by the cover. This remarkable 78-page primer guides people through the transition from “healthy” to “sick.”
Read moreAn article touting “the best” advice for relationships includes a simple technique useful for Healthy Survivors dealing with a challenge of illness or injury.
Read moreFriend: Are you better? Pateint: Yeah, I’m better. The friend now thinks everything is fine or back to normal when, maybe, the patient is still working through tough times.
Read moreMy dream was for every patient to get free personalized exercise training and support. With hope of making a real difference now, I’d set the bar low: Write something that motivated patients to walk at least 10 minutes twice a day while in cancer treatment. The challenge was….
Read moreThe patient had done everything right. Yet the surgeon told her, “You failed out-patient antibioics. Now you need to be admitted to the hospital.”
Read morePreserving your public persona could cost you your health—or even your life!
Read moreWhile others are making (and breaking) New Year’s resolutions, I’m experimenting with a new tack:
Read moreIf a challenge upsets you, it may help to distinguish whether you have a problem or a dilemma.
Read moreHealing words and ideas can change your world for the better. If facing unwanted changes in your reality, the idea of creating a “new normal for now” can help you …
Read more“I know this sounds strange, but all I want is a normal life.” That bumper-sticker sentiment captures the yearning of many patients. At first blush, it sounds straightforward. It’s not.
Read moreMy June 19th post discussed a common conundrum for patients: Should they suffer silently to protect their loved ones? Or does hiding pain selfishly deprive loved ones the opportunity to help, offer comfort, or at least know what’s going on?
Read moreA man's decision to donate one of his kidneys to a stranger offers Healthy Survivors a provocative insight on decision-making.
Read moreFellow Texans are suffering from the wrath of Hurricane Harvey. A few thoughts for those impacted, drawn from my experiences as a cancer survivor:
Read moreWho determines if John McCain is a Healthy Survivor? Whoever can determine if McCain is (1) getting good care and (2) living as fully as possible.
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