Before my Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) diagnosis, I went to the doctor once a year for my well-woman visit with my OB-GYN. My husband prodded me to get a Primary Care Physician (PCP) many times over the years, but since I rarely got sick, I never saw the need. I'd head to urgent … Continue reading Doctors and patients
Category: Advocacy
Younger
Over the past several months, as the pain in my jaw increased and I had to take more and more pain medication to manage it, I ended up spending a lot of time in bed, reading or watching shows on Netflix or other subscriptions. One such show I found myself binge watching recently is the … Continue reading Younger
The Pros and Cons of Community
I've written before about the benefits of the Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) Community as well as the cons that we often experience due to the cliques and other struggles. I just wrote again about how often those of us who are hurting then hurt others. The weekend of July 17th, I traveled to New York … Continue reading The Pros and Cons of Community
JOMO IRL
I heard this term recently somewhere (and I totally forget where) and it stands for: THE JOY OF MISSING OUT ON/IN REAL LIFE What?!? Sounds totally counter-intuitive but bear with me ... As we come out of some of the significant restrictions from COVID and so many things begin to re-open, I am struck by … Continue reading JOMO IRL
Little Deaths
Another patient advocate living with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) wrote a post on Facebook a while back about all the things we lose to MBC. She labeled these things "little deaths" to distinguish these losses from one's eventual death, but also, I believe, to drive home the point that we must grieve the … Continue reading Little Deaths
Remembering Emily Garnett
On July 17, 2021, from noon until 7 pm, on a very warm and often overcast day in Westchester, NY, friends and family gathered to celebrate the life of Emily Garnett. Some of you who are reading this post knew her or knew of her, others maybe not. When I went back to my list … Continue reading Remembering Emily Garnett
Hurt People Hurt People
I’ve written before about the horrifying reality that there are those people who pretend to have cancer, even metastatic cancer. You can read about those previous experiences here. That was quite a while ago and happened when I was relatively new to Stage IV metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and the culture within that community (also … Continue reading Hurt People Hurt People
Surfside disaster
Miami, Florida, has been in the national news lately for a truly horrific disaster. On June 24, 2021, in the wee hours of the morning, one of the towers of the 12 story condo building called “Surfside” on Miami Beach suddenly collapsed. Most of the residents and guests were deeply asleep. A lucky few heard … Continue reading Surfside disaster
Triggers
I've begun to understand better how often I am "triggered" by a variety of things and how that relates back to traumas I've undergone in my life, especially living with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) since my de novo diagnosis in 2017. Identifying and defining a trigger is often helpful for me to understand … Continue reading Triggers
Shared Decision Making
This concept of Shared Decision Making is a relatively new one for me and so, as usual, I want to start with a definition. This one is a good general definition from a handout from http://www.healthit.gov: Shared decision making is a key component of patient- centered health care. It is a process in which clinicians … Continue reading Shared Decision Making
No Half Measures 