FINDING A DOCTOR

-

It is important to find a doctor you feel comfortable with and have confidence in—especially when facing cancer. When choosing a doctor, I like to start on the Health Grades website and read patient reviews to get a sense of others' experiences. You can also check other sites like Vitals or RateMDs for more reviews, or ask friends, family, or your primary doctor if they know someone they trust and have had good results with. I always look for board-certified specialists with experience in my type of cancer, and I recommend meeting with the doctor in person to see if the communication feels right. Trust your gut—if you don't feel heard or supported, it's okay to keep looking until you find the right fit.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WELCOME TO CRAPTASTIC CANCER

-
Image
Cancer is craptastic. It shows up uninvited, wrecks your plans, and leaves you wondering, 'Why me?' But here I was wading through it anyway. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 41, while managing life with my wonderful husband and four children at home. I was in the midst of a busy schedule when the rug was pulled out from under me. I went from driving my kids to their activities to being driven myself to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation appointments. There were days when I wanted to stay in bed and pull the covers over my head, but hiding away wouldn't change my diagnosis. Some days, I struggled with a bad attitude and felt isolated—not because I lacked support, but because I couldn't fully articulate my feelings. I realized that, ultimately, I was the only one who could wade through the “crap”. To pull myself together, I kept a favorite quote in mind: “Being negative only makes a difficult journey more difficult. You may have been given a cactus, but ...
Read more

SHAVE IT OFF

-
Image
  When my hair started falling out, I decided to shave it all off. I knew I couldn't handle seeing hair in my hands every morning. When the hair loss started, I had my kids all help shave it off with the clippers.  The first few nights, it was hard to sleep with the short hair because it scraped on the pillow and was not soft to the touch. I asked my husband to use his razor and shave my head completely smooth. With some shaving cream and a razor, my head was completely hair-free. That made all the difference in the world! So much more comfortable! My tip to you: shave it ALL off, rock the bald look, and sleep like a baby!
Read more

ONCOLOGIST APPOINTMENTS

-
Every time I went to see my oncologist, I did a voice recording of the appointment with my phone.  This was incredibly helpful, especially the first few appointments when everything was new and so confusing.  It is so easy to get fixated on something the doctor says and miss several other things because your mind has wandered off, thinking of that one thing.  I even did the voice recordings when I had a family member in the appointment with me, who took notes.  There is so much information, and it is so nice to be able to go back and listen to it when your mind is no longer reeling and overwhelmed by everything.  When you are new to cancer, there are so many terms and words that are confusing. It's nice to be able to go back home, listen to your appointment, and feel like you have some knowledge and a bit of control over a very uncontrollable situation.  Always ask your doctor first to make sure they are comfortable and okay with you recording the appointme...
Read more