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Category: healthcare professionals

The Life in One’s Years

A patient with advanced lung cancer asked his oncologist about how many years he could expect to live. The doctor replied, “How would you feel about 10 years?” The patient confessed he would be pleased with that prediction even though he had a hunch that it was too optimistic.

July 2, 2020 by celia . Posted in " communication, family & friends, healthcare professionals, patients " .
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An Illusion of Caring

In 2002, around the time that the Writing is Good Medicine® program was launched at the cancer center in Bennington, the Center for Communication in Medicine was also offering the Doctors Conversation Hour to hospital physicians.

June 8, 2020 by celia . Posted in " communication, family & friends, healthcare professionals, patients " . 1 Comment .
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CAN WRITING HELP?

I am struck by the similarity between anxieties precipitated by the current COVID-19 crisis and facing cancer. In each, there’s a feeling of not being in control and an uncertainty about the future. These emotions often linger and can be difficult to manage.

May 27, 2020 by celia . Posted in " communication, family & friends, healthcare professionals, patient advocacy, patients " . 2 Comments .
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THE MEANING OF “NEW NORMAL”

We often hear the term “new normal” used in describing lifestyle changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, those words are familiar to cancer patients.

May 13, 2020May 13, 2020 by celia . Posted in " communication, family & friends, healthcare professionals, newly diagnosed " . 2 Comments .
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THE VENTILATOR QUESTION

Ventilators and their vital role in saving lives of COVID-19 patients are ever present in the news. Listening to these compelling stories brought to mind an experience with a patient as he weighed the use of a breathing machine in his end of life care.

April 29, 2020May 1, 2020 by celia . Posted in " communication, family & friends, healthcare professionals " . 3 Comments .
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Peekaboo

I recall a patient telling me that she played “peekaboo” with her cancer diagnosis. She described how hard it was to think about an uncertain future and the prospect of dying. She needed time to look away and catch her breath. How can any of us keep our eyes wide open without a reprieve when […]

April 20, 2020 by celia . Posted in " communication, healthcare professionals, patient advocacy, patients " . 1 Comment .
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Does Faith Have a Place in Medical Care?

“When I completed medical school and residency in the Northeast, I rarely thought about the intersection of religion and medicine. But when I moved to the South for a combined fellowship in pediatric hematology-oncology and hospice and palliative medicine, I found myself enrolled in a crash course at the bedside,”

March 4, 2020 by celia . Posted in " communication, healthcare professionals, patients " .
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Doctors Need Support More Than We Think

We expect doctors to provide state of the art care and help us get better from whatever ails us. By nature, patients are self-centered and believe that doctors should only be concerned about our problems.

February 24, 2020 by celia . Posted in " communication, healthcare professionals, patients " . 2 Comments .
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Patient Portal: The Good & the Bad

In my previous blog “Waiting for Test Results” I shared a conversation from the early 2000’s that I had with a receptionist at the cancer center about responding to inquiries for test results.

February 10, 2020 by celia . Posted in " communication, healthcare professionals, patient advocacy, patients " . 1 Comment .
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Waiting for Test Results

Those familiar with my work as a medical humanist would not be surprised to hear that I’m still having conversations with patients about the challenges of navigating the healthcare system.

January 27, 2020 by celia . Posted in " communication, family & friends, healthcare professionals " . 3 Comments .
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