Learning How to Trust My Doctors, by Victoria Moore

   For some time now I've been debating about whether or not my life would've gone differently if I hadn't listened to my doctors. Would I still be able to tap dance or attend the computer classes I've started taking at the "Venice Skills Center"? Would I still be able to be a member of the MarVista Library Mystery Club? I thought I had pushed this thought to the back burner until July 11 at the Cancer Support Community-Benjamin Center's Writing Group. Scheduled as a committed group, led by facilitator Zena Bartholomew from 1-3 p.m. every Wednesday, the latest change she's instituted -using topic cards from the "GO WISH" Game (www.codalliance.org)- has given me fresh inspiration and a deeper understanding of my present circumstances.
    On that fateful day, when I reached into the yellow ceramic bowl she stores the cards in before we select one, I never dreamed I'd get the one that said, "To Trust My Doctor". To give you a fuller understanding of how much that topic influenced me then I've reprinted what I wrote in class below:
   
     To trust my doctor or not to trust my doctor? That's not a question for me because my doctors have never given me a reason not to trust them. I really don't think I'd be here if I didn't. They've been there for me every step of the way on my journey and helped me feel as though I always had someone in my corner. They've also reduced and eliminated my fears by visiting me in the hospital, emailing me when they had something to tell me and remaining consistent throughout my treatment.
     I don't know if I'd have been able to face the disease with as much courage as I have without their support. Initially I was afraid of doctors, in general, the hospital, and being sick, but once I got diagnosed with Stage II A breast cancer, I lost my fears and embraced trust.
    The trust I feel for my doctors has affected other parts of my life and I've opened up to others, as well, in ways I wouldn't have before. I've also learned to trust myself more and take more chances. This new openness makes me feel freer and courageous in the face of my new reality. Now when I want to go through an unknown door I do so without hesitation. As a matter of fact I embrace whatever awaits me behind that door. That doesn't mean I tread dancerously and follow dark paths it just means I allow my life to expand as it should.
    Part of the reason I do that is to stay out of a rut and keep challenging myself. I want to keep changing. When I grow internally I want to change externally to match the overall shift. Trust in my own vision is the reason for that and that originated with trust in my doctors. No one told me that I'd become a different person, so I wasn't prepared for it until my doctors and other healthcare professionals explained that I had to to fight my disease. In that case it hasn't been such a bad thing. So now I don't care if I have to trust in my doctors to proceed with a new treatment or on my own path with a new hairdo, clothing style or attitude, my goal is still to reach the next level whether it's towards a healthier future or stronger, more focused life path. Wherever my trust takes me will be alright because it's coming from a good place.

Cancer Support Community Recognizes Supreme Court Decision

The following is a formal statement from Cancer Support Community headquarters in Washington, D.C. regarding the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the constitutionality of the healthcare law.

June 28, 2012

The Cancer Support Community, an international nonprofit dedicated to providing support, education and hope to people affected by cancer, would like to recognize the Supreme Court’s decision today to uphold the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

The PPACA contains several provisions of significance to people touched by cancer, including:

 Access to health insurance for all Americans – specifically those who are currently uninsured

 Elimination of lifetime coverage caps on health insurance benefits

 Elimination of pre-existing condition clauses, which previously included a cancer diagnosis

 Coverage of young adults up to the age of 26

 Coverage for screening and preventative services, including breast, colorectal and cervical cancer screenings

"This is a step toward ensuring that all people touched by cancer will have access to the care they need in the face of a cancer diagnosis," stated Kim Thiboldeaux, President and CEO of the Cancer Support Community. "We look forward to working with our Congressional leaders and community members to ensure that the implementation of the law includes access to comprehensive, quality cancer care that includes the seamless integration of social and emotional care."  To learn more about CSC national, visit Cancer Support Community

WebMD: Help is Just a Phone Call Away - By Heather Millar

The following is an article on WebMD regarding Cancer Support Community's new Open to Options™ telephone support hotline. People affected by cancer may call the helpline at 1-888-793-9355.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Remember the fog that surrounded you right after diagnosis? Remember how difficult it is to become an instant expert on your particular cancer? Remember how difficult it can be to make treatment decisions when you’re shocked, stunned, scared out of your mind? Remember forgetting exactly what you wanted to ask the minute you got into the doctor’s exam room?

We could all use a little support when navigating medical crossroads.

When I was in active treatment, I relied heavily on “Decision Services,” a pioneering program at University of California, San Francisco that helped me get ready for key doctors’ appointments, listing questions and concerns, clarifying test results, and helping me prepare for decisions that needed to be made. Now, that kind of help is available, over the phone, nationwide.

Developed in conjunction with UCSF, Open to Options™ provides professional counselors who help patients develop a concrete set of personalized questions and concerns to be raised with their doctors when a treatment decision needs to be made.

Cancer Support Community (CSC), a non-profit network offering cancer education and support, administers this new, national, toll-free call center. Patients may call the helpline (1-888-793-9355) or make an in-person appointment at one of CSC’s 13 affiliates, mostly in large urban areas.

In a pilot study funded by the Centers for Disease Control, an Open to Options™ specialist helped cancer patients with blood cancers brainstorm to create a list of questions based on their understanding of their disease, their priorities, options, and goals. The data suggested that patients experienced less stress and anxiety and had fewer regrets about their decisions when they received this sort of support. Doctors reported that the program made their interactions with patients more focused and productive.

This new program is based upon the one I found so invaluable at UCSF. If you’ve got a medical decision to make in the near future, check it out.

At the very least, take a look at CSC’s “Tips for Treatment Decision Making.” Briefly, they include:

• Learn as much as possible about your disease and your treatment options.

• Bring someone to your medical appointment to help you focus and to take notes.

• Talk through your ideas and concerns with someone you trust.

• Consult decision-making tools such as the patient guidelines created by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

But if it were me, I’d give Open to Options™ a call.

Getting Un-stuck from the Inside -Top 10 Tips by Regina Lark, Ph.D.

Regina Lark spoke at Cancer Support Community-Benjamin Center this past year. The following are Regina's top ten ways to reduce clutter.

I talk with a lot of people about clutter. I hear their stories about how clutter accumulates. Life transitions - birth, death, marriage, divorce, aging parents -- sometimes knocks you off your game. Many say that they just want to wake up one day completely and utterly clutter-free. Some people tell me they would almost welcome a slight house fire or some flood damage, relieving them of the burden of having to decide how to deal with the clutter.

One of the problems of having too much stuff is not knowing how to deal with the problem. A lot of folks feel stuck when it comes to taking action, or, in some cases, waging war, on the mess and chaos that comes with clutter. "Being stuck" has more to do with what you think and how you feel about the clutter, then about the actual pile of papers. Through my experience as a professional organizer and observer of the human nature, I have come to believe that our clutter could very well be the physical manifestation of negative messages we feed our brain. When we tell ourselves we are stuck (or immobile) we believe the message.

We're already at the end of the first quarter of this year that is no longer new. What is keeping you from creating or moving toward your goal? What did you start the year wanting to accomplish and how is the concept of "feeling stuck" going to make the goal elusive? I say it's high time to get un-stuck so you can accomplish what you set out to do!

And so I offer... the Top Ten Tips to help you un-stick from some of the places where you feel stuck!

1. Quiet the mind and take a deep breath. Accept the situation as it is. It is what it is right now. And it is about to change.

2. Understand these concepts: a) You are not your clutter. b) You are not lazy. c) Clearing clutter means that you have to make regular dates with yourself to get the work done.

3. We tend to look at the clutter as a monolithic whole. But it's easier to manage by looking at it in smaller chunks. So... make a list of each cluttered area in your life (be it physical or emotional) as it relates to feeling stuck. Make the list specific: what's the clutter look or feel like? how long have you had it?

4. We need to acquire knowledge about where we are at right now to make sense of how to work out of it. Drill down some more: How do you believe the clutter prevents you from creating or reaching a goal. How does the clutter make you feel stuck?

5. When have you tried to de-clutter? What time of day? How much time did you give to the task? Write about how you have tackled the problem in the past - what worked and what didn't? Do you keep trying to de-clutter the same way expecting different results?

6. Re-define for yourself the words "failure" and "success." I grew up with ideas about the definitions of success and failure. About a year after I started my professional organizing business I experienced months where growth was slow or felt non-existent. Instead of feeling like a failure I decided to re-evaluate what it meant to be a success. And so I decided that for me, a successful month for A Clear Path is the month I don't have to borrow from my dad. So far, I haven't had to borrow any money from my dad. See what I mean?

7. Clutter has a way of muffling sound, it takes up the air, left alone long enough it'll take on a musty odor. Spend quiet time creating a vision in your mind (or cut from pictures and taped to a poster board) of what your ideally cleared spaces will look like, smell like, feel like, sound like.

8. Think of tackling the clutter strategically. For every hour you take to de-clutter, you need an hour to reintegrate the stuff you intend to keep. Look at the list of your cluttered areas and figure roughly how much time you'll need for each project. Once you start the process, you'll know soon enough if you're in the ballpark.

9. Get your calendar and start making dates with yourself to clear the clutter. This is really important. Commit. Commit. Commit. Look at the big picture; be realistic. Do you have a lot of time off in the summer? Are you able to devote 2 hours every Saturday? Once a month? When do you feel most "up?" Are you a morning or night person? Schedule the sessions to give yourself every advantage.

10. Habits: To keep the clutter away you may have to change a few habits. If you habitually drop your clothes on the floor at the end of the day, you may want to change how (or where) you change into your pajamas. You may have piles of mail that's easily identified as trash for recycling. Think about sorting mail near the recycle bin before you even bring it into the space. If mail is dropped through a slot, sort it on your way to the household recycle container.