Chronic pain changes you. I know that as a doctor who has treated it, and as a patient who lives with it. Chronic pain isn’t only a feeling in the body or an issue of physical health. It shifts your thoughts, your mood, and how you move through the day. It also pushes on your…
Read moreTag: Emotional Toll
When One More Round Is Enough: Living Through Long-Term Cancer Treatment
There’s a moment that can sneak up on you, the moment you realize treatment isn’t a chapter anymore. It’s the calendar. It’s the language you speak all week long. It’s the way every plan carries a quiet question mark. If you’re in long-term cancer treatment, you may feel like you’re always being asked to hold…
Read moreA Life of Perpetual Treatment
You sit back in the infusion chair again. It’s your third year. The fourth protocol. You can’t even count the times you’ve heard, “Just a little longer,” “Just a few more months,” or “Let’s try one more thing.” What started as a short-term plan has become your life. I know this kind of fatigue. Not…
Read moreWhen Pain Shows Up as an Unwanted Teacher
Chronic pain changes you. I know that as a doctor who has treated it, and as a patient who lives with long-term pain. Pain isn’t only a feeling in the body. It shifts your thoughts, your mood, and how you move through the day. It also pushes on your mind in a way few things…
Read moreSteroid Side Effects During Cancer Treatment, How to Handle the Jitters, hunger, and insomnia
Some days of Cancer treatment feel like you’re doing everything right, showing up, taking the meds, answering the same questions, and still your body acts like it’s on high alert. Your hands shake. Your mind races. Your stomach feels like a hollow drum. Night comes, and sleep doesn’t. If you’re on steroids (often dexamethasone or…
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