When cancer treatment lowers your red blood cells, less oxygen reaches your tissues. You may feel exhausted, breathless, dizzy, or weak. A blood transfusion may help your body carry oxygen again or lower the risk of bleeding. The idea can feel frightening. You may picture an emergency, unfamiliar equipment, or one more hard thing your…
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How to Find an Oncology Social Worker During Cancer Treatment
A cancer diagnosis can fill your days with appointments, unfamiliar words, and worries that do not wait their turn. You may need help with a bill, transportation, a family conversation, or the fear that rises after everyone else goes home. An oncology social worker can offer emotional support and help with transportation, bills, family concerns,…
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How to Read a Cancer Medical Bill and Spot Errors
A cancer diagnosis can turn an ordinary mailbox into a source of dread. One envelope may hold a bill larger than you expected, filled with codes, dates, and totals that make no sense when your mind is already carrying so much. A cancer medical bill deserves a careful look before you pay it. Errors happen,…
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The New Normal Isn’t Normal
First, someone said it to me, and I nodded. It was a friend, a good friend, who had just learned of the diagnosis. He told me the words softly, as if he were setting something fragile down. “This is your new normal.” I heard those words again from a support group leader a few weeks…
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How do you handle bad news when you expected good news?
How do you handle bad news when you expected good news? It can be difficult to cope with news like this. You may mentally prepare for one outcome, only to receive unexpected information that forces you to adjust your expectations. That experience can leave you disoriented. These suggestions aren’t formulas to follow. They are methods…
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