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Voices of Hodgkin’s Blog
Voices of Hodgkin’s Blog

Tips for Coping with Cancer Scanxiety

Your life after cancer diagnosis and treatment will be marked by moments of hope, resilience, and strength. However, there may also be times when anxiety will cast a shadow over your journey. One of the most common sources of anxiety for cancer survivors is surveillance scans and tests. The fear of the unknown, the memories of the test results that led to your initial cancer diagnosis, and the anticipation of potential bad news can give rise to what is commonly referred to as “scanxiety.”

Caring for Caregivers

As long-term Hodgkin’s survivors, we often face years of dealing with one challenge after another. It can take every ounce of strength we have to overcome each one of them. But what about our caregivers? What is it like for them to watch us struggle or suffer, knowing that they can’t take away the pain and fear that we have to endure? How do they manage their feelings of helplessness? How do they take care of themselves while taking care of us? Where do they go for help? There are many resources available for caregivers.

Hypofractionation: Don’t Lose Sight Of The Patient

Sheilagh Foley is a long-term Hodgkin’s survivor, advocate, and author who has published numerous articles and blogs on survivorship. This article is a commentary on “Hypofractionation,” which is a radiation treatment schedule where the total dose of radiation is divided into large doses, allowing patients to complete their course of radiation faster than conventional treatment. In this article, Sheilagh raises key questions about the pros and cons of hypofractionation, including concerns about the possible long-term effects of this method.

Surgeon Roundtable: Complex and High-Risk Heart Valve Surgery

Patients, their families and medical teams can all agree that there are inherent risks when undergoing any type of heart valve surgery. That said, treatment options and approaches may change when a patient is considered “high-risk” due to complex cardiac conditions, health problems, advanced age and/or heart valve reoperations. To learn more about the therapeutic options and medical advances designed for patients considered “high-risk”, we sat down with two expert heart surgeons from the Cleveland Clinic.

Medical Gaslighting Is Real- Here’s How To Recognize It And Respond

This is a great piece on a subject that many of us know all too well – “medical gaslighting.” As the author states, it is “a term used to describe instances in which health care providers ignore or dismiss symptoms and discount patient experiences based on their own implicit bias or stereotypes.” Whether due to a lack of education on a certain subject, such as the late effects of cancer treatment, or an unwillingness to fully hear and understand a survivor’s symptoms, medical gaslighting can have a devastating effect. There are ways to deal with this, however.

Surgeon Q&A: Rigid Sternal Fixation: A New Approach to Sternal Closure

For Hodgkin’s survivors who are facing open-heart surgery, concerns about how their radiated chests will heal are real and warranted. We know that mediastinal radiation, particularly older forms of radiation, can make healing difficult. However, there is another way to close the sternum that offers a faster recovery time and minimal pain. The technique is called Rigid Sternal Fixation.

Holding Joy and Pain: The Realities of Surviving Cancer

In a heartfelt reflection, Cancer Fighters Specialist Avery Garn explores the emotional complexity of cancer survivorship. Survivors often carry both joy and sorrow—celebrating milestones while remembering the difficult journey it took to get there.

Older Adults Do Not Benefit From Moderate Drinking, Large Study Finds

Even light drinking was associated with an increase in cancer deaths among older adults in Britain, researchers reported on Monday in a large study. But the risk was accentuated primarily in those who had existing health problems or who lived in low-income areas. Contrary to what we’ve been told in the past, light or occasional drinking not only increases the chance of cancer in older adults, but it also does not protect the heart.