MS Maze » Doctors

Does Your Doctor Touch You?

Ann Pietrangelo — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:00:04 +0000

Aside from a physical exam, does your doctor touch you?

By touching, I mean does your doctor look you in the eye and treat you as a whole human being? Touch your hand…perhaps even offer a hug when the situation calls for one?

After my cancer diagnosis last year, I experienced first-hand the value of the human connection in medicine.

Read it: Does Your Doctor Touch You?

Economics Behind Cancer Drug Shortages

Ann Pietrangelo — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:00:11 +0000

Having cancer is stressful enough, but what if potentially lifesaving chemotherapy drugs were in short supply and unavailable to you? And how would you feel if these shortages were entirely preventable?

President Obama recently signed an executive order directing the FDA to step up work to reduce drug shortages. Drug companies will be required to let the FDA know of the possibility of drug shortages sooner. The FDA and the Department of Justice will be investigating abuses that would lead to drug shortages, and agencies will be empowered to stop the practice of driving up prices and creating shortages due to the manipulations of companies or distributors.

Why are many cancer drugs in short supply?

Read: Economics Behind Cancer Drug Shortages

What would you do if you found a lump in your breast?

Ann Pietrangelo — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:00:23 +0000

Living with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
(#24 in a series)

What would you do if you found a lump in your breast? I called a doctor, but not everyone agrees that was the right decision.

Some readers said I shouldn’t have reached out to the medical community, shouldn’t have had surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. I say it’s a personal decision, one we must each make based on our individual case. I told my story but do not give medical advice, unless you consider my plea to check your own breasts or to at least talk to a doctor to be medical advice.

Read it: What would you do if you found a lump in your breast?

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Profiles
Carmelita P: Grieving Son Recounts Mom’s Battle with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Nancy Steiler: Searching for “Normal” After Cancer
Eileen Z. Fuentes: Living with a Grateful Vibration
Meagan Farrell: Cancer Survivor Says “Let Go of the Little Stuff”
Melissa Stukenborg: When Worst Fear Becomes Reality, Find Your Inner Strength

To Mammogram or Not To Mammogram, That is the Question

Ann Pietrangelo — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 04:03:49 +0000

Breast Cancer in the News
A new study indicates that breast cancer screening has not been a big factor in reducing breast cancer deaths. But there’s more to the story, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Read it: To Mammogram or Not To Mammogram, That is the Question

Access all posts in the Living with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Series

iPads Help Lessen Pain and Anxiety in Children’s ER

Ann Pietrangelo — Sat, 07 May 2011 20:00:06 +0000

Find out how iPads are helping kids during emergency room visits.

Read it: iPads Help Lessen Pain and Anxiety in Children’s ER

Social Media Alters Medical Research Priorities

Ann Pietrangelo — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:00:58 +0000

The power of social media and the Internet can influence medical research priorities, according to a paper published in the scientific journal Nature.

A case in point is a controversial multiple sclerosis treatment and demand for clinical trials in Canada.

Read it: Social Media Alters Medical Research Priorities

5 Ways to Partner with your Doctor

Ann Pietrangelo — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 04:08:38 +0000

Is there such a thing as a “good patient?”

Absolutely… a good patient is one who partners with doctors and other medical professionals, taking a proactive role rather than a passive or adversarial role.

The doctor-patient relationship is the cornerstone of patient-centered, compassionate medicine, but only if both doctors and patients take responsibility for their respective roles. (…MORE)

An Ounce of Prevention In Your Hands

Ann Pietrangelo — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:00:01 +0000

Do you wash your hands after using a public rest room… after changing a diaper… before eating?

Chances are if you answer a telephone poll you will say you do because you know you should.

A study reported on in HealthDay News found that 85 percent of Americans wash their hands after using a public bathroom in 2010, compared with only 77 percent in 2007. The observational study was conducted at six locations in four cities.

A separate survey done by phone found that 96 percent of Americans said they always wash their hands after using public bathrooms. Sometimes what we say and what we do is at odds.

Read the article:

An Ounce of Prevention In Your Hands

Dying at Home Better for Cancer Patients and Families

Ann Pietrangelo — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 04:00:25 +0000

Cancer patients and their families suffer less when the final days are spent at home. It’s about quality of life.

Dying in a hospital or intensive care unit can cause greater physical and emotional stress for all involved. A study published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and reported by HealthDay News, found that when people died at home, loved ones were less likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Unfortunately, we don’t always get what we want. The study also showed that even though most cancer patients prefer to stay home, more than one-third die in the hospital and eight percent die in the intensive care unit. Overly aggressive care and treatment is not only traumatic at times, but very costly.

Death is a perfectly natural part of life, but…

Read the article and check out the poll:

Dying at Home Better for Cancer Patients and Families

Image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Aspartame’s Sickeningly Sweet Controversy

Ann Pietrangelo — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:33:54 +0000

If you want to get a good discussion going on a controversial subject, just say the word “aspartame.”

Read this post in its entirety and check out the poll:

Aspartame’s Sickeningly Sweet Controversy

Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/963640