Tag: health
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Metastatic Lung Cancer- Why Aren’t More People Getting Treated? (And what we can do about it).
Recently, a disheartening study from JAMA Oncology came out, showing that less than half of all people with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer receive treatment. This is despite there being many options available which can increase life expectancy by years. The study looked at over 250,000 people over a 15-year period. So why aren’t people…
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Antidotes to Fear and Self-Doubt
I love the little acronyms they come up with in 12-step groups. And fear has a few of them: F– False E-Evidence A-Appearing R-Real Or: F: Face E: Everything A: And R: Recover or the more humorous: F– F**k E– Everything A– And R– Run! Fear has a way of creeping in sometimes. It can…
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Easy Healthy Habits to Try This Week
Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all my U.S. peeps! Hopefully you’ve got Monday off. If not, I know how that goes. I’ve worked many holidays over the past decade or so. Healthcare and retail can be tough that way. Regardless of whether you have off or not, here are some easy healthy habits to try…
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Annoyed (Boyfriend/Camping Version)
I don’t know that there’s a lot of words that annoy me at the moment. Maybe I just stay away from the ones that do? However, after spending this past week in the middle of the woods with my boyfriend, I can definitely tell you words/phrases that annoy him including: “Off the hook” I don’t…
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3 Things I Tell Patients to Bring to Chemo
If you or someone you know is starting chemo, this one’s for you. People don’t always know what to bring. Here are the 3 things I tell people to bring along, especially for their first day and if they are going to be there a long day of treatment: #1 A blanket or hoodie Bring…
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Things Your Oncology Nurse Says Daily-Outpatient Edition!
“Let’s check your labs.” We check labs a lot! We want to make sure your “counts” are good for chemo. Or, we might check them if you come in for a triage visit to make sure that your hemoglobin, white blood cells, and platelets are okay. Sometimes, the problem is electrolytes like potassium, calcium, or…
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Direction
Did you ever read that poem, The Road Not Taken? It’s a poem in which the writer has to choose a road, and he decides to take the one less traveled which in retrospect has made all the difference. (The actual meaning of the poem that I only learned about more recently than I care…
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Acceptance
There’s this phrase they use in AA, from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous: “Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.” I’d say more than anything, that’s a phrase that I’ve adopted for my own and one that I live by. But let’s talk about what acceptance does and does not mean. Acceptance…
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Why Small Meals Help During Cancer: A Nursing Perspective
“Everything tastes funny.” I hear this from patients all the time. When you’re going through cancer treatment, one of the most frustrating challenges can be eating. Food might not taste the same. “Everything tastes like cardboard” is something I hear on an almost weekly basis. Between nausea, fatigue, and low appetite, full meals can feel…
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Five Super Easy Healthy Hacks to Try This Week
Here are five easy ways to get just a little bit healthier- one for each day of the week! These are super easy, don’t take a lot of time, and add up to big wins over time. Monday: The 5-Minute Rule: The Easiest Way to Start Getting Healthier If you only have 5 or 10…
Writing RN 