Stage Free

Seven Steps to Patient Empowerment

Oncology nurses are on the front lines of patient care day in and day out. For patients who require lengthy hospitalization, they literally become your family and trusted confidant.

Case in point, meet Kristy Cheney, Head Nurse of Oncology at Tidelands Health in South Carolina. In 2014, "Picc Line" Kristy was my oncology nurse at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. She had such a magic touch... she was the only one I would let change my Picc Line, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Oncology nurses bear witness to the traumas we endure along the way, the highs of remission, and the heart-wrenching lows of recurrence. As we oscillate between hope and despair, these adopted family members provide invaluable comfort and support, and they hold the key to patient empowerment.

 

Join me as I talk with Kristy about our shared experiences and the seven steps she uses to empower her patients:

1. Participation
2. Physical Activity
3. PREhab
4. Emotional Wellbeing
5. Self Advocacy
6. Support System

If you know someone who can benefit from this information, please share this podcast with them.

Cancer Care is a Team Sport

In football you can't just play a quarterback or lineman and expect them to win the game alone; the same holds for Cancer. Successful cancer treatment requires a team of experts to provide whole patient care.

The typical cancer care team includes a medical oncologist -- your quarterback and survivorship coach -- a surgical oncologist, a radiologist, a even an integrative oncologist. Large cancer centers have the ecosystem in place to create these teams with ease. However, only 15% of patients are treated in large medical centers, which means 85% of survivors need to assemble their own care team locally.

Dr. Mohammad Jahanzeb is a Board-certified Medical Oncologist and Medical Director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. His patients call him Dr. MJ, and he's the kind of quarterback you want as your team captain.  Join us as we talk about what to look for and expect from your care team, and some of the important nuances of diagnosing, treating, and beating breast cancer.

If you know someone who can benefit from this information, please share this episode with them.

Done with Treatment? Now What?

Battling cancer doesn’t end after the last drip of chemo. There’s another battle ahead in survivorship as we navigate a host of complications.

Survivorship care plans matter and play a critical role in our success and outcomes.

Meet Dr. Marisa Weiss, she's a "dual citizen." Not only is she an oncologist, but she is also a breast cancer survivor, which gives her a truly unique perspective on what it takes to survive and thrive.

Dr. Weiss practices at Lankenau Medical Center where she serves as a Director of Breast Radiation Oncology and Director of Breast Health outreach.

She's also the Chief Medical Officer and founder of Breastcancer.org, the leading patient-focused resource for breast health and breast cancer — reaching 194 million people globally since 2000.

You can just imagine how much she knows and has to share. Please join us as we talk about what you need to consider beyond treatment and why you should expect more from your follow-up care.

If you know someone who needs to hear this information, please share this podcast with them.

For more resources visit:

https://www.breastcancer.org/about-you/finished-treatment

Integrative Oncology and Quality of Life

Surviving cancer can make it feel like your world is falling apart, which is why whole patient care is so important. Join us as we talk with Top Doc Dr. Santosh Rao, Medical Director of Integrative Oncology for UH Connor Whole Health. 

Integrative Oncology puts YOU at the center of the treatment plan to address symptoms caused by disease and treatment. It includes lifestyle changes, stress management, and symptom management and not only can it make you feel better, but it can also have a significant impact on your treatment and recovery.

Dr. Rao shares the benefits of combining conventional Western medicine with evidence-based complementary treatments like acupuncture, Reiki, massage nutrition, and yoga, along with some favorite resources:

• Oncio App
• Anti Cancer Lifestyle

Even if you don't have access to integrative oncology in your area, Dr. Rao has some great suggestions for things you can do to help yourself now to meet the medicine halfway. 

 

The Truth About Sex After Cancer

It's hard to talk about, and even more difficult to experience... but women who undergo chemotherapy and radiation are almost certain to experience another delightful side effect; a very dry vagina. Yep, we said it. Vagina.

In this episode, Loriana talks with Dr. Sandra Reed, an Emory Hospital gynecologist specializing in oncology and post-menopausal symptoms.  Dr. Reed is an expert on the complexity of this journey and has a host of solutions and insights that will help all survivors better understand and care for their bodies.

Even if you haven't had cancer, Dr. Reed has some great tips for vaginas everywhere.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Internet Needs to Come With a Warning Label

So…. you were recently diagnosed with breast cancer (sorry about that) and now you're ready to hit the internet to find out more. Before you dive in, let Dr. Maryam Lustberg the chief of Breast Medical Oncology at Yale Cancer Center show you how to search and what to watch out for, from outdated research to fraudsters and quacks.

Please Don’t Feed the Cancer

Daniel Hughes P.h.D is an assistant professor and researcher at University of Texas Health - San Antonio. A trained kinesiologist with a sport and exercise psychology specialty, Dr. Hughes has been examining the link between stress levels, cortisol production, and cancer. His research is eye-opening -- "Cortisol is like rocket fuel for cancer," he says. Together with a team of experts, he has been testing the impact of therapeutic yoga on cortisol levels and overall well-being. 

Join Loriana and Dr. Daniel Hughes as they discuss his groundbreaking research and how you can start reducing your stress levels and put his findings to work today.

What the PREhab???

Prehabilitation typically refers to the healthcare intervention process associated with helping patients prepare for a medical event like surgery or a procedure.  

But what if you don’t have that gift of time? What if you receive a life-threatening medical diagnosis such as cancer that requires immediate action? Then what?

Having faced that exact moment, Loriana has a unique perspective on how lifestyle choices that she likes to call PREhab, might actually save your life one day.

Listen in to Episode 3 of Stage Free "What the PREhab?" with special guest Dr. Brian Fricke, Director of Cancer Rehabilitation at the Mays Cancer Center, UT Southwestern. And don't be fooled by his title -- he advocates for PREhab too.