Finally, some good news:

~ Carolyn Thomas
~ Carolyn Thomas

 by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

The late Yale University professor Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema once described how freshly-diagnosed patients try to make sense of a medical crisis that makes no sense – in these two typical ways:

  1. overthinking (focusing on current or future scenarios) and
  2. ruminating (focusing on past scenarios).

 I’ve been rotating through each scenario non-stop ever since being diagnosed with the breast cancer called invasive ductal carcinoma on April 1, 2025. My treatment plan (and its brutal side effects) included chemotherapy, immunotherapy and last month’s  mastectomy.  

It wasn’t until this past week that my cancer doctors showed me my 3-page post-op pathology report, a blur of medical-ese jargon – except for these words: 

“No residual invasive or in situ carcinoma is seen. Sentinel lymph nodes all negative for carcinoma.”

 I’m not officially done at the Cancer Clinic quite yet, but I feel like I can finally take a breath now. 

It was my misdiagnosed “widow-maker” heart attack back in 2008 that kick-started this Heart Sisters site, and I’ve been speaking and writing about the ongoing cardiology gender gap between male and female heart patients ever since – until April 1st of this year when I suddenly had this scary new diagnosis to worry about. 

So many kind people have offered encouragement, hugs  and practical help over the past eight months, including my wonderful family, friends, neighbours – and Heart Sisters readers I’ve never even met. I’m so grateful for every kindness. 

Happy Christmas to all. . . ♥

1. Nolen-Hoeksema, Susan. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2005 (Vol. 77, No. 4, pp 801-814).

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NOTE FROM CAROLYN:   I wrote much more about becoming a patient – no matter the diagnosis – in my book, “A Woman’s Guide to Living with Heart Disease”. You can ask for it at your local library or favourite bookshop, or order it online (paperback, hardcover or e-book) at Amazon –  or order it directly from my publisher, Johns Hopkins University Press (use their code HTWN to save 30% off the list price).

Image: Mohamed Hassan, Pixabay

 

 

 

Published by Carolyn Thomas

37 thoughts on “Finally, some good news:”

  1. My dear Carolyn,  I am so happy for you. Not out of the woods, but many, many more clearings and the light is brighter every day. Solidarity. 
    Kathleen Denny

    Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS

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    1. Hello Kathleen – I love that “woods” analogy so much! That’s just what it feels like to me: more clearings – and the light is brighter every day! So many times over the past 8 months I seemed to scrunch up my face and whine: “I want my ‘old me’ back!!” At last I’m seeing flashes of that person!
      Happy 2026 to you… ❤️

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  2. That is the best news I’ve heard in awhile!

    Thank you for your generosity in bringing us along on your journey. Best wishes for continued good news.

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  3. I’m SO happy for you, Carolyn! It may not be over yet, but we’ll definitely take this time to smile (yes, and breathe!) Celebrate the holidays, treasure the time with your family.

    Merry Christmas and wishing you a happy — and healing — new year!!

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  9. One more (hopefully) helpful thought: one of the ways I try to process the health issues/dramas I’ve personally experienced, especially after either I am past it or have recovered from initial shock is this:
    I make a point of being totally honest, as I don’t believe sugarcoating helps. But, I spend time identifying what I’ve learned: about the illness/event, people around me and myself. If I can identify learning, then I feel that the illness/situation did not win! It might not help everyone but helps me! 🥰

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    1. Hi again Helen – that is indeed a helpful thought! One surprising thing that I learned first hand was the concept that a patient can discuss changes in the treatment plan with their oncologist if the torment of chemotherapy side effects becomes unbearable. It was one of my chemo nurses who knew I was suffering severe chemotherapy side effects – and advised me to ask my oncologist this question: “What other treatment options are available to me in the future?”) After I took her advice and talked to my oncologist, he thoughtfully volunteered two possible options to help me: he could reduce my chemotherapy dosage, or he could delay my Chemo Day for a short while just to give my body a wee break. We ended up trying both, and I experienced a week or so of feeling significantly better – which helped me to hang in when all I wanted to do every day was to end the torment. Until then, I’d assumed that a treatment plan was THE treatment plan forever, but good care must also consider quality-of-life effects.

      Like you, I don’t sugarcoat reality. I’d describe the past year, as my American friend Nancy Stordahl titled her wonderful book: “Cancer Was Not a Gift and it Didn’t Make Me a Better Person!” I didn’t “need” cancer to learn that.

      I learned that the pain of even the most excruciating intervention can be significantly reduced when you’re treated with kindness and compassion. That surprising reality came from a remarkable physician at the Urgent Care Clinic whose role it was to surgically remove (under local anesthetic) the most infected of my painfully rotting fingernails (a known side effect of my chemotherapy drug Docetaxel). By the way, pulling out a cancer patient’s fingernails is no picnic for the physician doing the pulling. I almost felt sorry for HIM!

      I learned that chemotherapy is basically barbaric, and seems to go against that “First Do No Harm” principle of medicine. Chemo drugs are very effective at killing off fast-growing cancer cells, but are equally effective at killing off our fast-growing healthy cells – like skin, hair follicles, cells lining the mouth and digestive tract, the white blood cells that protect us from deadly infections, our fingernails and much more. I wonder if, in the future when cancer researchers have found success in improved targeted therapies that do LESS harm to patients, doctors will look back on the brutal side effects of many of our current cancer drugs and say “Remember what we used to do to patients back in 2025?” – after cancer researchers find success in improved targeted therapies that do LESS harm to patients.

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  10. So happy to hear this Carolyn. Sending warm wishes for a joyful Christmas and a happy and healthy 2026! And prayers for all dealing with frightening diagnoses and illnesses- know you are in our thoughts!

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  11. Hi Carolyn! What a wonderful Holiday gift to get from the doctors! Just want to say thank you much for all the writing that you do and encouragement you give to others. It is very needed stuff. Thank you, 🥰 ❤️
    Virginia

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    1. Hello Virginia – thanks for your kind words. It was often a challenge to keep writing about heart stuff when all around me were cancer appointments, and cancer treatments, and cancer scans, and cancer lab tests. I hope to be able to return to “normal” topics soon – like women and heart disease! 😉
      Happy Holidays to you ❤️

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    1. YES! That pathology report couldn’t have come at a better time – I’ll still have some ongoing treatments at the cancer clinic in 2026 – but it looks like minimal disruption and best of all, NO RADIATION – plus few if any horrible side effects this time! I certainly will enjoy the holidays! ❤️

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  14. My heart is full (and so, for some reason, are my eyes – what’s that all about?)

    All good things to you this festive season and for years to come.

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    1. I’m not crying – YOU’RE CRYING Deborah! I’m wishing you all good things, too – happiness and good health for 2026!
      Happy Christmas. . .

      PS I cannot tell you how often I’ve repeated your story from (“Choose Your Listeners Carefully</a>”) Such a helpful example of how immediate family members are not necessarily our most appropriate listeners! So glad you arranged for your sister and sister-in-law to get onboard!! And even your hubby stepped up! Yay!

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      1. Such great news for you! That’s such a great Christmas gift.
        Thanks for all the blogging that you do. The encouragement,information and honesty has been so helpful through my MVD diagnoses.

        Merry Christmas

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