Author: Carolyn Thomas

The havoc called breast cancer

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 15 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas     ♥    Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

“Havoc”  /hævək/  Oxford Dictionary definition: “a situation in which things are seriously damaged, destroyed or confused.” 

October is officially Breast Cancer Awareness Month – and this month, it’s also my first time as a person diagnosed with malignant breast cancer. So I’m feeling more aware of breast cancer than I’ve ever been. (Think: six rounds of chemotherapy, 11 more scheduled rounds of immunotherapy infusions, countless scans, blood tests, oncology consults, a port surgically implanted in my chest, plus the mastectomy booked for November 25th.  Oh, joy. . .)  And I’m telling you right now, enduring chemo side effects has been even more brutal and debilitating than I could have imagined, a genuine quality-of-life nightmare in action. The powerful chemo drugs that are pretty effective at killing off fast-growing cancer cells are the same drugs that are also killing off my healthy cells, wreaking havoc on my body now and perhaps for months or even years to come. Buckle up, buttercup. . .  

Continue reading “The havoc called breast cancer” →

Why are women (still!) under-represented in medical research?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 8 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas    ♥   Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

An article published in the journal Nature  (September 15, 2025) takes a hard look at why so few women are included in heart research.1  This is not news. Clinical research in cardiovascular medicine has historically focused on male participants, often excluding women due to flimsy ethical, legal or regulatory issues.2  And I’ve been asking questions about this pervasive gender gap in cardiology ever since I survived a misdiagnosed widow-maker heart attack in my 50s.

Until 1993, in fact, many cardiovascular trials (such as the Physicians’ Health Study) included men only. In most cases, in fact, even laboratory studies included male animals only. Continue reading “Why are women (still!) under-represented in medical research?” →

False hope vs. real hope for patients

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 7 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas    ♥   Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

My former colleagues in palliative care often spoke about the concept of hope as being a fluid, ever-changing state of being for patients and their families, meaning that hope can change over time. When we’re suddenly face-to-face with a frightening medical crisis,  we hope at first that maybe the diagnostic tests were wrong. When the diagnosis is confirmed, we hope that this treatment/this procedure/ this drug will be the cure. But if we’re not cured, we hope that our symptoms can be managed so we don’t suffer. If we do get worse, we hope that our suffering won’t become a burden to our families. Then we hope that after we’re gone, our loved ones will be taken care of.

There was never talk about “no hope”.  There is always hope.  But our hope changes.  Continue reading “False hope vs. real hope for patients” →

Words matter – especially in medicine

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 11 Comments
by Carolyn Thomas   ❤️   Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

An editorial in The Lancet (a medical journal that’s been published for over 200 years) has revisited a subject that’s been niggling at me and many other patients: what the editorial authors called blame-ridden language – which they describe as being “pervasive throughout medicine.”(1)

For example, why do doctors include chart notes like :“Patient claims her pain is 10/10” ?  Choosing the word “claims” somehow implies that the patient is lying. In the real world, we would say:  “She is experiencing 10/10 pain”.  Continue reading “Words matter – especially in medicine” →