Category: Breast cancer

Finally, some good news:

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 37 Comments
~ 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

 

 

 

Quality of Life vs. Length of Life? Pick One.

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 9 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas    ♥    Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky) 

Even as a fairly new breast cancer patient (diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma on April 1st, 2025), I knew I’d likely choose quality of life (QoL) over length of life (LoL) after my diagnosis. Continue reading “Quality of Life vs. Length of Life? Pick One.” →

Are you “managing” your worst symptoms?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 8 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas     ♥    Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky) 

I recently quoted an editorial in The Lancet (a medical journal that’s been publishing for over 200 years). The editors were revisiting a subject that’s been niggling at me – and apparently many other patients – namely words matter in health care – especially blame-ridden language, whichThe Lancet describes as “pervasive throughout medicine.”(1)  And just this week, coincidentally, I experienced a bizarre phone conversation with a breast cancer nurse (who reminded me firsthand just how pervasive blame-the-patient attitudes can be). Continue reading “Are you “managing” your worst symptoms?” →

In praise of sisterly support

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 1 Comment


Carolyn Thomas     ♥    Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky) 

 

When I was a little girl, my Auntie Jean gave my mother (her older sister) a decorative wall plaque engraved with a lovely poem called “To My Sister”.  Over the years, my own sister Catherine and I memorized that poem on the wall plaque. That’s us in the picture above (she’s the one torturing the head of her little dolly). Over time, the two of us learned to rattle off the entire poem together upon request – a fun party trick, according to our parents. And when we were older, we even recreated the original plaque using macaroni letters – because a beautiful poem about sisters deserves that extra-special artistic flare, doesn’t it? We did, however, take some liberties with spelling out our macaroni letters – because we thought the poet’s words should rhyme better.    Continue reading “In praise of sisterly support” →