Patients Articles: Page 1 of 6
“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before–more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.” ― Charles Dickens The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many changes in many areas of our lives. For all patients undergoing treatment in the hospital, there are changes in their experiences. Malignant mesothelioma patients who are hospitalized are [...]
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It takes a multidisciplinary team to treat a person with a rare disease. Along with highly experienced and accomplished medical scientists there needs to be individualized care. Included and embedded in this specialized treatment is the skills of coaching. We are all very familiar with the roles that coaches play in sports. From many different definitions some of the most successful sports coaches have mastered different skill sets. Some of the skills are analyzing performances, instructing [...]
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We usually write about our experiences while caring for patients with malignant mesothelioma. As always I cannot remember when I left a patient and didn’t have a new respect for how patients with rare diseases like mesothelioma deal with the impact on their lives. Today I read an article about a woman who had been stripped of her job, hobbies, and her life as she knew it by a rare disease other than malignant mesothelioma. The unique perspective of rare diseases has always fascinated me – [...]
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The COVID-19 virus has disrupted all of our lives and routines. Things that we always did and places we always went are no longer available. The pandemic has forced us to all look at things we routinely do and challenged us to do them differently. Like in business, in medicine sometimes small disruptions can lead to larger innovative changes. In the treatment of malignant mesothelioma, disruptors have led the way. Over the years we have seen doctors challenging the previously held belief [...]
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The COVID-19 pandemic upended our usual routine and impacted all of our lives. For people that needed medical treatment it became a different experience. Having treatment for anything but coronavirus related illness became the exception. No visitors were allowed in the hospitals for patients no matter what their diagnosis. Many people put off necessary treatment for a later time. Facing cancer at any time is frightening. Facing treatment for a rare cancer such as malignant mesothelioma, [...]
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