HOLY CRAP I HAVE CANCER!
Now What? What to Expect When You Weren't Expecting.
ABOUT HOLY CRAP I HAVE CANCER!
The Full Story
In 2014 I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Having spent over 20 years in health care I was surprised by what I didn't know about the journey. I realized that if I - having spent years in the medical field - didn't understand, the journey for someone who didn't have that experience could be even more difficult. The purpose of my book and this website is to support others in making the conventional treatment path as easy as possible. I have served as a useful resource on my Facebook page - Holy Crap I Have Cancer - to those seeking inspiration, help, or advice. I finally decided to own that role and be intentional about it by writing a book and creating this web site for others to access some of those materials in that book.
If you have a new cancer diagnosis or are a cancer survivor, take some time to explore the site and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Create a Binder For Office Visits
I believe you must be prepared if when you are choosing treatment. You must be in control of the documents you have on hand and the ones you share with consulting physicians.
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I encourage you to create a three-ring binder that you take with you to each doctor visit. This binder should contain all your personal health information, reports and lab work. Filling this binder with your personal information, list of medications, insurance information, advanced directives, and a calendar will make the journey easier and save you time by having everything at your fingertips at each visit.
For your convenience, I have created a New Patient and Family History form and Interview Question forms for a Surgeon, Radiologist, and Oncologist for you to download and insert in your binder.
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Take this binder with you to each visit. Be sure to insert copies of your most current lab reports, scans or x-ray results. Having these available can save time and avoid extra office visits, if the physician you are seeing hasn't received your most recent reports, scans or xray results. Having copies with you allows the physicians assistant to make copies for their records and can eliminate the need for an extra office visit while the physician awaits your results.
