Best Life After Cancer

DCIS is a less aggressive type of breast cancer, but still comes with challenges.  This week is part science, and part mindset, to help patients have the best experience and outcomes with this diagnosis.

Today we have the privilege of hearing from Dr. Faryal Michaud, from the "Write Your Last Chapter" podcast and Blog.  She is a palliative care doctor and life coach working with physicians on living intentionally.  If these things seem like polar opposites, she will tell you how this came to be.  She shares her wisdom on having conversations early with family about the "plan b" in treatment, why we should live our bucket lists sooner rather than later, and how to live a life intentionally.

This episode is near and dear to my heart.  It is my sweet Dad's story.  He has survived and thrived through an acoustic neuroma (benign brain tumor), a rare kidney tumor, non-hodgkin's lymphoma and a basal cell carcinoma of the eyelid.  He is also now struggling with worsening Alzheimer's.  We talk about his mindset, how we talked to my kids about his illness, and what he especially loves about his family.  I adore this man.

All life is composed of some good, some bad and some boring.  But if we try to force it to all be good, paradoxically, we increase the bad!  This is something we can work on and change, along with living in victim mentality.

In this episode, I attempted to review all of the recent literature on pregnancy after cancer. This needs to be run by your primary team but can be used as a resource to understand the options.

What is the best way to get what you want from life?  By deciding what you want, and planning for it to happen.  This podcast talks about why we should all make a bucket list TODAY.

This is Alex's story.  This man, who came to the US at 7 when his family fled Vietnam.  Through perseverance and hard work, he was accepted to medical school, becoming a respected anesthesiologist.  He was diagnosed with a renal cell carcinoma in his 30's, less than a week after finding out that his wife was pregnant with their third child.  He then got the news that he had a genetic mutation leading to extremely aggressive cancers, called HLRCC.  His cancer recurred quickly after his initial surgery, and then metastasized to his liver.  Yet, through clinical trials, targeted treatments and a lot of prayer, he is a 10 year survivor and currently without any evidence of disease!  This story is SO uplifting and inspiring.  I know you will love it!

There are is so much fear and incorrect information surrounding the diagnosis of metastatic disease in cancer treatment.  This podcast will help you understand how it happens, what it means, and some of the common treatments.

This is a relatively new diagnosis, and may be overlooked by both clinicians and patients themselves, but treating it can improve outcomes, along with compliance to treatment protocols.  Listen to learn more about what PTSD can look like, who it is most likely to affect, and how I personally dealt with PTSD and flashbacks after an accident in our family.

Today we talk all things reconstruction:  DIEP Flaps, Implants, 3D Nipple Tattooing and more.  With special guest, Dr. Alex Au.