Appendix Cancer Connection

Palliative Care

by | Feb 3, 2011 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

I’m so busy!  I’m in two graduate programs;  one at Loyola University in Chicago (graduate oncology certificate) and another at Purdue University (masters degree as a clinical nurse specialist).  One of my Purdue classes is advanced physiology…a very tough course that is heavy into biochemistry and requires about 18 hours of study a week.  I love it though, it’s made me feel every cell in our body (and we have trillions) are all individual miracles.

Another course I’m taking has to do with conceptual models of nursing.  Very abstract, I know why I like science and math now, nothing is abstracts; it is or it isn’t, it’s right or wrong.

I am taking another course in palliative care…symptom management, hospice care.  Death and dying and how to do it well.  I like that course a lot.  We will all die someday, and I think we need to learn how to do it well. In that class we talk a lot about hospice care.  I am such a proponent for hospice. They offer so much. The sad thing is many enter hospice only days before they die.  Research says only 10% of us will die suddenly, the rest of long term illnesses, so it’s something we should all know more about.

I was also given this information about a new clinical trial funded by the National Cancer Institute.  The information I was given is here:

“Adult cancer patients and survivors sought for ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP  clinical trial funded by the National Cancer Institute. Researchers in  the Behavioral Oncology lab at Loma Linda University (CA) are recruiting  participants for a study that hopes to improve the lives of cancer  survivors.
 “Health-Space.net: Supporting Growth Together” is a 12-week,  Internet-based support group.  Many individuals have unique issues after  completing treatment; they may struggle with physical changes, side  effects of treatment, spiritual crises, emotional concerns, social  changes and support problems, and/or the stress of recurrence. We are  here to help patients and survivors adjust to life’s changes.
 For more information and requirements, take a tour of our website:
All of us struggle greatly with many of the issues cancer presents us. If this trial were available when I was diagnosed, I would have  been eager to participate.  I hope many of you will consider joining, it’s what we need, a focus on the survivorship issues we all face.  It’s not easy being a survivor.