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I am a school psychologist. Through my long career I have engaged in providing therapeutic supports for children and adults. I had never sought supportive therapeutic intervention (with the exclusion of mandatory sessions that were necessitated by my doctoral clinical program). There comes a time when you recognize the need for this support. I was told, by my oncologist, that these services were available at Mass General. What, unpleasantly, surprised me was that the social

During the first few cycles of chemo, I had some unexpected experiences. In this blog, I want to offer a few tips. My book covers other unexpected occurrences that transpired after my eight cycles of chemo. By this point in my treatment I already had many blood tests. When I think back to my anxiety about having to have blood work, long before my diagnosis, it is so ironic how this did not impact me , anxiety-wise. However, because of having to have many blood tests, you get

I accepted this diagnosis. But I was stuck. Such a roller coaster of thoughts and emotions: fear--sadness- anger- anxiety--irritability. I needed to set realistic expectations of the medical path ahead of me. So many questions: How bad was the chemo going to be? What side effects could I expect? Did I have the stamina to be able to get through eight cycles of chemo? So many unknowns. I started to take small but important steps to manage my situation. One of the first things

It took some time for me to accept my diagnosis. At first, I was inundated with having to go through a number of procedures which for me, with a life-long anxiety of having any kind of medical procedure, was very difficult to plow through. My oncologist informed me that my tumor was likely cancerous; it was necessary to determine this before any treatment could begin. These steps included another CT scan of my chest, to determine any kind of metastasis, followed by an endosc

Pancreatic Cancer-- a diagnosis that is overwhelming and daunting. When I first learned that there was a tumor in my pancreas I felt lost. What happened to my "normal" and predictable life? In my book, I share the detailed story of my own journey through difficult times and the steps I took to regain a sense of control and hope. While the book provides deeper insight, here you will find practical approaches that anyone facing hardship can consider.