Category Archives: Iowa Cancer Specialists

Showing Support To A Loved One With Cancer

If your friend or loved one was diagnosed with cancer and you want to be supportive, but are afraid you may say or do the wrong thing,  you are not alone.  To help with the guesswork, we have a few helpful suggestions.

1.  Let your loved one know  you are available for them, and then be available when they call.

2.  Always call and ask permission before you drop by just in case your friend is having a bad day.

3.  Offer to take your friend out to lunch.

4.  Send notes.  Promise to call them, and then keep the promise.

5.  If your friend has kids at home, offer to take the kids for a day to do something fun.  Often times, cancer patients feel a false sense of guilt because they think their family is suffering because of their illness, so doing something with their children can be especially encouraging.

6.  Offer rides to doctor appointments.

7.  Offer to run errands–grocery shop, pick up prescriptions, etc.

8.  Don’t monopolize conversations.  

9.  Don’t tell horror stories of friends with cancer.

10  Don’t give medical advice or tell them to “cheer up.”

11. Don’t say, “I know how you feel.” 

12. Don’t ask their prognosis.  Your friend will volunteer this information on their own when they feel it is appropriate.

13.  Don’t say, “If you need anything, please call .”  Instead, offer to do some of the recommendations listed above.

14.  Don’t visit if you are ill.  Your friend’s immune system may be lower due to chemotherapy.

15.  Do respect your friend’s treatment decisions, just as you would want them to respect yours.

16.  If your loved one snaps at you, don’t take it personally as it could be pain and/or fear talking.

17.  If on a visit your friend cries, let them cry.   Tears are a normal response to what your friend is going through.  Everyone responds to stress in unique ways.  With a cancer diagnosis, your loved one may feel fear about the future, guilt, resentment, or depression.  Often they may confess an anger with God or anger with others.  Sometimes, cancer patients ask “Why me?”.  They may even be in denial about the diagnosis.  Remember, you are not expected to have all the answers and silence is okay.  Pat their hand.  Give them a hug.  Let your friend talk and make eye contact.

18.  Some people have a hard time accepting help and want to be as independent as possible.  If your loved one turns down your offer of support,  don’t take it personally.  Instead send encouraging notes from time to time and, at a later date,  offer again.

19.  Lastly, let your friend know you are rooting for them.  Sometimes just knowing there are people cheering you on is all the support a person fighting cancer needs.

 

Recommended Reading:

When Someone You Love Has Cancer, by Cecil Murphey

Cancer Etiquette, by Rosanne Kulick

Help Me Live:  20 Things People with Cancer Want You to know, Lori Hope

Things I wish I’d Known, Deborah Cornwall

 

 

 

Fighting Cancer with Man’s Best Friend

We’ve all heard stories of dogs saving lives whether it be alerting a family to a house fire, protecting their owner from an intruder, or saving a child from a vicious animal attack.  Now, dogs are assisting in another lifesaving way–aiding in the fight against cancer.

At twenty-two sites across the United States, clinical trials are taking place on dogs with cancer. Please note, these trials are held on dogs who have developed the disease naturally and whose owners are seeking a cure for their pet.  The cancer is not given experimentally as is most often the case with laboratory mice.

Cancer is the number one cause for death in older dogs, and the majority of cancers seen in dogs closely resemble the cancers that affect people–including their biological behavior, where it spreads, and the speed in which the cancer grows.  This is why “comparative oncology” has  recently emerged as a promising means to help cure cancer. Comparative oncology researchers study the similarities between naturally occurring cancers in dogs and cancers in people in order to provide clues on how to treat cancer more effectively.

At its core, cancer is a genetic disease.  Each breed of dog (over 400 recognized) has its own unique set of genes, and different breeds of dogs are predisposed to different types of cancer.  For example, lymphoma is more likely to affect golden retrievers.  Squamous cell carcinoma is found more often in standard poodles (but only those with black hair). Invasive bladder cancer is more likely to be found in Scotties, Westies, and Shelties.  Brain cancer (glioma) is more likely to be found in terriers, boxers, and bulldogs.  An aggressive type of bone cancer that affects children called osteosarcoma is also found in large dog breeds such as Great Danes and German shepherds.

Humans and dogs are also especially similar when it comes to the immune system.  Immunotherapy, which uses the immune system to fight cancer, has been effective in dog trials which is promising for humans.  When a trial is successful in a dog, it can move on to a human trial.  As of now four drugs have made it to a human trial.  Sutent, which is sometimes prescribed for advanced kidney cancer, is one such drug. And in 2010, the vaccine known as ONCEPT became the first cancer vaccine to be approved in the United States.  According to Jedd D. Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D., the chief of the Melanoma and Immunotherapeutics Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, “There’s no question that the success of the animal trials did a lot to speed up the approval process of the human trials.”

Seems to us, dogs may just be man’s best friend–and women’s, too!

Source Material:  The Veterinary Cancer Resource Center, Cancer Research Institute, Dogtime.com, NBC News, CNN

Your First Visit

It’s natural to feel apprehensive on your first visit to an oncologist’s office. We at Iowa Cancer Specialists would like to ease your anxiety and let you know what you can expect.

We are located at Genesis West Medical Center inside the Cancer Center which is just off of the glass atrium.  When you walk through the Cancer Center entry, go to the reception desk on the left side of the room where you will be greeted by one of our friendly receptionists.  Our office should have sent you forms to be filled out in advance, and this is the time to turn them in.  If you forgot to bring the forms, please plan a few extra minutes as you will be asked to fill them out again.  Also, have your insurance cards ready as well as your co-pay.  You will be asked to sign other forms that give us permission to bill your insurance and information on the patient information and privacy act. We strive to keep patient wait time to a minimum.  But, while you do wait, help yourself to the coffee, tea, or water provided in the waiting area.

When the nurse or medical assistant calls your name, you will be ushered into our exam room.  There she will have you step on and off the scale and will take your vitals.  She will ask you questions regarding the reason for your visit, habits you many have, any concerns or current health problems, and family history.

When you see the doctor, he/she will ask you more questions.  Sometimes a full physical exam is required; sometimes not—depending on the diagnosis.   Your referring physician should have sent us your records for our review.  Our doctors will go over this information with you.  We recommend you have a family member or friend with you to help you digest the information covered, as well as as notebook to write down instructions.  Be sure to ask your questions.  We want you to leave our office with all of your questions answered.

Treatment varies from individual to individual.   Of course, you may request a second opinion at any time, and we will be happy to assist you in scheduling one.

Expect our physicians to order lab work.  This is important, especially if chemotherapy is recommended.  Also, CT scans may be ordered.  These are necessary and used to evaluate how well the treatment is working.

Our physicians may order other tests as well.  This is because not all cancers are the same, nor do they respond the same way to treatment.  It is important for us to gather as much information to determine how to best treat you.

For your convenience, we have a lab in our office if blood work is ordered. Also, we have an in-clinic dispensary to assist in filling your prescriptions.

We will keep your referring physician updated on your progress.  We are always available to answer any questions.

Having a cancer diagnosis is stressful enough.  Our goal is to make this journey as easy as possible.

 

Check out this behind the scenes interview of an important team member of Iowa Cancer Specialists!

 

Marie - storytelling

Before Marie Tschopp was a transcriptionist for Iowa Cancer Specialists she was a stay at home mom searching for something to express her creativity while earning some money as well.

That led her to joining a storytelling guild and doing presentations for churches, schools and other organizations. Tschopp said her most popular program over the years has been her recreation of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House on the Prairie books.

Now she’s taken her research into the family further by releasing her book on Mary Ingalls, her sister.

“I saw there wasn’t a book on Mary and her time at the blind school,” Tschopp said. “I asked if they would allow me to write one and opened up their archives and was able to put together a book on Mary Ingalls at the blind school.”

The book is available through Amazon and features information on her life at the Iowa College for the Blind and photos that haven’t yet been published.

To put the book together she spent quite a bit of time digging through archives.

“I did a lot of research, I visited Iowa State Historical Society and the Herbert Hoover museum.  They have the Wilder papers so I  went there and did a lot of research,” Tschopp said.

Tschopp said writing the book and presenting as Laura Ingalls allows her to express her creativity and have some fun while doing it.

She’s a member of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association as well and has devoted hours and hours to researching the family for her presentations and book.

Marie has a website at http://www.marietschopp.com.

 

Running for a cause

The charity 5k has exploded in the last decade with races popping up all over to support a designated charity. Cancer organizations have seen a big boost from those, and according to Running in the USA there are almost 500 5k races in the state of Iowa each year!

Are you a runner or a walker? Either one it doesn’t really matter as the goal is to get people signed up and moving towards the finish line.

There’s a few cancer related charities that have races coming up in the next few months and if you want to be a runner now is the perfect time to start training as the weather heats up.

Here are a few (and sorry if we missed your race) races that will be happening this summer in the Quad Cities area:

Relay for Life – Iowa Cancer Specialists happily sponsors the Quad Cities Relay for Life that is just two weeks away! The event from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. will feature cancer survivors and community members raising money. While not a 5k, this event goes towards raising money for the American Cancer Society.

Carol M. Guthrie Memorial 5K Run/Walk – The Carol M. Gurthrie Memorial 5k will be taking place in Anawan, Illinois this year and will proceeds will benefit the Samuels family. The Samuels have a 6-year-old daughter with Leukemia and the money will go towards helping that family.

Walk Out Cancer – The 5k and kids fun run will take place in Savanna, Illinois (just a hour drive from the Quad Cities) on September 16. The race costs $20 with funds going towards the American Cancer Society. This one is a bit away so it’ll give you time to get your conditioning up!

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure – This one is just over a month away on June 10th and raises money for the Komen foundation. Their website states they have raised nearly $20,000 towards their $100,000 goal this year. You can participate as an individual or get some people together to raise money!

So now that you’ve registered for a race you need a plan to get yourself in gear and in shape before the race. If you’re an inexperienced runner the Couch to 5k program is an easy way to slip into running a 5k, search the App Store on your phone and there will be plenty of apps to choose from as you start.

If you already consider yourself fit, a fun way to keep that way is the Zombies, Run! App that can be downloaded on either Apple or Android phones. Here is a link to their website where it explains that with 200 missions to choose from you’ll always have something new to work with. The jist of the game is that it will guide you through periods of fast and slow as the storyline changes.

Good luck!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is here and along with it comes one of the biggest fundraising blitzes for breast cancer charities.

Designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and signified by a pink ribbon, the month in recent years has become hugely commercialized with everyone from the NFL to food manufacturers taking notice.

This post will go over some of the highest rated cancer charities as well as one local Quad City charity for women both in Iowa and Illinois looking for information on breast cancer resources.

Choosing a charity to donate your money to can be hard, the concern if your money is being spent wisely or given to large administration salaries is a valid one, so what can you do to make sure the charities you donate to are heading in the right direction?

Charity Navigator, a non-profit that looks at the financial reporting of charities and their transparency has rated breast cancer charities in few areas, namely breast cancer research, breast cancer support and breast cancer public awareness. Below is a list of some rated charities from Charity Navigator and a brief description of what they do.

  • Living Beyond Breast Cancer (4-star) — a breast cancer education and public awareness charity focused on finding support for a range of people including those recently diagnosed, in treatment, or in survivorship. They received a score of 99.7 from Charity Navigator, the highest awarded and around 84% of their expenses go to services and programs related to breast cancer awareness/education.
  • Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation (4-star) — a California based research foundation that aims to do research looking at the causes of breast cancer. Their key projects include long-term international studies of populations, advanced imaging and analysis of breast ducts, and providing information on their research via educational materials.
  • Susan G. Komen for the Cure (3-star) — One of the most well known breast cancer charities, their aim is to provide funding locally for breast health. The Quad Cities branch of the charity serves both Iowa and Illinois and provides local grants for mammograms and other health services.

Are you running a race for charity or have another charity not listed you donate to? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook what you plan on doing during breast cancer awareness month.

Meet our phenomenal nurse practitioner, Katie Browne!

Katie Browne

Quad City native Katie Browne poses with a precious nurse-in-training, her daughter Evie. Between her son Tyler, her daughter Evie, their two cats and a dog, Katie has her hands full both in the office and at home!

We don’t know where we would be without our wonderful nurse practitioner Katie Browne! Katie came to us from Genesis, where she worked as a nurse for about 12 years. Her whole nursing career has been in oncology, and we are so grateful to have her with us at Iowa Cancer Specialists.

“I love this role!” said Katie. “I enjoy having the autonomy to help people and still have amazing role models for when I have questions.”

Katie spends her days seeing a variety of patients at Iowa Cancer Specialists. In between, she spends a lot of time studying and learning about new topics and techniques.

“I have the satisfaction of being able to partner with our patients,” said Katie. “I do whatever I can to make them feel as good as possible and figure out ways to give them their best experience.

Because Katie works with so many patients, she understands that each person’s journey is unique.

“Everybody’s story is different,” she said. “And part of what I’ve learned is that no matter what, maintaining connections helps make the diagnostic and treatment process more tolerable. It helps to stay positive and stay strong and stay connected.”

Katie is invaluable to us here at Iowa Cancer Specialists, and we thank her for all her hard work building relationships and maintaining connections with all our patients in order to provide them with the best care and experience possible!

Where to turn?: A North Star on your financial voyage

Puzzle pieces

Navigating the waters of your finances can be choppy after a diagnosis. Use this guide as a small breeze in your sails on your way to monetary stability. After identifying what kind of insurance you carry and what the terms of your policies are, you’ll be ship-shape to sail the financial seas.

This is not designed as a complete list of your options nor as a replacement for a financial adviser. Think of it more like a compass that will allow you to ask the right questions and look in the right places while making the most of your resources.

Disability and government aid:

Disability insurance will usually replace 60 to 70 percent of your income when offered by your employer. Once you and your doctor decide whether or not you should be working, find out the definition of disability in your employer’s short- and long-term disability policies.

Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are programs you may qualify for, as well, if you’ve been working for many years (contributing to your Social Security) or if your family is in need of extra assistance due to low income and limited assets. You’ll have to contact your local Social Security Administration government office to explore all your options.

Medicare is a government-funded insurance program. If you qualify, up to 80 percent of outpatient costs are covered with Medicare Part B, though not all medical institutions are valid under Medicare. Privately-underwritten insurance programs designed to supplement Medicare are called Medigap plans and can help cover the remaining 20 percent.

On the private health insurance front:

Cancer insurance will have you covered, but only for cancer-related costs and often with limiting factors like in-patient-only procedures.

Major medical insurance will cover large percentages of the costs associated with accidents or illnesses like cancer once the deductible is met. The premiums are higher, but the coverage is extensive.

Critical illness insurance pays out a lump sum upon diagnosis, which makes it a convenient and prompt way to pay for medical and nonmedical bills as you choose. This is a supplemental insurance, so be sure to see how it fits in to your existing coverage and premiums.

Life insurance, the elephant in the room:

It may also benefit your family to look into your existing life insurance policy or those available to you. Some allow you to take advantage of benefits while living that can majorly help your financial situation. While discussing or shopping for a life insurance policy is not the most comfortable thing in the world, it can ultimately give you and your family more peace of mind.

Additional programs and resources:

Be sure to look into grants and loans offered specifically for cancer patients struggling to stay financially solvent, such as these organizations:

The Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition

The HealthWell Foundation

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 

CancerCare

Five involuntary thoughts that cross a caregiver’s mind

When cancer strikes, it affects more than just the patient. Those surrounding him or her have their own set of obstacles to overcome, and sometimes the highest hurdles come from a caregiver’s own head. Here is a compilation of five thoughts a caregiver may have and how to handle them.

 

We can’t afford this.

Money problems can cause mountains of stress for anyone fighting a battle against illness. As the bills pile up, it can be difficult to keep your head above water. At times, you may even find yourself questioning whether it’s worth it to write another check for treatments that may or may not be working—that is, before you rapidly shake the stray thought from your head.

If they don’t get better, it’s my fault.

When you invest all of your time, energy and resources into your loved one’s care, it’s easy to acquire a god complex. You may begin to believe that every change in their health is a direct reflection of your efforts.

You may celebrate yourself when their condition improves or demoralize yourself when it worsens, burdening yourself with all the credit—and consequently, all the fault—at each step. This inevitably leads to a black hole of way too much pressure that you could do without.

Nobody cares about me anymore.

When you’re the caregiver for someone with cancer or other illness, fewer people are likely to ask “How are you?” in favor of “How are they?” Understandably, the person you are caring for becomes the hub of conversations and interactions.

It’s not that you don’t appreciate everyone’s concern, but there may be times you’d like to scream, “Hey! I’m here, too. I struggle, too. I matter, too!”

I don’t want to be the strong one all the time.

Caregiving is 24/7 work, and it isn’t always easy. You’re exhausted, frustrated and scared, but you don’t get days off at this job.

Many times throughout your loved one’s battle, you may feel this close to throwing in the towel—at least for a few hours—and breaking down. You’ll want to bury your face in a pillow or cry on someone’s shoulder and have someone tell you everything’s okay. It isn’t fair that your needs always have to come second to those of your loved one, and you can do nothing but suck it up. After all, they have cancer.

I shouldn’t be thinking these things.

As the caregiver, you are convinced that thinking these things makes you a terrible person. How could you possibly complain about anything when your loved one is battling something much more serious?  Over time, the guilt builds up and exacerbates your existing anxieties, leading to a world of hurt.

 

 

 

Listen up.

You are normal. These are rational, common thoughts that naturally crop up under the stress of caring for someone with a long-term illness. Here are a few tips to help you come to terms with these thoughts:

Remember that money is one of the top sources of stress even on a good day—worrying over finances is a pragmatic and expected part of fighting illness. There are a variety of counseling and advising services available to you to aid in your personal battle against money-related stress.

Keep in mind that while the care you provide your loved one can influence their illness trajectory, you are not in control of their cancer. A wide variety of factors affect their condition, and your care is only one of those factors. Give up the reins on this one. You’ll feel better for it.

It is highly important to take care of yourself during this time. Make it a priority to find a support group and/or a trusted confidant with whom you can express your feelings. Despite what it may feel like, you are not alone in thinking these things. Talking it out in a nonjudgmental exchange may be exactly what you need to get back on the horse and resume feeling like the superhero you are.

Do things for yourself. You are still your own person even as you’re caring for someone else. As much as possible, continue doing the things you love. Get enough rest, eat well and spend quality time with other people in your life.

Ask, ask, ask for help! It is neither weak nor shameful to reach out to those around you. When people ask you, “How are they?” give them an update—and then tell them how they can be of service! Not only will this relieve some of the weight from your shoulders, it gives others an opportunity to contribute to the wellbeing of someone they care about in a more tangible way than putting you through the Spanish Inquisition every time you run into each other.

Being honest with yourself about these feelings does not mean you care for your loved one any less—it means you have found the strength to take care of yourself while still giving your time, energy and love to him or her.

 

Note: If you are not a caregiver but know someone helping a loved one battle cancer or other long-term illness, remember that caregivers are people, too.