PEN Blog Archives

The Best of 2020

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As 2021 begins, we would like to take a moment to highlight a few of our most popular posts from 2020 and to thank the people who contributed to the popularity of these posts. We cannot thank the authors and organizations enough that have contributed to make 2020 one for the books, even during a trying year. Your efforts to Patient Empowerment Network are greatly appreciated!

January

Patient Profile: Perseverance and Positive Thinking Helped This Young Mother

Stage IIB Hodgkin Lymphoma patient, Lindsay, shares her cancer journey from searching for a diagnosis to adjusting to her new mantle of ‘cancer survivor’.

10 Body Signals Warning Health Problems

We should always be aware of what our body is trying to tell us. Here are ten ways our body is signaling that we should be more concerned with our health.

February

How Can You Best Support A Friend With Cancer?

What happens when someone close to you has been diagnosed with cancer? Here are some tips and advice to be the most helpful to cancer patients.

Confused About Immunotherapy and Its Side Effects? You Aren’t Alone

Patients need to be aware of the side effects of immunotherapy and vigilant in addressing them with their doctor as they can signal complications.

March

Practicing Self Care In The Time of Coronavirus – How To Mind Your Mental Health And Well-Being During Covid-19

While this is naturally a worrying time, there are many things we can do to mind our mental health and boost our immunity and well-being at this time. In this blog, you will find tips to help you navigate your way through this time of global crisis.

Health Fraud Scam – Be Aware and Careful

This blog explains what healthcare fraud is and provides tips to help you avoid falling victim to these scams.

April

Cutting Through the Panic in a Pandemic

A list of trusted sources to help you cut through all the information that is being share online about the coronavirus pandemic.

Fact or Fiction: Finding Scientific Publications Infographic

This infographic from our PEN Powered Activity Guide shares her tips for finding and understanding scientific publications.

May

Cancer, COVID, and Change

Cissy White gets used to her new normal dealing with having ovarian cancer during a pandemic, and the challenges and benefits that presents.

Diversity in Clinical Trials Benefits Everyone

It is critical that minority groups are included in clinical trials because, as the broader population, their data will affect the outcome of precision medicine for everyone.

June

Social Determinants of Hope

Casey Quinlan explains that everyone’s social determinants of health have been impacted by COVID19, but she is seeing strong signals of hope.

Music as Medicine: The Healing Power of Music

For cancer patients, music can be a powerful therapeutic tool in coping with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Here is a list of some crowd favorites.

July

Dealing with a Cancer Diagnosis During COVID-19

There’s never a good time for a cancer diagnosis, especially during a global pandemic. Here are some recommendations from cancer treatment experts.

Quotation Inspiration: 10 Quotes to Inspire, Motivate and Uplift Cancer Patients

A list of 10 quotes and messages of hope and inspiration from patients that can bring you that much needed boost in your day.

August

Turning Your Home Into a Sanctuary

These days we are spending more time at home, so you need to feel like your happy place. Turn your home in a sanctuary in 5 simple steps.

Oncology Social Worker Checklist

Oncology Social Worker, Sara Goldberger, MSSW, LCSW-R, shares her checklist for resiliency during the time of a global pandemic.

September

The Nitty Gritty on Care Partnering

Casey Quinlan provides a short checklist that can be used in any patient-with-a-bedside-care-partner situation.

Are Cancer Survivors More Susceptible To Respiratory Illnesses When Air Quality Is Poor?

A recent study published examines the connection between air pollution and respiratory health among cancer survivors.

October

Patient Empowerment Revisited

In this Part 2, we’ll look at the role of peer to empowerment and explore whether the term “empowerment” is even the right term to use.

The Power of Journaling During Cancer Treatment

This article is meant to help cancer patients understand just how much journaling can help them emotionally and physically during their treatments.

November

The Caregiver Impact: A Vital Part of Healthcare

Network Managers, Carly Flumer and Sherea Cary, team up to discuss the importance caregivers and some quick tips for caregivers.

5 Ways a Patient Portal Can Improve Your Health Care Experience

This blog shares 5 helpful tips for utilizing your patient portal to the fullest.

December

“Wait, There’s a Good Cancer?”

Carly Flumer shares her thyroid cancer diagnosis story and what it’s like being told you have the “good” cancer.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) Patient Profile

A patient story from a chronic myeloid or myelogenous leukemia (CML), an uncommon cancer of the bone marrow, patient.

Essential First Aid Tips For Cancer Caregivers

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First aid is an essential skill — however, 70% of Americans feel unprepared for a cardiac emergency because they either don’t know how to administer CPR or their training has significantly lapsed. It’s important for caregivers of cancer patients to be trained in first aid, so they’re fully-prepared and ready to act in emergency situations. This includes knowing how to administer CPR, looking out for the common signs of infection, and helping patients manage the emotional symptoms of cancer.

Administering CPR

Chemotherapy damages healthy cells in the body, including cells in and near the heart. As a result, cardiac toxicity and conditions like arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms), congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy (the heart struggling to send blood around the body), angina (chest pain), and myocarditis (inflammation of the muscular layer of the heart wall) can occur. In these situations, a cancer patient may need CPR, which, if unsuccessful, may need to be followed up with an AED (automated external defibrillator). An AED can help restart the patient’s heart and re-establish the natural rhythm of the heartbeat. First aid training is essential for anyone caring for cancer patients as it covers how to administer CPR correctly. Caregivers should also inform themselves of the patient’s resuscitation wishes in advance.

Preventing infection

Cancer and cancer treatment weakens the immune system, which in turn increases a patient’s risk of infection. Additionally, cancer patients can have a low white blood cell count (neutropenia), which further weakens the body’s ability to fight infection. Symptoms of infection to look out for in cancer patients can include: fever, sore throat, shortness of breath, belly pain, and chills potentially followed by sweating. In this case, caregivers should check the patient’s temperature with a thermometer, keep the patient hydrated, and help them take their medication on schedule. If the patient has a high or low temperature, can’t take fluids, or simply doesn’t seem “right,” take them to the emergency room and let the staff know they’re in treatment for cancer.

Emotional first aid

One third of all cancer patients experience high levels of mental or emotional distress that meets the strict diagnostic criteria for mental disorders, including depression or anxiety. As such, emotional first aid becomes an important part of caring for cancer patients and their emotional health. In particular, anxiety can result in shortness of breath, hyperventilation, and chest pain. It’s therefore essential to learn deep breathing techniques to help affected patients stay as calm and pain-free as possible. Alternatively, depression can manifest symptoms like low mood, irritability, insomnia, excess sleepiness, and suicidal thoughts. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the signs and symptoms of depression and begin an open dialogue with the affected individual to provide them with support and treatment if necessary.

First aid knowledge and skills are an essential part of caring for people with cancer. It’s important caregivers have the right first aid training, knowledge, and skills to help patients in emergency situations.

Bright Hope on the Horizon – Part Two

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Swimming Upstream: My Struggle and Triumph Over Cancer and the Medical Establishment: New Hope in Cancer Treatment

Click Here to Read Part 1

(Dec 2020)

I would like to think—hope in fact—that no future cancer patients will have to fight the way I did to get certain treatments, that doctors today could help them prevent that. Oncologists now universally accept this novel concept that each patient’s cancer is different and must be treated differently. Treatment needs to be based, not on it’s  location, but on the unique pattern of gene mutations it exhibits. This understanding has led to the development and increasing usage of a test called Genome Typing. In the simplest explanation, genes are microscopic particles (nucleotides) located on the chromosomes of a cell. The genes instruct the cell to behave in a certain way and perform certain functions. Cancer alters, mutates, a gene to send a different signal to the cell so it  performs, not its normal function, but a function suitable for the cancer’s growth. This pattern of Genetic Mutations is unique to each cancer. Discovering and, possibly, attacking these mutations is called Targeted Therapy. Let’s assume that one patient’s parotid cancer shows the same gene mutations as the other patient’s breast cancer. Therefore, both these cancers need to be treated with the same medicine. The location of the cancer is totally irrelevant.

The problem is that federal agencies and the health insurers are still stuck in the past. My cancer, the salivary duct carcinoma of the parotid is practically a twin of the ductal carcinoma of the breast. It stands to reason that a drug that worked against one is likely to work against the other too. Because breast cancer is very common and parotid cancer is exceedingly rare, it is far, far easier for researchers and drug companies to test a new drug against breast cancer than against parotid cancer. Therefore, they can present convincing data to the FDA to show that a particular new drug works against breast cancer and thus get the approval for its use in breast cancer treatment. Unfortunately, parotid cancer patients, due to their small numbers, are left out in the cold. There are plenty of drugs that are FDA approved for use for breast cancer but none for parotid cancer. This allows the health insurers to refuse payment for most new drugs for patients like me. It becomes an uphill battle, often futile, to fight. I am blessed to have had the wherewithal I did, but not everyone survives the fight.

The simple logic is that if a drug blocks Her2 and successfully treats Her2-positive breast cancer, its use should be approved for any cancer anywhere that is Her2 positive. Unfortunately, this simple logic is lost on many in the hierarchy.  Lately, there have been some encouraging signs that the FDA is moving in this direction. Insurers are still slow to respond but ultimately they will.  Tomorrow is looking better and brighter.

I think of the whole thing in this way: The evolution of cancer treatment is similar to the evolution of how we used telephones. Years ago, in the 1940s and 1950s, we had neighbors sharing the same line, first the crank-up type and then old rotary phones—party lines they were called. It would not be unusual to pick up the phone and learn that your next-door neighbor was already talking on it. You would have to wait—and hope that your neighbor would not blather on for another hour before you could make your call.

Later, we began to see home phones—one house, one line. But still, everyone in the house was on the same line. If you picked it up to make a call, you might hear your brother talking to his girlfriend. You couldn’t get on until he hung up.

Today we have cell phones and the days of the house phone are almost over; the concept of a party line is simply laughable. 

Cells phones of today are highly personalized and sophisticated communication tools. They are configured exactly to specific users’ specifications: their own phone number; the exact amount of memory they need; the number and kinds of apps they want installed; their contact list; their choice of songs, photos, videos, and documents; and even their very personal and confidential data. It is a highly personalized gadget now.

So is cancer treatment.

And that wonderful news is why if there were a better time to have cancer, to have a doctor drop the bad news on you, it is today—right now.

Why is this happening?

On one front, medical science continues to make extraordinary strides. Each new kernel of knowledge accelerates and expands what was previously known—one new discovery leads to five more. Targeted therapy is one example—but a very good one.

On a second front, doctors have begun to expand their knowledge about how to marshal the body’s own defenses, its own immune system, to attack cancer.

Former President Jimmy Carter astounded the world in December 2015 when he announced he was cancer free. Only months before, he had said it was unlikely he would survive the late-stage malignant melanoma that had spread to his brain.

He might have astonished the general public, but medical insiders were not as surprised. Mr. Carter was the beneficiary of a new wonder drug, Nivolumab, and the relatively new concept of immunotherapy for cancer—checkpoint blockade.

Patient Advocates Turned Award-Winning Network Managers

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The Patient Empowerment Network (PEN) is rolling out the red carpet to congratulate and celebrate two of our dedicated and passionate Network Managers, who are being recognized as outstanding patient advocates. Their enthusiasm for helping other patients navigate their cancer journeys exemplifies PEN’s mission of ensuring all patients have the resources they need to access the best possible healthcare and achieve the best possible health outcomes. We are proud of our growing team of Network Managers and grateful for their engagement in the PEN community.

Summer Golden, recognized for her advocacy through the PEN Network Manager program, has been named a Voice of MPN 2020 MPN Hero. The MPN Hero award is given to those who have demonstrated a strong commitment to making a difference in the lives of people with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Summer, who lives with myelofibrosis (MF), understands the MPN journey and has helped thousands of patients through the Network Manager Program. She, and her husband, Jeff Bushnell, who became her care partner when she was diagnosed, reach out to patients in the MPN community through e-newsletters, program development, and support groups. Summer makes connections with others through compassion and humor. Yes, humor. She says, “Everyone deals with this diagnosis differently, so whether it’s through education, support, or in my case, comedy, it’s important to face your disease head on and know you are more than a diagnosis.”

Jeff/Summer 2020 MPN Hero Red Carpet Debut from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

 Dr. Gerri Smoluk was a PEN Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Network Manager and was recently named a finalist for the Reuters Patient Champion Award in the Patient Advocate category. Gerri was a drug development scientist and patient advocate who was diagnosed with AML in 2016. She made it her mission to help patients ask the right questions of their care teams. She used her knowledge to help patients learn about medications for and the latest information about their disease. Using her science background, Gerri developed tangible resources to help other AML patients. She felt she had an advantage and made it her mission to use that advantage to help empower others to make better decisions. Gerri passed away July 27, 2020. Her legacy lives on inspiring other Network Managers to help more patients become empowered.

Gerri Smoluk – PEN AML Network Manager from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

 The PEN Network Manager program is a volunteer group of patient empowerment ambassadors from around the country. Designed to further enhance health literacy, the program was launched in March 2020 and has grown exponentially. The volunteers engage with PEN’s network of cancer patients and families with the goal of providing support and navigation on their path to empowerment. Find out how you can get involved here.

#patientchat Highlights: A Year in Review: Looking back on 2020 and Ahead to 2021

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Last week we hosted a “A Year in Review: Looking back on 2020 and Ahead to 2021” Empowered #patientchat, the community came together on Twitter for a lively discussion. Take a look at the top tweets and full transcript from the chat.

Top Tweets

No regrets

“Spread the love”

How can we empower others?

Full Transcript

Bright Hope on the Horizon – Part One

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Swimming Upstream: My Struggle and Triumph Over Cancer and the Medical Establishment: New Hope in Cancer Treatment

(Dec 2020)

Let’s be realistic. There is never a good time to have cancer.

Even today, caution and years of fighting to beat the odds against surviving this insidious enemy have made it an almost certainty that no doctor will ever promise that the cancer will never return. 

You will learn, in the good times, to say, “I’m cancer-free,” or “My cancer is in remission.” And you will hope the remission is permanent, but you will keep that to yourself. 

You will not dare say, “I’m cured. It’s gone. I beat it. It will never return.” 

I learned those rules as a physician and got personally reacquainted during my own struggle, so in due course, I learned to play by them. But the more years I survived and the more knowledge I gained, the more I got calls from friends and friends of friends of friends. 

“How did you do it?” they asked. “What should I do?” 

Very few people have been lucky enough to escape being touched in some way by cancer. They have a friend or a brother or a mother who died, they have an uncle who is in serious condition, or they know the nice woman down the street who was just diagnosed.

I’m happy to be where I am today—a survivor for many years. I’m gratified that people come to me for answers about what to do. 

Now, today, this is what I can tell them.

Medical science is advancing at a break-neck speed. New and exciting discoveries are being made each & every day. We now have a broad and ever-expanding range of targeted therapies. Then there is this whole new field of immunotherapy that has improved the prognosis for so many cancer patients.

Today, we can look back on how we treated cancer as recently as the 1990s and equate it with the Dark Ages—a time when very little was really understood. By comparison to what we know today, treatments thought to be cutting edge in the 1970s and 1980s seem downright primitive. 

In the 1960s and 1970s, for example, doctors treated cancer in a one-size-fits-all manner. There were only a handful of cancer killing chemotherapy drugs that were used to treat every form of cancer in a “one size fits all” thinking—and, of course, with horrible & debilitating side effects. More often than not, a cancer diagnosis was a death sentence.

In the 1980s, things began to change a bit. Doctors would treat breast cancer differently than say, lung cancer, which would be treated differently than kidney or bone cancer.

But that was missing the point as well.

Over time, doctors began to realize that it didn’t matter where the cancer began. They saw that each cancer had its own particular histology and its own unique behavior. 

My cancer is a classic example. It started in the parotid gland but, under the microscope, looked just like the ductal carcinoma of the breast. The fact that it originated from the parotid gland, not the breast, is rather irrelevant. It is basically the same cancer and should be treated the same way. And later, when it spread to the lungs or the bones, it was still the same parotid cancer, not a lung cancer or a bone cancer. It just happened to relocate there. 

My cancer had a life of its own. It was unique. It did not matter where it started from or where it migrated.

Once doctors began to see that, researchers were at the dawn of the new concept of targeted therapies. Each cancer was unique to each patient. The treatment should be individualized, targeted, against that particular cancer based on its unique characteristics, behavior, and vulnerabilities. One size does not fit all.

Click Here to Read Part Two

“Wait, There’s a Good Cancer?”

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When the Luck of the Draw Leads to the Short End of the Stick

Cancer is one of the most feared diseases. Everyone is affected by it in some way, but no one really imagines getting it themselves. So imagine hearing that you got the “good” cancer, a commonly used term for thyroid cancer. That can’t be right. Cancer is cancer…isn’t it? But who are we, as patients, to question what our doctors tell us? They’re the ones who went to medical school and have years of training. But maybe thyroid cancer isn’t that bad?

That’s what I thought when I was told that my cancer was the “good” one by more than one doctor. In fact, one doctor told me that thyroid cancer was “the cancer to have if you had to get it.” I didn’t have any symptoms at the time, so I took these words, spoken to me by medical professionals, as truth. Unfortunately, I learned that there was no such thing as a “good” cancer once I began treatment.

While thyroid cancer is slow-growing, does have a very good prognosis, and can be easily treatable, no cancer is the same. For example, I had the papillary variant of thyroid cancer, a common diagnosis amongst most thyroid cancer patients. I underwent surgery to remove half of the thyroid with the tumor, but my treatment didn’t end there. It was discovered in the pathology report that I had metastasis that was not shown on the original ultrasound that showed the tumor in my thyroid. As a result, I had to undergo a second surgery for the removal of the remaining half of my thyroid. Additionally, I was told by my surgeon that, because of the metastasis, he didn’t know if cancer could be elsewhere in my body, and I would need to undergo oral radiation therapy. “Wasn’t this the ‘good’ cancer?” I thought over and over.

Furthermore, what doctors don’t explain, at least very well in my case, is what not having a thyroid is going to be like. I wasn’t aware of what a thyroid was nor its functions when I was told that it was harboring a tumor. Nor did I know until I had to be placed on a supplement, or rather a replacement, for my lack of thyroid. I learned quickly that the thyroid essentially interacts with every other system in the body through controlling metabolism, heart rate, temperature, energy level, etc. My body slowly adjusted to this new medication with a prescribed dose that was initially “simply a guess” based on my age, weight, and overall health. From there, my healthcare team and I adjust the dose based on how my body responds. If I think about this, especially as a woman, my body goes through many changes as I age, and I’m sure many of them are affected by a properly-functioning thyroid, which I no longer have. I’m not saying that I’m not eternally grateful for their actually being a supplement I can take to, quite literally, live, on a daily basis. What I am saying is that the stigma and the choice of words and phrases surrounding this cancer, perpetuated by medical professionals needs to stop. At the very least, they need to recognize thyroid cancer as a cancer, a diagnosis that inevitably impacts the life, good or bad, of every patient who has this terrible disease well into survivorship.

If you’re a thyroid cancer patient, whether newly-diagnosed, in treatment, no evidence of disease (NED), or anywhere in between, educate and advocate for yourselves. Find doctors who take the time to understand your wants and needs as an individual human being. Never think that your cancer is “less than,” because it matters.

How Can Myeloma Patients Advocate for the Best Care?

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How Can Myeloma Patients Advocate for the Best Care? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Dr. Peter Forsberg shares advice for myeloma patients on why it’s important to speak up about symptoms and side effects, how to become a better partner in their care, and the role of a second opinion.

Dr. Peter Forsberg is assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and is a specialist in multiple myeloma. More about Dr. Forsberg here.

See More From The Pro-Active Myeloma Patient Toolkit

Related Resources

Myeloma Treatment Decisions: What’s Right for You Resource Guide

 What Should You Know About Myeloma Treatment Options?

What Should You Know About Myeloma Treatment Options?

Transcript:

Katherine:                  

What is some key advice that you give patients when they’re considering their treatment options?

Dr. Forsberg:             

Well, I think one important one is to always feel comfortable communicating with your provider. I think that there no by the book questions, list of questions, that’re the right questions to ask. I think the more important thing is trying to establish a good working relationship with your treatment team. Myeloma is much more of a marathon than it is a sprint. So, getting comfortable with your team, getting comfortable with a relationship and a partnership that can be often many years in duration, are really critical steps.

So, I think laying that foundation, feeling comfortable asking questions, trying to understand why. Understand how and what are tools to monitor what the myeloma will be and what indicates success or a need for something else. Those would all be critical pieces that I would encourage patients to feel empowered to be part of.

Katherine:                  

Patients can sometimes feel like they’re bothering their healthcare team with the comments and the questions. So, why is it important for patients to speak up when it comes to their symptoms and side effects?

Dr. Forsberg:             

Well, I think feeling comfortable being vocal about what’s going on is one of the key issues to navigating myeloma successfully. Being aware of issues, even if they may seem minor or insignificant, they may be an indicator for something that is emerging in terms of a treatment related side effect that we wanna be aware of. There are treatment side effects that we are willing to work through. But it can be very broad in terms of the spectrum of how we maneuver through different side effects.

And additionally, we always want to be aware of any issues that may be going on that could be a sign for what’s happening with the myeloma. So, trying to be vocal. Not only to understand what’s going on, what our treatments are, how successful are we at any given point in time, where things stand. But also, to make sure that you are putting things on your provider’s radar are key. So, lots of folks want to be good and compliant patients and we certainly appreciate that hope. But being assertive in terms of issues that may be coming up or questions that you may have, can really make for a much more successful long-term relationship in terms of how we manage the myeloma.

Katherine:                  

Well, do you have suggestions on how a patient could feel more confident in speaking up and becoming a partner in their care?

Dr. Forsberg:             

Well, certainly using tools like, if you found your way to this material, I think is a great first step.

Becoming a little bit more versed in the myeloma, in the language of the myeloma, what these tests that we use are. What their results might be. Using a number of great patient specific organizations are great first steps. So, being proactive about learning, to some degree about the myeloma. And then feeling comfortable asking that first questions. Once you begin the process of unlocking the myeloma and demystifying what it is and what these tests mean and where we stand, then that can really build on itself and allow folks to feel more in control of their myeloma and their myeloma journey.

Katherine:                  

And if a patient isn’t feeling confident with their treatment plan or their care, do you recommend that they seek a second opinion or consult a specialist?

Dr. Forsberg:             

Well, I never think it’s a bad idea to think about a second opinion or seeing a myeloma specialist. Even if you feel very comfortable with your treatment plan. Myeloma’s a unique disease and our approaches for it may be somewhat different, person to person.

And your needs as a myeloma patient my change and they may change somewhat abruptly. So, having seen someone who specializes in myeloma as part of your care team, and usually it is a care team. And there’s different models we sometimes work with in terms of both local or primary oncologists, as well as more specialized academic oncologists. We’re used to working through all sorts of models to provide the best possible care for patients. So, I never think it’s a bad idea to ask about that. Because having that more robust team is usually mostly benefit without adding a lot of headache. 

What Is the Patient’s Role in Myeloma Treatment Decisions?

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What Is the Patient’s Role in Myeloma Treatment Decisions? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Myeloma specialist Dr. Peter Forsberg shares his perspective on how patients fit into the shared decision-making process and their role in helping move treatment forward in a timely manner.

Dr. Peter Forsberg is assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and is a specialist in multiple myeloma. More about Dr. Forsberg here.

Download Program Resource Guide

See More From The Pro-Active Myeloma Patient Toolkit

Related Resources:

What Is the Patient’s Role in Myeloma Treatment Decisions?

What Is the Patient’s Role in Myeloma Treatment Decisions?

How Targeted Therapy Works to Treat Myeloma

Myeloma Targeted Therapy: Why Identifying Chromosomal Abnormalities Is Key

Transcript:

Katherine:                        

What do you feel is the patient’s role in the decision, and how does shared decision making come into play?

Dr. Forsberg:             

So, I think it’s always a really important piece of the puzzle to be a part of the decision-making process. Myeloma can be a challenging disease to understand. There are some pretty significant nuances in terms of what our treatment options are and what our goals may be.

So, I think having a patient who is involved in that process, who is actively asking questions. Engaging their provider if something doesn’t make sense. If our goal is not clear. Trying to make sure that you ask that. As oncologists, a lot of what we do involves communication and trying to help bridge gaps between our understanding of diseases and treatments and what patients see and feel and understand.

So, I think it’s really a critical piece of it for patients to ask questions, to engage. Now, I will say that one of the important things is often when the myeloma is newly diagnosed, we do need to move into treatment in a relatively timely manner. So, engaging with that process, being ready to move forward is our key component.

 

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) Patient Profile

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You would never know that the subject of this Patient Profile is living with cancer, and that’s exactly the way he likes it. Very few people know this patient’s story, even though he’s been living with chronic myeloid or myelogenous leukemia (CML), an uncommon cancer of the bone marrow, for almost 8 years. He is the very definition of an empowered patient. He’s informed, involved, and utilizes the resources available to him. If cancer were a bull, he definitely would have taken it by the horns. He prefers to remain anonymous, but he believes so strongly in being an empowered patient, that he agreed to share his story to encourage others to take control of their own cancer care.

It was March 2013, when he went in for an MRI on an unsatisfactory hip replacement, that his cancer journey began. When the report came back it said that there was a bone marrow infiltration with a high probability of malignancy. “The word malignancy stuck out to me,” he says. He had no symptoms at the time, but he couldn’t ignore the report and knew he needed to take immediate action.

His first step was to confirm that he did indeed have cancer. Coincidentally, he was pretty well connected with a prominent oncologist who diagnosed him with CML, told him it was easily treatable, and referred him to another doctor for treatment.

Not being the kind of guy to accept his fate without thoroughly gathering information, he decided to get a second opinion, and was able to do so through another connection he had. The second doctor confirmed the diagnosis and the doctor referral.

Satisfied that he was in the best possible hands for his specific cancer, he began treatment taking one of the four tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) medications commonly used to treat CML. Unfortunately, he started having intolerable side effects so, in August 2014, his doctor switched him to another TKI. While taking the new medication, he says his liver enzymes went through the roof and he was becoming concerned that he was running out of treatment options. However, once again, he was able to use his connections to get dosage instructions directly from the drug manufacturer, and with a simple shift in dosing, his problem was fixed. His liver enzymes returned to normal and he’s been living well ever since. “If I had to get a bad disease,” he says, “I got the right kind.”

His proactive nature toward his health was essential to the positive outcome he’s living with today. In addition, his connections to high-quality doctors gave him an advantage. He is grateful for that, but he’s also acutely aware that not everyone has the same advantages, and that’s why he appreciates the value of Patient Empowerment Network (PEN). He came across the free programs and resources available on the PEN website while doing his own research about CML. He believes that anyone who is sick should use whatever resources are available to get all the information they can. “The Patient Empowerment Network is a source of information and potential support,” he says. “I’ve told my friends and doctors about PEN because I want to help other people. To fail to do so would be a shame.”

He feels a sincere and urgent duty to pay forward his good fortune and credits that sensibility to his parents and his Jewish heritage. Describing himself as only moderately observant from a religious standpoint, he says he was raised to subscribe to the philosophy that there are only two kinds of Jews. “You either need charity or you give it,” he explains. In his life, he’s been fortunate financially, and so he feels compelled to give. “It’s just who I am, I thank my parents,” he says.

His charitable giving is also motivated by personal loss. His first wife died from an aggressive form of breast cancer, and he later lost a very close friend to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which he refers to as a death sentence. The pain of that loss continues to be palpable and has driven him to set up a foundation, named after his friend, at a leading cancer center that does cutting edge research on MDS, a group of rare and underdiagnosed bone marrow disorders.

Now at 76, with his CML in remission, he’s vibrant and busy and has no intention of slowing down. He continues to stay up to date on CML research because he believes it’s important to be informed about his disease. He serves in a one-on-one mentor program for cancer patients, and he also takes evening courses learning about topics such as the United States Constitution and the Federalist Papers. “I’m lucky,” he says. “With CML I will die with it, not from it.”

Welcome to Digitally Empowered®!

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A New Patient Empowerment Course from PEN

Empowered patients who are well-informed and take an active role in their care tend to have better health outcomes. With telehealth, patient portals, and research and treatment information all online, access to the internet has become critical to receiving quality care. However, the ability to access technology is one of the biggest hurdles to learning about health and making healthcare decisions. This hurdle creates a digital divide in healthcare where patients with access to the internet are more likely to have better treatment outcomes than patients who don’t have the skills or ability to use technology to their benefit. That’s a problem, but Patient Empowerment Network (PEN) has created a solution.

Digitally Empowered is a free and easy-to-complete, video-based course, created by PEN and made possible with the support and collaboration of Pfizer Oncology, that provides an opportunity for everyone to have equal access to healthcare resources on the internet. The course helps patients, and those who care for them, develop the skills necessary to access and use online health and support tools.

There is a clear need for programs like Digitally Empowered®. Only 12 percent of adults in the United States are able to obtain and understand the basic health information and services needed to make informed decisions about their care. Older patients are particularly vulnerable when it comes to health literacy because many patients age 65 and older don’t have digital technology skills. Digitally Empowered® is specifically tailored to help older cancer patients, and those caring for them, to be more tech-savvy, but the course has beneficial information to anyone who needs help managing their healthcare online, or who would like to better use online resources to improve treatment outcomes.

Research shows that patients make the best decisions about their care when they are armed with credible information. Patients who are able to access reliable and up-to-date information about cancer treatments can work with their care teams to receive the most personalized care and the best possible outcomes. The Digitally Empowered® course teaches patients how to get the latest credible information, research their conditions, ask pertinent questions, and take an active role in their care and treatment. The course teaches patients how to use the internet, social media, and mobile applications to help them search for information and to connect with other patients. No matter where they are in their cancer journey, the course will help cancer patients and care partners gain access to better cancer care.

To enroll in the Digitally Empowered® course, patients will need an email address. After a few simple steps to create login information there are clear instructions to guide patients through the program. Available in English and Spanish, the course is easy-to-follow, and is divided into ten parts, called modules. In each module, patients watch a short video, review a resource guide, and take a simple quiz to reinforce what was learned. While it’s not necessary to complete the course all in one sitting, the modules are meant to be completed in chronological order and take about ten minutes or less to complete. The entire course takes less than 90 minutes and automatically saves your progress along the way. If you need to leave the course at any time, you will pick up where you left off when you log back in.

In the first module, an animated version of PEN Director of Digital Communications and Engagement, Kara Rayburn, provides an introduction to the course and an overview of PEN’s mission to empower cancer patients and their care partners. She also introduces Carmen and Quincy, the program’s digital tutors. Carmen guides the course through each module and Quincy explains all the technical processes taught. The subsequent lessons take you through the rest of the course objectives which include learning how to access the internet, identifying credible resources and websites, learning the benefits of patient portals, using social media to connect and learn, navigating healthcare with mobile devices, using applications (apps) for convenience and fun, learning how to use telemedicine, and accessing and joining online support communities.

After completing all three steps of each module, participants earn a badge, and after completing all ten modules, they get a certificate of completion. Patients also receive emails of encouragement after the completion of each module. In the end patients will have gained the skills they need to use the internet to empower their cancer journey, but they will also be able to get continued support. Course participants are encouraged to join the Digitally Empowered® Facebook group and to sign up for the Digitally Empowered® newsletter. In addition, course participants can return to the modules to watch the videos and access, or download, the review guides at any time. There is also a Frequently Asked Questions page should anyone get stuck or need help along the way.

The course equips patients with the ability to research their diagnosis, navigate telehealth, and forge beneficial connections to others in the cancer community, all of which could lead to life-changing outcomes. Digitally Empowered was created to help all patients become knowledgeable about their diseases, because where there is knowledge there are choices, and where there are choices there is hope.

Hope for better health outcomes and the Digitally Empowered® course are both available at iamdigitallyempowered.org, and additional support provided by Pfizer can be found at thisislivingwithcancer.com.

Advocating for Key AML Testing: Advice From an Expert

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Advocating for Key AML Testing: Advice From an Expert from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Dr. Hetty Carraway, an AML specialist at Cleveland Clinic, shares advice on advocating for yourself when diagnosed with AML, underscoring the importance of asking questions, and including your caregiver as part of the conversation.

Dr. Hetty Carraway is Director of the Leukemia Program at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Carraway cares for patients with acute leukemia and bone marrow failure states. Learn more about Dr. Carraway, here.

See More From INSIST! AML

Related Resources:


 Treatment Approaches in AML: Key Testing for Personalized Care
 New AML Therapies vs. Traditional Chemotherapy: What’s the Difference?
 Understanding Risk in AML: How Molecular Testing Affects Treatment Options

Transcript:

Katherine:

What advice do you have for patients when it comes to asking for appropriate testing and speaking up in their own care?

Dr. Carraway:            

This is so important. I think patients are leery to stir the pot or be difficult. I think coming from a place of inquiry, teach me about this, that, or the other thing, help me understand this, that, or the other thing – I would like you to show me why this decision or talk with me about why this decision versus another decision might be better for me compared to somebody else.

I can’t underscore the importance of advocating for yourself and asking questions about why am I getting this drug? What are the side effects to this drug? What is my prognosis? What is different about my case versus somebody else’s situation? How do I best prepare myself in getting ready for the therapy that I’m about to go through?

Those are all important questions that patients should ask. They should certainly have people, if possible in their family be advocates for them. I welcome that, and I think that that’s a really important part of going through this type of therapy for any patient. Your physician should welcome having your involvement in that. Don’t be shy about that. It’s your health, and any investment in that the most important people in that is inclusive of you and your caregivers. They should be a welcome part of the team.

The Warrior in Me Saved My Life

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After experiencing increasing fatigue over the course of several years, I started to miss gatherings with friends and family and got to the point of taking one day off a month from work to sleep all day. This was unlike me as I was always very involved with professional and volunteer activities and had a very full schedule including parenting my young son with my spouse. After a lingering cold evolved into bronchitis, I began to explore what was wrong with the assistance of my primary care provider (PCP). I had mild persistent anemia, but nothing to warrant the degree of extreme fatigue that I was experiencing. She (my PCP) was very tolerant of my various Google-induced ideas, graciously accepting some to follow up with tests and others to set aside. 

After eleven months, a test showed that I had elevated M-proteins and my PCP sent me to a hematologist/oncologist who after greeting me reviewed several years’ worth of labs and then turned to tell me to come back in six months. She did not examine me. She did not ask me about my symptoms. She prepared to usher exit the room. I felt that I could not leave her office without her understanding how significantly the fatigue was impacting my daily life. This is when the inner warrior in me said NO! I did not move from my chair. I told her, “Nope. Now is the time that I need to tell you about my symptoms.” (Now this was somewhat uncomfortable for me because I have been well-trained to be polite and professional with doctors, but I had had enough. My New York elbows were coming out!) 

I read from a list that I had prepared detailing what I had been able to do prior to feeling unwell and what I could do now. As I went down the list for several minutes, she looked at her watch in a disgruntled manner, finally asking me “What do you want?” I told her that I wanted to feel well. I did not feel well and believed that something was wrong. I wanted her to do more tests. She agreed and also sent me out to schedule an appointment in six months. One week later at 8 AM as I was on my way out to work, SHE called me to tell me that she had scheduled a bone marrow biopsy (BMB) for the next day. I cleared my calendar. The BMB results confirmed that I had stage 2 Myeloma with more than 80 percent involvement in my bone marrow. My husband and I learned of this on the day before Thanksgiving. We were both in shock. We had so much to learn and at that point had no idea how much this diagnosis was going to change our lives. 

After a quick success of additional tests scheduled STAT, I started chemotherapy within two weeks. Getting a diagnosis took A LOT of persistence and determination when specialists minimized what I knew about my body — that something significant was wrong. And it was. Today is five years to the day of that diagnosis and I still wonder whether I would be diagnosed today if I had not INSISTED upon further testing. To her credit, the oncologist/hematologist did eventually acknowledge that I was right to press her to do more tests and that it was through my self-advocacy that I achieved a diagnosis.

What I would hope that others would take away from this story is how essential it is to be aware of your own body and to keep advocating (again and again) for yourself with doctors even when your symptoms are minimized. I was trained to advocate for others as a social worker, but it took intentional work to give myself permission to say no to doctors at first politely and then later not so politely to demand additional testing until an outcome was achieved that explained my health issues. Be persistent. You know more about your symptoms than anyone else. Do not stop until you find out what is going on with your body.

The Value of PEN: Bridging the Digital Divide

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Bridging the Digital Divide from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

 Empowered patients who have access to knowledge and information about their illnesses, have better health outcomes, but with many of the best healthcare resources available online, a digital divide has formed among patients. Tech savvy patients are at a definite advantage, while some of the most vulnerable cancer patients, those 65 and older, don’t have the technical skills to access online resources. Patient Empowerment Network (PEN) is changing that with their Digitally Empowered® programs. The fifth and final video of the Value of PEN series highlights the digital sherpa Program, which is designed for people who are not tech savvy. The program helps older, disadvantaged patients and actively trains them, so they have the confidence to access online healthcare resources that are potentially lifesaving.

The digital sherpa® Program is a real advantage for patients, says PEN Board Member LaWanda Byrd. She explains that the program helps to bridge the digital gap so that patients can utilize all the technology available to them. She says many patients are not aware of the technology options and applications available. Through the program, patients are empowered to be more informed and more involved in managing their own care.

Patients don’t need to feel overwhelmed by learning the technology. The digital sherpa® Program is designed for people who aren’t tech savvy so that they can become tech savvy enough to get the information they need, says Board Member Scott Riccio. Access to more information helps patients make better decisions about their healthcare. 

PEN is improving health equity for vulnerable cancer patients through Digitally Empowered® programs. The free programs at PEN are available for all patients, no matter their age or circumstances, and they help provide better health outcomes for empowered patients. Watch the video and find out how you can get involved and get empowered through PEN.

The Value of PEN: Community and Connection

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Community and Connection from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

 You are not alone. The Patient Empowerment Network (PEN) community understands the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with a cancer diagnosis. PEN helps patients through every step of their cancer journey and offers meaningful and valuable patient-to-patient connections. Video four, in a five-part series about the Value of PEN, focuses on the ways in which PEN helps patients connect with people who have a similar experience. Through social media channels, patient chats, and blog posts, PEN helps patients and caregivers feel empowered, informed, and less alone as they navigate the life-changing experience of a cancer diagnosis.

Nancy Gatschet is a PEN board member and a cancer survivor who emphasizes the need for patient-to-patient connection. She explains how important it is to have support from people who understand what you’re going through. She says, through PEN, patients can talk to each other and share experiences and that anyone anywhere can connect. The programs and resources offered through PEN are free and are available all hours of the day, every day.

When members of the PEN community connect, they find hope, says Board Member Scott Riccio. He describes the patient-to-patient connections as fantastic because through the community at PEN patients learn that they really are not alone and that there are other people who have been through what they are going through.

The chats on Twitter were particularly helpful to PEN Network Manager Carly Flumer, who is also a cancer survivor. She found that she was comfortable in the Twitter chats knowing that she could ask questions of other people with similar experiences who would understand her without judgement. Patients can follow the chats, called Tweet Chats, through the hashtag #patientchat.

 Getting connected and feeling less alone leads to patient empowerment, and the best cancer care happens when you’re empowered. Watch the video and find out how you can get involved and get connected through PEN.