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  • Anxiety But Not Depression Persists

    Posted 6/8/2013 by hhill
      It is so very satisfying when a study comes along and says what I (and you) have known all along. In this case, this study from Lancet compared results from a number of studies to find that, compared to adults who had not had cancer, cancer survivors had a similar level of depression but were 27% more likely to harbor anxiety two years after diagnosis and 50% more likely to have those feelings ten years later. Read more... Comments (0)
  • Cancer Experience Registry

    Posted 5/21/2013 by hhill
      It is such a pleasure to write this morning about the Cancer Experience Registry, a program of the Cancer Support Community. The Cancer Support Community (www.cancersupportcommunity.org) is the name of the merged Wellness Community and Gilda's Club, and provides a multitude of support and educational services to cancer patients and their families at their many affiliates around the country. The Registry has been developed by their Research and Training Institute to identify and advance the understanding of the emotional and social needs of people who have been diagnosed with all kinds of cancer. Read more... Comments (0)
  • Coping Differences between Straight and Sexual Minority Women

    Posted 4/23/2013 by hhill
      It is always dangerous to make sweeping (or even semi-sweeping) generalizations, and that surely applies to any assumptions about coping. I have read a number of article through the years that compare the Quality of Life (QOL) or coping of straight vs lesbian women with breast cancer, but this study is the first I have seen that breaks it down even further. Speaking only from a perspective of clinical observation, I would be hard pressed to make any statements about differences among groups. Of course, different women process a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment very differently, but I could not generalize about particular groups or populations. The variables have always seemed to be related to the individual and her unique perspectives, resources, and life experiences. Read more... Comments (0)
  • Benefits of Yoga

    Posted 4/6/2013 by hhill
      Learning more about the potential benefits of yoga is not really surpising, but it is nice to read more positives about this special form of exercise. For several years, I participated in a weekly class for women who had been treated for breast cancer, and it was great. Indeed, I felt strong and more flexible and very relaxed in the immediate moments afterwards. Life changed, and that particular class stopped, and I have not really done yoga since. Last summer, I went one morning to a drop in yoga class near our cottage in Maine. I had seen the sign, and it seemed like an easy and good opportunity to try this again. Instead, it was a stark reminder of the difference a few years (maybe 8, not really sure when the earlier yoga class ended) can make, and that, although I do go to the gym daily, yoga clearly uses different muscles. Several of the poses were very tough, and the larger problem was the next morning when I could barely move. Read more... Comments (0)

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About the Blogger

Hester Hill Schnipper, LICSW, OSW-C is the Manager of Oncology Social Work at BIDMC. For more than thirty years, her daily work at BIDMC has been primarily focused on supporting women with breast cancer. A nationally known writer and speaker, she was the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's first Hatcher Survivorship Professor. In 1993, and again in 2005, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through the standard treatments of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy. These experiences have given her great credibility with her patients and transformed her life's work to her life. Ms. Schnipper lives gratefully with her husband in an ancient farmhouse outside of Boston and spends as much time as possible in a water front cottage on Mt Desert Island. Between them, they have five adult children and seven grandchildren; she claims biological responsibility for two and three of them.