Under Toad Days: Surviving the Uncertainty of Cancer Recurrence

On Being a Patient19 September 2000Under Toad Days: Surviving the Uncertainty of Cancer RecurrenceElizabeth D. McKinley, MD, MPHElizabeth D. McKinley, MD, MPHCase Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Cleveland, OH 44109-1998 (McKinley)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-133-6-200009190-00019 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail After my very last radiation treatment for breast cancer, I lay on a cold steel table hairless, half-dressed, and astonished by the tears streaming down my face. I thought I would feel happy about finally reaching the end of treatment, but instead, I was sobbing. At the time, I wasn't sure what emotions I was feeling. Looking back, I think I cried because this body had so bravely made it through 18 months of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Ironically, I also cried because I would not be coming back to that familiar table where I had been comforted and encouraged. ... Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Cleveland, OH 44109-1998 (McKinley)Corresponding Author: Elizabeth D. McKinley, MD, MPH, MetroHealth Medical Center, Rammelkamp Research and Education Building, 2500 MetroHealth Drive, Cleveland, OH 44109-1998. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byThe Association of Illness-related Uncertainty With Mental Health in Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic DiseasesA Multi-step Approach to Adapting a Mind-Body Resiliency Intervention for Fear of Cancer Recurrence and Uncertainty in Survivorship (IN FOCUS)Psychosocial Impact of Cancer Care Disruptions in Women With Breast Cancer During the COVID-19 PandemicA Pilot Mind-Body Resiliency Intervention Targeting Fear of Recurrence among Cancer SurvivorsResilience trajectories of cancer survivors: a meaning-making perspectiveFear of Cancer Recurrence: A Model Examination of Physical Symptoms, Emotional Distress, and Health Behavior ChangeChecking Behavior, Fear of Recurrence, and Daily Triggers in Breast Cancer SurvivorsMind-body interventions for fear of cancer recurrence: A systematic review and meta-analysisAdjustment to Life as a Cancer SurvivorFear of recurrence or progression as a link between somatic symptoms and perceived stress among cancer survivorsThe Health Change Trajectory ModelLiving with cancer-related uncertainty: associations with fatigue, insomnia, and affect in younger breast cancer survivorsEvaluation of the efficacy and usability of NCI's Facing Forward booklet in the cancer community settingPerception of cancer recurrence risk: More information is betterGetting back on track: evaluation of a brief group psychoeducation intervention for women completing primary treatment for breast cancerImpact of lifestyle factors on prognosis among breast cancer survivors in the USACancer-Related Fatigue (CRF)A Qualitative Study of Health Beliefs and Health Behaviors among Korean Breast Cancer Survivors"Once You're 82 Going on 83, Surviving Has a Different Meaning"Does Rurality Affect Quality of Life Following Treatment for Breast Cancer?Advanced Cancer: A Mind-Body-Spirit Approach to Life and LivingSelf-Efficacy, Perceived Preparedness, and Psychological Distress in Women Completing Primary Treatment for Breast CancerWhat Are Cancer Survivors Telling Us?Advice-Giving and the Management of Uncertainty for Cancer SurvivorsCommunication with Breast Cancer SurvivorsAdjusting to life after treatment: distress and quality of life following treatment for breast cancerClosure for patients at the end of a cancer clinical trial: literature reviewLife on the Receiving End: A Qualitative Analysis of Health Providers??? Illness NarrativesContextual life stress and coping strategies as predictors of adjustment to breast cancer survivorshipBenefits of the uncertainty management intervention for African American and white older breast cancer survivors: 20-Month OutcomesCancer Survivorship: A New Challenge in Delivering Quality Cancer CareSurvivorshipTesting a model of symptoms, communication, uncertainty, and well-being, in older breast cancer survivorsPromoting adjustment after treatment for cancerOutcomes From the Moving Beyond Cancer Psychoeducational, Randomized, Controlled Trial With Breast Cancer PatientsHolistic Healing for Women with Breast Cancer through a Mind, Body, and Spirit Self-Empowerment ProgramWhen the Physician-Researcher Gets CancerCaring for Colleagues 19 September 2000Volume 133, Issue 6Page: 479-480KeywordsBreast cancerCancer treatmentChemotherapyEmotionsFearPrimary care physiciansResearch fundingResearch quality assessmentRunningSurgery ePublished: 19 September 2000 Issue Published: 19 September 2000 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2000 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...