As told to Liz Sauchelli The day I got my colon cancer diagnosis, my husband and I bought a bottle of champagne. We were driving home from the hospital crying and I just said, “Babe, we need to stop and get a bottle of champagne because we’re going to toast to kicking cancer’s butt and being on the other side of this thing.” In the picture I have from our toast that day, our eyes are swollen from tears. My Healthy

Having to get any type of surgery, no matter how simple the procedure may seem, can be scary. The Covid-19 pandemic, with its new health risks and protocols to follow, makes it even more stressful for patients. While the pandemic initially decreased the number of outpatient surgeries being performed, they are back to pre-pandemic levels, which had been on the rise even before then: In 1995, 13.4 million surgeries took place at hospital-owned centers and by 2018, there were 19.2 Healthy

Eight years ago, I was a healthy 54-year-old woman. I often joked that I was too healthy — I rarely had a cold and never had the flu. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the term for germs that no longer respond to medication so medications become ineffective, wasn’t really on my radar even though I was a licensed practical nurse. I never thought I could contract an antibiotic-resistant bug myself, but a trip to the ER changed everything. Shortly after I turned Healthy

Medically reviewed by Dr. Tom Sandora Healthy

From the Desk of Beth Battaglino, RN, CEO, HealthyWomen It’s an undeniable fact. No one knows your body like you do. And when something doesn’t feel quite right, it’s important that you pay attention, speak up and seek answers. Shirley Norris learned this lesson when she first noticed bright red blood in her urine in 2014. She’d had a hysterectomy, so she knew it couldn’t be her period. She saw a urologist for the next couple of years as she Healthy

Medically reviewed by Dr. Andrea Apolo After bladder cancer treatment, a woman is often left struggling. She looks in the mirror at her new body, maybe with a urostomy bag attached, and worries that she’s no longer sexy and her sex life will never be the same. But there is hope for her — and all bladder cancer patients. It is possible to have a healthy, satisfying sex life after bladder cancer treatment. Stages and treatment Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer Healthy

Medically reviewed by Dr. Andrea Apolo Cigarette smoking is the greatest risk factor for bladder cancer in both men and women. 50% of all cases of bladder cancer are associated with smoking. Past studies have shown that smoking was responsible for 28% of bladder cancer cases in women, and since 2011, the risk for women has increased to 50%. Current smokers are four times as likely to get bladder cancer when compared to those who have never smoked. Former smokers Healthy

As told to Shannon Shelton Miller During my annual Pap test, my gynecologist became very concerned after feeling a lump on what she thought was my ovary. An ultrasound showed it was on my bladder, so she referred me to a urologist for further testing. The urologist performed a cystoscopy, or bladder scope, and urinalysis. I’ll never forget when he came back and told me, “It’s bladder cancer.” I immediately started crying. I’d never heard of bladder cancer, so I Healthy

Lee Pearson wasn’t going to let anything postpone the Caribbean summer vacation she and her husband had been planning for years. Even though she’d been seeing blood in her urine for months and had an increased urge to urinate, Pearson, who is Black and was 71 at the time, felt she could wait before contacting a healthcare provider (HCP). “I said I would check it out when I got back,” Pearson said. “But when we were there, the frequency and Healthy

There’s stress, and then there’s helping your mother recover from a stroke while caring for your four children — all while nine months pregnant. This was life for 48-year-old Nefertari Williams of Willingboro, New Jersey, who was 34 at the time. “I was dealing with a mother who had recently suffered a massive stroke which left her unable to move her right side or speak,” Williams said. “I was also a married mother of four.” Stressed didn’t begin to describe Healthy

By Jennifer Weeks, The Conversation As spring expands across North America, trees, shrubs and flowers are releasing pollen. This fine, powdery substance is produced by the male structures of cone-bearing and flowering plants. When it’s carried to the plants’ female structures by wind, water or pollinators, fertilization happens. As pollen travels, it also triggers allergies in some 25 million Americans. Pollen exposure can cause sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes, runny nose and postnasal drip – unwelcome signs of spring for sufferers. Healthy