Season 2 | Episode 5: Field Notes from the Oncology Ward

☎️ Episode 5: Field Notes from the Oncology WardWhen you’ve spent decades studying how humans build hierarchies and power structures and then you find yourself inside one, you start taking notes.In Episode 5, Vesna, Jacky & Paula sit down with Karin Costenoble, former anthropologist, systems lover and ongoing breast cancer patient who shares her experience navigating cancer care in Australia.What unfolds in this episode is not just a cancer story. It’s a systems story.Karin was diagnosed just over 12 months ago and what followed was a crash course in medical hierarchy, siloed communication, conflicting specialist opinions, a treatment plan delivered by text messaged and a language that somehow still finds a way to call breasts “dense”, a uterus “bulky” and a cervix “incompetent.”Karin coped the way she knew how. She observed, she documented, she bought stationery. There were notebooks, there were tabs, there was a ring binder and when things started to get serious, the clipboard eventually came out. Because when the system doesn’t hand you a map, you make one.This episode moves beyond one diagnosis and into something bigger, the anthropology of modern medicine.Together we unpack;* The quiet indignities embedded in medical terminology.* How “standard of care” seems to depend on which surgeon you see.* The hierarchy embedded in hospital systems.* The emotional labour placed on patients to “manage” their own care.* And the simple fixes that could exist if systems valued patient experience as much as surgical throughput.We talk about simple solutions, checklists, follow-ups, standardised education and why they remain inconsistently applied.Because the issue isn’t a lack of resources. It’s a lack of integration.Karin is still currently in the depths of treatment. This isn’t a retrospective critique from safe distance, it’s field notes written in biro, sometimes through gritted teeth, inside the system itself.This is not a rant, it’s a systems audit. Because systems don’t improve without critique and patients shouldn’t need anthropology training or a clipboard to survive them.💌 Subscribe for honest audits of women’s healthcare, invisible labour, medical hierarchy, and the design flaws we’re no longer whispering about. Stay on the line.Listen now → 🎙️ Episode 5: Field Notes from the Oncology Ward (Available wherever you get your podcasts.)Resources:Cancer Council Australia https://www.cancer.org.auCancer Australiahttps://www.canceraustralia.gov.auNational Breast Cancer Foundation Australia https://nbcf.org.auBreast Cancer Network Australiahttps://www.bcna.org.auThink Pink Foundation (Breast Cancer Care & Support)https://www.thinkpink.org.auMcGrath Foundation: Cancer Care Support & Awareness https://www.mcgrathfoundation.com.auDisclaimer:Hysteria Hotline is for listening, laughing, and occasionally raging, not for medical advice. This podcast contains strong language, sensitive topics, personal stories, blunt opinions, biting truths, and the horrors of the patriarchy. By tuning in, you accept that we’re here to expose bias, share experiences, and spill the tea on medical nonsense — not prescribe treatment, give medical advice or diagnose.If you have health concerns, always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition. For everything else like commiseration, validation, and a healthy dose of outrage, then you’re in the right place.Side effects may include laughter, rage, validation, and the sudden urge to demand better care.By listening, you acknowledge that the hosts and producers of Hysteria Hotline are not responsible for any actions taken based on the content of this podcast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hysteriahotline.substack.com