Breast Investigators

Cancer stuns us, often to the point it is hard to think straight, hard to turn off the thoughts, and especially hard to organize our thoughts (especially once the chemo fog rolls in).  Suddenly, we are thrust into the life of a cancer patient - facing tests, appointments, treatment, so much that is new to us, and all at once.  Last year, I was at my mother’s side at every step through her diagnosis and treatment for lymphoma, and I’m a lot wiser for the ware.  I learned some really useful organizational strategies that were life-saving (both literally and figuratively).  I learned what we needed and didn’t need to be fully prepared and thought I’d share my working list, in hopes we can help someone else skip the initial steep learning curve.  It’s all in the bag.

•  Tote bag - ideally with several compartments for organizing your supplies
•  Identification and insurance cards
•  Names, addresses, and phone numbers for referral physicians
•  List of herbs, supplements, medications you are currently taking
•  Notebook or tape recorder for recording medical instructions
•  Daily planner or chemotherapy calendar (Don’t forget pens!)
•  Small cooler or thermal snack pack
•  Book and/or magazines
•  Music - CD player, MP3 player, other
•  Ipad or laptop
•  Hand sanitizer
•  Healthy snacks such as nuts, seeds, fruit, energy bars, trail mix, yogurt
•  Water bottles with plenty of water, electrolytes, ginger tea
•  Ice cubes - sucking on them can prevent mouth sores
•  Warm socks or slippers
•  Small pillow and blanket
•  A friend or loved one

The first chemotherapy appointment can be an all-day affair, so be prepared.  It’s recommended that you eat normally on treatment days, avoiding only those foods that are typically hard to digest or less than nourishing (deep fried foods, excessive quantities of meat, junk foods).  It’s important to have a designated driver as some of the medications may make you drowsy, or you just may not be feeling so great.

For some great downloadable and printable resources, check out Guide2Chemo, where you can find  a guide to supportive yoga poses that can help relieve stress and anxiety during chemotherapy, a chemo calendar, a medical paperwork checklist, and more.

Take a deep breath.  It’s not nearly as bad as many people fear.  At age 89, mom sailed through her treatment, and I was honored to be there by her side.

Susan Beausang, President, 4Women.com

Supply and Resource Links:

http://www.4women.com/fabrics/beaubag

http://guide2chemo.com/healthy-tools

by Dr. Sunita Khatri

In a recent television episode, the famous Dr. Mehmet Oz stated that people undergoing more than five X-rays per year are four times more likely to develop thyroid cancer. He has therefore, advised people undergoing dental, chest or mammography screenings to wear a protective lead thyroid shield.

Thyroid cancer is an extremely rare form of cancer. At present, we are aware of only two conditions that can lead to this type of cancer. They are:

·         A rare genetic condition

·         Exposure to large doses of radiation

The word ‘cancer’ is a dreaded word, especially today, when the world has just witnessed a nuclear accident at Fukushima, Japan. Therefore, this episode with Dr. Oz has triggered a panic reaction across the country.

But is the fear justified?

It is true that more people are being diagnosed with thyroid cancer than ever before. But then, according to the latest statistics available with the American Cancer Society, one does not come across any increase in the mortality rate due to thyroid cancer. According to Dr. Otis W, Brawley from the American Cancer Society, this is primarily due to the advanced technology available to us today that we are able to detect even those cases which would have otherwise gone unnoticed, as they do not constitute a health threat.

His views have been seconded by various studies on this subject. A recent study by Davies L and Welch HG, from the Dartmouth College, examined the causes behind the increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in the U.S. between the period of 1973 and 2002. They found that the increased incidence was mainly because of increased detection of small papillary cancers and many subclinical cancers. The researchers blamed this increased incidence on ‘over-diagnosis’ because of advanced imaging and biopsy techniques.

Another study by Dr. Peter D. Inskip, in Sweden, also could not find any significant association between the risk of thyroid cancer and diagnostic radiography.

Dr. Oz has pointed out that the rate of thyroid cancer in women has doubled from the year 2000 to the year 2008. But, if it were due to exposure to radiations during mammography screening, then the incidence of thyroid cancer should have been the maximum in women above the age of fifty, as the women above fifty routinely undergo mammography. However, no such difference in the incidence rate has been seen.

Similarly, it is wrong to blame the exposure to X-rays during dental screening for the increased incidence of thyroid cancer. These days, dentists usually rely on panoramic radiographs which film faster while emitting less radiation.

Going by the results of the above studies, one can safely conclude that there is no reason to panic while undergoing routine procedures like dental, chest and mammography screenings. These procedures do more good than harm.

However, it is known that one of the reasons for thyroid cancer is exposure to radiations. So, even if the amount of radiation exposure is very small in the screening procedures, repeated such exposure may, at least in theory, lead to a cumulative effect and produce mutations leading to thyroid cancer. Therefore, in my opinion, people may wear protective lead shields while undergoing dental, chest or mammography procedures, instead of shying away from the procedures, in order to allay their apprehensions.

References:

·         http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/87/21/1613.abstract

·         http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/295/18/2164.abstract

 

Dr. Sunita Khatri passed her M.B.B.S from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, India. After completing her internship at S.B.D. Hospital, Saharanpur, she worked at the “Railways Cancer Institute” Varanasi in the department of surgical oncology where she gained hands on experience in various cancer surgeries. She has assisted in surgeries like mastectomies for breast cancer, abdomino-perineal resections for rectal cancers, commando surgeries for oral cancers, gastrectomy for stomach cancer, etc., besides routine operations like gastrostomy, ileostomy, etc. She has written multiple articles on various types of cancers and their treatment. She is a keen follower of the latest researches and development in the field of cancer and likes to share the same with her readers through her articles.

Currently, she is busy with her own private practice in New Delhi, besides writing health- related articles and blogs for various reputed medical sites on the net.

 

 

The dust has settled ever so slightly on the Komen-Planned Parenthood eruption.  It seems everyone and their cousin has weighed in on the issue.  Meanwhile, I’ve listened.  My overall perception and opinion of Komen hasn’t changed at all, but I think the depth of my understanding of has.

According to Karen Handel, the emails that Komen was getting in response to its announced decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood were running 3 to 1 in support of the decision, and their online donations shot up 400 percent.  And yet they reversed the decision.  Her explanation symbolizes to me just where Komen is at - that point where either the organization learns to listen and chooses to evolve and change so as to reflect the women they claim to serve, or they go extinct.  Comparing Komen to Planned Parenthood, Handel is quoted as saying, “Komen doesn’t have the strength in the area of social media.”  Maybe it’s [past] time they play some catch-up.

While Komen sleeps, more and more of the women they claim to serve are waking up.  Waking up to the fact that breast cancer rates keep rising, waking up to the fact that detecting cancer is a far cry from curing (or better yet, preventing) cancer, waking up to the fact that breast cancer is big business and that Komen is one of the biggest bankers in the business, at times seeking to profit off the very products that raise breast cancer rates.  And I am just one of many, many, many on social media pointing this out.  But apparently Komen is either deaf, or just doesn’t want to hear.

And then of course there’s one other possibility, that Komen hears just fine and is listening carefully, just not to us, surely not to the low-income women served by Planned Parenthood.  After all, they appointed Karen Handell after she lost her run for Georgia governor on a campaign that touted her plan to eliminate state grants to Planned Parenthood.  Could they possibly not have known?

Susan Beausang, 4Women.com

Update! I am not sure how many listened live, but I was told the show has received over 400 downloads! That is some good education getting out as to IBC. Please share with your friends. This interview is with Terry Arnold, founder of The IBC Network and IBC survivor. We are very grateful for the support of Angie at Moms of Many Hats and her care for IBC education.

Please listen and share, http://momofmanyhatsradio.com/2012/02/19/breast-cancer-is-not-always-a-lump-terry-lynn-arnold-2-17-12/

'Forbidden' rice, also called black rice (or sometimes purple rice), is receiving a lot of buzz these days as the new 'super-food' to fight cancer. Forbidden rice gets its color from 'anthocyanins', the antioxidants which give fruits and veggies a blue-purple color (for example, blueberries). Anthocyanins help to keep disease away, as well as helping to keep our arteries in good shape.

Legend has it that the name 'forbidden rice' came about long ago in Asia, when the nobles would not allow the common people to eat black rice. Once you try it, you will understand why they wanted to keep it all for themselves!

Below is a simple recipe to get you started. The contrast of black and white foods on your plate creates a beautiful effect - with very little effort.

I've topped it all off with pink salt and pink pepper. You may be unfamiliar with these ingredients. I encourage you to try them. You can put each of these seasonings in a grinder, just as you would with other salts or peppers. However, if you'd prefer, you can just stick to your favorite salt and pepper.

'White Tiger' Forbidden Rice
(Makes 3-5 servings, depending on whatever else you plan to serve)

1 c. black rice
2 c. French onion soup (preferably a brand without artificial preservatives)
3 green onion stalks
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 bag of frozen cauliflower
1 red pepper
Topping: Pink salt and pink pepper (or salt and pepper of your choice)


Bring French onion soup to a boil. Meanwhile, slice the green onions.

As soon as soup boils, lower to simmer. Add rice, green onions, turmeric, ginger, and garlic powder. Cover and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 50 minutes.

While rice is cooking, cut red pepper into strips. Steam cauliflower and red pepper.

Place a portion of rice on a plate. Top with veggies. (NOTE: Do not toss them all together before serving! If you do that, the veggies will change color.)

Sprinkle with Pink Himalayan salt (or sea salt) and pink pepper (or pepper of your choice).

No. We are not saying that women get testicular Cancer.

What we are saying, is that women need to be aware of testicular cancer at least on an elementary level. Our Testicular Cancer 101 page has some basic information that all women should know because sometimes women are the ones who find their partner’s testicular cancer.

Today we are very happy to feature a story about a woman who went through testicular cancer with her boyfriend some years ago. With her permission we are posting her story, with names changed because the story is about an ex-boyfriend at this point. Her story provides some interesting insight into testicular cancer. Here is her story.

I can’t remember which one of us first found the lump. I was visiting my folks in Europe when he told me by phone that he had seen his doctor about it. However, his physician pooh-poohed it, saying that testicle size fluctuations were normal in young men. Kyle was 23, so of course we didn’t even think of cancer.

I didn’t see him for a couple months after that. On my next visit to see Kyle, during our (ahem) reunion, I was shocked by the difference between the two testicles. One was twice the size of the other. I could tell Kyle was really worried about it. When I asked him why he hadn’t gone to see the doctor again, I realized from his reaction that fear had set in. He was just avoiding it, hoping it would go away, and hadn’t told anyone about it since the doctor visit.

My reaction motivated him to go talk to his father, who, as a psychiatrist, also had a medical degree. His father immediately grasped the severity of the issue. Kyle was rushed to the doctor, and swiftly diagnosed with testicular cancer. An operating date was set for just five days away.

Now, Kyle has an identical twin brother, which means that their genetic stuff is the same. Upon examination, his brother was found to have testicular cancer as well.

Just for a minute, I want you to imagine two beautiful young men, identical in youth and verve, struggling through their last courses at University and just a few months from starting their careers. And then, poof! Cancer comes a-calling.

They were both operated upon, and in both cases it appeared the cancer had not had time to spread, though the medical team was much more confident about this in my boyfriend’s brother’s case. Kyle spent his summer getting radiation treatments.

The doctors asked Kyle if he wanted a prosthetic replacement for the removed testicle, but they accidentally matched it to the cancer-ridden one, so he was quite lopsided. This mistake became a kind of focal point for his rage and feelings of having been unmanned. He had always thought he didn’t want children, but now the prospect of infertility really upset him. The only thing that seemed to comfort Kyle was a Ben Wicks publication on cancer. It really helped him to be able to laugh about it.

I have seen many people go through sickness, before and after Kyle. I really find that it reveals a lot about a person. I also don’t think that, at 23, most people have the emotional skills necessary to deal with much, never mind cancer. Kyle took out his feelings entirely on me. On the phone with friends, he would laugh off his problems. With me, he became verbally abusive. There were days where I was called a “bitch” up to five times a day. He became physically rough, though he did never hit me. A few days after his radiation treatments ended, things had deteriorated so much that I broke up with him.

I have followed his career from afar, and I can tell you 12 years later, he is alive and has done well in his chosen field. I wonder what would have happened if he had never gotten cancer?

It is not unusual a women may be the first to find testicular cancer in their partner. If they notice any irregularities it is important they communicate with their partner. What is also important is that women keep on their partner until he sees a physician. Men seem to have an innate desire to avoid doctors at all costs. Many times we figure that whatever is bothering us will eventually go away. Unfortunately, testicular cancer doesn’t just go away. In fact, if caught early it is nearly 100% treatable. If caught in the later stages, after it has spread, it is a lot harder to treat and can lead to death.

Women also need to be able to identify common complaints men have that may be signs of testicular cancer and encourage their guys to go see the physician.

This is not a one-way street in identifying cancer in partners. Men are often the ones who find breast cancer in women. Our cancer survivor friend, Stefanie LaRue, told Self Magazine about her boyfriend finding her breast cancer in her story Living with Cancer – and Daring to Date Again.

(The following is a 4women guest blog from Liz Belilovskaya, of I Had Cancer.)

When you or someone you love is diagnosed with cancer, your natural reaction may be to want to find out as much as possible about the disease, from available treatment options, to likely side effects, to the day-to-day challenges of dealing with cancer.  Your search for answers will very likely lead you to the internet, where you will find a dizzying amount of information that instead of empowering you, could leave you feeling overwhelmed and helpless.  So what can you do about this?

You can become an “e-patient.”  The “e” stands for “empowered, engaged, equipped and enabled.”  Those wishing to take back control of their lives are proactive when it comes to cancer treatment.  They make it their priority to be as informed and involved as possible.  Of course, this is easier said than done.  How and where do you get information about cancer without getting overwhelmed by the Internet?

Patient social networks are providing solutions by building communities of people who have either had personal experience dealing with cancer or supporting someone through this disease.  They create an invaluable new source of life-changing information from existing resources and relevant personal experience - information that has the power to save lives.

Mailet Lopez, Survivor and Founder of I Had Cancer has an all too common story.  Diagnosed with breast cancer at age 33, she was preparing for her post-surgery treatment when she serendipitously encountered a stranger who told her of a new treatment option that her own doctors were unaware of.  After researching the information, Mailet decided to try the new treatment and in the end, it saved her life.

This is not uncommon.  Most patients are never informed of all their treatment options because no hospital offers all options.  From the patient perspective, the potential of social networking is unearthed when access to hard-to-come-by information is made available.  The more members sharing their knowledge and experiences, the more power every patient has to participate in and even lead their own cancer care.

Discussion threads on social networks illustrate how connecting people around shared experiences can be incredibly beneficial.  From survivorship identity issues to family relationships in the context of an illness, members can exchange experiences and regain control over their lives by engaging the support community.

One user put it this way:

“I live in a small town with no support group and my family is 800 miles away.   This [social support network] has provided me with a wonderful support group of men like me who have or had cancer and can tell me what to expect.  The unknown is the hardest part of facing any problem and this has helped me so much.”

Every patient can better engage in their own care by becoming an e-patient and tapping the knowledge and experience of others on social networks.

Liz Belilovskaya, I Had Cancer

I Had Cancer (www.ihadcancer.com) is a cancer support community that empowers its members through shared experiences by the most relevant sources, the patients.

I have been on quite a journey since my breast cancer diagnosis in October 2008.  I had been an attorney for years, slogging along, knowing I was not fulfilled in my job, but convincing myself I had no choice in the matter.  After running a marathon in mid-2007, though, I realized anything is possible, and I joined a band.  Later, in 2008, I recorded an album of songs I'd written.  Within weeks of releasing my album in 2008, however, just when I was starting to gain some attention for the songs, the doctor called to shock the hell out of me with news that I had breast cancer at age 37 and needed to undergo chemotherapy immediately.  Needless to say, I was shocked and devastated.  In addition to worrying about my life (and not wanting to leave my daughters and husband to fend for themselves), I was equally worried and horrified at the thought that my diagnosis would kill my nascent musical dreams. 

Little did I know that this terrifying diagnosis would actually serve as a wake up call, igniting an almost fanatical passion for life like nothing I'd experienced before!  The imaginary fences I'd created for myself pre-diagnosis simply did not exist.  The day I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I quit my job as an attorney. I am so glad I made the change – and by whatever means necessary I am grateful --  but why on earth did I think I needed the “permission” of a cancer diagnosis to be the real me?  

I’d always been a big dreamer as a child, certain I’d win the Oscar and write the great American novel, too.  I sang in every high school musical, and then went off to UCLA theatre school.  When I was singing and expressing my creative side, I always felt like me.  But after college, I went into the family “lawyer business” and forgot all about that little dreamer inside of me.  Even though I loved my husband and two little daughters so very much, I was totally and utterly compartmentalized.  So much of my daily life was spent fighting voraciously in court about other people’s money.  The stress and anxiety of my daily life ate me up inside – just like a cancer – until, of course, it became an actual cancer.

 

After my cancer treatments, I vowed to live my life with passion and authenticity.  And man oh man, it turns out that living passionately and authentically has abundant rewards:  I recorded my second album of songs, all written during treatments, right after treatments ended.  The album is called "I'm Still Here."  The music video for the title track has surpassed 1,000,000 hits on Youtube!  At the end of 2011, Billboard Magazine ranked me No. 5 on its list of the Top 50 emerging artists for the entire year!

 

And, I am thrilled to say, I also wrote my first book, and got a book deal!  In March 2012, my book Rocking the Pink will be released, with endorsements by Robin Roberts, Jack Black, Jennifer Griffin, Joni Rodgers, and more.   I hope my book will reach out to all those women who unexpectedly find they have suddenly, shockingly, become pink warriors.  My hope is that my book will make them feel inspired to keep fighting -- to "rock the pink!" 

I am committed to "rocking the pink" -- telling my story to raise awareness and inspire a continued fight for a cure.  I hope to be a living example to others coming after me on this road, to show them they can make it, that they are not alone, and that they can be better than ever.

If you are in Southern California, please come to my book release party on March 8 at the House of Blues San Diego.  Let's celebrate a dream coming true!

XO Laura

www.lauraroppe.com


 

 

 

 

 

 

Yoga creates harmony of mind and body. It has become center stage in the offerings of complementary therapies for breast cancer recovery. Yoga is now offered in conjunction with other standards of medical care.

Physically yoga can be an extremely important part of recovery wellness. It helps remove unwanted debris and toxins from the lungs, skin and colon.  By moving the body, stretching muscles and breathing deeply the toxins are physically released. This undoubtably helps cleanse the body. Yoga will eliminate ama (toxic residue) from the cells, move the lymph through the lymphatic system, and bring the mind into clarity. This clarity of mind encourages good decisions which then encourages more good decisions.

Emotionally yoga will remove anger, sadness and fear. It will give you a sense of inner strength, balance and mental flexibility. The Autonomic Nervous System becomes balanced especially when synchronizing with the breath and the movement. Resulting in the mind settling down and the body feeling energized.

Make sure you begin with your  physicians approval. Find a well qualified yoga teacher.  Do what you can; maybe starting with a gentle or restorative yoga practice first.

By: Diana Ross, E-RYT 500

Founder: Breast Cancer Yoga

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