Tomorrow starts the 67 Women, 67 Counties photo are exhibit here at Yolanda G. Barco Oncology Institute. Merrilyn Cushman, a nurse from Titusville will be here to represent Crawford County and talk about her story of breast cancer and how it impacted her life. This is an uplifting display that travels throughout the Commonwealth and will be here from March 1st through the 10th, Monday through Friday from 8:30-4:30 and you are welcome to come and see these amazing stories. March 1st is our opening and there will be a brief program with Merrilyn and others including four of our own survivors: Vicki Chandler, Paul Bean, Florence Dillaman, and Roxane Hershelman. To make reservations for the opening please call: 1-800-377-8828 ext 304. I look forward to seeing you here and throughout the remaining time the display will be here. This event is sponsored by PA Breast Cancer Coalition and funded by the Department of Health. Take a moment and stop in and share in the information that this display has to offer. Despite the rain, we will be warm and dry and making it a great day! S
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If you or a family member needs time to care for themselves or a family member during a serious illness, FMLA helps protect those workers from losing their jobs. Employers that have 50 or more employees must allow their workers at least 12 weeks of unpaid leave for a family member who is seriously ill or for medical leave when the employee is unable to work due to a serious health condition. A family member is defined as a worker's spous, parent, or child. This would not apply to an in-law or grandparent though. If your employer is not covered by ADA or FMLA because of too few employees and you feel your are being discriminated against and not given accomodations to perform your job, contact the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission office or call (717)787-4410 or go to U.S Department of Labor and call 1-866-487-2365. You must have worked for the company at least 1250 hours over the previous 12 months and you can actually do intermittant leave if it accomodates your needs so that for example if you have treatment on Thursdays and your need Fridays as well to recover but could work Monday through Wednesday then that would be considered intermittant. You always will be given full health benefits during your leave and will be coming back to your current job or the equivalent to it with the same salary and benefits. If this is something you need to look into, contact your Human Resource department and explore what options there are to meet your needs. Making it a great day. S
Disclaimer: This website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of any medical institution. Last night added to my list, yes, grandkids. Samantha Ryan was born on 2/23/2012 and weighed in at 10 lbs 4 oz and 22 inches in length. So at this point in time I have my first born- Shaun, followed by Paul and then comes Sarah and now her sister, Samantha. The families are 2 boys to Doug and Heather and 2 girls to Dan and Andi. Hopefully all will be able to come to Grandma Camp where we all convene for family time, relaxation, and laughs as well as good food. As we say, These are the GOOD OLE TIMES! And I am like any other grandma, bring it on and then when they all leave, I need a nap! Happy day for all today in our household! S
I love our pet therapy days. My Golden Retriever was at my side through my treatment and I can see on patients faces here that they provide comfort and for staff as well. Energy level is high for staff in this environment. We need to be up and provide comfort and help during their treatment and provide for families that are in attendance as well. The family is scared as is the patient and sometimes words are not enough but a warm fuzzy nudge by the dog beside you that snuggles up and just gives you all the love they have with no questions ask is what therapy dogs do. Studies have shown over the years that pet owners live longer and we know even a fish tank in a waiting room can reduce stress. Maybe someday as part of a treatment regime it will be order pat a dog three times a day. Of course more studies are needed in the field of cancer but it is enough to venture to say that pets provide potential health benefits for all ages. It goes without saying that you need to wash your hands and a sick animal should never be taken to visit patients. Pet owners must have a clean pet with nails clipped to avoid scratching and your dog should be under your control at all times. Occassionaly we see a patient that doesn't want anything to do with a pet but that is rare. Most often you see a smile coming on someone's face and turn around and see them watching a dog coming to them. I know for me that DUKE was my everything during the day and night and listened to me no matter what I said or how I said it and if I was just still he stayed by my side. Duke always provided me with smiles and warmth and there is always my cavalier that just brings downright laughs as he talks to me ( and he really talks). He will sit by my bed at night which is quite high and give a low growling sound and then stop to see if it alerted me and if not he will continue to do it getting louder each time till I listen to him and bring up to sleep on my shoulder which is where he sits each night. Thank heaven Toby is small as I don't think I could have handlled Duke at 65 pounds. Duke is gone now but Toby continues and every night when I go in the door, my first thing to do is go find my little buddy and let him know I am home. Yes, I do believe in pet therapy just as I believe in baby therapy. How can you ever have a bad day when you hold a baby next to you? The physical contact is what each one of us craves and needs despite our income, social status, financial gains... we all need love. Pets make it a great day!
Now that I peaked your interest, it is an easy one... LAUGHTER! How can anyone laugh when they have cancer, you ask? Well, we know laughter helps, it releases endorphins when we laugh which is like narcotics in the brain. Do you take the time to laugh? Have you lost your laugh? Not matter what your circumstances, you have to refind your laugh. Even with a diagnosis of cancer, there is laughter and that is ok. Some of the silliest and deepest belly laughs can be more medicinal than anything we can do medically. I lost my hair and I cried and then I laughed and laughed and laughed. I put my wig on the dog once and of course it looked better on him than me, and we laughed.
Sometimes I admit that I have a wacky sense of humor and I am a person that loves to do practical jokes. My daughter is carrying on the legacy that I also got from my mom. I remember one New Year's Eve Party at our home when I was growing up, where mom had coated big cotton balls with chocolate and then rolled them in nuts and served them. We laughed so hard, especially when the neighbor asked for a second one and stated my mother's culinary arts were divine. Recently my daughter did a toilet paper cake for a friend's 50th birthday. Yes, toilet paper.. covered with saran wrap and then iced and fondat on and decorated and as the birthday gal tried to cut the cake, the room broke out in laughter. Real laughter, not canned, not fake, just genuine laughter. What is more heart warming than hearing a baby laughing or a group of people enjoying the moment laughing? My granddaughter was out with her other grandmother at a restaurant and the waitress had come to know her and always fussed over her and called her sweetie. As they were leaving one day, a group of older women were sitting at another table eating and my granddaughter (2 years old ) saw her favorite waitress behind all these ladies and hollered across the room, "Bye Sweetie" and of course the group of older women all thought she was talking to them and that warm, loving laughter ensued. Wish I could have been there as I would have been laughing too. So my mission today is to make someone else laugh, smile or whatever it takes to brighten their day, I hope you choose to do the same...make it a great day! S Now there is a word you don't hear every day. It is a common nonmalignant lump. It is hard and round and moves around easily feeling much like a marble in your breast. Most times a doctor can tell just be the feel that it is a fibroadenoma but a needle aspiration can be done and if no fluid comes out then it is known it is not a cyst and maybe even more convinced it is a fibroadenmoa. Normally tissue is sent off to a lab just to be doubly sure that we aren't dealing with something else. Fibroadenomas are harmless in themselves and don't have to be removed as long as we are positive it is a fibroadenoma. Teenages can even get fibroadenomas. Sometimes they do grow so it may be preferred to remove the fibroadenoma and they may especially grow during pregnancy and lactation.
Removal is fairly easy as you receive a local anesthetic then a small incision and this marble type ball is removed. Once removed most will not get them again but having said that there are some that will get another or several over their lifetime. They can occur at anytime in your lifetime but often when you are heading toward menopause or in your teens or early 20's. There are some rare cancers that can look like fibroadenooma so a fine needle aspiration or excisional biopsy may be done. Having said all that, fibroadenomas do not predispose you to cancer. They will scare the heck out of you and your shouldn't ignore it but get it checked out and that is the bad thing about it as you won't know your correct answer until it has been reviewed by your healthcare provider. As always, when in doubt, check it out! Making it a great day! S Disclaimer: This website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of any medical institution. We took Duke to one vet and was told to just watch him for a couple of days, and when I got home and saw him, I knew we were in for trouble and proceeded to take him to another vet. His normal 65 pounds looked bloated and he was just weak and barely moved his head. We got there and he was only over his normal weight by two pounds. His back legs continued to shake which is not his normal and he walked across the tiled floored which is also not a usual occurence. I normally have to drag him across if there is no carpet as he doesn't like bare floors. A history was taken and an xray and blood work and then more time and another consultation and it looked like our decision would be surgery to remove a splenic tumor of which we would not know if benign or malignant until they opened him up. After reviewing the blood work a second testing of the blood work was taken as values were so low that it was felt they couldn't be right. More waiting and the doctor then came in and said Duke would not make it off the table if we did surgery due to how low his blood work was and he had no chance of survival.
Here my hero, my companion, my best friend was facing his own battle. I had flashbacks to my own cancer and how Duke stayed with me day and night and every trip to the bathroom and how gently he would get up or down of the bed to not disturb me. He stayed on my left side, far from the affected cancer area and listened to me cry, and laugh, and even yell sometimes. No judgement from Duke, he continued to love me. Now it became apparent it was my turn to return the favor. I could take him home but he was so uncomfortable and unable to walk without great urging and no eating. His sad eyes looked up at me and I told him how very much I loved him and held his head as the minutes passed. In my heart I knew what I had to decide for my buddy. I gently took off his harness so he felt no restriction anywhere and I just held him and kept telling him how much he meant to me. He rallied a little and even stood up. His signature was to give me a high five and I asked and he did as much as he could. He even licked my face and he is not a kisser by any means and then he layed back down. As Ron and I looked on and cried he just put his head down as if to say, this is all I can do now. The doctor was lovely and knew the pain we were in. She asked if we needed more time and we asked that she take him to his rest. My friend was going to a better place, where he can run and swim again and high five whenever he wants. As I mourn our loss of our dear friend, I also am awaiting anxiously of news of a new granddaughter that may be here any day. She will miss our gentle giant but she will definitely help to mend our hearts. So today, I must make it a great day! S Awoke early this am and got in and got my shower and heard my hubby putting the dogs out. As I was getting dressed I heard him call out that one of the dogs, Duke- our almost 12 year old Golden Retriever was having problems. Duke has had some shaking when standing with his back legs but continues to play, eat, and all the normal things. Today he wouldn't move out in the snow and couldn't get in. I went out and continued to call and coax and finally he came in. He was able to give me a high five with both front paws albeit weak effort. I then brought out his bed and down he went. His abdomen feels hard and full to me so my medical mind is just racing and his Vet won't be in till one. Fortunately, Pa is home and will get him somewhere before that if he needs. He has been a gentle giant in our house and a very mellow dog. His love is to swim and that has taken a toll on his hearing. We now move around him as he doesn't always hear you come up behind him. I know his days are numbered and that came into focus this morning as I sit at work and write about my treasured friend that stayed with me all through my cancer. I said not long ago that if Duke died swimming we would both be happy as I would know he died doing what he loved. Now that this may be a possibility my heart sits at home. This dog wrestled with our youngest and always took snow hats off of kids out side, just to play. He loves to be touched and held and at night if I sit on the couch, up he comes to sit beside me. He loves treats and has never been heavy so he could have them although he loved fruits and vegetables just as much and I think he could have become a vegetarian if given the opportunity. I will check on him throughout the day and am anxious to get home to him. I am glad that Pa is home with him to support and evaluate him and keep me updated. This gentle giant has touched so many hearts and I hope today that he pulls through with his quality of life that makes him happy. If not, we will have to peacefully send him to his new home. Either way, my heart is full today-of sorrows and joys, laughter and tears, and smiles-mostly smiles for a dog that is my best friend. Make it a great day! S
But what exactly is so good about exercise? Here are the ways exercise can improve your life:
You’ll lower your cancer risk. Regular exercise lowers the risk of breast cancer coming back, as well as reducing the risk of ever being diagnosed with breast cancer. Exercise also can lower your risk of cancers of the colon, lung, and uterus. You’ll be able to maintain a healthy weight. Regular exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight by building muscle and burning fat. Overweight and obese women -- defined as having a BMI (body mass index) of over 25 -- have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer compared to women who maintain a healthy weight, especially after menopause. Being overweight also can increase the risk of the breast cancer coming back (recurrence) in women who have had the disease. This higher risk is because fat cells make estrogen; extra fat cells mean more estrogen in the body and estrogen can make hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers develop and grow. You may have fewer and less severe side effects from treatment. Research suggests that exercise can:
You’ll have more energy. Fatigue is a side effect that many women have during and after treatment for breast cancer. Regular exercise can boost your endurance and help your heart and lungs work more efficiently, both of which give you more energy for the work you do each day. You’ll have better mobility. Scar tissue that forms after breast cancer surgery, reconstruction, or radiation can lead to your arm and shoulder muscles feeling tight. Not using your arm and shoulder as much after treatment also can cause the muscles in those areas to lose flexibility. Over time, careful stretching exercises can improve any range of motion issues you may have in your arm and shoulder. You’ll have more muscle and be stronger. As most people age, they tend to lose muscle and gain fat. Chemotherapy and hormonal therapy medicines can throw you into sudden menopause, which also can cause muscle mass to decrease. Strength training exercises can help make sure you have more muscle than fat -- which means you’ll be able to carry groceries, pick up your pets or grandchildren, and close the lift gate of your car. You’ll keep your bones healthy. As you age, you lose bone mass. If you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, maintaining healthy bones is especially important for you. Research shows that some breast cancer treatments can lead to bone loss. Plus, women are about twice as likely as men to develop osteoporosis (a disease that means your bones are weak and more likely to break) after age 50. Weight-bearing exercise, such as jogging or walking and strength training, can slow bone loss. You’ll feel better about yourself. A breast cancer diagnosis can leave some women feeling scared, depressed, and anxious. Exercise can help lift your spirits, keep depression at bay, and boost your self-esteem. Physical activity triggers the release of brain chemicals such as endorphins that can make you feel happier and more relaxed. You also might feel better about yourself and your appearance if you exercise regularly and see a fit, strong, toned woman looking back at you in the mirror. You’ll sleep better. If you struggle with insomnia or wake up a lot at night, regular exercise can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply. You’ll be less stressed. Any type of exercise can help melt away stress. Besides pumping up endorphin production in the brain, exercise can be a type of meditation. By focusing on just one task – running or dancing or whatever you’re doing -- you may find that you forget the day’s annoyances and settle into a calm, clear state of mind. So bottom line- get moving and enjoy everyday. S About Daffodil Days
You can give hope to people facing cancer and save lives by supporting the American Cancer Society Daffodil Days program. The Daffodil Days program is your chance to fight back against cancer by raising funds and awareness to help beat the disease. While the Daffodil Days program involves offering daffodils every spring to donors in appreciation for their contributions, it is about more than just giving beautiful flowers - it is everyone's opportunity to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays, where cancer never steals another year from anyone's life. The dollars you raise through the Daffodil Days program do make a difference. Your support allows the American Cancer Society to save lives and create a world with more birthdays by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back against cancer. I love the daffodil and looking towards spring and new beginnings. What better way to celebrate the coming of spring than supporting the American Cancer Society Daffodil Days starting March 19th and while you are at it, enjoy your girl scout cookies! Making it a great day! S |
AuthorMy name is Sue Kilburn and I am a clinical nurse breast cancer educator at the Yolanda G. Barco Oncology Institute in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Archives
March 2015
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