Mak
Well if you caught the title, you are probably thinking I have finally gone over the edge on this one but stay tunned and I will explain. Remember that on your first day of treatment you went into the treatment area be it radiation or chemo or both and you chose a seat. Then each time you returned you sought out that same seating whether we are a creature of habit or familiarity doesn't matter, you soon find that the same people are seated around and you are sitting there together at the same time every day or once a week or whatever your pattern is. Age doesn't come into this, or economic status or anything else, you just sat down and now as you are facing the other person, you start to open the conversation and you don't have to search far as you both have something in common, you have cancer and you are in treatment. Friendships, relationships, and compassion, understanding and caring are formed and each week you look to see if your seatmate is there. You discuss what you both are going through, your history to get where you are and family and everything else that has been impacted by this disease. You are your own support group through fellow patients. A bond develops not only with your seatmate but also your nurse as she is most consistently the same person to assist you and give you treatment and ask the pertinent questions and listen to you those days that there are concerns of you just need a boost. We are all here for each other. There is no pretense, you are not out with people that have their daily routine of work, kids, and activities. Your year or whatever time frame is all focused on getting your treatment and getting through the process. You may see some seats empty as treatment finishes and you may see some seats filled in when the patient has lost the battle and won't be back. Our treatment rooms are spirited and often filled with laughter and too much noise but to me that is reassuring rather then so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Tomorrow may complete your treatment and what happens to those bonds. Here at our institute we have a program called staying together and we brown bag a lunch and meet at noon to discuss any care and or concerns but also to reconnect because we have traveled with you on this bumpy road and to see the happiness when former seatmates reconnect is heartwarming. Often we have patients just come back to visit and reconnect with staff as this became home for a period of time. There are amazing stories and their are sad stories but we all are in this together and want you to have the support and love you need at all times before, during, and after treatment. I will be hear holding a hand up and a hug and hope you will also share that with the next new face that looks for seat position.
Mak
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Bone-strengthening drugs are known as bisphosphonates are often used to treat bone related diseases including osteoporosis which is when bones thin and become fragile. There appears to be benefit for Er-positve breast cancer wome to receive treatment from the use of bisphosphonates and where benefit was seen was those that received limited chemotherapy and for the most part these women were postmenopausal or had hormone therapy to block their ovaries from making estrogen which came from the Latest News in Breast Cancer Research Highlights from the 2011 SanAntonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Studies continue to see which women would benefit the most from these types of medications and new advances are happening.
Some Resources for you to further research: National Cancer Institute www.cancer.gov American Cancer Soceity www.cancer.org National Library of Medicine www.medlineplus.gov 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. S When we talk about cancer we talk about two other words that are intertwined with it and that is stress and depression. In treatment you treat the disease but you also have to look at the whole person and everything that is impacting their lives at that time. I often relate that 5 patients could have their gall bladder out and it is all the same surgery but everyone comes through it differently depending what is happening in their lives, their coping mechanisms, financial and emotional health and family connections and needs and work and the list goes on and on. So the question is how do you fight the disease and deal with the rest.
I do totally believe in a mind body experience as where the body goes, so goes the mind or vice versa and how do we learn to deal with the whole process. Your emotional being can impact your body systems. If you car goes long enough out of balance it affects or aspects of you car and driving and so goes your body. One study I recently read related patients with symptoms of depression with a late stage cancer and it associated it with an increased risk of death. (University of TEXAS, MD ANDERSON CENTER). Plosone- August So what do you or can you do about dealing with stress and depression, how do I fight loneliness and disease and there are numerous tools out there? You need to find what works for you and in a healthy way. Drugs, Alcohol, and Smoking are not the answer. I would say that reading, writing, meditation, prayer, tai chi, guided imagery, and more are available and something to look into. Don't discount something like that till you have tried it. Often you will hear people complaining about being tired and the hardest thing to do is go out and exercise but if you put more back into the body you will get more out of it. You can't keep taking out and not refilling your tank and believe it or not, exercise will reduce stress, improve you cardiac status, mental health and energy level. Another study from Carnegie Mellon University found that chronic stress (Driving on a flat tire) cause the body to loose the ability to regulate itslef and the stress hormone known as cortisol. A continuous production or over production of cortisol can do extensive damage on the body that may not be reversible and unfortunately the damage is done, we just can replace the tire. This is an extremely difficult area to follow and research and much harder to control but there is no question that we all need to monitor ourselves and figure a better way to deal with what is happening in our lives on a daily basis so if a bigger issue arises, we will have the fortitude to persevere. All this leads to a healthier you and improved quality of life just by learning that we can manage stress in a better way and deal with what is happening here and now. Do I do this right all the time? No, I can do better but the first step is realizing that there is a need and then approaching the ways of improving it. I wish the best and smiles along the way to make it a better 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. Don't forget! CPS -3 Enrollment is this weekend!!!!
What if you could take part in research that might ultimately lead to eliminating cancer as a major health problem for this and future generations? What if you could make it so just one family never had to hear the words “you have cancer?” On Saturday, October 6th, you or your friends and family, will have an unprecedented opportunity to participate in a cancer research study in Erie, PA. The American Cancer Society will be enrolling participants for their newest research study, the Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3). The ultimate goal of CPS-3 is to help researchers better understand the lifestyle, environmental and genetic factors that cause or prevent cancer and will save lives. On October 6th, CPS-3 enrollment will be taking place, in conjunction with the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, in Perry Square in Erie from 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. If you are willing to make a long-term commitment to the study (which involves completing surveys at home periodically over the next 20-30 years), are between the ages of 30 and 65 years old, and have never been diagnosed with cancer, then you are eligible to enroll in this important study. You don't need to participate in the Making Strides walk to enroll in the CPS-3 study and you don’t need to make an appointment to enroll in the study. Just come to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer at Perry Square in Erie and look for the CPS-3 tent. Visit http://www.cancer.org/cps3 to learn more. Even if you don’t meet the eligibility requirements, please tell everyone you know about this historic opportunity to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays! Thank you and I hope you see you Saturday! Sincerely, Susan Nientimp Health Initiatives Representative American Cancer Society, East Central Division .Now there are two words that no one wants to talk about! Who isn't under stress these days and how exactly do you deal with it. I know some not so healthy alternatives including drinking, drugs, and smoking but what about depression. Again, I think that is something far too common and less talked about as it seems we are all carrying around extra baggage and feel like our lives and choices may be out of our control. The big concern is if there is a link between cancer, stress and depression. I believe that it is a part of the whole cancer scene. How do we start to channel the mind body experience to balance the scales in our favor?
When diagnosed with cancer, we have to learn to fight the disease but with that comes stress due to family, financial, emotional and many other contraints and how do we deal with that? Then we add into the mix, depression and often I see patients that are so deep in a depression that they don't even know they are there and have less motivation or need to try to get out of it as it has become their mode of operation. One study I recently read related patients with symptoms of depression with late stage renal cell carcinoma and that was associated with an increased risk of death...University of Texas, MD Anderson Center. Emotional factors can impact biology. If you don't believe that, follow me before I need to give a presentation or go to the dentist office for a root canal. So with all that in mind, what can we do. Suggestions that come to minge to fight loneliness and disease is: meditation, yoga, tai chi, guided imagery, walk a dog, get outside, talk to people, watch a silly movie and allow yourself the opportunity to step away from the stress and depression you are carrying. Another study that I came across from Carnegie Mellon University, found chronic stress causes the body to lose the ability to regulate itself and teh stress hormone cortisol. This is now something I look seriously at as I am one to always be in high gear and then I hit zero. Regulating my day seems to be one of my biggest stumbling issues. When I was teaching, I was definitely aware of it as you look across a sea of faces that you need to impart some knowledge on, keep them awake, and interested... you had to hit the overdrive button for the class periods you were teaching. Like now, I would come home at the end of the day with an empty vessel. I give to my patients and audience when I do presentations, my all and again the vessel is empty so this time it is the time old adage ,"physician heal thyself." The first step is awareness and then next is addressing it and that is where I am now. All of this is extremely hard to research and even harder to control but no doubt we need to monitor out stress and try to reduce and we also need to find ways to manage our depression and if that takes therapy and medication and more then do it, what more have you got to lose but this dry, empty feeling you are carrying around or anger or however you are presenting. There are few things in life that we can control, learning how to deal with that is the clue. We know that working on these things will and does improve our quality of life and we need healthy ways to do so. Here it starts, our pink is outside and inside of YGBOI. Staff are dressed in pink and we are starting a month of breast cancer awareness. I will be out doing presentations and being involved in the community in keeping people informed and answering questions and talking... just talking about breast cancer. By now, I think education is out and pink is well known as the breast cancer color but did you also know that we now have pink and blue ribbons to recognize the men with breast cancer too? Yes, men can get breast cancer too.
I have set up a small educational display and have models of the male breast with lumps, the female breast with normal tissue and one with fibrocystic tissue and one with lumps as well as lots of education. We are pink wherever you turn and we know we are making a difference by education and early detection through self breast exams and also mammograms. People talk about this dreaded disease and almost everyone is affected by it in some way by either a friend, acquaintance, sibling, spouse, family member and everyone affected by breast cancer. Tonight I will be at the opening Hockey game for the Meadville Bulldogs and they have dedicated the next three years through their power play program to donate funds to our new endeavor for our breast patients, a survivorship program that helps patient transition to a NEW NORMAL understanding what they have gone through and what lies ahead and helping them regain and improve their physical strength as well as emotional and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. While the program is still in its conceptual stages, we would like to see the program "Close the Loop" for our breast patients. Sometimes it seems that the only cancer that gets attention is breast but we are building this survivorship program and will include other cancers once we have developed the breast survivorship program. Regardless of what kind of cancer, we all need help and support during diagnosis, treatment and after and today we start with Pink- breast cancer awareness. Make 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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