MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'breast cancer blog'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:52:33 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159656&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Flove-enough-to-find-a-cure-for-breast-cancer%2F My husband and I structured this vacation to be leisurely and unplanned. This gives us lazy mornings drinking coffee and exploring the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains off the deck of the condo we are staying in. It also means we didn’t get upset over the stormy weather that kept us inside a little longer Thursday morning. We got to watch “Good Morning America,” which I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing for months. I was wonderfully surprised when we tuned in to find host Robin Roberts introducing a music video that she appeared in for Martina McBride’s new song, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It.” Martina’s new song is about breast cancer and the people we love — or those who love us — who are going through it. It’s an emotional tribute to br... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159656 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:54:04 +0100 5159656 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968815&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fwhose-blog-are-you-reading%2F Recently the news has included an interesting revelation that a popular lesbian blogger wasn’t a lesbian at all, but a straight, married man who posed as a gay woman for years while writing his blog. After his coming out (so to speak), another “lesbian” blogger admitted that he, too, was a straight male. As a blogger myself, I was outraged. At the very least, it is unconscionable that a person would address a group of people who feel not particularly accepted by all of society and are looking to connect with someone who lived and breathed and understood their lives as one of them. It made me wonder who I was reading. Who are the real people behind the smiling headshots and avatars decorating the web pages I confidently seek out when I feel like connecting? Is that woman &mdas... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968815 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:35:42 +0100 4968815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934731&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fback-to-bra-shopping-to-fit-new-breasts%2F Now that my revised, reconstructed breasts are settling down, I once again need a new bra. I have learned through my transformation that shopping for a bra is a real task. The one black lace bra that worked in the past no longer fits my new breasts, and most of the bras I have tried on lately just don’t work either. It wasn’t until I had breast cancer that I learned how important a properly fitted bra is. First, I needed a good sturdy bra when I was using just a molded prosthesis for the first breast I lost. Then after the initial reconstruction surgery, I didn’t need as much support, but I needed a bra that would give me the shape I wanted. Now I need a new bra that has the right amount of coverage and can show off the cleavage without pushing my breasts together. What I really ne... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934731 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:39:16 +0100 4934731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902639&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fare-profits-driving-breast-cancer-clinical-studies%2F I got the bright idea this week that it would be great if now and then I could provide information about clinical studies being done on treatment or drugs for breast cancer. I am involved in a clinical study through Sister (the name I give to my younger sister in case you forgot) who is part of a study into the BRCA gene mutation carriers in Canada. Other than that, I have answered questionnaires for various studies. Now as a survivor I wonder if I could be helpful as a participant in drug research and trials. My investigation into this idea brought up a whole other issue however. Large pharmaceutical companies fund many of the studies looking for a wonder drug. The intent is to not only find effective and safe drugs, but profitable ones too. This actually limits the studies being done. Ta... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902639 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:29:25 +0100 4902639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813614&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fdo-we-need-a-longer-hospital-stay-after-a-mastectomy%2F Even though the scientific evidence shows that women recover just as well at home after a mastectomy, I don’t believe women should be sent home the day after surgery. In the late 1990s, the switch was made to sending women home quickly after surgery to remove a breast. The evidence suggested that women recover just as well at home as in the hospital. Prior to that decision, many women were in the hospital for several days — now it is up to doctors whether to keep a woman longer than the initial day of recovery. They need a medical reason for insurance to pay for the extended hospital stay. But the evidence doesn’t address the emotional impact that breast cancer and losing a breast has on a woman. We especially need time to assess our feelings about losing a breast before returni... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813614 Tue, 10 May 2011 17:00:14 +0100 4813614 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780459&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbreast-cancer-can-we-stop-it-with-a-vaccine%2F Osama bin Laden is gone — now let’s target breast cancer. Like a terrorist, breast cancer is merciless and unrelenting. We don’t know where it is hiding and when the next attack is going to come. Just as there was a concerted effort to bring down bin Laden, there are countless agents working diligently on eradicating breast cancer. It poses the same threat as terrorism — it strikes fear in families and kills the innocent. Breast cancer over the years has killed as many if not more people than terrorists. In 2010, there was a lot of talk about work on a vaccine for breast cancer. It has since died down, but I was reminded of it while listening to the radio a week ago. During a news program, there was a snippet about a vaccine showing promise for pancreatic cancer. It immedi... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780459 Tue, 03 May 2011 18:14:29 +0100 4780459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4762908&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fwhat-are-you-wearing-to-chemotherapy%2F Recently I heard about Libre, a company that markets clothing for patients on chemo or dialysis. This is wonderful! Someone is thinking about the comfort of those of us who must undergo chemotherapy treatment. I am a few years past chemotherapy, but I remember the struggle of deciding what to wear to be comfortable and warm during those hours I sat in the chemo clinic. I actually spent time reviewing what clothes would be appropriate and convenient for treatment while making me feel good about myself. I don’t apologize for wanting to still look my best while undergoing treatment and spending time at the clinic. My husband would meet me there from work to sit with me during the infusion, so I felt the need to wear makeup and look as attractive as I could. The solution that I came up with ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4762908 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:55:10 +0100 4762908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709356&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbeating-breast-cancer-is-like-taking-on-a-pitbull-you-dont-know-you-can-do-it-until-you-do%2F The other night my dog Dixie and I went for our usual walk around the neighborhood. We look ridiculous, since Dixie generally walks me while I hold on to her with all my might. To say she’s not well trained on a leash — after 10 years — is an understatement; however, she has me well-trained. Generally, we feel quite safe and arrive home without incident. This night was the exception. Half way through our trek, we were confronted by a pit bull loose in the neighborhood and obviously without an owner. My reaction was not what I would have expected. I quickly swooped up my little Dixie — a Jack Russell terrier — in my arms and yelled at the pit bull to go home while lunging at it aggressively. Initially, the pit bull repeatedly turned away and turned back — at least until Dixie de... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709356 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:22:02 +0100 4709356 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419375&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbe-tough-enough-to-take-care-of-yourself-through-breast-cancer%2F There was a lot of hoopla about Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler last week. During the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers, Cutler hurt his knee. This game was to determine which team was going to the Super Bowl, and when Cutler seemed to check out, the victory ultimately went to Green Bay. The uproar that erupted was caused by sportswriters, fans, and even Cutler’s own teammates, who questioned his toughness and commitment to the team and wondered whether he even had an injury. Ultimately, an MRI showed that indeed Cutler had suffered a serious knee injury. This weekend, instead of apologizing, the accusers seemed to think he should have been tough enough to play the duration of the game with an injury. You are probably wondering what this story has to do with br... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419375 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:08:56 +0100 4419375 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4411678&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fseek-a-support-group-for-breast-cancer%2F I was talking with a group of people who were discussing how difficult it is to get a man to go to a support group. Men benefit as much as women by attending a group, and we were specifically talking about support groups for prostate cancer. My husband had radiation therapy for prostate cancer with no residual problems or side effects, so he didn’t even review the information about support groups that his doctor gave him. Sister is big on support groups; she attends one for women who tested positive for the BRCA breast cancer mutation. She has attended others for various reasons and also participates online in one or two more. I am beginning to think of her as a support-group junkie. Seriously though, Sister is so great about seeking support when she needs it. On the other hand, I am a ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4411678 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:17:48 +0100 4411678 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405992&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmakeup-is-fun-even-during-chemotherapy%2F This weekend I went shopping with girlfriends. We had a blast. We looked at jewelry and tried on clothes and played with makeup — all the girly stuff. These two girlfriends and I each have two sons. In addition, all of our sons are pretty much the same age and in college. That means that we haven’t had daughters to shop with, but we do have each other. I treasure all my girlfriends; I can’t imagine life without any one of them. We had a great time trying on new makeup. I love makeup. Lipstick is my favorite, but I love choosing new eye colors too. Makeup was something I really appreciated while I was going through chemotherapy. Christmas fell halfway through my treatment period and Sister surprised me with a gift basket filled with the best makeup including lipstick, blusher, eyeline... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405992 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:35:13 +0100 4405992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394692&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fstrategies-for-survival-after-breast-cancer%2F Once we are diagnosed with breast cancer, there is a plan for treatment. Once we survive the treatment, there really isn’t a plan for our continued survival. We are not sent home with a warranty and no one assures us that the cancer won’t spread or come back. So a plan for continued health and survival isn’t a bad idea. This month, I committed to making my health a priority starting with my routine visit to my oncologist. From there, my plan is to follow up with annual tests and a colonoscopy. Next month I plan to go to my eye doctor and the dentist. In addition, my new plan needs to include my commitment to more exercise, and of course, better eating habits. However, my main focus is to find additional support through alternative medicine, perhaps herbal supplements, and massage the... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394692 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:43:08 +0100 4394692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4361253&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbreast-cancer-and-oral-contraception%2F I was diagnosed with breast cancer just eight months after I married and moved to Michigan. My husband and I agreed that raising my two boys from a previous marriage was fulfilling enough and we didn’t need — or want — to have any more children. My decision to take the birth control pill was discussed with my doctor, and of course any concerns I had about it causing breast cancer were taken into consideration. Only 20 months before my diagnosis, I had a mammogram and follow-up ultrasound that showed no signs of a tumor. You can imagine how distraught I was at being diagnosed with breast cancer but even more perplexed at how a tumor of over 2 centimeters had developed so rapidly in my right breast. My new doctor and I had no reason to suspect that the birth control pill and its increa... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4361253 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 17:53:21 +0100 4361253 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4349656&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fthe-test-i-would-insist-on-if-i-found-a-breast-tumor-now%2F When I was initially diagnosed with breast cancer, the surgeon felt that a lumpectomy would sufficiently remove the tumor. The day after surgery, my surgeon explained to me that the margins were not clear and that I would subsequently need a mastectomy which was performed two weeks later. Two things greatly concerned me — one, did the cutting through the tumor mean that cancer cells had an opening to travel into the rest of my body, and two, how aggressive would treatment have to be to deal with any of the cells that had spread? Years later I have the same concerns. I am worried that cancer cells that escaped the original tumor are lurking somewhere in my body, and I am wondering if maybe the aggressive treatment will yield new cancers or problems later in life for me. A lot of these con... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4349656 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:24:13 +0100 4349656 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4331194&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fhealth-care-is-not-a-right-for-breast-cancer-survivors%2F Do our representatives really think that their time is best spent trying to repeal health-care reform? After the midterm elections, I wrote a blog about breast cancer survivors not wanting another fight, but it looks like the fight is on. Does the new Republican-dominated House of Representatives truly not care that breast cancer survivors are threatened by insurance company decisions that limit or deny their coverage — or even eject them? I have been barraged with comments over the past few years from people newly diagnosed with breast cancer who can’t get coverage. They either can’t afford it or are denied for having a pre-existing condition. New reform is set to ensure that no one can be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition. Many people really do go without health insuranc... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331194 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:24:32 +0100 4331194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4322657&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Ffight-breast-cancer-with-a-theme-song%2F I have a theme song. It changes from time to time, but I always seem to have a song in my head that sticks for a while. Usually a song just comes to me and somehow I know it is my song. I know it sounds a little crazy, but when I tell people that I have a theme song, they tend to want one too. The year that I was diagnosed with breast cancer was the first year I remember having a theme song. Months before I got my diagnosis, Matchbox Twenty had a song called “Unwell” that I kept singing over and over in my head. The main refrain just seemed to be what I was feeling: “I’m not crazy, I’m just a little unwell/I know right now you can’t tell… “ I was feeling out of sorts and a little crazy. I couldn’t explain why I was so uninspired and de-motivated. When I learned I had brea... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4322657 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:02:43 +0100 4322657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4305063&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fcelebrate-the-new-year-by-prioritizing-your-health%2F For the past few years, I have started out each January with a visit to my oncologist. From there I review the tests that I need for the year. This year I need a colonoscopy, and my oncologist usually wants an annual chest x-ray. I think I should get a bone density test and I will get a Pap smear and the usual blood tests. I personally don’t need a mammogram because I have reconstructed breasts, but I urge my friends and of course Sister to get one each year. All of these tests and doctor visits are a necessity for breast cancer survivors anyway. In addition, I should get a cardio stress test; I last had one of those two years ago. Another thing I need to get on top of is the dentist; I tend to let too much time lapse between appointments since I think I take such good personal care of m... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4305063 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:39:29 +0100 4305063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4275552&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbreast-cancer-chemo-brain-and-post-traumatic-stress%2F I have posted tons of blogs over the past few years and one of my favorite still remains the one I did about chemo brain entitled, “You know you have chemo brain when.” The comments are actually hilarious — well, if you are a breast cancer survivor. I doubt if anyone else would find it as funny. I have written about chemo brain in other blogs since then, and I still wrestle with the idea that I am suffering — slowly, hopefully recovering some of my brain functioning affected by what I still call chemo brain. Lately I have had another idea about it. I think a component of the whole chemo brain condition could actually be attributed to post-traumatic stress. Post-traumatic stress has gained a lot of attention lately, especially as we see more and more war veterans returning home with... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4275552 Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:29:40 +0100 4275552 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4259133&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fcan-you-afford-to-find-out-if-you-are-at-high-risk-for-breast-cancer%2F Let’s face it: Women who test positive for either of the genetic mutations for breast cancer have an unenviable disadvantage. According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer risk among the general population is about 12 percent, while about 60 percent of women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 will develop breast cancer — that’s five times the risk. Also, the average age for the general population to develop breast cancer is 60, yet the average age of onset in those with a genetic predisposition to breast cancer is in the 40s. If you are in one of these groups, you need to know it. Genetic testing is the only way to determine if you are in either of these high-risk groups. I am a huge advocate for testing since it saved Sister’s life; she had an early hysterectomy that discovered s... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4259133 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:16:56 +0100 4259133 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4238099&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fremembering-elizabeth-edwards-breast-cancer-claims-a-superhero%2F This is a tough day for me. I learned that Elizabeth Edwards died this morning from breast cancer that had spread to her bones. I can’t tell you how this makes me feel because I have so many feelings about it. I wrote about her when she took the time to testify in support of health-care reform. In the midst of all the other trials she was facing, she thought about the millions of Americans that were suffering without the access to the best health care that she had. Which leads me to my first thoughts, that even with the best doctors, the most advanced treatment options, and a great deal of money, Elizabeth Edwards could not beat cancer. She was diagnosed in 2004 when she found a lump in her breast, which brings up my second thought: Early detection is the only real shot we have in truly ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4238099 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 02:25:21 +0100 4238099 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233368&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fconsidering-my-options-without-femara%2F After writing my last blog on my decision to stop taking Femara, I wrestled all weekend with whether if that was the right thing to do. Cancer is so ominous and survivors have little recourse once treatment is over for preventing a new cancer or breast cancer metastasis. These hormonal drugs (tamoxifen, Arimidex, and Femara), are truly intended to prevent the return or spread of cancer. It is not my intention when writing about my experience to deter anyone from the protective effects these drugs have to offer — which leaves me with the dilemma of what I plan to do in place of taking them. One real option is lifestyle changes. The benefits of a low-fat diet combined with an extensive exercise regimen are well known to me. I have become soft and discouraged, though, since putting on what ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233368 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:44:36 +0100 4233368 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225572&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmy-deep-dark-femara-secret%2F Last January, my oncologist gave me a prescription for Femara because my five-year course with tamoxifen had finished. Research shows maximum benefits from hormonal treatment if tamoxifen is followed by an aromatase inhibitor like Arimidex or Femara for five years. I tried Arimidex in 2006 and wrote about how I had to stop because the side effects were so debilitating. So I initially put off taking it and then later blogged about the prescription still stuck to my fridge. Comments from many of you tried to ease my concerns and encouraged me to take it. So I agreed I would. I need to come clean. Until I had the bone cancer scare that I wrote about last week in my blog about pain and breast cancer, I wasn’t taking Femara. I had good intentions — really I did — mostly because of concern... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225572 Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:24:16 +0100 4225572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214411&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fdoes-pain-equal-cancer-spread-a-recurring-theme%2F Black Friday shopping is something I learned about only when I moved to the United States; it is a traditional part of the Thanksgiving holiday, but this aspect of the celebration never caught on with me. The second Thanksgiving that I was here, a friend coerced me into getting up at 3:00 a.m. to be in line at 4:00 a.m. to shop at a local store. I still haven’t recovered. This past Friday, my oldest son — I call this one the Wise Guy — was visiting from Toronto and we decided to simply cruise the mall in the afternoon. Still, it was a lot of walking and people to navigate, so I don’t call that a great shopping excursion. In fact, I ended up feeling worn and broken by the time I got home. Waking up for the next few days proved to be a painful experience. The pain in my right hip has... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214411 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:34:17 +0100 4214411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190431&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fwhen-prosthetic-breasts-raise-travel-concerns%2F The big buzz in the news lately has been about increased airport screening through pat-downs and body scans and its effects on people’s privacy. One report about a cancer survivor and her experience with screening has created a lot of discussion. This past August, in a Charlotte, North Carolina airport, a flight attendant who also happens to be a breast cancer survivor was directed to a private area by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for screening. Two women TSA agents conducted a pat-down and after feeling her prosthetic breast, demanded that she remove it from her bra for inspection. This appalling incident is something I know I can relate to. I wore a prosthetic breast for a couple of years, and I think having to show it to a stranger who was suspicious of me harborin... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190431 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:26:03 +0100 4190431 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4175917&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fliquid-biopsy-a-breakthrough-for-breast-cancer%2F A new procedure to remove and study cancer cells is making headlines and causing lots of excitement. “Liquid biopsy” is a new and inventive way of biopsying cancer with only a blood test. The theory is that tiny fragments of a tumor break away and circulate in the blood — and it is these that the new test is trying to capture. Although similar technology currently exists, it is only able to trap a minute number of cells. But new technology is being developed that is aimed at capturing thousands and being able to detail treatment for that specific cancer right in the lab before subjecting a person to treatment. We are still not there yet, but initial discussions about cancer treatment using this new type of testing include words like “breakthrough” and “revolutionalize.�... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4175917 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:17:42 +0100 4175917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4168150&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fdont-let-stress-accumulate-during-breast-cancer-treatment%2F Stress is a real outcome of battling breast cancer. It is amazing to me that the medical community hasn’t taken the psychological component that affects women who are diagnosed more seriously. When a woman is diagnosed and her world is shaken, that’s one thing — when a breast is removed and she feels her body has been mutilated, that is another. Either of these has a huge psychological impact; both of them combined feel like you’re dealing with another illness. Throughout treatment, I was able to maintain a very positive, upbeat attitude toward the diagnoses and my hope for the outcome. I was also fortunate in that I had the opportunity to have supplemental help from a chaplain at the hospital, who met with me several times during treatment to direct meditation and relieve anxiety.... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4168150 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 22:13:06 +0100 4168150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4163027&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbreast-cancer-you-either-get-it-or-you-dont%2F I can’t remember what it felt like to have real breasts. Even though I am thrilled with the results of my recent breast reconstruction revisions, I am questioning if I will ever be truly a whole woman again. I just don’t feel normal — I feel like a breast cancer survivor — and putting a new set of breasts on my chest doesn’t make me feel like I used to. If anything, I feel even less normal. To be honest, I don’t usually think this way. These sentiments are all coming out of an experience I had a couple of days ago. I made the mistake of explaining the DIEP flap surgery I had to reconstruct my breasts to a woman that had never been through breast cancer. I have always been excited about the procedure and the results from the surgery that took my excess tummy fat and made a pair ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4163027 Fri, 12 Nov 2010 15:48:52 +0100 4163027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4152157&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fdo-breast-cancer-survivors-really-want-another-fight%2F The big midterm elections are over. With the economy here in Michigan in distress — as in so many other states — we all had big expectations. But one outcome I wasn’t counting on was the vengeance with which the Republican Party steamed into power targeting the recent health-care reform bill. I for one am completely blindsided. Weren’t they all running on the issue of creating jobs and rebuilding the economy? Are we now going to have the debate about health care all over again — why didn’t they participate when they had the chance? In my household we have two cancer survivors and a 22-year-old son. The new law would really make a difference in easing our fears about health care. Now we find out that the only thing this new Congress wants to achieve will affect my family in the ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4152157 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 20:02:45 +0100 4152157 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4134144&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fcan-we-really-wait-10-years-for-a-breast-cancer-cure%2F I have been struggling with mixed emotions. The National Breast Cancer Coalition came out last month with a new initiative — to cure breast cancer by January 1, 2020. As exciting as it may seem to set a deadline for a cure, I am so terribly disappointed to think it may take another 10 years. That means that over two million more women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and a number of them will die from the disease. This to me is unacceptable. Millions and millions of dollars have been raised toward breast cancer awareness, treatment, and research just since I was diagnosed seven years ago. There has been real progress in finding better treatments and making inroads in new directions such as genetic testing. Yet, if we are prepared to wait 10 more years for a cure we can’t honestly ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4134144 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 20:02:07 +0100 4134144 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4125225&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbreast-cancer-makes-family-memories%2F Last week I had the opportunity to spend time with my son — the Big Guy — when I drove him and a friend to pick up his car from the repair shop. Halfway into our trip, I told him to get my wallet from my purse so he could take some money from it. When the Big Guy opened the wallet, his eyes fell on my driver’s license photo, which was taken when I had breast cancer. He took the license out of my wallet and handed it behind him to his friend in the backseat. The Big Guy then asked his friend if he remembered that he told him that his mom had breast cancer. It was interesting that my son wanted to show his friend a picture of me taken during the year I battled the disease. These are two big football linemen and I have to admit it took me off guard. The fact that the Big Guy discussed t... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4125225 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 20:05:22 +0100 4125225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4119529&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fcarly-fiorina-survives-more-than-breast-cancer%2F Carly Fiorina knows what it means to fight like a girl. She had to fight breast cancer after her February 2009 diagnosis, and she is fighting for a Senate seat in the upcoming November election. Like many of us survivors, Ms. Fiorina is also subject to surprise ambushes that come in the aftermath of our battle with breast cancer. This week while on the campaign trail, the candidate was ambushed by an infection related to earlier reconstructive surgery and had to be hospitalized. The source of Ms. Fiorina’s infection is not clear. She had reconstructive surgery in July and her wounds are probably well healed by now. But infections can be present in the body for a long time and may not go away without treatment. After her surgery in 2008, Sister had a chronic urinary tract infection that o... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4119529 Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:46:35 +0100 4119529 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4119530&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmen-fight-in-the-pink-too%2F I want to use this blog entry to wholeheartedly thank all the men who have taken up the cause against breast cancer. It is no surprise that more and more men are getting in the fight — breasts are not only beautiful, they belong to the women men love. From small local groups who participate in the various breast cancer walks to large national organizations, these guys are often motivated by a breast cancer diagnosis that hit close to home. Many of their stories are about their loved ones who battled the disease. When over 200,000 women are diagnosed yearly, you know a lot of men are waking up to the ravages and heartache breast cancer causes. The NFL is perhaps the biggest organization of men against breast cancer. For the past few years we have seen the players don pink cleats, gloves, ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4119530 Wed, 27 Oct 2010 21:40:15 +0100 4119530 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4105941&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fyou-dont-have-a-good-reason-to-avoid-a-mammogram%2F What’s your reason for not getting a mammogram? Well, whatever it is, it’s not a good one. There is no good reason to avoid regular mammograms or annual breast screening. I am hearing a lot of reasons why women have not been getting their breasts screened annually after the age of 40, and I can absolutely confirm that I haven’t heard a good one yet. Most, if not all, breast experts and cancer organizations are sticking to the original guidelines of annual mammograms after age 40. Dr. Kristi Funk confirmed this when I spoke to her recently, and the American Cancer Society, among others, continues to recommend these guidelines. Mammograms save lives: They provide the best tool for early detection, and we don’t have a better method as yet. An MRI might actually provide better insight... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4105941 Mon, 25 Oct 2010 19:12:42 +0100 4105941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4061032&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fthe-stink-over-pink%2F Although I am elated by the pink hue around the world this October, there are some who don’t see everything through the same rose-colored glasses. There is a lot of opposition and even anger over the fact that breast cancer is receiving more attention than other cancers. While I don’t believe for a moment that it is more important to cure breast cancer than other cancers, I do think it affects more people than any other cancer. In the United States, lung cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer annually in both sexes, followed by breast cancer for women and prostate cancer for men. But think about the number of people affected by breast cancer. When a woman gets cancer, her family gets cancer. Her children, husband, mother, and father are affected because she is the caregiver. It... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4061032 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:41:54 +0100 4061032 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4023092&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Freal-men-face-their-breast-cancer-risk%2F Breast Cancer Awareness Month always reminds me of my responsibility to promote awareness and early detection to my girlfriends and the women that I know. I seldom consider the possibility of breast cancer affecting the men in my life, although I should, because it is very real. My boys and their cousin (Sister’s son) are at risk for breast cancer for the same reason as my nieces — their mothers are carriers of the breast cancer gene. Breast cancer in men is rare, but it does happen, and there are men at risk who may never get tested. It generally occurs in older men (between the ages of 60 and 70), and it can be due to abnormal estrogen levels or a family genetic predisposition. Breast cancer can also develop in men who have been exposed to radiation. Male breast cancer also comes... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4023092 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:48:09 +0100 4023092 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003392&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fsurgical-solutions-for-lymphedema%2F I am so happy with the results of my recent DIEP flap revision. Dr. Studinger is detailed and very attentive, and I am so fortunate to have found her. She does other plastic surgery and reconstructive procedures as well. I had the opportunity to discuss lymph node surgery with her when I had my follow-up appointment last week. Until I read her brochure, I didn’t even know that there was relief for lymphedema through surgery. Dr. Studinger is one of only a few doctors worldwide who perform successful surgery for lymph node reconstruction in the treatment of lymphedema. Every now and then I sense a little numbness in my right arm. Generally it is around the elbow and radiates to the upper arm. I know that it is because I had lymph nodes removed when I had a mastectomy of the right breast. ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003392 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:13:16 +0100 4003392 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3994241&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbreast-cancer-made-me-a-better-person%2F I guess I have to give some credit to breast cancer for making me a better person. Honestly, I am more compassionate, more patient, and more considerate of people’s feelings. I know that is a lot of credit to give to a horrible disease, but if I hadn’t been diagnosed I really doubt if I would have had such a deep connection and concern for others. Working for 12 years in Christian ministry, I was truly sincere about reaching out to other people suffering and struggling in their lives. But now I just have a much deeper perspective and understanding of what they are going through and what their needs are. I can’t say if it is just a new maturity in my life or if it is all due to battling breast cancer, but I know in great part it is because of many of the people that inspired me while ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3994241 Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:06:47 +0100 3994241 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987201&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fchest-x-rays-are-an-important-test-for-breast-cancer-survivors%2F Last week I had a chest X-ray. It is just in time because I see my oncologist this upcoming week, and she has been asking me to get one for almost 2 years. Regular chest X-rays are a part of staying vigilant after battling breast cancer. I have found some information that suggests that 60 to 70 percent of deaths from breast cancer are because the cancer metastasized to the lungs. This is too scary for me. I don’t like to think about breast cancer spreading to other organs in my body. I know, of course, that it is possible, even though I have already taken precautions, like removing my ovaries and the prophylactic mastectomy of my healthy breast. When cancer was diagnosed in my right breast, however, it had already spread to the lymph nodes. That is why early detection is so important —... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987201 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:03:13 +0100 3987201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3980976&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fcelebrate-the-story-of-your-breast-cancer-warrior%2F When I got my breast cancer diagnosis, my biggest fear was dying from cancer and not getting an opportunity to make an impact in this world. I didn’t suddenly want to be rich or famous, but I wanted to make sure that I had touched lives. What would be my legacy? How would people remember me? I thought about the shoeboxes of collected memories under my bed, and the neatly stacked file folders with interesting projects I wanted to start — would there be time, and would those memories matter to anyone else? Six years later, I have had time to put my memories on the wall and share them with my family and friends. I have been able to put my projects in perspective, and I am embarking on a new mission to get a second bachelor’s degree, this one in nursing, so I can truly be of some val... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3980976 Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:45:07 +0100 3980976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3933233&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbonding-over-surgery-with-other-breast-cancer-survivors%2F I went to a follow-up appointment with my doctor for the reconstructive surgery I had a few weeks ago. I am still very concerned about everything healing up with minimal scarring, so I am taping the scars while they heal and being careful not to get anything near the wounds. It is such a task. Anyway, while I was in the waiting room I got to meet another woman who was considering DIEP flap surgery and was there to consult with my doctor. Speaking to her reminded me of what a huge decision breast reconstruction is — not getting the breasts, but settling on the type of surgery. There are still far fewer doctors performing a DIEP flap than there are who do implant surgery or TRAM flap. While each surgery has its benefits, I chose DIEP flap as it seemed to have the best outcome. For example,... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3933233 Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:39:03 +0100 3933233 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3896057&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fa-few-complaints-after-surgery%2F Now I remember why I put off the surgery to fix my reconstructed breasts — healing after surgery is no fun! I feel okay, but I can’t get the sutures wet while I’m healing, so I can’t go swimming and I can’t even go outside because I’ll sweat too much. My body is having a reaction to the surgical tape, and one little spot is red and getting infected. It just sucks. The only good thing is that this time I didn’t come home with any drains attached to my body. After every surgery I usually go home with the drains, and the last time I had to keep them for almost two weeks. I’ll say it again: healing isn’t fun. I bounce back quicker than most people, but I still need to whine a little about the discomfort and limited activity due to the surgery. Because I am a little swollen ar... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3896057 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:55:52 +0100 3896057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3872715&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fwe-deserve-to-be-restored-after-breast-cancer%2F I was recovering from surgery this past weekend. On Thursday, I had reconstructive cosmetic surgery to tweak my breasts. The original plan was that I would be in surgery for one to two hours and then head home late Thursday afternoon. Surgery actually took almost four hours. The doctor told Sister, who had come from Toronto to spend the day with me at the hospital, that she took some extra time to fix my abdominal scar. This included tailoring the dog ears on each side of the scar left from my original DIEP flap surgery. I was thrilled to learn that in addition to adjusting the size and shape of my breasts, the surgery had repaired the scar along my abdomen and those unsightly puckers on each side of the scar. I decided to stay in the hospital overnight, and I am so glad I did. I didn’t ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3872715 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:01:55 +0100 3872715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3831526&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fyou-cant-tell-that-i-am-a-breast-cancer-survivor%2F With the huge debate in the United States right now about illegal immigration, the question comes down to: What does an immigrant look like? Some people come from different ethnic backgrounds, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they weren’t born here. Others, like me and my son The Big Guy, have no distinct difference in appearance from many natural-born Americans. Just to clarify, both the Big Guy and I are legal residents of the United States, and we don’t take that privilege lightly. Most of the time, however, we don’t even talk about being immigrants to this country and I doubt anyone (unless you hear me talk for a while) could tell. Just as I am not identifiable as an immigrant, it is not apparent either that I am a breast cancer survivor. Once we get through breast cancer, no ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3831526 Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:38:35 +0100 3831526 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3813161&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbreast-cancer-treatment-and-recovery-are-rights-for-all-women%2F Although breast cancer can develop in men, it is a disease that strikes at the heart of women’s rights. In my previous blog entry, I wrote about the law that protects a woman’s right to reconstruction after a mastectomy — the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998. I was new to America and still navigating the complex world of insurance companies with co-pays and deductibles when my mother-in-law brought me the pamphlet following my mastectomy. I was so relieved to learn that there was a law that would ensure I could feel whole again. The Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act covers women who have lost a breast or breasts because of cancer or non-cancerous diseases. The law requires all group health insurance plans to cover: All stages of reconstruction of the breast on whi... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3813161 Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:41:58 +0100 3813161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3798754&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fgetting-the-best-breasts-possible%2F I had a great doctor’s appointment last week. I got to tell my plastic surgeon how I wanted my redesigned breasts to look. Dr. Studinger is an amazing, patient, and understanding doctor. She is really skilled in the DIEP flap breast reconstruction procedure and committed to helping me get the best possible results from the touch-ups I want. Although I had two surgeries to reconstruct my breasts, I still need to finalize the shape and size of my breasts; one breast is a little bigger than the other. This is in part because one breast was reconstructed from a prophylactic mastectomy, while the other was removed with cancer and my surgeon did not want to leave much skin that could harbor cancer cells. One thing Dr. Studinger reviewed with me the fact that under law, insurance is required to... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3798754 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:25:37 +0100 3798754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3790884&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fdoes-it-matter-when-we-get-breast-cancer%2F A radio news program I heard this morning reported that a greater percentage of women today develop breast cancer under the age of sixty-one. Having gone through the treatment and aftermath of the disease as well as reading comments on this blog, I can well attest to that fact — many women who develop breast cancer these days are in their forties and fifties. We are mothers with younger children, we are in the prime of our careers, and we are not expecting to be hit with this disease. I was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 44. It sure wasn’t anything I was expecting at that time in my life. Like a lot of people, I thought of breast cancer as a disease that only older women had to worry about. I am just getting into my fifties, and breast cancer will dog me for the rest of m... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3790884 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:02:22 +0100 3790884 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3776571&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmemories-are-harder-to-sell-after-breast-cancer%2F I have been planning to have a garage sale since March. I am not a big fan of garage sales, but the last few times we have put our stuff out to sell, we made hundreds of dollars. This seems to be motivation enough for my husband to be enthusiastic about hosting this very American community event. I promised him that I would get my stuff together and be ready in April. That didn’t happen, so we targeted a weekend in June. When that date passed, I agreed to work towards a date before the end of July. So here we are and I am still no further ahead than I was in March. As soon as my husband saw me sit at the computer to write today’s blog he immediately started with: “No, no, no…not until you get the stuff up from the basement for the sale.” Truthfully I was looking for a diversi... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3776571 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:58:58 +0100 3776571 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3767271&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fin-search-of-a-tattoo-artist%2F The next big thing coming up for me is additional surgery to finish my breast reconstruction. I delayed getting touch-ups and nipples for various reasons, but that didn’t diminish my desire for more attractive and normal breasts. I have been lucky though because I did work initially with great surgeons at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and really have a well-placed and wonderful-looking set. Along with putting off the final cosmetic surgery, I have put off thinking about the nipple construction and tattooing that generally accompanies the finishing touches. So recently I have been searching out websites and other material to learn how this is done. Surprisingly, there are a number of ways to get new nipples and areolas. Nipple reconstruction by most surgeons is done by cutting the skin in th... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3767271 Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:28:43 +0100 3767271 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3761592&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fhair-paste-for-chemo-hair%2F Yesterday I went to the salon to get my hair done for a family wedding this weekend. It reminded me that when I was at the BRCA conference earlier this summer in Toronto, I sat beside a woman whose hair had just begun to grow back — it was barely three-fourths of an inch long. She lamented that she had a wedding to go to that coming weekend and had no idea how she was going to look good with the limited amount of hair she had to work with. I recommended that she try using a hair product that my hairstylist recommended and showed me how to use when my hair began growing back. It’s a fun product called hair paste. When hair starts growing back, it isn’t quite the hairdo we were dreaming about during chemotherapy. My hair was curly and looked like I had four tufted patches on my... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3761592 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:03:59 +0100 3761592 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3746932&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Falternative-medicine-vs-conventional-cancer-treatment%2F Driving back from visiting my family outside Toronto yesterday, I listened to an interview with Suzanne Somers. She survived breast cancer and has gone on to become a self-styled expert in health and wellness. I like this woman — she is funny, pretty, and interesting to listen to. What I don’t like is that she is espousing cancer treatment outside the medical community. She is somewhat antagonistic towards medical research and uses her own experts and studies. I think we all need to have an open mind about alternative treatments, but I also believe we need to focus on what is working and saving lives when it comes to cancer. Although Ms. Somers gives positive testimony regarding the treatments she pushes, she cannot point to the countless number of hours of research or the thousands of... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3746932 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:45:41 +0100 3746932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3740785&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbreast-cancer-hasnt-changed-my-love-of-lipstick%2F This week, NBC Nightly News reported on an expert panel in San Francisco looking into the connection between environment and breast cancer risk. Things like pesticides and chemicals in water bottles are a concern, but to date there is no concrete evidence linking the incidence of cancer to the environment. Fortunately, experts are not about to give up — they will continue to research all aspects of environmental risks and breast cancer development. The news report also included a brief discussion about the chemicals in makeup. I love wearing makeup. By age 14, my friends and I were really into makeup. My mom is one of those women who never left the house without her hair and face done, so it was inevitable that she would influence me to have a love of lipstick, blush, and eye shadow. Alm... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3740785 Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:53:54 +0100 3740785 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3733249&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fempowered-to-decide-for-breast-reconstruction-or-against%2F Surgery for my touch-up breast reconstruction is planned for August, so I am scheduled to see the doctor in a few weeks to discuss the changes I want. This surgery is exciting to me, but I waited a long time to have it. I had the original DIEP flap surgery in 2006, then the follow-up in March 2007 — since then I haven’t had any additional work, cosmetic or otherwise, on my breasts. When you take into account the fact that it took me almost 13 years to grow the first set, it doesn’t seem like this new set is really taking that long to perfect. Breast cancer survivors get to do what a lot of women wish they could — get a new set of designer boobs. It is a hollow triumph, really, when you realize what we had to go through to earn them. But if you can get past the horror of the dia... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3733249 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:00:16 +0100 3733249 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3730043&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fpharmacists-can-help-in-the-battle-against-breast-cancer%2F One great source of support for me during and after breast cancer was my pharmacy. I had a wonderful community pharmacy with really helpful pharmacists and assistants. Whenever I showed up with a new prescription, the pharmacist would take the time to answer my questions and review the information about the medication. Since early this year I have been wrestling with taking Femera. I wrote about it in a blog after my oncologist prescribed it in January. I was supposed to start taking it right after I finished taking tamoxifen in March. Well, as much as I appreciate the encouragement I received from readers and the continued nagging from my doctor, here I am still trying to decide if I should take it. I haven’t gone in to talk to my regular pharmacist yet because if I am not prepared to s... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3730043 Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:54:57 +0100 3730043 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3714394&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbreast-obsessed-after-breast-cancer%2F I have become a boob person. I am obsessed with breasts! I catch myself staring at women’s chests all the time. It is easy to find a pair to look at these days, with all the skimpy summer tops and t-shirts exposing cleavage. I wasn’t always like this. Before I had breast cancer, boobs weren’t a big deal. After my mastectomy, my interest began to grow, and I became fully obsessed while I was deciding on reconstruction. The only other time I developed a minor obsession was when I was 13 years old and my first set wasn’t growing as fast as those of my classmates. This is also similar to when I was bald during chemotherapy and I became obsessed with hair, especially blonde hair. Fortunately, I have more to do in my life than stare at women’s bodies, but when the opportunity arise... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3714394 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:54:49 +0100 3714394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3706862&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbreast-cancer-challenges-us-to-live-a-life-of-no-regrets%2F I have seen my in-laws almost every weekend for the past couple of months because of birthday celebrations, bridal and baby showers, and a family reunion. I don’t mind because I have the best in-laws in the world. I tease my husband that I married him only so I could have his mom and dad in my life. My father-in-law is 91 and my mother-in-law is 87, so they have endless stories that I never tire of. He is a veteran of the Second World War and she grew up on a farm during the Depression. I love her homemade canned relish and squash, and it is never a chore to invite them for dinner. If I sound like the nauseatingly perfect daughter-in-law, it is because they really are as great as I make them sound. My father-in-law is a reminder of how important the people we have in our lives are compar... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3706862 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:50:05 +0100 3706862 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3449091&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmartina-navratilova-faces-a-new-opponent-in-breast-cancer%2F The tennis champ Martina Navratilova announced just recently that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It is DCIS, ductal carcinoma in situ, which is the earliest form of the disease. Ms. Navratilova has elected to have a lumpectomy followed by several weeks of radiation, which is pretty standard treatment for DCIS. But that aside, we breast cancer survivors know all too well the shock and fear Martina has had to deal with after getting this diagnosis. So much for diet and exercise preventing breast cancer, as suggested by researchers at a conference in Spain recently. Martina Navratilova has to be one of the most fit women I know of. I truly admire all her accomplishments. Like Martina, so many women really do take care of their bodies and health in every way and still get hit with this... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3449091 Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:31:09 +0100 3449091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3441009&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Ffight-breast-cancer-with-hope%2F “Once you choose hope, anything is possible.” I found a beautiful plaque with this quote and hung it in my bathroom. Why my bathroom? Well, that is the one place that I know most of my guests will end up visiting — and actually read what is on the wall. Hope has been a theme lately in my life. My brother-in-law and I had a discussion about it recently. He is a motivator, a businessman, and a marathon triathlete. He has established orphanages in Africa and is invited to speak at leadership conferences often. I think this makes him an expert on hope. Recently he began working with a mission in downtown Toronto serving meals to homeless people. He finds that the homeless who suffer most are the ones who truly feel hopeless. It isn’t just those who are down and out that need ho... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3441009 Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:05:16 +0100 3441009 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3385512&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fa-funny-surprise-from-breast-cancer%2F There is one positive thing that I can honestly say came out of chemotherapy. It came up with my hairdresser today when she happened to notice that I have great eyebrows. I know it sounds funny, but hey, let me have this one thing. I have always had darker and thicker eyebrows than most women, but not quite as great as Brooke Shields. I was constantly plucking and shaping them and then breast cancer hit. Chemotherapy thinned them out quite a bit, but it couldn’t quite get rid of them. After my hair grew back, my eyebrows took on a new shape – and I couldn’t be happier. So today, my hair dresser commented on how great my eyebrows looked. When I told her I did not have to pluck or shape them ever, I knew she was impressed. We suffer so much through chemotherapy. Many of us struggle wit... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3385512 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:05:55 +0100 3385512 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378688&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fchemotherapy-shows-us-at-our-worst%2F The only thing more challenging than living with a teenager is living with a college kid home for spring break. Like most parents I get to see a side of my son that no one else does. If you were to meet the Big Guy you would tell me that I had a polite, charming, intelligent and sensitive young man and congratulate me for raising such a great kid, most people do. If you do meet that kid, please send him home because I think I got the wrong one. Actually though, I need to cut him some slack since he is cranky because of the pain he is experiencing from his recovering knee injury. I can relate to that. When I was going through chemotherapy there were times when I was a little cranky too. Trying to handle chemotherapy and the world at the same time can be a little overwhelming. We are run dow... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378688 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:08:47 +0100 3378688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3362542&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fincluding-family-in-breast-cancer-decisions%2F My son – The Big Guy – injured his knee last fall and had minor surgery to repair a torn meniscus. This is huge in his world because he is a college football player attending school on an athletic scholarship. This past week he injured his knee again and I am beside myself with worry about him, his emotions, and his future. Of course I am not at all concerned about his football, that is the least important to me, but not to him. We have different perspectives and different priorities. Truthfully though this is a minor injury and if we can get him to rest and stay off his knee this should clear on its own, but I still worry. The Big Guy is only 18 and can’t see beyond the next few years. For many of us that face breast cancer we often find that our priorities are different than our fa... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3362542 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:26:00 +0100 3362542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354532&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fremembering-farrahs-brave-cancer-battle%2F The Oscars are always fun to watch. This year’s awards couldn’t pass without a little controversy though. During the In Memoriam segment, Farrah Fawcett was not included among the actors shown and I was a little perturbed when the segment ended and her face was not shown on screen with the other actors that had passed away during the year. Farah lost her battle with anal cancer and I wrote a blog to commemorate her just after her death. I think she was such a big icon during my life, and especially when I was a young woman, that I almost feel snubbed that they forgot her. Her battle with cancer was chronicled by herself and was terrifically brave.  Her death reminded me that although I beat cancer once I still need to be vigilant against this foe. In my life it claimed a breast, i... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3354532 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:59:10 +0100 3354532 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3346653&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fhappiness-and-breast-cancer%2F Are you happy? I don’t mean happy with your life, or happy with your job or happy with your mate. I mean are you happy despite everything that might not be great in your life right now? I guess I should ask instead; are you a happy person? When I was thinking about what makes me happy I realized that I don’t need anything to make me happy. I am happy a lot of the time. Not the silly superficial happy, or the happy that comes with always finding people to party with, but really happy. In people who are happy there is just a sense of cheerfulness and optimism. These people have the ability to bounce back from sad and tragic places and move on. We can find the cancer in a body and the lump in a breast, but no one has found where happy resides. Is it in the heart or the head? I do ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3346653 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:35:12 +0100 3346653 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327250&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbattling-breast-cancer-with-memories%2F Cancer is a family affair. One life may be affected but all lives are disrupted. When you talk to someone who had a mother or sister or wife or daughter that battled breast cancer, it is plain that they felt the pain of that diagnosis and the fear of loss. It is at those times a family needs to remember all the happy days they had. I think of all the happy days in my family’s life and am grateful that they outweigh the cancer days. Making memories becomes so important for those of us that survive cancer and realize how much those happy days we created before the diagnosis meant to us during the battle. I think this is what is fueling my need for family pictures all over the house. For the past three months I have been buying frames and photo books and even have one wall in the hallw... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327250 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:34:14 +0100 3327250 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322585&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fnot-on-the-run-to-beat-breast-cancer%2F Today I saw a woman jogging through the snow. She made it look like a walk in the park. I took up skiing just last year and love it, I went back to school and aced some college courses but I just can’t jog further than my mail box! I remember with triumph a time when I ran around the block at my parent’s house. That was 15 years ago and I could only do it once. Truly this is a dream of mine; to be able to lace up my Nikes and run for at least 15 minutes straight. All I can say is that when I battled breast cancer, it’s a good thing I didn’t have to out run it. Sometimes in my mind I feel like superwoman. I went a round with cancer and surgery and chemotherapy and I’m still standing, shouldn’t that mean I could at least run a 15 minute a mile? Seriously, this woman looked great.... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322585 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:39:51 +0100 3322585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3314773&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Feveryone-deserves-a-lifetime%2F I am starting to hear ads in Michigan for the 3-day walk to end breast cancer. Many of you have written to me about your participation in this event and how rewarding it is. The one thing that I love about this year’s ad is the line at the end when the announcer says that “everybody deserves a lifetime.” I am sure that I have heard this line before, but it really hit me this week. The whole medical community, all the research and info sites like everydayhealth.com are dedicated to the premise that everyone deserves a lifetime. No one’s life should be cut short because a tumor began to grow in their breasts. The United States has a 5- year survival rate of over 90%. This is so exciting when you think about it. People are surviving the disease. My concern is how well we recover after... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3314773 Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:36:43 +0100 3314773 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3307045&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Ffight-breast-cancer-with-pomegranates%2F I love a lot of different fruits. Oranges are my favorite, but I love strawberries and blueberries too, but pomegranates are a special treat. When I was a little girl, every now and then my mom would buy one, which was a big deal when you consider we were living in a little tiny mining town in northern Ontario at the time.  She gave my sister and me each half and sat us outside to pick through the juicy seeds.  I’m sure part of her plan was to keep us occupied for a very long time. Since then I lost my patience for that delightful fruit until this fall. I couldn’t get enough pomegranates, I ate pretty much one a week until early this year when they went out of season. I also love pomegranate juice. I keep a little bottle in my fridge all year round. When I am out to dinner or a speci... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3307045 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:51:32 +0100 3307045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298550&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbreast-cancer-and-the-power-of-napping%2F There is new information out of the University of California at Berkley that indicates that napping during the day boosts cognitive power. I like this! I am a napper. I don’t always get the opportunity for a short afternoon nap, but when I need it I take it. It might just be a few minutes before dinner or an evening class but it helps. When we go through chemotherapy or radiation one of the most distressing side effects is fatigue. Usually I worked in the morning and then went to Chemotherapy in the afternoon, returning to work the next day. This resulted in only a half day off from work. After a couple of months I would take the day after chemo off as I began to feel the cumulative effects of months of treatment. That would give me the whole day to rest. I then learned that if I cou... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298550 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:16:14 +0100 3298550 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3290967&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Ftaking-inspiration-from-other-breast-cancer-survivors%2F There is a lot of transition in my life right now. I am working on new projects and my husband is refocusing his career while my boys are working on major plans of their own. During times like this, not necessarily bad times, but when I am not the one being able to predict how we will all end up, I feel agitated and overwhelmed. I am not one to back away from risk or change, but I do fantasize about going in my office covering myself with a blanket and sitting under the desk until everything works out. Sounds crazy, but I’ve come a long way from when I used to imagine locking myself in the closet. I didn’t have these feelings when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I really am a fighter. Show me injustice and I’ll speak up, pick on my friend and you pick on me. Take on o... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3290967 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:22:33 +0100 3290967 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283785&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fis-it-seasonal-affective-disorder-or-breast-cancer-depression%2F It’s snowing today. Well, it is Michigan. I keep asking my husband, ‘What self-respecting Canadian (me) moves south of the border and stops in Michigan?’ I grew up in northern Ontario where it snowed a lot more than Michigan. The difference in the winter weather between the two places is huge though. In the little city where I grew up we had tons of snow, but we also got a lot of sunshine. The sun shone almost every day in the winter, so much so that our city was called the sunshine capitol of the North. It made for a fun winter. Even though I had a great weekend skiing in the north part of Michigan and we haven’t had near the snow we had last year, I am finding the gloomy winter almost unbearable this year. Usually I muddle through but I have to say that I am battl... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283785 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:08:07 +0100 3283785 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3269852&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Ftoo-quiet-on-the-breast-cancer-front%2F I have been in the breast cancer business for six and a half years. I call it “the business” because of how it affects my life, not because of the science or medicine. In all that time I have held to the hope of a cure for breast cancer. Not a treatment, not just a drug to eliminate risk; a real cure. In the past four years I have read and written about research studies and findings and breakthroughs. I have even blogged about British scientists that said there would be a cure in two years – that was in 2009. Things are very quiet right now about breast cancer and the quiet is deafening. We are in a war. The war against cancer. Remember, Nixon declared war on cancer and no one to my knowledge has declared a truce. When you are in a war you need to know what is happening on the front ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3269852 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:38:40 +0100 3269852 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3262847&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fwhy-am-i-keeping-this-wig-after-i-survived-cancer%2F Like a lot of women I know I have fat pants in my closet. You know, the ones you kept from when you were at your heaviest so you can remind yourself how much weight you lost. They are usually one or two sizes bigger than you are now. Only some of us keep them because every now and then our weight creeps back up and we actually need a pair of bigger pants. We refuse to pay for fat clothes because we are convinced the weight will come off again. Some of us never even tell anyone but sisters and close girlfriends about our fat pants. Certainly my husband doesn’t know. When he comes with me to doctor’s offices I don’t even let my husband see the nurse weigh me or check my height; I don’t want to ruin his image of me as tall and thin, which isn’t easy to accomplish... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3262847 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:29:19 +0100 3262847 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3254667&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmaking-up-for-things-breast-cancer-has-stolen%2F I was looking for a pair of earrings the other day that I haven’t worn in years. I couldn’t find them because they were among the pieces of jewelry that were stolen during a break-in that occurred during the first months I was going through chemotherapy. It happened during the day while everyone was out of the house. I had forgot the earrings were among the things stolen. In the midst of battling breast cancer, a break-in seemed like a small thing. Now and then though I realize that pieces of me were stolen during that robbery. Little things that might not have been extremely valuable but meant a lot. Like the pearls my parents gave me, or a pendant from a friend; things that I can never replace. My husband took the insurance money and bought me a huge diamond ring to try to ma... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3254667 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:16:12 +0100 3254667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3223463&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Ftaking-a-new-medication-to-reduce-breast-cancer-risk%2F The new prescription for Femera is pinned to my fridge with a magnet. I’ve put it there so I won’t forget about filling it at the end of the month and guess what? It’s the end of the month. I had such a bad experience with Arimidex that you can hardly blame me for not being more enthusiastic about starting this new one. I didn’t mind tamoxifen at all, but my doctor decided that I am done with it. Studies show that there is no increase in benefit from taking tamoxifen for more than five years. Now my oncologist insists that following with five years of Femera will provide the greatest risk reduction for cancer returning. I always said that if it came down to it that I would choose to take medication rather than have cancer. I guess it helps to have a bottom line, but... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3223463 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:32:19 +0100 3223463 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3216802&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fwhat-did-you-learn-from-breast-cancer%2F I had to stand in a long line to pay for my groceries this weekend. Once I finished reading all the covers of the gossip magazines which updated me on the important stuff in the world, I decided to entertain myself by making a mental list of all the things that I learned from having breast cancer. I thought I would share it with you. Breast cancer taught me: That it’s not what you have but who you are that matters. That healthy people get cancer. That good people get cancer. That if life was fair no one would get cancer. That you need to be grateful for the good times. That a real friend is one who calls just to chat when you have cancer. That one great sister is better than twenty good doctors. That there is always something to smile about. That people will tell you your wig looks g... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3216802 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:41:52 +0100 3216802 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3200629&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbuying-shoes-to-get-through-chemo%2F I have decided that I need a pair of red patent leather high heel pumps with a platform. I saw them somewhere a couple of weeks ago and they keep creeping into my thoughts. I have a real weakness for shoes. This doesn’t make me unique as a woman, shoes have a real appeal for most of us. These shoes are pretty sensational though, they are shiny and the perfect shade of tomato red and have at least a four inch heel. I picture them with a skinny pair of jeans (I was envisioning when I was skinnier). Truthfully I didn’t buy them because I sensed they would end up with the rest of my collection of shoes, many of which are still new and in the box. OK, I confess, I am obsessed with shoes and have a very weird relationship with them. They make me happy! Before I had the second surgery... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3200629 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:02:09 +0100 3200629 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3189351&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fcancer-patients-need-treatment-but-that-doesnt-mean-we-trust-it%2F There is no way to express the horror I feel over the devastation and human suffering caused by the earthquake in Haiti. It is beyond understanding how these people are coping in the midst of this. I watched the news with real heartbreak as some Haitians refused to eat rations provided off of trucks. One individual took the package and started telling everyone not to eat it as the date said it was expired. People started rejecting the packaged food and throwing it on the ground as the truck drove off. Others chased after the truck begging them to provide more. As friends and family expressed their dismay at this scene, I began to comprehend. Imagine people desperate for food receiving something as foreign to them as a small package of nutrition. There could have been mistrust. Remember, Ha... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3189351 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:39:02 +0100 3189351 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3178952&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fcommitting-to-better-health%2F Well it’s my first week back on Weight Watchers and I lost five pounds. I love the program, I always have. There is no reason that I can’t follow the principles of Weight Watchers for the rest of my life except that food gets in the way. Not the good food, but things like potato chips and chocolate. You know that is why Weight Watchers should really work for me because it allows even these things a little at a time. Health takes commitment. It’s easy for me to commit to my family and friends, but I fall down when I commit to me. This is a new decade and I think I really have to make it about me. It is a little cliché, but so true that if you don’t take care of yourself you can’t take care of anyone else. I let myself get run down before Christmas. I ran throu... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3178952 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:20:26 +0100 3178952 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3172163&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fdiscovering-who-you-really-are-after-cancer%2F “In a world where you can be anything… be yourself” I saw this wonderful quote today. It is brilliant! Imagine really choosing to be who you are and knowing that’s enough. If breast cancer teaches us anything it teaches us how to be our self. Cancer affects who we are, not who we are trying to be, and it takes our real selves to live through it. That person deserves to be heard. Think of the times you gave up your voice. When you wanted to question your doctor’s decisions but didn’t, or when you were in a hospital bed and needed something but didn’t want to cause any trouble. If you don’t listen to your voice, no one else will either. It hasn’t been easy being me. I have always had a deep rooted need to be who others need me to be. And you know... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3172163 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:09:46 +0100 3172163 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3156628&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fthe-ongoing-battle-with-breast-cancer%2F I am getting back on track. I have found some great supplements which includes a foul tasting green powder full of vegetables. Thanks to all of you for responding to my lament on my blog about my bad habits; I received some great advice and tips and I am really feeling motivated. I have even decided to follow Weight Watchers to make sure I am eating good food and the right portions. The doctor’s decision that I switch from Tamoxifen to Femera is still a little concerning to me.  I figure if I really get on track and in good physical condition then I will be able to note any changes Femera wreaks on my body more quickly. I haven’t really experienced any adverse symptoms from Tamoxifen except Sister insists it is what is making me fat and makes it more difficult for me to lose w... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3156628 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:37:56 +0100 3156628 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3149274&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fback-to-the-front-lines-in-the-battle-against-breast-cancer%2F I’m at four month visits with my oncologist now. After five years of trotting off to the same office, I still look forward to visiting my old support network that saw me through chemotherapy. It appears though that after five years, the old support staff has changed. The oncology nurses that hooked me up to the drip bags have all moved on to other jobs and I didn’t recognize anyone in the chemo clinic this visit. Maybe that’s a good thing. Nothing to link me to the chemo period. This visit I met with my doctor’s physician assistant. She checked me out and told me everything looked good, gave me my prescription for a chest x-ray and sent me to the chemo clinic for a blood sample. Before she finished though she advised me that I was finishing with Tamoxifen this month... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3149274 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:37:25 +0100 3149274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3142785&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fsurviving-breast-cancer-to-celebrate-another-year%2F Happy New Year! What are you going to do with this new year, this new decade? A new year is like a clean sheet of paper just waiting to be written on and you get to choose the story that gets written. Breast cancer may have impacted the last decade of your life, or maybe you’re still not quite through the battle but the new decade is marching in so get ready for great things. That is the one problem I have had with being a survivor, the idea that something great is going to happen to make up for the fact that I had breast cancer. Each birthday, each new year is supposed to be this milestone or a marker for something special I’m supposed to do. The wisdom I have gained these past years though informs me that something great does happen each time one of these milestones is reache... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3142785 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:54:56 +0100 3142785 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3119027&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fsurvive-and-rejoice-this-christmas%2F Another Christmas to rejoice! As breast cancer survivors, Christmas provides another milestone each year. More importantly we can look to those we love and cherish our moments with them. I wish you and your family the happiest of Christmases and the joy you deserve. (Source: Life with Breast Cancer) Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3119027 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:44:42 +0100 3119027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3111647&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Ftake-it-easy-this-christmas%2F I’m ready for Christmas! My tree is up, my house is decorated and even the outside of my house is all lit up for the holidays. My Christmas shopping is pretty much done and some of the gifts are wrapped. This is a major breakthrough for me. Every Christmas Eve I wish I had two more weeks to get ready, not this year though. In the midst of the busiest season I have ever known, I somehow managed to pull it all together. Being organized doesn’t come easy for me. I’m one of those people who does better when I have more stress and a lot to accomplish; it makes me focus. Another successful Christmas that I can remember was the one I celebrated in the middle of chemotherapy. I was working, I was bald and I was chemo challenged – that’s what I call being physically weaken... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3111647 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:46:18 +0100 3111647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3105248&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmemorials-to-the-battle-with-breast-cancer%2F Almost all breast cancer survivors can remember where they were, the day and the time when they heard the words “you have breast cancer.” Lately I haven’t thought about this very much, but the other day I drove by the building that housed the clinic where my doctor was, and where I was the day she told me I had breast cancer. But, this is Michigan and now that building like many others here is empty and for lease. That morning, (the one when I heard “those” words) I dropped my husband off at the airport which is only about three miles from the doctor’s office. He had to take a flight at 11:00 and my doctor’s appointment was at the same time. He had to be away for work and though he wanted to be at my appointment I made it clear he needed to go and that I would be ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3105248 Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:52:13 +0100 3105248 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3089504&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbad-habits-and-breast-cancer%2F Both my boys are living away from home now and I am finding it hard to get motivated for the Christmas season. This used to be such a huge holiday for me. I have been so busy this fall with working and taking classes at college that the fall has zoomed by. The other thing that has happened is that I have fallen back into some pretty bad habits. I am not eating as well as I should since junk food and fast food drive ups seem to fit my schedule better. This is not good. Every now and then I get that little nudge from that little voice that reminds me that I can’t take my health for granted. Breast cancer survivors know what I mean. We had our warning and we need to heed it. Especially now that I am a half century old, my health matters. Although I have not been eating that well or exer... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3089504 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:06:36 +0100 3089504 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3075728&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Flosing-health-care-in-the-middle-of-chemo%2F Those of us that have been through treatment for breast cancer know how complicated it can be to have to deal with insurance companies to make sure you are covered for tests, surgery and office visits, it can be a nightmare to navigate through. My personal nightmare is all about losing health insurance coverage in the middle of chemo. When I was in my third month of chemotherapy, my husband’s job situation changed. That meant that after 30 days we would have to choose COBRA or be without health insurance. I still had several more chemotherapy sessions scheduled. So we chose COBRA. I have told this story before, but it helps people understand why I am so committed to health care reform. It is because in the middle of chemotherapy I had to find an additional 1200.00 dollars a month to ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3075728 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:23:54 +0100 3075728 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3052345&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbeating-cancer-is-a-family-affair%2F This Thanksgiving I did something a little different; I went to Canada to see family. Although they had already had their feast last month, it was really nice to have the time with them. Sister was a little under the weather and hasn’t been sleeping well lately. I think there is a lot going on with her since the hysterectomy to reduce her risk for ovarian cancer. As a BRCA carrier she has taken steps to address her risks for breast and other cancers due to the gene mutation. I have to say I worry about her. I also got to see my niece and her new baby. Nicole also tested positive for the BRCA II gene mutation and having her babies in her twenties is something we have heard can help reduce her risk. More importantly, once she has had all her children she can turn her efforts to other w... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3052345 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:53:39 +0100 3052345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3030060&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fholidays-bring-hope%2F Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday season. The Thanksgiving and Christmas that I celebrated while undergoing chemotherapy were special for me because I was so glad to have the hope of beating breast cancer. This is a season of hope. It is a time to be grateful too. When we take these moments to focus on the best part of our lives and who we are, we are showing breast cancer who is the victor and that none of us are victims. Blessings to you and your family for this Thanksgiving Kathy-Ellen (Source: Life with Breast Cancer) Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3030060 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:58:44 +0100 3030060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3023377&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fanother-side-effect-of-chemotherapy-smell-sensitivity%2F This Saturday I had an amazing day with one of my close friends. She planned a fun girl’s day for us starting with a pedicure for me. She wanted me to unwind – I’ve been a little overwhelmed lately. It was a wonderful day and I am so grateful to have a friend like her. In fact I have the most wonderful friends in the world, they all care deeply and make me feel loved. My darling friend had a sample of a fragrance she loved and wanted to purchase a bottle of the spray cologne. The problem was she didn’t know the name so the sales associates had to spend some time to track it down, which involved smelling a lot of perfume samples in the store. I used to always wear perfume. It was one of my favorite gifts, and my mother always gave me my favorite fragrance for Christmas. ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3023377 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:55:15 +0100 3023377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2999778&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Flimiting-breast-cancer-screening-is-an-assault-against-women%2F There is no question more women than ever before are surviving breast cancer. This is happening because of early screening and better and more aggressive treatment. So I was absolutely shocked today to hear that the United States Preventive Services Task Force (a committee appointed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) is now recommending that women do not get regular mammograms until their fifties and even then limit screening to every other year. In addition they are suggesting that breast self exams not be taught. ARE THEY CRAZY? There is no way to completely express my feelings about this. I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at the age of 44, and the tumor was discovered through self breast exam and confirmed through a mammogram. This was only 18 months since a p... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2999778 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:25:20 +0100 2999778 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2999779&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbreast-cancer-and-hot-flashes%2F I have been on Tamoxifen going on five years now, after you account for the breaks I took. At first I experienced hot flashes as a side effect. For the past several months I have to say that the hot flashes have really tapered off. This past week though I noticed that the hot flashes have returned with a vengeance. It seems odd, but I think I know why. I even wrote about this before. My husband is your typical football fan. He loves to spend the weekend clicking from college football games on Saturday to pro football games on Sunday and every game in between. In order to accommodate sitting through 36 hours of football he likes to snack – recreational eating he calls it. One of his favorite snacks is fried spicy hot wings. He buys them frozen and sticks them in the oven with pizza snacks... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2999779 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:57:36 +0100 2999779 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2970385&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fa-tattoo-to-cover-up-my-chemo-port-scar%2F A real growing trend is tattoos. Remember when you only saw them on sailors? Well if you are my age you do. Anyway, I have been researching tattoos for a paper I am writing for one of the classes I have been taking at the university this fall. It seems they could be dangerous, certainly hard to get rid of, and even a hindrance to success in the work place. Still, more and more people are getting them. As one young person told me; “By the time I make it to management, the CEO will have a tattoo, so my tattoo will be a usual thing.” He is probably right. For anyone that has had breast reconstruction you may have had your areola tattooed onto your new breast. One thing that I have been thinking about getting a tattoo for is my port scar. On the right side of my upper chest the scar that w... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2970385 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:28:57 +0100 2970385 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2963288&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fenvious-of-breast-cancer-awareness-month-dont-be%2F This time of year people get breast cancer envy. I agree that sounds a little startling, so let me tell you what I mean. Cancer touches so many lives and there are so many different types of cancer. All of them are insidious. With Breast Cancer Awareness month it is pretty evident that breast cancer gets a lot of attention. I think for many who battle other types of cancer or have watched their loved ones battle colon or lung or brain cancer the question becomes, “Why does breast cancer get all the attention?” This is something that I wonder about as well. Since my niece had childhood leukemia and my dad battled non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma I think more effort needs to be placed on addressing these types of cancers. My mother also battled lung cancer and I know how egregious that disease i... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2963288 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:11:55 +0100 2963288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2939509&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmy-favorite-breast-cancer-program%2F One of my all time favorite programs for Breast Cancer Awareness month is Yoplait’s Save Lids to Save Lives. Just after I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I came upon the pink lidded Yoplait yogurt in my super market and took a few home. I loved the yogurt so it became a staple in our home. As I finished each container I rinsed the lid and placed it on the window sill. As the little pile of pink lids accumulated, my two boys, 11 and 14 at the time began to ask about them. I explained that I was saving the lids so other women wouldn’t have to go through breast cancer treatment like I did. That the more lids I saved the more money could go towards research to cure breast cancer. A few days later I noticed that my little pile of pink lids had grown and that I was running out of Yoplait y... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2939509 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:03:18 +0100 2939509 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2927526&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fconnecting-women-to-breast-cancer-trials%2F I am continually amazed at the power people have – regular people like you and me – to affect the battle against breast cancer. Recently a wonderful organization and Web site was brought to my attention. BreastCancerTrials.org is a non-profit organization that was started by two women just like us that had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Joan Schreiner experienced how difficult it was to find a trial that could help her battle with the disease and envisioned a service that could help others find trials and research studies that could benefit them. Joanne Tyler shared her vision and together these women found sponsors to help them build an organization and develop the Web site. They came up with a wonderful Web site that is interactive and user friendly. It allows you to post your in... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2927526 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:18:06 +0100 2927526 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2901809&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fdr-kristi-funk-a-true-soldier-in-the-war-against-breast-cancer%2F There are a lot of commendable efforts and a number of special people involved in making a difference in the war against breast cancer. This October I wanted to highlight some of those efforts and at least one of those special people. When I heard about Dr. Funk, I knew I had to get to know more about her. You can’t help but notice that Dr. Kristi Funk is a beautiful woman. You only notice that for an instant though because the moment she starts talking you realize she is a brilliant doctor passionate about battling breast cancer. She is someone I want in my army! Fortunately, Dr. Funk has placed herself in the front lines of the army against breast cancer for all of us. She founded Pink Lotus Medical Center in Beverly Hills which has the distinction of being a women’s medical ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2901809 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:26:34 +0100 2901809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2886685&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fhope-never-dies%2F We celebrated the arrival of my niece’s daughter into the world this weekend. Sister and I have 5 kids between us and the youngest is The Big Guy (my son) at eighteen. It has been eighteen years since the birth of the last baby in our family. This is pretty exciting. It is made more exciting by the fact that as a childhood leukemia survivor, Nicole my niece, was told she may never have children. The birth of this little girl is a reminder that hope is alive. I think of all the women who face a breast cancer diagnosis with real hope. We hope it hasn’t spread. We hope treatment will arrest it. We hope we have beaten it once and for all. Our hope is real and it sustains us. I think too of those who hoped to survive breast cancer and didn’t. I am awed that even then hope neve... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2886685 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:08:36 +0100 2886685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879758&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbig-pink-bus-battles-breast-cancer%2F Because of my blog a lot of people contact me to tell me about their efforts to promote breast cancer awareness or other initiatives to battle breast cancer. Actually most of them are worthwhile. I am always amazed by the devotion and dedication people have in helping others. I am even more amazed when I hear about a story like the one that was on my local news today. A woman in her 40’s was diagnosed with breast cancer just after leaving her job. She had no health care and no income. She actually did some research to look for a place she could go to die; there was no way that she was going to be able to afford treatment. With a little help from her local cancer society, she found a program that treated women with cervical or breast cancer that had no health insurance, it saved her l... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879758 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:39:52 +0100 2879758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865882&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fthe-nfl-goes-pink-for-breast-cancer-awareness-month%2F Number 10 on the Pittsberg Steelers football team wore pink cleats during Sunday night Football so did the quarterback, Ben Rothlesberger. Some of the players on other teams wore pink shoes today too. Coaches on the sidelines had baseball caps with pink beaks. Many players in the NFL wore pink gloves and pink arm bands and used pink towels on the bench. A couple of players even had pink socks on, but they all had a pink ribbon on their helmet. NBC went as far as to post tag lines on the television screen in pink while commentators of most networks broadcasting games wore pink ties. The NFL went pink this weekend for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Big bruising basher football players looking mighty pretty in pink. Some of them did it for their moms, some for their girlfriends or wives but a... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865882 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:22:02 +0100 2865882 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2857563&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbra-shopping-after-breast-cancer-isnt-the-same%2F My favorite bra is black. It’s not my favorite because it’s black or because it has lace or anything like that, it is because I like the way it makes my breasts feel and look in my sweaters. I couldn’t find that bra in another color, so my favorite bra is black. I got my first bra when I was 12 years old, long before I needed one, and ever since I thought bras were so pretty. I loved shopping for lingerie and especially looking at the varieties of colors and styles of bras. Buying intimate apparel used to be a real favorite excursion. Now shopping for lingerie and especially bras is something I avoid. I didn’t realize that until I thought about the fact that my favorite bra is black and that I should look for another one. Then it occurred to me that I wasn’t t... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2857563 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:07:39 +0100 2857563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2852016&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fwhen-young-women-have-to-alter-family-planning-because-of-breast-cancer%2F Along with genetic counseling comes the discussion for young women about having children. If someone tests positive for a genetic mutation that makes them predisposed to breast cancer, thoughts immediately turn to treatment and prevention. For women who are younger and have never been pregnant, those thoughts also include how to reduce risks of breast cancer while protecting fertility. I mentioned last week that my niece Nicole is expecting her first child. A couple of years ago she tested positive for the BRCA II mutation, putting an added burden on this childhood survivor of leukemia. While we wait with joy for her baby, we also think about all that that young woman has endured to have this life. She is married to a wonderful, incredibly intuitive and talented young man. They are a beaut... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2852016 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:53:12 +0100 2852016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2834445&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fseventeenth-century-women-and-breast-cancer%2F Several years ago I visited the Detroit Art Institute. It was a date with my husband when he was still my boyfriend, even before he was my fiancee. My husband made a great boyfriend. This visit to the museum made a real impact on me for a number of reasons, for one it was the first time I saw an original Van Gogh. I’ll never forget however the group of teenage girls touring the institute with an older woman whom I assumed was their teacher. They were in the room of renaissance paintings which had a beautiful almost life size portrait of a nude woman reclining on a chaise. The portrait was stunning and so was the woman. Women of that time, in paintings anyway, were usually depicted, like her, full figured with round tummies and full firm breasts. The teacher of the group of girls ruin... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2834445 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:25:39 +0100 2834445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2828432&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fgenetic-testing-for-cancer-could-save-your-life%2F I think it is great that there are Web sites and organizations dedicated to making everyone aware of the genetic risk for breast cancer. Being aware is not enough though. People need access to the test. Unfortunately many insurance companies have stringent rules as to who gets tested. At over $3,000.00 a pop I’m sure they’re just trying to save a little money; they are a business after all. And, at over $3,000.00 a pop, most people who are denied the test by their insurance carrier or don’t have insurance coverage can’t afford it. This is sad, this test can save lives, in fact, this test can save a whole family. It made the difference for my family. I tested positive, which got Sister to get the test, when she tested positive her oldest daughter Nicole got the test.... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2828432 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:14:17 +0100 2828432 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820557&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fnaively-thinking-that-breast-cancer-wont-change-who-you-are%2F I was adamant that I wasn’t going to let breast cancer change me. It wasn’t going to affect my life and it sure wasn’t going to have any lasting effect. That just wasn’t going to happen in my world. I soon learned how wrong I was. Not being impacted proved not to be possible. The life changing outcome that came with a breast cancer diagnosis has been a theme coursing through many of my blogs over these past years. I am changed, my life has changed, there is no going back. I have been thinking lately though that it wasn’t breast cancer that had the power to change me, but rather it was finding my own seat of strength and power that transformed me and affected my life. I discovered that I could rise to the challenge that came with treatment. I was able to overco... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820557 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:00:08 +0100 2820557 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2809864&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fthe-chicken-catcher-vsthe-opera-singer-and-cancer-survivor%2F Kudos to the winner of America’s Got Talent, but I’m not sure he deserved to win. His talent was marginal at best, so I have to say that people were swayed by his story. An unemployed chicken catcher with a family to support who sang to his wife was America’s choice to win the million dollar prize and a show in Vegas. It seems the sister dance team or the over-the-top percussion team would make a greater show in Vegas, but Americans weren’t going for that. It even appeared that America was going to select the remarkably talented opera singer who had overcome cancer when the final two stood side by side. But no, America wanted the chicken catcher. Isn’t that how it goes sometimes? You know how it should be, you sense what would make a better story, but it doesn... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2809864 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:43:09 +0100 2809864 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2789168&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Foncology-appointments-and-co-pays%2F Last week I had my regular oncologist appointment. My appointments are now four months apart instead of three months. I had the usual blood pressure check, review of medication and blood tests. The doctor also palpated for any lumps and listened to my lungs through a stethoscope. The usual stuff. She also checked my chart for my last chest X-ray and gave me a script since it’s been over a year and a half. That is something that I don’t like. I have the same discussion every visit about the necessity of X-rays and whether they can promote cancer. The response is always the same one about how these x-rays have very little radiation and it is important to monitor my lungs. This time I also wanted to know the increased risks for another cancer because of chemotherapy. My father wen... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2789168 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:24:25 +0100 2789168 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2778655&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbreast-cancer-wall-of-honor-post-your-thoughts-and-memorials-here%2F Beneath every breast cancer diagnosis is a beating courageous heart. Breast cancer has proven it does not discriminate based on race, class, intelligence, beauty or even gender. It strikes at our home, our community and doesn’t spare our loved ones. Whether ourselves, a friend, a colleague or family member, we feel the heartache and pain that comes with the disease. As often as breast cancer wields its hideous reality in someone’s life, just as often that person rises to the challenge and inspires us beyond the heartache. There are over 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in America. Women who have fought the good fight and have won. There are precious souls too who have fought the battle and have lost but they are no less special in the memories of those who loved them. In tru... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2778655 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:08:21 +0100 2778655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2758066&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fted-kennedy-another-casualty-of-the-war-on-cancer%2F This past August has proven to be the deadliest month in the entire war in Afghanistan, but still there is no comparison to the casualties from another war that America has been fighting for almost 40 years; the war on cancer. Since 1971 when president Nixon declared war on cancer we have seen better and more effective treatments, we have seen less people dying from the disease and others living longer than was initially expected. What we have not seen is a cure. We have even forgotten that we are still at war. We lost a champion for universal health care and a man who worked to initiate the war on cancer when Senator Ted Kennedy died last week. He especially understood how this war was continuing to rage and found himself in the midst of battle when he was diagnosed with an incurable brai... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2758066 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:38:04 +0100 2758066 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2737980&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fa-cure-for-breast-cancer-in-two-years%2F So here I am sitting and listening to the late night local news. The newscaster suddenly announces that a potential cure for cancer may be only two years away. At first I am stunned as he explains how researchers in Britain have isolated molecules that allow cancer cells to spread which could lead to drugs to turn off the process. Then I realize that he used the word “cure” and not “treatment.” This makes me cry, bawl in fact. A real cure for breast cancer could be imminent and I had no idea how emotional I would be about this possibility becoming a reality. I have been watching TV for most of the night and I should consider the night wasted, but instead I am elated. I was caught up with the show “America’s Got Talent” because of a young woman named Barbara Padilla. This ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2737980 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:03:52 +0100 2737980 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2730325&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fhealth-care-reform-and-breast-cancer%2F Too many women are still finding breast cancer too late only because they don’t have insurance and can’t afford regular check-ups. Even with the best hospitals, treatment facilities, medicine, doctors and follow up care in the world, it is not helping those who don’t have access to it. Several of the comments that were posted to my blog last week on genetic testing were from people desperate for the test, needing it, but not able to afford it. It may appear that I have been silent about health care but the truth is that I have been discussing it on another forum. I have had the opportunity to participate in a panel to discuss health care reform on The Washington Post’s Web site. As a member of the panel I get to give my views on a weekly question concerning health c... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2730325 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:46:37 +0100 2730325 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2725221&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fgenetic-counseling-and-its-influence-on-breast-cancer-decisions%2F Genetic counseling was a choice I made.  I decided to have genetic counseling to determine if I had a genetic predisposition to breast cancer; it was in conjunction with my decision to have reconstructive surgery. My oncologist and I were discussing the options available to reconstruct the breast that had been removed. After having a breast cancer diagnosis I had questions as to whether I should consider prophylactic removal of my other breast to reduce the risk of breast cancer in my remaining breast. He was aware of the other cancers in my family and so suggested that genetic counseling could help me determine the risk for another breast cancer diagnosis. Testing positive for the BRCA II gene mutation created new issues. How my sister would be affected, her girls and my children was the... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2725221 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:46:29 +0100 2725221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2709365&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fweight-lifting-to-alleviate-lymphedema%2F This study pretty much gives me the go ahead. That means I could develop arms as lovely as Michelle Obama’s! Kathy-Ellen (Source: Life with Breast Cancer) Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2709365 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:38:53 +0100 2709365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2699856&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fthe-anticipation-of-a-breast-cancer-diagnosis%2F This past weekend we invited my in-laws for Sunday dinner. I have the best mother and father-in law in the world. I love them dearly and hadn’t seen them since my father-in-law’s 90th birthday at the end of June. When their expected time of arrival passed and we didn’t hear from them I started to worry. After they appeared to be more than a half hour late I was really concerned. When they finally showed up at the door over an hour and a half past when I expected them, I was so relieved. Turns out they were delayed by construction and traffic which I hadn’t expected on a Sunday. The afternoon went terrifically and we had a great time with them as usual. Waiting with concerned anticipation before they showed reminded me of all the times I waited with  the same antici... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2699856 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:14:58 +0100 2699856 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2688868&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fconcern-for-your-family-if-you-are-a-brca-gene-carrier%2F Being diagnosed with the BRCA II gene mutation for breast cancer answers a lot of questions for me. For one thing it helps me to understand how I could have been so careful with my health and yet developed breast cancer. I don’t have to wonder what I should have done to prevent it. To some extent we all ask that question after diagnosis wondering how we could have avoided developing the disease, but as my surgeon said “Cancer is not your fault.” I never believed it was, but nonetheless having a predisposition to the cancer still provides me with some insight. It also gives me something more to consider. I have been considering how the hereditary factor may affect my children. I wrote a couple of weeks ago about “the Big Guy” asking me if the cancer I had was ran in th... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2688868 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:08:57 +0100 2688868 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2630337&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fexplaining-hereditary-cancer-to-your-children%2F Yesterday my youngest son, “The Big Guy,” asked me if the cancer I had ran in the family. He is only 18 so we have not alarmed him about the possibility that he could test positive for the BRCA 2 gene mutation for breast cancer. Since Sister and I inherited it from my Dad, there is the possibility that my future grandchildren can inherit it from my sons. My niece Nicole tested positive and is expecting her first child, her younger sister refuses to get tested. I hadn’t expected the question, so I answered as best I could telling him that as he gets older we will get him tested and I would like to start him on a vitamin regime to ensure he has a strong immune system. He could develop prostate or breast cancer if he is predisposed with the gene mutation. It reminds me why w... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2630337 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:16:34 +0100 2630337 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2594600&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fthe-connection-between-sleep-and-cancer%2F The one thing I don’t take for granted is my ability to sleep. I think I am gifted with a sleep gene. I can sleep in the car, on a plane, in the airport, in the rain… well you get what I mean. Even bad news and worry don’t usually interfere with my sleep. I think I handled chemotherapy pretty well in part because no matter how I felt I got a good night’s sleep the night before and the night after. The down side is that if something like noise or circumstance interferes with my sleep I get really cranky. I have always believed that good sleep was a huge part of staying healthy. I instilled good sleep habits in my boys and even made sure the dog knew when to go to sleep. After marrying my husband I got him off the habit of falling asleep with the TV on. My house has t... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2594600 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:17:16 +0100 2594600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2528111&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmy-trick-for-not-worrying-about-cancer-recurrence%2F No one gives you a warranty after breast cancer treatment and tells you you’re cured. Personally I don’t think very much about a breast cancer recurrence. It does come to mind now and then, but it doesn’t worry me much and for that I am grateful; I have enough to worry about. I know it is something that is possible and I also know that many breast cancer survivors worry about this a lot. Their fear isn’t unfounded, but neither should it be all consuming. Chances are you will not get another bout of breast cancer. The part I don’t like is that no one and nothing can guarantee that. So we worry. Some of us a lot and some of us a little. We can get statistics from our doctor of our risk and we can also try to compare ourselves with other women who have battled th... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2528111 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:54:49 +0100 2528111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2512828&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Freaching-milestones-after-breast-cancer%2F Another significant milestone in my life has been reached. Last Friday I had my 50th birthday! I share my birthday with my husband, who is a couple of years older, but having been born on the same day assures me that he won’t ever forget it. For breast cancer survivors decade birthdays like this one really do mean something, we cherish each year after our diagnosis and generally don’t take them for granted. To mark my new decade I have finally decided on staying blonde and will soon have a new picture on my blog to show the new (and older) me. My updated photo I don’t feel any different than I did last year and last year I didn’t feel like I was as old as 49. Women have come a long way and I think we age a lot different than our mothers did. I do have to admit though that my mom h... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2512828 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:50:32 +0100 2512828 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2474084&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fa-pat-on-the-back-for-breast-cancer-survivors%2F Wow! What a whirlwind time for me. The Big Guy just went thorough his graduation week. It started May 29 with his prom. He had a date and wore a white tuxedo. Then he had the honors convocation where he got to wear a satin striped collar, white cord and white tassel instead of the school colors. We credit Bobby his stepdad with getting him to study and ultimately graduate with honors, I am one of those moms that is charmed with crayons and construction paper so not a big help in pushing for better grades. Then he had an athletic banquet where he was awarded all area first team for discus throwing. On Saturday we sat through the pomp and ceremony of the main convocation where again he wore the white tassel and special get-up and finally finished the whole shebang with a graduation celebrati... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2474084 Sun, 14 Jun 2009 05:05:11 +0100 2474084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2464394&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fanxiety-and-breast-cancer%2F Stress is hard on the body. In past blogs I have eluded to the role I believe stress may have played in my developing breast cancer, recently though I have been dealing more with anxiety.  Anxiety was something I battled when I was first diagnosed. There is a difference between anxiety and stress although both are brutal to deal with. Stress I believe comes from dealing with overwhelming circumstances. Anxiety is different in that it is fear of the future. Breast cancer provides an environment for both to flourish. Trying to manage a busy life and family while undergoing treatment and battling the disease causes stress for many. Worrying about what will happen from treatment or how breast cancer will affect your life is the anxiety that comes with the diagnosis. The fear that causes anxie... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2464394 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:34:45 +0100 2464394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2453096&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fcelebrating-the-birthday-of-a-life-lost-to-cancer%2F Last week my husband and I had the opportunity to meet a fabulous woman. Sheila is the kind of woman who greets you with a beautiful smile and then treats you like her best friend. We started talking and we told her how Bob was diagnosed with prostate cancer last fall and I had been diagnosed with breast cancer only a few years earlier. We asked her what could be worse than that for a family? She excitedly applauded that I was a breast cancer survivor but then gently said, “I can tell you what’s worse than that.”  She told us that even worse than that was losing your baby to breast cancer. We sat shocked as she told us the story of her 31-year-old daughter who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The cancer went into remission for a while but then came back to claim her daughter&#... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2453096 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:59:43 +0100 2453096 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442581&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Frunning-from-chemotherapy%2F Remember those days when you woke up and realized that it was the day you had been dreading? The day when you had to go for chemotherapy? Well then, you probably remember once or twice wondering what would happen if you just didn’t show up. You knew the doctor might call you and maybe family and friends would offer to take you so you didn’t have to go alone, but beyond that it really was your will that got you to go for your treatments. Imagine then if you decided not to go for chemotherapy and the police showed up to take you. That’s the startling reality for Daniel Hauser, the young 13-year-old boy who ran away recently with his mother to avoid having chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Those of us that have been through chemotherapy can imagine the desperate hope of that boy to... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442581 Fri, 29 May 2009 21:11:50 +0100 2442581 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442582&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Freactions-to-cancer-and-focusing-on-a-cure%2F Cancer grows in healthy bodies. That is why it sometimes takes a long time before it is found. Cancer cells can be hiding and waiting to blossom and we don’t even know it. I didn’t smoke or drink and I got plenty of sleep and tried to eat healthy. I buckled my seat belt when I was in a car as a passenger or driver and took vitamins. Cancer had no right choosing my body.  Some of us feel that way and others berate themselves for not being more mindful of how they were treating their bodies. Either way, cancer is like a terrorist working its insidious devious plan while we go about our lives unaware. We know that keeping our weight down helps reduce the risk for breast cancer. We know that eating less meat and avoiding alcohol also helps reduce our risk. Outside of that, we don’t know... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442582 Wed, 20 May 2009 18:53:09 +0100 2442582 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2406024&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fhaving-an-identity-crisis-after-breast-cancer%2F My picture on the bio for this blog was taken about three years ago. In it, as you can see, I have long flowing glossy brown hair. I like the picture and the hair, but it’s not really me. I have been a blonde for most of my life. I was a tow head as a child (white-blonde locks) and as it darkened during my teenage years I learned that squeezing lemon in it along with other drugstore products lightened it up. As I got older I could afford to go to a hair dresser to keep my natural blonde color bright and brassy. Being diagnosed with breast cancer provided an odd opportunity to try out the other side of life…as a brunette. As my hair grew in dark and curly it looked kind of interesting. As it got longer and the curl gave up, it still was fun to have a different look. Family and frien... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2406024 Wed, 13 May 2009 20:40:19 +0100 2406024 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2406025&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fside-effects-from-breast-cancer-treatment%2F When I complain to friends about brain functioning issues or eyesight changes due to breast cancer treatment, they generally look at me with the “I know” look and explain that it is all a part of aging. They feel that they experience it too and I just have to accept that it happens to everyone; that it is not because I had breast cancer. I am convinced though that I suffer from chemo brain and that is why my memory lacks and my cognitive functioning isn’t as acute as it once was. In addition, I have often complained of vision changes over the past several years and I am sure it is related to treatment as well. I have suspected that Tamoxifen may play a role. I, like many women my age need reading glasses, but I also have problems with light sensitivity and night vision. I went from a... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2406025 Mon, 11 May 2009 18:56:57 +0100 2406025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2390304&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmore-on-stress-and-breast-cancer%2F This was a great weekend to relieve stress. The weather was great, the trees are greening up and the sun was shining. The thing I loved best was that I got to set up my fish pond. About four years ago my eldest son dug a hole in my yard and put in a pond liner for me. I loved it and enjoyed selecting the fish and listening to the water. Sadly, last fall it began to leak and had to be replaced. This weekend we finally got the new pond in. The big job is arranging the field stone around the border and placing the river rock so that the water will trickle down into the pond making a lovely sound and aerating the pool for the fish. A friend brought me a turtle and I’m waiting for the toads that come each year to lay eggs. In fact the toads were the motivation to get it done quickly; I didn�... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2390304 Mon, 04 May 2009 20:12:09 +0100 2390304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2382769&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmeditation-for-stress-and-breast-cancer-treatment%2F Years ago I discovered meditation as a method to reduce stress. I always thought there was some secret to it involving Far Eastern chants and pretzel poses. I actually fell into a method of meditation that worked for me and now describe it as a place in your mind to retreat to for peace and calm. It started by realizing that I needed to get away but didn’t have the means or resources to do that.   So I took a few moments one morning to imagine a place that would provide complete calm away from my world. See, it doesn’t sound eerie or bizarre in any way! The place that came to me was a room overlooking the ocean with two balcony doors wide open to the outside with gauze curtain panels blowing in the breeze.  The best part about my envisioned room was that the only furniture in the roo... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2382769 Fri, 01 May 2009 17:52:10 +0100 2382769 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2376715&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fa-true-breast-cancer-hero%2F It was a great weekend finally as far as weather is concerned in southeast Michigan. Although the warm weather brought in some late day thunderstorms, we got almost two days of sun. I got to work on my yard and set up my pond for the season, but I also took some time out for a boat ride with my husband. We take the boat out to the Detroit River through a canal from the marina. We also have to pass by a city park where people line the water to fish. I have to say the highlight of the ride was having the opportunity to cruise by the most amazing woman who was fishing by the river. She was sitting with her husband with her fishing pole set into the water. I’ll never forget her fabulous smile as she waved to me while we passed by in the boat. This woman had the ability in that moment to show... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2376715 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:18:10 +0100 2376715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2365394&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fusing-exercise-to-help-prevent-lymphedema%2F I have been trying unsuccessfully to get more organized. Paper keeps flooding my house and I can’t get it to stay in its place. I have to concede it is not just paper, it is clothes and dishes and books and linens and china and other stuff. There seems to be no end to the stuff that is taking over my house. The only upside is that now and then while sorting through the stuff, I find something that is really worth reading. One of those things recently was some information my aunt sent me about exercise and the lymph system. Besides a mastectomy I have had surgery to remove lymph nodes and that means I am in danger of having lymphedema in my lifetime. I spent some time reviewing the info from my aunt and that encouraged me to do a little studying on the subject in the interest of preventin... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2365394 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:57:31 +0100 2365394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349546&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fwhat-has-breast-cancer-taught-you%2F Several years ago I saw a sign in a store that has stuck with me. It read: Hire a teenager while they still know it all! I have one of those in my house – the teenager- not the sign and it is so true. Teenagers really do think they know it all. To some extent I’m sure that was me at 44 years old when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I really did think I had a grasp on what I needed to know to achieve my goals and live out my life. A breast cancer diagnosis sure brought to light some things I really needed to know and didn’t. What I learned from breast cancer: I learned that there are not a million tomorrows I learned that I can’t control what happens tomorrow I learned that I love people more than things I learned that success has more to do with the love I give than the money I... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349546 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:37:08 +0100 2349546 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349547&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Futilizing-facebook-after-a-breast-cancer-diagnosis%2F A couple of months ago I set up an account on Facebook.com at the suggestion of my editor for this blog.  It’s a network for sharing your life with others and keeping in touch with friends and acquaintances. This was fun, but I have to say it was also a bit of a shock to me. I thought that I was being really progressive for my generation and social group, so I was shocked to find that many of my friends already had themselves on Facebook. Sister was even on Facebook and hadn’t told me! Anyway, what a great way to keep your friends up to date with your life and do a little bragging. I posted ski pictures and I put my kid, the big guy, on there and I also posted a link to my blog here at Everyday Health. Last week I posted pictures from my niece’s wedding; what a convenience. So I was... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349547 Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:11:52 +0100 2349547 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2326675&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmichelle-obama%25e2%2580%2599s-gaffe-teaches-us-to-extend-grace%2F I love the story about a European Queen that invited the horticultural society to a luncheon. Because her gardener had worked so hard in creating a beautiful royal garden, the queen also invited him to join them. Everyone showed up in finery and jewels while the gardener who wore his best was obviously ill dressed for the occasion. As they sat down at the table a tiny bowl with warm water and a slice of lemon was placed beside each plate. With calloused and dirt stained hands the gardener immediately grasped the bowl and started to drink from it. Everyone gasped and a few snickered when they realized that he had drank from the finger bowl provided to wash their hands between courses. The queen in order to cover the embarrassment of the gardener also picked up her bowl with both hands and d... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2326675 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:24:17 +0100 2326675 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2299174&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fkeeping-breast-cancer-a-secret%2F I was diagnosed with breast cancer in August of 2003 and started a new job the end of September, only five days after having a mastectomy. I told my manager about the breast cancer when I was offered the job as I knew that my first six months of work would also be the same six months of grueling chemotherapy.  When chemotherapy started in October and I showed up with a wig to cover my bald head, my coworkers applauded me on the new look. At that time none of them knew about the breast cancer and I asked my manager not to tell. Perhaps it was too big a secret for her; I discovered that she had told many of my coworkers one at a time. Why I wanted to hide the fact that I had breast cancer is something I can’t say for sure. I think it made me feel empowered over the disease. I was also for... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2299174 Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:04:20 +0100 2299174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2299177&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fliving-on-in-our-traditions%2F My Auntie Joanie died over the weekend. She was 85. She suffered from emphysema and arthritis in her last years, but she kept up her sense of humor that we all loved. Auntie Joanie loved birds and nature and knew how to choose wild mushrooms that were edible. She also loved to pick blueberries. When I was growing up in a northern Ontario mining town, Auntie Joanie, my sister and I would pick baskets and baskets of blueberries. My mother would bake them into spectacular blueberry pies, but mom never came with us to pick blueberries, only Auntie Joanie. She was my mother’s older sister, but my mother has 3 other older sisters; Auntie Anne who is 89 and Auntie Jeanette who is 87 and Auntie Dorcean who is 82. There are three brothers too, all in their 70’s.  I certainly hope I have the lo... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2299177 Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:48:00 +0100 2299177 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2299180&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fliving-in-the-now-as-a-breast-cancer-survivor%2F I caught a bit of a show the other evening called the Dog Whisperer. I was intrigued by it partly because it was a show I hadn’t seen before but mostly because I have a dog that needs a whisperer. My Jack Russell Terrier, Dixie Chick, constantly convinces me that she is over the misbehavior of jumping on visitors. Then when I take her word for it and allow her to greet guests at the door with me she sticks her tongue out as if to say “all bets are off” while she jumps up on friends and foes alike. I stopped just whispering at her years ago. This dog whisperer however had great advice for dogs and people alike. My dog, Dixie Chick As he subdued a small dog he explained to the owner that she had to live in the now; she couldn’t think about what the dog did in the past or she would c... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2299180 Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:48:02 +0100 2299180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2299183&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Flearning-to-love-myself-after-breast-cancer%2F I was looking for a dress for an upcoming wedding yesterday and was appalled when I got into the dressing room to find that none of them fit. I seemed to have put on almost a whole dress size over the winter. That wasn’t the part that bothered me the most though; I was more upset with how I talked to myself and how angry with myself I was. That got me to thinking that I should treat myself better. I’ve been through a lot. Actually, I have been trying to treat myself well lately. I have done all of the necessary tune-ups like seeing the dentist and the eye doctor as well as ensuring that I am eating enough fruits and vegetables, all though obviously too much.  I guess the one thing that is lacking in my relationship with myself is respect and I really deserve it. After all, I got mysel... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2299183 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:07:57 +0100 2299183 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2299186&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fdo-big-bonuses-and-greed-influence-cancer-research%2F I noticed a pink cap and ribbon adorning a pop bottle the other day. The label announced that funds were being donated to the Susan G. Komen organization to find a cure. Over the weekend I have been wondering how that’s been going for them. Susan G. Komen has been raising funds from huge corporations through consumer marketing for several years but I haven’t heard of any breakthroughs for a cure. The American Cancer Society is also working diligently to find funds for the cure as are many other wonderful groups. I don’t blame the organizations of course, but I wonder what everyone is up to? Are there scientists that are locked away in underground laboratories on the verge of uncovering a cure? Are learning institutions and hospitals wheeling in barrels full of money to ensure that fi... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2299186 Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:30:57 +0100 2299186 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2277205&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fa-breast-cancer-diagnosis-always-means-a-chance%2F The other day, we suffered a huge tragedy in our area of Michigan. Four teens aged 16 to 19 were in a car waiting at red light when they were plowed into by a speeding car. The drunk driver behind the wheel of the car that hit them escaped with mild injuries while all four teens were killed. Being a mother of a 17 year old and a 20 year old, I have to say that this has really affected me. Frankly it has affected most everyone in Metro Detroit.  These kids were on their way to a Pizza Hut at eight o’clock at night, following all the rules of the road as well as the ones laid out by their parents. In a sense they were sitting ducks with no warning of what was headed their way. It would be easy to equate this somehow with being hit with a cancer diagnosis out of the blue. The truth is ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2277205 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:32:16 +0100 2277205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2277206&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fhow-to-get-a-mammogram-if-you-cant-afford-one%2F My husband and I really enjoy grocery shopping together. Yesterday we spent some time going through our huge supermarket and kept adjusting our meal plans based on some of the high prices and choosing sale items instead. A lot of American families are doing this right now. Fortunately, our main chain originates in Michigan and is trying to accommodate the shrinking budgets of families here. Trying to balance food, bills, utilities and health costs for a family is placing huge strain on households throughout the nation. Not many household budgets today include screening for a mammogram. I think a lot of women are forgoing important tests so they can feed their kids, and you can’t blame them. I had to rethink my blog of Friday urging everyone to tell someone to get a mammogram. It occurred... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2277206 Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:06:41 +0100 2277206 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2260470&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fget-a-mammogram-or-tell-someone-else-to%2F What are you doing today? Sitting at a desk at work? Hanging out with the kids? Meeting a friend for lunch? I had a dear friend that I would meet to have coffee with every couple of weeks and inevitably we would discuss the importance of women having routine mammograms. This was in Toronto before I moved to the States, so it was in everybody’s lifestyle to have routine check ups and mammograms – but that’s another blog topic altogether. So, ironically both of us have been diagnosed with and battled breast cancer since our coffee chats. Vigilance doesn’t keep breast cancer away; it just lets you know it’s around. I’m thinking about this as I am celebrating the wonderful women in my life. I love all my friends and some I haven’t even met face to face yet, we’re just cyber and... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2260470 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:02:11 +0100 2260470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2260472&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbarbie-and-the-breast%2F Barbie turns 50 this week. I think we all know who she is. I got my first Barbie Doll when I was 5 years old. I played with Barbies until I was 12, I even learned to sew by making outfits for her. At least I don’t have to search very far to determine the source of  the misguided self image I grew up with. I thought to be beautiful you had to have long legs, a tiny waist, no rear and big breasts. Imagine how many young women suffered brain damage trying to morph into a doll that was created in a toy factory. Now we learn that she was modeled after a German sex doll – go figure. Truthfully though, breasts are beautiful. I never thought of mine that way until after I had two children. I was one of those women whose breasts got better after childbirth, not worse. I went from an A cup to a... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2260472 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:41:23 +0100 2260472 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2260475&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmaking-the-most-of-being-a-breast-cancer-survivor%2F This is an exciting week for me. I am away on vacation at a ski resort. As I mentioned in a blog post last week breast cancer has taught me to really live my life and I’ve found skiing is my new passion.  I really believe I deserve a little recreation. I am taking time off from everything including blogging, but I will miss you. Meet me here next Monday. Play safe and take care. Kathy-Ellen (Source: Life with Breast Cancer) Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2260475 Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:24:39 +0100 2260475 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2260476&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fexplaining-the-threat-cancer-poses-to-our-nation%2F Did you hear the president say that we are going to find a cure for cancer during his speech Wednesday night? This was one of the most important speeches regarding the goals of this nation and President Barack Obama included finding a cure for cancer. Kennedy said the same thing about getting a man on the moon and we were successful. President Obama’s declaration is significant. In 1971 President Nixon declared war on cancer. Since then we have been winning battles but we just can’t win the war. It takes renewed commitment to finally win the longest raging war ever and for America, I believe that this is it. President Obama lost his mother to ovarian cancer. He knows how great a foe cancer really is to the welfare of Americans. His children lost a grandmother and America lost a woman g... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2260476 Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:35:15 +0100 2260476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2260478&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fpresident-obama-gives-hope-to-healthcare-reform%2F “At last.”  This is the theme song it seems for President Obama, and it is the sigh of many Americans this morning after hearing the new president’s speech last night. He has committed to addressing healthcare reform – at last. The fact that America is the only developed nation that does not provide universal healthcare has not changed, the fact that over 47 million Americans are now uninsured has. The number of people uninsured has vastly increased and is continuing to grow weekly. The economic crisis has highlighted the need for a better system of healthcare insurance coverage. Leaving the collection and management of healthcare dollars in the hands of free market profiteers at a time when this nation is trimming waste and excess is like leaving the roast for a starving ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2260478 Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:09:57 +0100 2260478 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2260479&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Freally-living-after-breast-cancer%2F In the spirit of trying new things and embracing change after breast cancer, I have decided to take up skiing. Actually besides the beautiful treasure box that my son gave me, ski equipment from my husband has proven to be one of the best gifts I have ever received in my life. In fact, I have been skiing several times since Christmas and surprisingly I seem to have been born to ski! The most extraordinary thing is that I am fearless, and after a few times I progressed to the black diamond hill. I decided to forgo lessons and tried an intermediate hill the first time out and have only been going uphill since then. My husband who usually gives me jewelry, which is my favorite type of gift, also has made sure that I am up to date with electronics. It was a bit of shock to him then when I insi... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2260479 Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:51:29 +0100 2260479 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2260483&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Flove-is-greater-than-breast-cancer%2F On my vanity sits a beautiful silver box embellished with hearts and rhinestones. On top of the box is an oval plaque engraved with the words, “I’ll always be your baby boy.” A secret nickname follows the inscription. This is the Christmas gift I got from my youngest son, and the inscription alludes to a passage from a favorite book I used to read him when he was very young. The nickname is one that only I call him, one that he usually rolls his eyes at. After opening his presents Christmas morning, my son left the room for a few moments and returned with a beautifully wrapped present that he handed sheepishly to me. The moment I opened the box, I began to cry, it was so beautiful and truly unexpected. My son also cried and hugged me. He later told me that he understood at that momen... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2260483 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:43:44 +0100 2260483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2260485&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Flife-with-breast-cancer-welcome-to-my-new-home%2F Breast cancer is a point of transformation and change for most of us that have been diagnosed with it. Someone sent me a quote with an e-mail last week and it had a profound effect on me. “The caterpillar thought her life was over; Then she turned into a butterfly” -Unknown There is something wonderful about change and the newness it brings. Even those of us that resist change are often pleasantly surprised by the outcome. I am not one that likes change, but I have had huge changes in my life and have learned to embrace them all and eventually relish my new direction. Our world is upset and redirected as we battle breast cancer and then try to get our lives back. That quote affected me for that reason. A breast cancer diagnosis doesn’t speak about starting a new life; it threatens to... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2260485 Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:22:11 +0100 2260485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2138220&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fbreast-cancer%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fthe-other-side-of-embryonic-stem-cell-research%2F It is hard to watch people suffer. I think most people are sensitive and empathetic to the pain of others. When something is available that can alleviate that suffering, or reverse a traumatic injury, or eliminate a condition that is debilitating, we want to support and grasp for it. That is the promise that our society is looking for in embryonic stem cell research. I truly understand that. As much as I want to see people healed and perfected, I personally struggle with that outcome coming at the expense of human life. I personally wonder about the ethics of sacrificing the one we have not seen for one we love. For me as a Christian that question has been answered; we treasure all life in all forms, including the unborn. My equality of man then extends to the point of conception. That mea... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2138220 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:59:09 +0100 2138220 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2129416&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fbreast-cancer%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Faccording-to-geneticists-sister-and-i-are-better-off-dead%2F It all sounds so great. The medical community has deemed that we can prevent women from getting cancer. No, it’s not a vaccine, its selective birth. They are suggesting to women that they can have their embryo tested, while in the womb, and destroyed if he or she tests positive for the breast cancer gene defect BRCA I and BRCA II. I guess what comes next is women who have the gene will be mandated to be tested so as not to allow a baby to be born with the predisposition to breast cancer. It won’t stop there. What about people with MS, or people with autism? This is the road to selective birth; perhaps leading to the creation of better humans. Does this mean that Sister and I are now undesirable humans? Basically, those of us who carry the breast cancer gene defect should never have bee... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2129416 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:44:27 +0100 2129416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2107981&cid=t_169314_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fbreast-cancer%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fevery-breast-matters%2F There is a story about thousands of starfish washing up on a beach in South Africa. They ended up being too far from the water to get back on their own and were destined to perish. One man hearing their plight determined to do what he could and hurried to the beach. He began to throw them one at a time the several yards back to the sea. He saw another man standing and watching him so urged him to help throw the starfish back into the sea with him. The second man just stood and said “What does it matter? There’s too many, you can’t help them just give up.” The first man picked up another starfish and threw it far out into the water - “It matters to that one” he replied. The truth is that every stride we make towards a cure may be too little too late for t... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2107981 Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:58:24 +0100 2107981