Posts Tagged ‘Surviving’

Surviving breast cancer: 3 from Schuylkill County share their stories

Surviving breast cancer: 3 from Schuylkill County share their stories
Judy Peletsky isn’t superstitious, but you might consider 13 to be her unlucky number.In 2003, Peletsky, now 60, of Saint Clair, had been doing everything she was supposed to: getting mammograms since she was 40, checking periodically for lumps and stay

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RELAY FOR LIFE 2010: Surviving Inflammatory Breast Cancer

RELAY FOR LIFE 2010: Surviving Inflammatory Breast Cancer
JUNEAU – Julie Lawrenson’s Relay for Life team name sums up her fight against inflammatory breast cancer in three simple words: Kickin’ Cancer’s Ass. The 46-year-old Juneau resident has survived an especially rare and aggressive form of cancer.

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Surviving Chemotherapy When One Has Breast Cancer

Chemotherapy is a word that strikes fear into most of our hearts.  We’ve seen the movies and heard such horrible stories about undergoing this difficult treatment for a disease that could very well kill us.  I underwent chemo for breast cancer and know that, in some cases, the cancer isn’t hard … it isn’t painful … it doesn’t make us sick.  That’s the case for most of us who have breast cancer, but don’t have distant metastases.  But then, they say we need to do chemo and we know we’ll feel that.

Although chemo drugs haven’t changed that much, and they’re still terribly hard on our bodies, the management drugs have changed a lot.  Chemotherapy, for many of us, isn’t the show-stopper we thought it would be.  Of course, each of us is different and the chemo drugs affect each of us in different ways, but, for the most part, chemo is definitely doable.   

My breast cancer was Stage IIIa, with a 5.8 cm tumor, 8 of 10 lymph nodes positive, and I was only 39 years old.  That bought me a ticket for the chemo ride.  And I was scared out of my wits.  But, I found an online breast cancer support group, at WebMD, and those women told me everything to expect and more.  I went through four rounds of adriamycin and cytoxan.  Both of them are some pretty stout breast cancer chemo drugs.  After that, I did a controversial treatment that involved extremely high doses of cytoxan, taxol, and cisplatin, so I learned quite a bit about surviving chemotherapy.

First of all, I would highly recommend getting a port.  This is a line that goes into a vein in your chest, the entrance to which sits just under your skin, right below your collarbone.  It requires a quick surgery to put it in but, if you’re having a mastectomy for your breast cancer, you can get the chemo port put in at the same time.  If you choose not to do that, you’ll have to get your chemo treatments through your veins and chemo is really hard on your veins.  This means that you will, most likely, have to endure multiple attempts for them to find a vein, as time goes by.  With the port, it’s already in a vein, so all they have to do is stick the needle into the port to access it.  If you find this uncomfortable, there is a cream they can give you called Emla cream.  One of the first things I learned was to tell them the moment I was uncomfortable.  It’s all fixable.  You’ll put the Emla cream on a bit before you have to have your port accessed and it’ll numb your skin.

Most breast cancer chemotherapy drugs will cause your hair to fall out.  This is because chemo kills the rapidly dividing cells in your body.  Your mucous areas and hair follicles are affected for this reason.  That’s why you may have nausea or develop mouth or throat sores.  Again, all this sounds scary, but is totally manageable.  Since you will probably be losing your hair, which can be quite traumatic, I would advise going wig or hat shopping before you even get your first chemo.  Take a girlfriend with you and be adventurous.  Try on different styles, and even colors.  If you’ve always wanted to be a blonde, now’s your chance!  Make a day of it and have fun with it.  Goodness knows, you have to look for that silver lining every chance you get.  Also, make sure to have your nausea med prescription filled before you go so you’ll have it waiting for you if you need it at home.  You may be pretty tired, afterward, so don’t wait till then to get those meds.

On your first chemo day, they will probably give you some steroids, intravenously or through your port, to help with the nausea.  This may make you hungry; it sure did for me!  But, I would recommend you don’t eat your favorite food on chemo day.  Chemo is manageable, but after you’re all done, you may find that you have associations.  For example, I used to love the cucumber melon fragrance when I was going through chemo.  I had cucumber melon everything!  But, to this day, the smell of cucumber melon makes my stomach do a little somersault because it reminds me of such an unpleasant time in my life.  The same can happen with food.  I still can’t look a chicken burrito in the eye!  But, I’m sure glad I didn’t eat a taco because I would’ve hated for that to be ruined for me!

Many breast cancer chemo drugs are hard on your bladder, so be sure to drink, drink, drink.  If you don’t feel like drinking water, then broth, jello, or even popsicles will help.  Since you’ve gotten your nausea meds all filled in advance, be sure to take them as prescribed, whether you think you need them or not.  Chemo nausea isn’t just any kind of nausea and it’s much easier to stay ahead of it than to try to fix it once it occurs.  If you do happen to get nauseated, and I can’t stress this enough, call your doctor!!!  There are many, many nausea meds and you do not have to feel sick just because you’re doing chemo.  Once they find the right drug for you, it will be so much easier.  So, do not suffer this in silence!  The same applies for if you get sores in your mouth or throat.

You will be tired from this treatment.  Most of us get more tired as the treatments progress because they make our white blood cell counts drop really low.  Because of this, it’s a good idea to keep some Purell, or something similar, with you all the time for use when you’ve had to touch, for example, public restroom door handles.  Your risk of infection will be much higher during this time.

If you lose your hair, it will typically happen in 10-14 days after your first chemo treatment.  If you have long hair, you might want to cut it short in preparation.  I know I felt so out of control of everything, during that time.  When your hair comes out, it lets go quickly and in large clumps, getting all over your pillow and clogging your drain.  For many women, that is more traumatic than even losing a breast.  So, I figured that was the one thing I could control about this whole breast cancer thing … when my hair came out.  I cut it really short, beforehand and, when it started to let go, I had my husband get the clippers and shave my head.  My daughter helped and we did a little Mohawk and stripe action first!

That was my way of shaking my fist at this cancer … it might take my breasts, and it might take my hair for a while, but I beat it to the punch!  It was my way of saying, “You cannot take my spirit!”  You can do the same thing.  Your breast cancer does not define you.  It is but a speed bump in the course of your life.  Strap on your gloves and step into the ring.  This chemo is your biggest punch.  Your spirit is your own and that breast cancer can’t touch it!

Surviving stage 4 breast cancer?

My mom has stage 4 breast cancer. Before that she had stage 2 breast cancer.Doctors got the tumor removed, test showed she was normal then. After 2 years its re appeared in the liver in 2 points. Its not very big. She had 6 Chemotherapy. After 3 Cancer from one point shrunk and went but again another point in the liver is found that’s affected. Now she has inflammation of her legs and untill it doesnt go she cant take the last chemo. what r the chances of her survival. Any1 has any experience? plz give some gud news

Surviving Cancer- Mankind’s Grim Ordeal

Cancer, according to recent reports, kills more people than do road accidents and air accidents put together. Cancer has become the single most dreaded killer disease, striking more and more people. World over there has been a whopping increase in the number people being afflicted with Cancer. While in the US it is mostly Colon,Breast and Lung Cancers that afflict people most, in Australia ,Skin cancer too joins the list. In the developing countries like India, Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer and Liver Cancer dominate, along with Oral Cancer because of the large number of Tobacco-chewing people.

Cancer patients are on the rise, but the heartening factor is that great advancements are being made in treating cancer. New effective drugs are being used, new pain alleviating methods treatments are in place and advanced surgical techniques are being deployed. This phenomenon of great developments in Oncology (the study and treatment of Cancer) is spreading throughout the world without exception. The far-reaching and beneficial results of the untiring research in the field of Oncology, are definitely going to reach out to the suffering millions of Cancer patients, imparting them hope and alleviation.

Cancer is a double-edged sword. It strikes a patient physically and it causes untold mental trauma. They say Cancer is curable if detected early. Early detections do occur but these constitute an abysmally low percentage of the total number of Cancer cases detected. In developing countries like India, routine health checks are unheard of. People approach the hospital or the doctor only when they fall sick. Here most Cancer cases are detected only at an advanced stage, with metastases already in progress.

Cancer gives one the stark realization that an incurable affliction has struck entailing huge treatment expenses with negligible chances of survival. On top of this the concern that the surviving members of the patient’s family would face serious financial issues, wreaks mental havoc on the patient as well as the family. But still the treatment has to be somehow undergone. The initial shock at being told by your doctor that you have Cancer, is followed by dejection and self-pity. It is very hard indeed to accept the fact that one has Cancer. Then follows the protracted courses of treatment -Chemotherapy, Surgery and Radiation, not necessarily in that order.

Cancer treatment is indeed traumatic,both physically and mentally. The cost of treatment apart, the treatment itself leaves long-standing scars on the mind as well as the body. The Chemo Injections have a wide range of side-effects like loss of hair, nausea and lowering the vital blood count, leaving the door open to infections. Continuous care and monitoring are vital. Surgery of course ,means removal of the affected part. Radiation too leaves scars and permanent discomforts to the patient’s body, the most prominent being the unbearable burning sensation on the skin.

Cancer patients have to somehow generate the will to survive and withstand the traumas of treatment. Keeping the mind diverted during the treatment helps. Listening to Music, Listening to Cancer patients who have survived the crusade, Reading -all these things help. Everything helps- the kind words from a well-wisher, the soothing prayers of the believers, the constant attention by the nurses and the doctors- every little thing helps.

Cancer patients, best of all , have to believe in themselves. But thanks to modern medicine, new cancer-fighting drugs are available. It has been found that in the case of even advanced Breast cancers , hormone treatments are providing miraculous recoveries. Transplants are too helping the cause, like liver and lung transplants. Even the dreaded Leukemia which meant certain death, today is being treated with a great amount of success. New medicines, New technologies, New treatment approaches are working together to rid humanity of this great malignancy that is Cancer.

Cancer care today lays the emphasis on treating not only the patient, but the patient’s family as well. The goal is to get patients home as quickly as possible, for as long as possible, helped by home nursing aides. The philosophy is to let the patient have a say in his own treatment, to the extent it is medically safe.

Cancer treatment has shown that the key is not to lose hope at any time. It may sometimes seem that life is going to ebb away. You may come perilously close to the edge. But do hold on. Have faith! In God or the Doctors or the people around you. It doesn’t matter who it is that you are banking on. All that matters is that you hang on!

Cancer today is becoming curable. Is this not enough to help you to transcend the trauma of this great malice?