|
|
|
Acne, Women, Hormones and Polycystic Ovary Disease
More frequently women are combating acne and wrinkles simultaneously. It’s a hideous fight wrought with mysterious hormone signals and an even more baffling search for a cure. Dermatologist Diane Thiboutot, MD, associate professor of medicine at the...
Anti-aging: Is it really possible?
Although it is obviously not possible to turn the clock back entirely, we can take many steps now to ensure that not only do we slow down the aging process, but we can also reverse many of the signs of aging that we may presently be experiencing. ...
FDA Approves Conditional Silicone Breast Implants
On Wednesday 4/143/05, the FDA health advisors recommended removing the 13 year old ban on silione-gel breast implants. This move came about as Mentor Corp. persuaded the FDA that its newer silicone implants are much more safe and durable than older...
Understanding Breast Cancer Staging.
N.B This topic will make you understand why it is important to do monthly breast exam. The earlier the cancer is detected, the better the prognosis. Breast cancer staging To stage cancer, the American Joint Committee on Cancer, first places the...
Women and Menopause...........
Women and Menopause........... Menopause is an irreversible process and inseparable of the aging in a woman's reproductive system, after which she can no longer menstruate. Climacteric is the general term for the time from the period of this...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Breast Cancer Treatment: Surviving Chemotherapy
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!
About the author:
Melissa Buhmeyer is a breast cancer survivor and has been so for
seven years. She is also the founder of http://www.breastcanc
er-treatment.us , a site focusing on breast cancer
treatment options, news, articles, and survivor experiences.
|
|
|
|
|
| BreastCancer.org - Breast Cancer Treatment Information and Pictures |
| Breast Cancer Information from a Nonprofit Organization. |
| www.breastcancer.org |
|
| The Breast Cancer Site |
| Founded to help offer free mammograms to underprivileged women nationwide. With a simple, daily "click" visitors help provide mammograms to those in need. |
| www.thebreastcancersite.com |
|
| Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation |
| The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is dedicated to education and research on breast cancer causes, treatment and the search for a cure. |
| www.komen.org |
|
| Breast Cancer Information from National Breast Cancer Foundation Inc |
| Breast cancer information including early signs and symptoms of breast cancer, myths, early detection, breast cancer research and more from National Breast ... |
| www.nationalbreastcancer.org |
|
| BreastCancer.Net: http://www.breastcancer.net |
| A clearinghouse for the latest news and information on the prevention, detection and treatment of breast cancer. |
| www.breastcancer.net |
|
| Breast Cancer Treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine |
| Educational resources on using Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat and prevent breast cancer. |
| www.breastcancer.com |
|
| Breast Cancer Care - Homepage |
| Breast Cancer Care is the UK's leading provider of information, practical assistance and emotional support for anyone affected by breast cancer or breast ... |
| www.breastcancercare.org.uk |
|
| Breakthrough Breast Cancer |
| Breakthrough Breast Cancer is the UKs leading charity committed to fighting breast cancer through research and education. |
| www.breakthrough.org.uk |
|
| MedlinePlus: Breast Cancer |
| Search MEDLINE/PubMed for recent research articles on Breast Cancer: • Breast Cancer ... Select services and providers for Breast Cancer in your area. ... |
| www.nlm.nih.gov |
|
| Breast Cancer Research | |
| Online and print journal covering topics of basic and clinical research relevant to breast cancer. Research articles are free to all users. |
| breast-cancer-research.com |
|
| National Breast Cancer Centre - Evidence based information for ... |
| The National Breast Cancer Centre of Australia providing information about breast cancer for consumers and health professionals. |
| www.nbcc.org.au |
|
| Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation: Run for the Cure: Select Language |
| Charitable organization which raises money to advance research, education, diagnosis and treatment. |
| www.cbcf.org |
|
| Breast cancer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| That is why you will see breast cancer patients wearing braces, ... [5] Men can also develop breast cancer, but their risk is less than one in 1000 (see sex ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| End Breast Cancer from Care2.com and TBCF! |
| Help stop Breast Cancer by clicking daily - free! Supports efforts by The Breast Cancer Fund. |
| breastcancer.care2.com |
|
| National Breast Cancer Foundation |
| The ultimate goal of the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) is to raise enough money to fund a cure for breast cancer. As Australia’s leading national ... |
| www.nbcf.org.au |
|
| Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization |
| Support and information about the condition from this non-profit entity. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. |
| www.y-me.org |
|
| Breast Cancer Home Page - National Cancer Institute |
| Information about breast cancer treatment, prevention, genetics, causes, screening, clinical trials, research and statistics from the National Cancer ... |
| www.cancer.gov |
|
| What You Need To Know About™ Breast Cancer - National Cancer Institute |
| Information about detection, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer. NIH Publication No. 05-1556. |
| www.cancer.gov |
|
| Breast Cancer Campaign - Researching the cure |
| Breast Cancer Campaign is the only charity that specialises in funding independent breast cancer research throughout the UK. |
| www.breastcancercampaign.org |
|
| NBCC - NBCC - National Breast Cancer Coalition |
| The National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund is a grassroots organization dedicated to ending breast cancer through the power of action and advocacy. |
| www.natlbcc.org |
|
|