A new and personal topic for my continuing ed

All the recent tests are finally in and everything looks very good.  I’m back to doing laser treatments three times per week to facilitate healing and reduce scar tissue along with continuing the painful scar tissue release work with my Chiropractor.  This is all an effort to be proactive and reduce my chances of developing lymphedema (fluid retention due to the removal of lymph nodes).  I’m also starting continuing education work to become certified to treat lymphedema since I have found very few medical providers have any clue what to do.  We don’t even have anyone certified at Children’s.

Most women who develop breast cancer related lymphedema (BCRL) will do so within three years of treatment.  Survivors not developing near-term BCRL sadly retain a lifetime risk.  The most recent study that I have found said that of those who were affected, 80% developed lymphedema within two years and 89% within three years of treatment.  And for those survivors who make it to twenty years post treatment 49% reported lymphedema.  BCRL risk factors seem to be additive – lucky me- I got the max treatment with chemotherapy, surgery, and proton radiation.

The bit of good news that I have found is all of this is that weight lifting has a protective effect against the development of lymphedema. And if there is one exercise that I love to do its lift weights.  So since today is photo Friday I did my workout, got good and pumped and took the weekly photo. And as always, it's not the photo I'm posting. Everyone have a great Thanksgiving, we love you all.

THIS is what lymphedema looks like

More bad news for peanuts

It’s photo Friday!  It’s been a good week and I have to say that these photo sessions are really keeping my workouts on track better than anything that I’ve ever tried before.  As always, thanks for all the support.

Tuesday I had an appointment with my Primary Care Physician, Dr. Dana Kromer.  We’re waiting for all of the tests to come back but right now things look good.  Of course there are a couple more tests that I need and she was unable to do them in her office.  There always are more tests, but I think this is a long winded way of saying that my doctors are running out of things to check.  Hopefully 2015 I will have a lot fewer appointments and I can put this blog to rest for awhile.

And on the cancer front…this is just in: The first study to examine the effects of compounds in peanuts on the spread of cancer has been published and the results show serious consequences for cancer patients who eat peanuts/peanut butter.

There is a protein in peanuts called peanut agglutinin (PNA).  This protein fuels the spread of tumors according the researchers at the University of Liverpool who released the study.  Dr. Lugang Yu, one of the study’s authors reports that PNA binds to cancer cells that have spread to the blood, helping them form clusters and stick to the lining of blood vessels.  And since most cancers metastasize to distant areas of the body by traveling through the bloodstream…I will no longer be eating peanut products.  What a bummer, I love peanut butter. (but I switched to cashew butter a long time ago)

And here’s a quote from William Saroyan I saw this week and loved…here it is:  "Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep, really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell, and when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive.  You will be dead soon enough."

On that note all I have to say is have a great weekend and GO BUCKS!

 

This weeks photo

It’s photo Friday!  Rose offered to pose for this week’s photo.  Again thanks to everyone who is joining me and keeping me on track.  It is so amazingly powerful to have your support.

On the health front I have an upcoming appointment with my Primary Care Physician, Dana Kromer on Tuesday.  Appointments these days cause some anxiety because there aren’t any routine doctor visits anymore.  I know some of the topics that are going to come up in this visit. (WARNING: You can stop here if you want because I’m going on a bit of a rant. Sorry)

I’ve made the decision not to take aromatase inhibitors.  To give you a little of the back story my breast cancer was estrogen positive.  The intent of prescribed aromatase inhibitors is to prevent recurrence by blocking the growth of cancer by lowering my natural supply of estrogen.  Estrogen being what was fueling my cancer cells.  So who wouldn’t want to sign up for that?

Well I’ve read as many research reports as I can and depending on the author I could gain a 2 – 50% advantage in staying alive.  The dirty little secrets left out of these research reports are the debilitating side effects such as permanent bone loss, fractures, no libido, and severe insomnia. That's just to name a few.  Another fact left out of these reports is that many cancer patients lie to their doctors about actually taking these horrible drugs because the side effects just aren’t tolerable.

To make matters worse these side effects are not addressed by the oncology field.  Patients who bring these issues up with their doctors are written off as either depressed or complainers and whiners.  Oncologists respond that this is just part of aging and cancer patients should be grateful to be alive.

I don’t want to live with regrets and I sure don’t want to go down the cancer rabbit hole again…but not one physician that has recommended that I take these drugs could come up with my name if they saw me at the grocery store. (Dr. Kanodia has never recommended that I take them.)

I’m doing everything I can to stay cancer free, but quality of life matters too.  It’s tragic that I’m in a situation which at times makes me feel like I’m choosing between the two.  And the situation is made worse when I’m pressured by “experts” who make money whether I win or lose.

Sorry for such a morose post.  I am actually having a very good weekend, just had to get this out of my system.

Have a great weekend everybody.

ready for the game