Headwear Etc Blog

Know to Avoid, Battle and Survive Cancer
from Mark Patton

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (a blood cancer) in 1991, at the age of forty-one. Shortly thereafter, my wife was tested to see if she could donate platelets to me when I needed them after chemotherapy. Her blood tests revealed she had leukemia (CLL).

Miraculously, we’ve survived for almost 15 years. As a result, we’ve learned many, many things about cancer that we can share with others. Listed below are the 7 crucial things you must know about this disease. We hope you find these tips helpful.

1. Know Your Cancer Risks
Cancer can be the result of genetic mutations, viruses, or environmental carcinogens. By now, we all know the dangers of smoking and being exposed to harmful chemicals. But there are lots of other things that can cause cancer.

2. Early Detection is Crucial
A critical part of surviving cancer is early detection. The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the better your chances for remission or long-term survival. Cancer is actually a group of more than 100 diseases. Therefore, it’s impossible to provide a definitive list of symptoms.
If you feel, deep down, there is something wrong with you, there probably is. Don’t ignore early warning signs. Don’t be in denial. We’ve had friends and aquaintanences that did and were and they’re no longer here.

3. See an Oncologist or Better Yet a Specialist
This point may seem obvious to most people, but it’s not to everyone. There are millions of cancer patients that are being treated by surgeons, internists, family practitioners, and other healthcare providers. You really should try to be seen by an oncologist. The American Society of Clinical Oncology can help you find an oncologist or specialist. [www.hematology.org]The American Society of Hematology[/link] will help you find a doctor if you have a blood cancer.
Specialists are most likely to be aware of current treatment options and clinical trials that will be of specific benefit to you.

4. Use the New Treatment Option Tools
Take advantage of the free, treatment option tools like the one offered by NexCura called [http://nexcura.com]NexProfiler[/link]. These decision-making tools can help you learn which treatment options are right for you. What are the pros and cons of each? You’ll get information that’s personalized to your unique clinical situation, so you’ll spend less time wading through irrelevant articles.

5. Be Committed to Your Treatment
Whatever clinical trial or treatment plan you and your doctor agree on, stay committed to it and give it your all. We noticed a number of patents that just dropped out of the protocol I was in for one reason or another. We saw others still smoking on the sly. We talked with lots of patients who didn’t take all their medications everyday or follow the recommendations for avoiding infection. You have to believe in yourself, your doctor, and your treatment if you truly want to get better. It’s your primary responsibility, not anyone else’s.

6. Take Advantage of the Vast Amount of Resources Available
The amount of information and support for cancer patients is astounding. You can get free educational materials, emotional support, financial aid, assistance with insurance issues, help with your physical appearance, dietary recommendations, you name it.
Perhaps the two most comprehensive cancer Web sites in the world are the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute.

7. Find a Transplant Center that Specializes in Your Disease if Possible
If you are going to do a bone marrow or a stem cell transplant, try to find a hospital that does a lot of transplants for patients with your disease. Some transplant centers specialize in certain diseases. The Myeloma Institute of Research and Therapy (and its earlier incarnations) in Little Rock has done almost 6,000 bone marrow and stem cell transplants for people with multiple myeloma.
The National Marrow Donor Program maintains a database of transplant centers and provides detailed information about each centers program.

So there you have it, the seven crucial things you need to know about cancer. We wish you the best of luck on your journey. Try to remember these three things: Keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart; Keep learning about your disease and the newest treatments; Keep your hospital gown tied in back. See you in remission.

Know to Avoid, Battle and Survive Cancer
from Mark Patton

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (a blood cancer) in 1991, at the age of forty-one. Shortly thereafter, my wife was tested to see if she could donate platelets to me when I needed them after chemotherapy. Her blood tests revealed she had leukemia (CLL).

Miraculously, we’ve survived for almost 15 years. As a result, we’ve learned many, many things about cancer that we can share with others. Listed below are the 7 crucial things you must know about this disease. We hope you find these tips helpful.

1. Know Your Cancer Risks
Cancer can be the result of genetic mutations, viruses, or environmental carcinogens. By now, we all know the dangers of smoking and being exposed to harmful chemicals. But there are lots of other things that can cause cancer.

2. Early Detection is Crucial
A critical part of surviving cancer is early detection. The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the better your chances for remission or long-term survival. Cancer is actually a group of more than 100 diseases. Therefore, it’s impossible to provide a definitive list of symptoms.
If you feel, deep down, there is something wrong with you, there probably is. Don’t ignore early warning signs. Don’t be in denial. We’ve had friends and aquaintanences that did and were and they’re no longer here.

3. See an Oncologist or Better Yet a Specialist
This point may seem obvious to most people, but it’s not to everyone. There are millions of cancer patients that are being treated by surgeons, internists, family practitioners, and other healthcare providers. You really should try to be seen by an oncologist. The American Society of Clinical Oncology can help you find an oncologist or specialist. [www.hematology.org]The American Society of Hematology[/link] will help you find a doctor if you have a blood cancer.
Specialists are most likely to be aware of current treatment options and clinical trials that will be of specific benefit to you.

4. Use the New Treatment Option Tools
Take advantage of the free, treatment option tools like the one offered by NexCura called [http://nexcura.com]NexProfiler[/link]. These decision-making tools can help you learn which treatment options are right for you. What are the pros and cons of each? You’ll get information that’s personalized to your unique clinical situation, so you’ll spend less time wading through irrelevant articles.

5. Be Committed to Your Treatment
Whatever clinical trial or treatment plan you and your doctor agree on, stay committed to it and give it your all. We noticed a number of patents that just dropped out of the protocol I was in for one reason or another. We saw others still smoking on the sly. We talked with lots of patients who didn’t take all their medications everyday or follow the recommendations for avoiding infection. You have to believe in yourself, your doctor, and your treatment if you truly want to get better. It’s your primary responsibility, not anyone else’s.

6. Take Advantage of the Vast Amount of Resources Available
The amount of information and support for cancer patients is astounding. You can get free educational materials, emotional support, financial aid, assistance with insurance issues, help with your physical appearance, dietary recommendations, you name it.
Perhaps the two most comprehensive cancer Web sites in the world are the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute.

7. Find a Transplant Center that Specializes in Your Disease if Possible
If you are going to do a bone marrow or a stem cell transplant, try to find a hospital that does a lot of transplants for patients with your disease. Some transplant centers specialize in certain diseases. The Myeloma Institute of Research and Therapy (and its earlier incarnations) in Little Rock has done almost 6,000 bone marrow and stem cell transplants for people with multiple myeloma.
The National Marrow Donor Program maintains a database of transplant centers and provides detailed information about each centers program.

So there you have it, the seven crucial things you need to know about cancer. We wish you the best of luck on your journey. Try to remember these three things: Keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart; Keep learning about your disease and the newest treatments; Keep your hospital gown tied in back. See you in remission.

Review
ROCHESTER, Minn., Oct. 26 - Women who opted for prophylactic mastectomy a decade ago because of a high risk of breast cancer are generally happy with their decision.

Eighty-three percent of 583 women who chose to have an unaffected breast removed along with a cancerous breast at the time of mastectomy said they were satisfied with the procedure and would do it again, reported Mayo Clinic researchers here.

Results of the descriptive study, an update of information first presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in 2003, will be published in the Nov. 1 issue of The Journal of Clinical Oncology and are in an early online edition.

“Clearly, a woman diagnosed with a first breast cancer who has a family history of breast cancer is faced with complex decisions about the treatment of her cancer and her risk for cancer in the other breast,” said Marlene H. Frost, R.N., Ph.D., and colleagues. “It is important that these women have information about the probable effectiveness, as well as psychological and social outcomes, of their options.”

Although the cumulative lifetime risk of a second primary cancer in the contralateral breast is about 15% for all women with a personal history of breast cancer, among women with deleterious mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes the cumulative risk of cancer in the contralateral breast by age 70 is 52%.

“Young women with BRCA1 mutations who are less than 50 years old at the time of their first breast cancer have a 40% risk of a second primary at 10-years of follow-up,” the investigators noted.

Dr. Frost and colleagues undertook a survey of all women with a personal and family history of breast cancer who had contralateral prophylactic mastectomy at the Mayo Clinic between 1960 and 1993. Of the total 792 women identified, 621 were still alive, and 583 participated in the study.

Among all participants, 244 (42%) had had a subcutaneous mastectomy with reconstruction, 5 (1%) had subcutaneous mastectomy without reconstruction, 158 (27%) had simple mastectomy with reconstruction, and 176 (30%) had simple mastectomy without reconstruction.

Nearly all of the women who had reconstruction (98%) received implants; the other 2% had transverse rectus abdominal myocutaneous reconstruction.

For three-quarters of the women, concern about developing cancer in the other breast was the primary reason for electing to have contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. In addition, 59% said they had followed their physicians’ advice, and 40% said they made the choice because of a family history.

In all, 83% of women reported being satisfied or very satisfied with contralateral prophylactic mastectomy, 8% were neutral, and 9% said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.

“Similarly, 83% of the women said knowing what they do now, they probably would or definitely would have contralateral prophylactic mastectomy again, 7% were unsure, and 9% said they probably would not, or definitely would not, choose contralateral prophylactic mastectomy again,” the authors wrote.

Asked the reasons for their satisfaction or lack of it, the contented respondents most frequently cited peace of mind, satisfaction with cosmetic results, the absence of problems with the procedure, or the benefit of risk reduction. In contrast, women who were unhappy with the choice most frequently reported dissatisfaction with cosmetic results, adverse symptoms or complications, or diminished body image.

When the data were broken down by type of surgery, 13% of those who had subcutaneous mastectomy reported dissatisfaction, compared with 6% of those who had simple mastectomy. The differences remained significant among women who did and did not have reconstruction following mastectomy.

“Moderate simple correlations were found between satisfaction with contralateral prophylactic mastectomy and satisfaction with body appearance after contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (r =0.41, P<.001), favorable feelings of femininity (r=0.33, P <.001), self-esteem (r =0.33, P <.001), decreased level of stress (r=0.31, P<.001), and favorable sexual relationships (r=0.30, <.001),” the authors reported.

They did not find any significant correlations between level of satisfaction and age, marital status, or length of time since the procedure.

Adverse psychological and social outcomes associated with the procedure included negative feelings toward body appearance (33%), loss of sense of femininity (26%), negative effects on sexual relationships (23%), added stress (17%), decreased self-esteem (17 %), and decreased emotional stability (12%).

“The benefits of this procedure should be weighed by each woman along side the potential adverse effects,” the authors wrote. “Among adverse effects, the need for reoperation, especially after implant reconstruction, and possible adverse effects on body appearance must be considered.”

Old and Good Friends Share a Piece

Old and good friends share a piece
Of passion, pain, and pleasure
That no one else, no family can
Begin to know or treasure.
It’s as if a secret room
Held their private store,
And every time they met, they could
Go through some special door.

It doesn’t matter if they see
Each other every day,
Or years and years go by before
They come and go away:

The moment that they meet it all
Is there–the memories of
Fierce loyalty and times of need
And gratitude and love.

Seasonal depression during Fall and Winter.

If you experience severe depression with SAD, it’s imperative that you receive an evaluation of your symptoms so that a proper diagnosis is made. While the symptoms of major depression are consistent from morning to night, the severity of the symptoms of SAD, such as depression and fatigue, increase throughout the day.
What Causes Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Where you live is an important factor to consider; people who live in far northern regions of the Northern hemisphere or in extreme southern regions of the Southern hemisphere are more likely to experience SAD. In fact, the further north or south you live from the equator the more at risk you become. In the U.S., it’s estimated, that as many as 25 percent of the people who live in the northern region may experience seasonal affective disorder. The shorter daylight hours and the reduced amount of sunlight to the retina causes SAD. This is because sunshine increases the body’s production of serotonin, and increased levels of melatonin. Together, these seasonal fluctuations cause seasonal affective disorder in some people. Normal sleep — wake cycles cause variations in our levels of both serotonin and melatonin. These variations allow us to sleep at night and stay awake during the day. When your brain chemistry is off balance your serotonin level may not have enough daylight hours to increase to the level it does during Spring and Summer months.
Treating Seasonal Affective Disorders
Light therapy effectively improves the symptoms of SAD. Because a lack of sun causes SAD, it makes sense that therapy with lights is the preferred treatment. Light therapy increases light to the brain through your retina. Treatment of seasonal affective disorder with light therapy is effective for from 60 to 80 percent of patients, with most patients noticing significant improvement within four to five days.
How Does Light Therapy Work?
Special lamps may be purchased for the purpose of light therapy. These lamps should have a power rating of at least 10,000 lux. This is equivalent to five to twenty times the normal lighting in your home or office. SAD lamps should be used everyday during the peak seasons in which this disorder occurs. For effective treatment you’ll need to sit in front of your light therapy lamp from 30 minutes to two hours daily. You should not look directly at the light source. While your in front of your light therapy lamp you can read, watch TV, work at your computer, or anything else you can do while sitting. Although most SAD patients prefer to use their lamps when they wake up in the morning, you can also do this in the evening. The time you pick to do your seasonal affective disorder treatment depends on you and the time of day that you feel it’s most effective. You may also find it helpful to set an automatic timer to start the lamp two hours before you wake up in order to create a natural sunrise affect.

My Best to You,
Marilyn
http://www.headwearetc.com
“We help women with hair loss look and feel confident…with style, fit, and comfort.”

BCA PUBLICATION.

FAQ OF THE MONTH: I’ve heard rumors of a link between antiperspirants and breast cancer. Is this true?
Over the years, there have been rumors circulating on the internet that antiperspirants are linked to breast cancer. There have been some interesting reasons suggested for this claim, but none that have been substantiated. For example, women are told not to wear deodorant or antiperspirant when they get their mammogram, and many have interpreted this as evidence of harm. This is actually because the deodorant may show up on the mammogram and could be mistakenly identified as a lesion. Another reason for concern on antiperspirants has been that, since they prevent sweating, they block the elimination of toxins from the body. However, there are other parts of the body from which toxins are eliminated. Yet another concern about antiperspirants is that they contain aluminum, which is suspected of causing other health problems such as Alzheimer’s. Some studies have also looked at whether there is a greater risk associated when women use deodorant or antiperspirant right after shaving, because the chemicals may go into the body in any nicks or cuts.

Studies thus far have not found evidence of a link between antiperspirant or deodorant and breast cancer. However, because of what we know about the use of ingredients such as parabens and phthalates in many body care products, we encourage women to find alternatives that do not contain these chemicals. Parabens and phthalates are of concern for their hormone-mimicking and interfering qualities, and they are found in many body care products, from deodorants and perfumes to hair gel and nail polish. For a list of body care products that do not contain these chemicals, visit the Think Before You Pink website. To learn more about popular brands of body care products and their ingredients, visit the Skin Deep Report.
My Best,
Marilyn
http://www.headwearetc.com
“We help women with hair loss look and feel confident…with style, fit, and comfort.”

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