HAVE CANCER....GET ORGANIZED

When you have cancer you will be going to many different doctors.  Each time you see a specialist this doctor will need to know your specific diagnosis and specifics about you.  Oncologists need to know everything they can about you and your individual case, so they can offer the best possible advice and treatment plan.

You probably started with your primary care doctor, and then were referred to a surgeon or urologist or medical oncologist or radiation oncologist or all of them.  Each time you meet a new doctor they will need to review all of your tests and procedures that you have had done.  The doctor’s are supposed to send all of this information to the next doctor before you arrive.  Sometimes there are delays in transferring your information to the next doctor.  This is a delay that can be avoided, and you can help.  I know you are feeling overwhelmed by your diagnosis of cancer but by getting organized you can feel more in control of what is happening to you. 

Every cancer patient has a team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and others that are working for you and towards your cure.  Being a part of that team will help you feel that you haven’t lost control over your body or your life.  A patient often feels like they have become an object rather than a person.  You can feel like you are just following instructions: take this pill at such and such a time, be at the hospital for this test at this time, show up for chemo on time, don’t be late for your radiation treatment, etc.  Yes it is important to do all of the above things.  But you can have influence on your care by becoming a true member of this team that wants to help you get well.

One of the ways you can do this is to start a notebook or file containing your journey through cancer.  You can request and receive copies of your test results as you go along.  An example is to ask for your pathology report.  This where the whole journey starts, the diagnosis of cancer.  Each doctor you visit will need to see the pathology report to know exactly which type of cancer you have. Not all breast cancers are the same type of cancer and the type of cancer you have will determine the type of treatment you will need to have.  The same thing is true of prostate, lung, brain, colorectal, leukemia, lymphoma and other cancers.  So the pathology report is key information.

          Other things that will help determine your treatment are your diagnostic imaging reports and films.  These may include X-rays, Cat scans, Pet scans, Pet/CT scans, MRIs, and Mammograms, among others.  When you go for these tests you can ask for your own copy of the report and a CD of the images themselves.  You should be able to get a copy of the CD at the time you have completed the test.  It will take awhile for the radiologist to read and review your test so the report won’t be available immediately after the test, but may be sent to you if you request this.

          Your blood work, laboratory tests, are also important for each doctor to know.  A PSA level is essential in prostate cancer.  Blood work such as your blood counts and electrolyte levels are important when you are having chemotherapy or biotherapy.  You can ask which ever doctor orders these tests to give you a copy of these results.

          If you have had surgery, a copy of your operative report is helpful to have.  You can ask your surgeon for this when you go for your first appointment after your surgery.

          A list of all of the medication that you are taking or have taken in the past few months is essential for all of your doctors to have.  This list should include prescribed medications, vitamins, minerals, supplements and any other over the counter medicine such as pain relievers (Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, Aleve etc.) and allergy or cold pills.  Keeping this list up to date is important, so if you stop taking a medication please put a line through your list so the doctor will know you were on this medication but aren’t now.  Also if you are taking recreational drugs, it is important to tell this to your doctor.

          By having a file or notebook in which to keep all of this information, you are ready at all times to see a doctor, who with this information can be up to date with your case with a reading of your tests and results.

          Another good idea is to have a calendar to help you coordinate your life.  Since you will probably be busy with appointments relating to your cancer and hopefully you will still be able to live a real life, a calendar will help you plan.  By checking with the calendar you can find time for friends and activities that you enjoy.  It will help you organize better.  If you have an appointment, which you will be done with just before lunch, perhaps you will want to meet a friend for lunch at a restaurant in the same neighborhood where your appointment was.  Or if you get tired after chemotherapy, you may want to plan a nap before your meet with friends or family, or you may wish to reschedule meeting with loved ones until the next day.  Keeping track of appointments and planning ahead is a great way to maintain control of your life.

          Many people, but not all, find keeping a personal journal of there cancer experience helpful.  This may be a good way to help deal with the stress of cancer.  You may wish to do this in a private diary or you may wish to share your journey with friends on the web.  There are some free sites on the web that help with this such as: CaringBridge and CarePages. 

          These are some suggestions that I hope will help you to feel more a part of the team that wants to cure your cancer.

SYMPTOMS OF COLON CANCER

Symptoms of colon cancer can be sneaky, because we all have some of these symptoms once in a while.  The time to be concerned is if the symptoms persist for two weeks or more.  We all have bowel movements and it is alright to talk to your doctor about your bowel habits.

Changes in bowel habits can be a clue to the fact that our colon is not healthy.  This doesn’t necessarily mean there is a significant problem, but if these changes continue over a couple weeks, it is time to talk to the doctor. A change is anything that is different for us.  It may be constipation when this has never been a problem for you before or it may be diarrhea that lasts for two weeks.  The first thing to consider, of course, is what have you been eating?  We all have bouts of constipation, if we aren’t getting enough fruits and vegetables; so the first thing we should do is increase or start eating fruits and vegetables.  Diarrhea hits if we eat too many fruits and vegetables, or too much greasy food, or if we eat something that has spoiled.  You should decrease the amounts of fruits and vegetables, and or the amount of fried foods, when you develop diarrhea.  A bacteria or “bug” that is going around can gives you diarrhea and, in and of itself, isn’t a cause to panic about symptoms of colon cancer.  But if these symptoms go on for 2 or more weeks, then it is time to call your doctor.

Diarrhea is when you have loose or liquid stool or increased number of stools in a day.  Constipation is when you have hard stools or you haven’t had a bowel movement for 3 or more days.  Everyone’s bowel habits vary from time to time and what is normal for one person is not necessarily normal for the next person.  It is changes that you should pay attention to.

Bright red or very dark red blood in your stools is another sign not all is well.  The most common cause of blood in stools is hemorrhoids. These are tags that form in the rectum that can fill with blood and then break and bleed.  The bleeding from hemorrhoids should not last for more than a day or two at the most.  So when you continue to have blood in your stools this is a symptom that needs to be reported and checked by your doctor.

Narrow stools or stools that are pencil shaped are another sign that the colon is not healthy.  Again if this continues it is time to call your doctor.

Another sign of trouble is increased and persistent gas pain, bloating, a feeling of fullness with or with out decreased appetite and abdominal (tummy) cramping that continues for 2 weeks.

Again symptoms of colon cancer are not that uncommon to us.  We all go through times that our colons aren’t healthy, but when these changes go on for 2 weeks, it is time to go to the doctor and find out why things aren’t normal.  Symptoms of colon cancer can be caused by other things, so why worry?  Go get checked out if you have:

          Changes in your bowel movements

          Constipation         

          Diarrhea

          Blood in your stools

          Stools thinner than normal

When you are aware of what is normal and what is not normal you are better prepared to talk to your doctor about your body.

So eat your fruits and vegetables and have your colonoscopy when you are fifty and every 5 years after that.

Wishing you good colon health and God Bless you.

CANCER'S DRY MOUTH

Your doctor and nurse may have told you one of the side effects of your cancer treatment is a dry mouth.  But when this hits it affects almost all of your life.  The mouth and digestive tract is made up of fast growing cells.  Most chemotherapy drugs work by killing or injuring fast growing cells because cancer cells are these types of cells. Most cancer drugs can’t tell the difference between types of fast growing cells.  So your mouth may be sore and dry.

Brushing your teeth with a soft toothbrush, a child’s or baby’s toothbrush is best.  Even with a sore mouth keeping it clean is very important.  Infection and or cavities are not what you want ever, especially not now.  Here are some hints for keeping your mouth clean and, by the way, these will help lessen the pain too.  If a toothbrush is too painful, for awhile, ask for Toothettes.  These are soft sponges on a stick used for oral care in the hospital.

Rinse and spit at least 6 times a day with a non-alcohol mouth wash.

Alcohol will burn like fire in your mouth.  There are products on the market which will moisturize your mouth as they clean.  The most popular one I know is Biatene.  They have several products available to help moisturize the mouth; gum and artificial saliva are two of them.  I recommend and solution of salt and baking soda.  Please wait for the recipe!  Many people mix up salt water solutions but if the strength is too potent these will not only burn your mouth but they will injure the tissue in your mouth.  So the correct recipe is:

                   One (1) quart of water

                   One (1) teaspoon of salt

                   One (1) teaspoon of baking soda.

Be sure to rinse and then spit out this solution, don’t swallow this or any other mouthwash.

This is very inexpensive and should be thrown out each day and then mix new day’s solution in a clean container.  This solution will soothe your mouth as well as reduce your chances of infections, such as thrush.

This mixture will help keep your mouth at the correct PH level to keep bacteria at low levels.  At the same time it will restore fluids to the mouth tissue. 

I knew one man who carried a bottle of this solution with him at all times, yes even at work, and he did very well with only slight problems in his mouth.  You can take a water bottle with you anywhere; why not add a mouthwash bottle.  You will be able to find a restroom easy enough, to rinse and spit every couple hours.  This is safe enough to use as often as you want.

It is good to rinse your mouth before you eat as this will moisten your mouth and it will be easier to chew and swallow.  Many people have told me that when they use a mouth wash they do pretty good.

For some this will help but not be enough to get you by.  If this is the case, ask your doctor for help, doctors usually prescribe something called Magic Mouth Wash.  It has 3 ingredients in it that will temporarily numb your mouth and will also help aid in healing your mouth and throat.  This must be used as your doctor prescribes.  You may use the salt and soda or Biatene mouth wash between times you use the prescribed mouthwash.

Papaya is a fruit that contains digestive enzymes.  Many people have found eating small bites of papaya before and during their meals makes chewing easier.  Including wet foods in your diet is a good idea; such as; mashed potatoes and gravy, soft scrambled or poached eggs and puddings.

I recommend you talk to a cancer dietitian at your cancer center or hospital. These dietitians are wonderfully helpful.

There are drugs available that promote increased saliva you may want to talk to your oncologist about these drugs.  Be certain to ask about side effects of these drugs.

Wishing you lots of spit.

God Bless you and keep you.

CANCER DRY EYES

In a past post I mentioned the first rule of being a patient:  Keep No Secrets from the Nurse.  The reason this is so important is, even if you develop some of the side effects of your treatment, the nurse can help you get through them with less problems.

Recently, a patient talked to me about dry eyes.  This sounds like an every day occurrence for some of you, even without cancer or cancer treatment.

But remember the whole point of cancer treatment is to allow you to live a normal life.  Dry eyes can become more than just annoying.  They can become painful.  Some types of chemotherapy can cause dry eyes. 

Not all eye moisturizing drops are the same.  I learned this from my own eye doctor.  My eye doctor recommended “Blink” eye drops or “Restore” eye drops.  Both brands are available over the counter in drug stores and most supermarkets.  These drops cost more than a generic or “cheapie” brands and this is one of the times you really do get what you pay for.  The generics can make your eyes feel gummy and not all that good.  These drops should relieve dry eyes, if they don’t, after a few days, please talk to your cancer doctor to see if you need to go to an eye doctor.  Unfortunately more than one thing can be happening at the same time.  You may have a problem unrelated to your cancer treatment.  Your cancer doctor will be able to tell if this is the case and advise you what to do next.  Most times you just need a good eye drop.

Good Luck and God Bless You.

HAVE CANCER CAN"T SLEEP?

                           

When you have cancer there are many reasons that sleep is difficult, yet it is so important.  During sleep the body is able to heal and regenerate at its most effective.

Causes of sleeplessness, when you are dealing with cancer, are fairly self evident.  You may have trouble shutting off your mind, you have many thoughts of: what if, what now, how can it be, and a million other things.  You may be overtired, you may be on steroids (which can cause sleeplessness on their own), you may have your days and nights mixed up (too long or too many naps during the day), or you may not be getting enough exercise.

I know when I tell people they need exercise I get a lot of dirty looks.  I do understand you may be fatigued (plain old tired) and I also know that exercise can be helpful in relieving that tiredness.  Cancer nurses and patients have known that exercise gives people a sense of well being.  So there have been studies done on the effects of exercise during cancer and cancer treatment.  These have proven that 10 to 20 minutes of exercise every day or every other day help people feel better and improve people’s out look on life and may help you sleep better.

When you have cancer, naps are tempting for sure, and of course, you may nap.  Here are hints for not getting your days and night mixed up.  Your bed is for night time, if you can, nap on the couch or in a comfortable chair this is better for you.  It will help you remember you are napping, not going for a long sleep.  A nap is just an hour or two of rest not a marathon sleep.  When you are tired try sitting at an activity.  This may be watching TV, reading, crafting, or visiting with friends and family.

If you are taking steroids as part of your cancer treatment and they are keeping you awake, talk to your oncology doctor, your doctor is very aware of this problem. The doctor may prescribe a sleeping medication.  You may want to try some of these suggestions in addition to sleeping medications.  Don’t give up, there is help for you.

 Shutting your mind off from the thoughts of dealing with cancer that keep you awake, or wake you up after just a short time sleeping can be a real problem.  It may take awhile to find what will work for you.  Some people find that a routine before bed helps.  A shower or a bath, a cup of chamomile tea, or warm milk along with a set bedtime has worked for many people.

Another thing to try is to set a time earlier in the day to worry and fret about your cancer.  This may sound silly but it works for some people.  Make this time useful by listing what you are worrying about.  Then find ideas that will make these problems smaller.  Your ideas for solutions can be silly; humor can ease stress all by itself.  Laughter is a wonderful thing.  During your worrying time make a point of being positive, this may be difficult at first, when you are dealing with cancer but, it does get easier with practice.  Plan for your future after cancer during your worrying time.  Take care of things that need to be taken care of, this will make your list of worries smaller.  And give you the satisfaction of accomplishment.

If you fall asleep then awaken at night try getting up out of bed.  While you are up try reading, crossword puzzles, TV and my favorite praying.  When we pray we are turning our troubles over to the Lord, He is the One who can take care of everything in the best possible way.

Cancer causes the feeling that you are out of control but you can control how you react to this “loss of control”.  Remember that cancer counseling is available and can be very helpful.  Talk to people at cancer support groups about what helps them sleep and share what works for you.

Cancer is a bump in the road of your life’s journey.  You didn’t plan for it but it doesn’t have to be all there is in your life.

SWEET DREAMS MY FRIEND.

CANCER ANXIETY

Anxiety happens when people are under stress.  A cancer diagnosis is a BIG STRESSOR.  I’m sorry.  It is very difficult to hear the words , “you have cancer”.  Please know that cancer can be cured and you don’t have to be alone during your treatment.  I’ve been a registered nurse for 37 years and my specialty is cancer nursing.  Some form of anxiety hits almost every one when they are told they have cancer.

The first thing I suggest is to take a deep breath.  It sounds simple but people have studied what a good old fashioned deep breath can do for your mind and body.  A deep breath can help reverse the physical effects of anxiety on your body.

You can take a deep breath right now and anywhere… any time.  So take a deep breath and blow out to the count of 6.  With the next breath, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth (like you are blowing up a balloon) to the count of 6.  Take more time breathing out than in.  You can think of it as blowing away the stress.  As you breathe out let your shoulders come down away from your ears.

Then call your doctor or cancer center and ask to speak to a cancer counselor.  Most cancer treatment centers have a stress management therapist.  I often recommend both, especially to begin with.  They can help you through your entire treatment course and afterwards, too.

Talk to your doctor about your feelings of anxiety and what it is doing to you.  Doctors are familiar with this and your doctor may prescribe something that may help you.

Please remember you are not alone and you don’t need to go through treatment with out a whole bunch of help.  Get to know your cancer team. The doctors, nurses and social workers/counselors are there for you.

Wishing you well.  You are in my prayers.

PINK OCTOBER

The trees are turning colors, the mornings are getting crisp and the days are getting shorter.  IT IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH!

One in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their life time, this might be scary to you but it doesn’t need to be.  One of the best things you can do for yourself is to have an annual mammogram.  This test can find breast cancer at an early stage, much earlier than can be found with a physical breast exam.  Which means if you do a self breast exam every month and a yearly mammogram along with a doctor’s breast exam every year, even if you are the one in 8 women your chances of survival are very, very high.

Every September the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure includes hundreds of thousand of people who put on their pink shirts, hats, shoes and wigs to show support of friends, family members, co-workers and friends of friends.  People can walk, run or even sleep for the cure.  I’ll bet you didn’t know you could sleep for the cure.  I believe 2010 was the first time for this option.

This show of support raises money for breast cancer research.  What many don’t know is that the Susan G. Komen foundation also provides thousands of free mammograms for women without insurance or funds for this screening test.  If you are without funds to pay for your mammogram please contact Susan G Komen Foundation or ask your health care provider for information.

Recently a report stating mammograms don’t need to be done before a woman is 50 years old.  I feel this is wrong. That report studied the cost benefits of early breast screening.  Do you want to wait to have your first mammogram just to save money, rather than to save your life?  Many mammograms show no sign of cancer, which is what I hope for each year when I get mine.  I started getting mammograms when I was 35, because I felt a lump when I was doing a self breast exam.  It turned out that the lump was a normal part of my hormone monthly cycle … was I relieved!  But it taught me that I needed to become more familiar with my body and to pay attention to changes in it.  I strongly recommend you do the same.

Breast cancer is more likely to occur as we age, but that is not always the case, I’ve known women in their 30’s who have breast cancer.  And I’ve known women in their 90’s who have breast cancer, age is not always a factor, the report I was speaking about, saying to wait until 50 for mammograms, was based upon statistics.  I don’t want you to be a statistic.

I’ve heard from many women that they don’t have mammograms because they are afraid that they will be told they have cancer.  I can understand this coping skill.  It is called "ignore things and they will go away".  I am sorry to say this is not always true.  It can be scary waiting for your mammogram results.

Be assured most Breast Health centers notify you within a couple of days of your results.  The wait may be long but knowing the results can save your life.  Remember earlier is better when it comes to fighting cancer.

Another reason women put off having mammograms is because “they hurt”.

Well, your breasts are squeezed during the test, this is true.  The entire test takes less than 15 minutes.  If your breasts are tender please tell the technician this as you enter, she should be sensitive to your problem.  Very few women can’t tolerate a few minutes of breast squeezing.  If you are one of the very few that can’t take the discomfort for a few minutes, talk to your doctor and find out if they can have an ultrasound instead of a mammogram.  Most breast health centers are able to do this for you.

Men, I haven’t forgotten you.  What can you do about early breast cancer screening?  You have women in your life that you care about, a mom, a sister, an aunt, a friend or a wife, remind them to have a mammogram.  You can be gentle and caring with your reminder, this doesn’t have to be an embarrassing conversation.

Yes, men can get breast cancer, although it extremely uncommon.  If you have family history of breast cancer among the women in your family, please mention this to your health care provider!

EARLY BREAST CANCER SCREENING SAVES LIVES!

Have your mammogram every year at age 40 and beyond, because you want to have many years beyond 40.

October is breast cancer awareness month so why not make October the month you have your mammogram every year?

YOU CAN DO IT ... for yourself and for those who love you and want to keep you around.
You can find more resources at   The Cancer Site