WASHINGTON — October 20, 2011 - In the U.S. an estimated 300,000 cases of invasive and non-invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in 2010. Close to 40,000 were expected to die last year. Death rates among women with breast cancer have declined since 1990, thanks to treatment advances, early detection and awareness.
The good news is that most of us will live. The bad news is that getting from diagnosis to being a “live” statistic is a long, often grueling road for the patient, family and friends. Days before my own chemotherapy (chemo) started my Oncologist said, “You’ll never be the same again.”
I had no idea how true his words would turn out to be.
Even in the best of situations, cancer reduces a person’s life to but a sliver. No matter how much we want to fight it; life becomes about treating and dealing with cancer.
The mantra patients hear from doctors and nurses is “everyone is different.” It can be maddening when trying to discern if being able to hardly lift your head for five days straight after chemo and all the support drugs is normal. The first lesson is there is no “normal” when it comes to this path.
Yet, normal is what cancer patients long for the most. Most don’t want to be looked upon as sick. This is why we’ll spend lots of money on wigs and cosmetics to cover up the loss of hair and rapid facial aging brought on by the drugs and perhaps stress.
While we know that it’s the awareness, fundraising and encouragement of hundreds of organizations that have come to be symbolized by pink - pink bows, pink hair, pink bumper stickers, pink clothing - that has upped our chances of living to tell the story, forgive us if pink becomes a bit nauseating during recovery.
Don’t refrain from telling us about you or problems with work, home, etc. It’s a welcomed reprieve. It feels normal to talk about something besides chemo and cancer.
Do keep praying, sending cards, calling, emailing, texting. We may not respond quickly, but it so buoys the spirit when it seems like you’ll never feel good, rested or able to think clearly again.
For those of us with children, the food and rides are indispensable. Never under estimate the power of doing something as simple as picking our kids up from school and bringing them home safely.
Do be aware this month that breast cancer is the leading cause of death for women between 35 and 50 and that one in eight will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
Give what you can financially to reputable organizations or in outreach to those you know who have been touched by this disease, because if you ever enter a chemo treatment center you’ll notice right away that cancer does not discriminate by race, age, religion, color or any other measure of difference among the human race. We don’t yet know what causes breast cancer, but in women some likely factors include genetic predisposition, obesity, early onset of menstrual cycle, and first child after thirty or no full-term pregnancy. Stress must surely also play a role in setting up the environment where those aberrant cells get a foothold.
What is Breast Cancer?
It takes millions of cancer cells growing unchecked, sometimes seven or eight years before a detectable tumor forms and invades surrounding tissue. If unchecked, it will eventually spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body.
If a cancer started in the breast spreads to the lungs or other part of the body, actual breast tissue will be found growing in that spot. It’s still breast cancer.
There are 15 types of breast cancer distinguished by where they occur in the breast, what they eat e.g. estrogen or in some cases like triple negative they don’t know what feeds the cancer, and other factors. Some types include ductal carcinoma in situ, lobular carcinoma in situ, invasive ductal carcinoma, triple negative and more. Each type is staged based on tumor size and other factors, which lead doctors to individual treatment plans. These factors also determine surgical options ranging from a lumpectomy (removal of the tumor only) to full mastectomy (complete removal of one or both breasts).
During surgery some or all of the lymph nodes leading from the breast into the arm will be removed and sent to pathology for testing. The lymph nodes closest to the breast are called Sentinels because they tattle on the cancer. If cancer cells have escaped the tumor area, traces will be found in these lymph nodes, which informs treatment and cancer staging.
Research into the forms of cancer, drug development and overall treatment have made rapid advances, thanks to many dedicated doctors and private foundations just in the last five to ten years.
Stay aware of your own body, get the mammogram, don’t be afraid. Live each day to the fullest right now. If there’s a bright side to cancer, it’s that it teaches you the meaning of one-day-at- a- time and appreciation for the simple things - like I got up today and my body is functioning.
Some organizations to support and learn from:
Living Beyond Breast Cancer - www.lbbc.org
The National Breast Cancer Foundation - www.tnbcfoundation.org
American Breast Cancer Foundation - www.abcf.org
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation - www.bcrfcure.org
www.breastcancer.org
Alight - www.alightfoundation.org
Before breast cancer, Carla Garrison wrote often at Truth Be Told following current events with one eye on history and the other on the future. Her goal was and still is to encourage people to know the truth and use it as a call to personal action.
Carla is sharing her journey through cancer with friends at http://healedcancer.blogspot.
Follow Carla on Twitter and Facebook.
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