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Posts with tag diagnosis
Posted Aug 31st 2007 11:54AM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Daily news
Receiving a cancer diagnosis is a huge shocker, and like grief, people respond in different ways. But I hope it's not common for people to respond like
this woman in Quebec City, who committed suicide by setting herself on fire on the day her chemo treatments were set to begin. She burned herself beyond recognition in a car alongside two propane tanks. Next to the the vehicle, police found some personal affects and a suicide note.
Apparently, this is not unheard of, as people are often at risk of suicide after receiving bad news. Still, considering all the advances that are happening each day in the medical field, it's a shame that she couldn't stick around to have her hope and health restored. My thoughts go out to her family.
Posted Aug 30th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Cancer Survivors, Today, I Am Grateful
The following post is one of a series of posts appearing Monday through Friday on The Cancer Blog. This feature -- Today, I am grateful -- allows me to share with readers my appreciation for all the treasures in my life, both big and small. In my post-cancer world, I find It healing for my soul to be mindful of the good in my life. It is my pleasure to share my gratitude with you.
The night before my lumpectomy, way back in December 2005, I was consumed with fear, worry, and panic. Since I'd found it, the lump in my left breast had been sitting untouched for nearly two weeks. I imagined the mass spreading with each day and believed I could detect its growth each time I felt for it. A doctor told me if it was growing like I thought it was, my tiny pea-sized tumor would be the size of an apple within days.
My fears were unfounded and irrational. I know that now. But during the moments of uncertainty that filled my days between diagnosis and prognosis, I had no direction. I had only my wandering mind for company. The waiting really is the hardest part. Once faced with the specifics of our diseases, we can take action.
Continue reading Today, I am grateful
Posted Aug 7th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Prostate Cancer, Daily news, Sports, Surgery
Texas Longhorns running backs coach Ken Rucker will soon take a leave of absence, following his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer. Rucker will have surgery on August 27. He wll keep coaching until this date.
Rucker, a 33-year coaching veteran, fully intends on returning to coaching this season.
"I plan to be back this season," he says. "No doubt about it; 100 percent."
Rucker's prognosis is good -- thanks to early detection.
Posted Aug 6th 2007 6:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Lung Cancer, Books, Services, Thought for the Day
Have you been thinking about lung cancer and longing for the most reliable facts and figures on this number one cancer killer? If so, you're in luck because the
National Lung Cancer Partnership has just released a new and free resource called
Living With a Diagnosis of Lung Cancer. The booklet features basic questions about what a lung cancer diagnosis means.
"When people hear the words, 'You have lung cancer,' their mind starts racing, and they hear or remember very little of what comes next," said Dr. Joan Schiller, M.D., president of the National Lung Cancer Partnership. "Even in this age of the Internet with information at your fingertips, patients and their families often don't know what to ask or are intimidated about doing so. This booklet was designed to be an easy-to-read resource for many of the initial questions people might have, from what kinds of doctors will be treating you to whether or not a clinical trial is right for you."
Patients can access this resource online, where other links to additional resources are available.
Posted Jun 29th 2007 1:15PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: All Cancers, Opinion
In this age of technology we live in, it seems like all we need to survive is an Internet connection. We can use the web to buy clothes, buy groceries, order dinner, work, do our banking, pay our bills ... the list goes on. The only things we need to leave the house for are visits to the doctor, dentist, hair dresser and so on. Wait, cross going to doctor off the list. You can do that online now too.
What I'm referring to here is
Health Check USA, which allows you to screen yourself for a number of things, including cancer, over the Internet. Once you've ordered a test, you'll receive a package in the mail with instructions on how to collect the necessary samples. Once that's done, you send it back and will receive your results over the phone. Sounds simple, huh? Maybe, but I still think visiting your doctor is of the utmost importance.
What do you think? Will you be ordering a test any time soon?
Posted Jun 28th 2007 8:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Cancer Survivors
Not too many years ago, I got breast cancer. I call it chance, coincidence, fate and on some days, even luck. For today's purposes, I'll call it foreshadowing.
I didn't know it then -- way back in 1993 when I did a genogram project in grad school for a counseling class -- but it seems cancer was in my cards. I hinted at the possibility in my research paper and commented on how my family history might put me in the direct line of fire. But my suspicions in no way caused me any worry for the 10 plus years that followed. And still, even after my breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment, I didn't remember I'd predicted this might happen to me. Not until I pulled my yellowed, faded assignment from an old box in the garage a few days ago did I realize it's not all that odd that cancer headed right for me.
A genogram is a graphic representation of a family tree that displays detailed data on relationships among individuals. It contains names, genders, birth dates, death dates, levels of education, occupations, major life events, and chronic illness. It's not uncommon to find on a genogram patterns of alcoholism, depression, divorce, remarriage, and yes, cancer.
Continue reading Cancer in the foreshadows
Posted Jun 20th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Cancer Survivors
Discussions about cancer often include mention of age. We talk about how old someone is at diagnosis, how old a person is at each year of survival, the age of an individual at the time cancer claims his or her life. Age reveals a lot. It dumps us into statistical categories. Most patients diagnosed with
gallbladder cancer, for example, are older than 65. Age sometimes predicts prognosis. Young women diagnosed with breast cancer tend to have more aggressive forms of the disease. This can compromise chances for survival. Age also solicits judgments. "You are too young," some people told me after learning I'd been diagnosed with breast cancer.
I think about my age all the time. I think about how I was 34 when I found my lump, how I happily arrived at age 35, how I made it to 36, and how today, I am 37. Come November, I will have survived my disease for three years. Three years will remain before I make it out of my 30s and land on 40 -- the age when women should begin receiving regular annual mammograms.
I didn't ask for much this year for my birthday. A candle, a bathing suit, dinner out with my husband, and time with family are all I really want -- because the best gift has already arrived. I turned 37.
Posted Jun 10th 2007 10:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Melanoma, Blogs
Sarah has been blogging about her battle with melanoma since May 2006. She begins with a post titled
Something About Sarah where she chronicles the series of events leading up to her diagnosis.
July 2004
Have a bit of pain in right arm. Feels like "10 bees stinging me at once" deep inside my arm. Thought I pulled something at gym.August 2004Still have same occasional pain but not worried in the least. I'm enjoying my summer and playing soccer. Have tons of energy, working full time and going to school. Moving at end of August.Continue reading Melanoma claiming the life of Sarah
Posted Jun 8th 2007 10:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Skin Cancer, Cancer Survivors
There's nothing like a little
benign news to start the day, nothing like a voice on the other end of the phone saying, "the pathology on your biopsy came back and everything is benign. We'll see you in one year for your next appointment."
While my dermatologist was freezing the pre-cancerous
actinic keratoses lesions on my nose last week, she decided to cut out a suspicious chunk of skin on my hand. It was much worse than the freezing. She gave me a shot and numbed the area and then literally dug a hole into the skin just below the pinkie finger on my right hand. For days now, I've been applying antibiotic ointment, bandaging the wound, and whining about the twinges of pain that shoot through my hand.
My hand is still sore today. But I don't have skin cancer. And that makes the pain a whole lot more tolerable.
Posted Jun 8th 2007 8:00AM by Jen Creer
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Chemotherapy, Radiation, Cancer Survivors, Survivor Spotlight, Surgery
I have known my friend Claire for years (she asked that her last name not be used). So, I remember the shock I felt three years ago when I found out that she had breast cancer.
Malignant breast cancer, we whispered to ourselves. Claire had been teaching English for Dole Fruit in Honduras. She came home that summer, and she never went back, even though she had another year left in her contract. Even though we have talked about her experiences over the years, we had never done so formally before she agreed to talk to me for this Survivor Spotlight. She came over and I poured her coffee (black) and we went out back to my studio/office to chat.
How did you find out you had breast cancer? I went in for a routine mammogram. I had been having mammograms for about the past ten years or so. But I missed the previous year! So, after I found out that I had cancer, I was mortified that I had forgotten the previous year. But actually, I had a benign cyst years earlier, when I was younger and hadn't gone through as much. That was actually much scarier.
How did you find out it was malignant?Needle biopsy. But I had warning -- the radiologist was pretty sure it was bad, so he gave me warning. The biopsy was just to make sure.
Continue reading Survivor Spotlight: Claire ... "I don't think of myself as a cancer survivor"
Posted Jun 6th 2007 5:04PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: All Cancers, Daily news
Does cancer have a smell? I wouldn't think so but apparently the most sensitive noses in the world -- those belonging to dogs -- can detect the presence of cancer with alarming accuracy,
according to this. Dogs were 99% accurate at detecting lung cancer and 88% accurate at detecting breast cancer, regardless of attempts to mask the smell through food or cigarettes.
Apparently, tumors give out small amounts of alkanes and benzene, which have a slight odor, and once a dog is trained to pick up that smell, it has a good chance of detecting it in the future.
Is that amazing or what?
Posted Jun 6th 2007 8:00AM by Kristina Collins
Filed under: Brain Cancer, Cancer by the Numbers
Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), also known as a grade IV astrocytoma, is the most common and most aggressive type of primary brain tumor. Although GBM can occur at any age, the disease is most commonly diagnosed after the age of 50.
I wanted to discuss this type of cancer and add it to the Cancer by the Numbers feature because it has directly affected my family. My 39-year-old uncle died of the disease in 1987. He only survived a year after diagnosis. It is disheartening that this disease has not seen any strides in improved survival rates over all these years.
The Numbers
GBM accounts for 52 percent of all primary brain tumor cases. Brain tumors account for one in every 100 cancers diagnosed annually in the United States. Most malignant brain tumors and brain cancers have spread from other tumors in the body to the skull, including cancers of the breast and lung, malignant melanoma and blood cell cancers.
Continue reading Cancer by the Numbers: Glioblastoma Multiforme
Posted May 29th 2007 9:44PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Prevention
Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent conditions out there, and yet so many of us don't know enough about the disease. Perhaps it's never affected us closely enough, or perhaps we're avoiding the facts, sticking our heads in the sand to save ourselves the pain of facing something that is tragically realistic. But if you're someone who doesn't know much about Breast Cancer, you should, regardless of whether your male or female because there's a good chance that some woman in your life may be diagnosed.
Anyway, my point is, check out
this article from eDiets. It's a collection of simple, to-the-point information on breast cancer, including the risk factors, the diagnosis, the prognosis and the treatment. It's about time you knew the facts, for your sake and the sake of others.
Posted May 29th 2007 8:30AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Skin Cancer, Cancer Survivors
I have a rough patch of skin on the bridge of my nose. It's been there for some time -- how much time, I really don't know -- and I am aware of it every day when I look in the mirror. I wash it, coat make-up on top of it, and sometimes pick at it and watch the flaky skin disappear. It always comes back, and then I study it, wash it, cover it all over again.
It's
Skin Cancer Awareness Month and so I've been thinking more about this spot than usual, wondering if it could be more than just a spot. I even went so far as mentioning it to a medical student I saw a week ago during a breast cancer follow-up visit. But the inquiry never made it to my doctor and I've since let it drop.
I'm never sure just how to handle medical issues like these. Typically, I'm hyper-sensitive and worry about all that could be going wrong with my body. Sometimes, I am able to cope normally, realizing most everything is probably nothing. That' the route I took this time. Yet now, now that I've talked to my mom who had a basal cell skin cancer removed from her face years ago -- the kind that flakes away and then comes back -- I'm becoming convinced, pretty sure anyway, that this could be worse than I've imagined it to be.
Continue reading Sensing something is not quite right
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Improving the speed of diagnosis and treatment for cancer is a big key in preventing death from the disease. But how's this for irony: 
