My re-entry to work after surgery has been busy. I am happy and doing well just adjusting to this latest transition.
Be back soon!
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Re-entry
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My neighborhood is so sweet smelling these days. Has it been buying potpourri?
Aha! I get it now.
Lilacs, lilacs, every where!
The roses are starting up, too.
It snowed last night! (Looks like a variety of spirea. By the way, Jennie, if you are reading this. I think spirea is the plant from the neighbor’s back yard that pokes over our fence. I think I misidentified it.)
Enjoy a fragrant weekend!
May 8, 2013
: today is the first official World Ovarian Cancer Day.
Did you know that ovarian cancer has the lowest survival rate of gynecologic cancers? Almost a quarter million women are diagnosed each year and it is responsible for 140,000 deaths.
It is important to know the symptoms, which are often misdiagnosed. Do you know what they are? From the World Ovarian Cancer Day website:
- Increased abdominal size / persistent bloating (not bloating that comes and goes)
- Difficulty eating/feeling full quickly
- Abdominal or pelvic pain
- Needing to pass urine more urgently or more frequently
Early diagnosis greatly increases a woman’s chance of survival, however, women are usually diagnosed at a late stage as often the symptoms are attributed to menopause or digestive issues. This is all so familiar to me.
My mother’s story
Those of you who have been following my blog for a while already know…
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I love the Internet! With thanks to my friend GG, a stellar webcomber, I have been spending the last couple of days studying the most recent independent audit of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. The audit is available to all as a PDF at that link.
First, the numbers
The Komen financial year runs from the first of April through March thirty-first. The most recent independently audited annual financial statement dates from March 31, 2012, and this post is based on those numbers.(*)
The good news first. Komen spends a relatively small portion of income on support services–about 19% of total expenses(the blue slice of the pie at the left). These support services expenses consist of fund-raising costs ($52,118,804 or 69%) and general/administrative costs ($23,064,504 or 31%).
The largest portion of Komen income, about 81%, is very appropriately spent on program expenses (the green slice). I am…
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Oliver makes a compelling argument for increased funding for male breast cancer. His breast cancer is treated using the same protocol as female breast cancer because there is so little research guiding best practices for men. And last I noticed, there were some biological differences between males and females of the human species. Finally, Oliver makes a strong argument without oversimplifying, being sarcastic, or being disrespectful. His data and reasoning are compelling enough to elicit a desired emotional response like compassion and a call to action.
While there is nothing that forces a strict proportionality between cancer incidence and cancer research funding, there is something to be said for making sure that rare cancers are not left behind. Breast cancer in men is a rare disease, and, from a research funding point of view, it is being left behind.
About 1% of breast cancers occur in men. There is regional variation, with fewer in some countries (e.g. US where it is ~0.7%) and more in others (e.g. Tanzania where it is 6%). Let’s call it 1%.
1% is a small number, for sure, but it is not a negligible number. The American Cancer Society estimates 2,240 breast cancer cases in the US in 2013 for men, and 234,580 for women. Compare the number of breast cancer cases expected in men to the number of men likely to get ALL (3,350), CML (3,420), penile (1,570), bone…
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I had a great first day back at work yesterday. I’m so glad that I took off extra time to recover from this surgery. I have two more full clinic days and then I have Th and Fri as paperwork/healthcare visit days.
That’s actually a full-time schedule, which was not the plan. The was a scheduling mishap by either a parent or myself, which I resolved by scheduling a full day of testing with a teen on Weds.
Now before you start wagging your finger at me, keep in mind that next week, I have no one scheduled! I had cancellations and did not fill in the spots. And although the schedule snafu family could have come in next week, they have already waited 4 months to see me and the mom says they’ve been ‘marking the days off on the calendar’ until their appointment, which they had thought was yesterday when I was scheduled to see someone else. Fortunately, the snafu was discovered last week. It meant a lot to the mom to only have to wait an additional two days instead of seven.
My popularity, while good for business can be stressful. There is a shortage of specialists in my area coupled with high demand. But I love my job and after all, I got three hugs yesterday!
A little frame of reference. I had three needles placed in the cartilage of each ear today in addition to lots of other places and it did not hurt.
I had my first acupuncture appointment today. The doctor was trained in both western and eastern medicine for 8 years in her native country of China. She seemed bright and vivacious. Her touch was gentle but precise as she took my pulse, which was reassuring to me.
The needles were no big deal. I could barely feel her putting them in. They were left in for 30 minutes, during which I did relaxation breathing and occasionally reminded myself not to scratch my nose because my hands were full of needles that I couldn’t even feel. I was not even creeped out by the fact that she put one needle between my eye brows and another on the top of my head.
The 30 minutes passed fairly quickly. She skillfully and quickly plucked the needles from me like daisy petals. Then she ran her hands gently over my body to make sure that she’d removed all of them. I left feeling refreshed.
I am going to see her once a week for 6-8 weeks. We’ll see what happens!
In the meantime I have a couple of practical tips for those of you who might consider receiving acupuncture:
1) Use the restroom before your appointment. I ended up being fine but when she said, “30 minutes, you be okay?” after placing about 40 needles my first worry was that I would need to use the restroom. (Women, who have given birth and/or women of a certain age, you know what I am talking about.) In general, I am what I call an “opportunistic pee-er”. Just like I did with my daughter in the first few years after potty training, I often make sure that I at least “try” upon leaving the house or upon arriving at a new destination. Today, I didn’t because I came into the waiting room with a 20 ounce beverage. You might think that’s more reason to use the little girl’s room but although I’m not religious about it, I don’t like to bring food to the bathroom with me. I had planned to get settled in the waiting room and then scope out the facilities. But then I got absorbed in the paperwork and chatting with the fascinating woman who works in the waiting room. Although I did not make my usual potty stop, I ended up being just fine.
2) If the thought of needles creeps you out, I just want to remind a lot of you out there that you have endured much more invasive and creepy procedures in your medical treatments. This treatment was actually relaxing, pleasant, and blood free. And for bonus points, I didn’t even have to take off more than my shoes and socks! She just pulled up the legs of my yoga pants a little and pulled them down a bit at the waist.
3) Be prepared to talk about how you life, especially stress may have contributed to your disease and what methods you might use to reduce the stress in your life. I know that to some people, this approach feels like the patient is being blamed for their disease. I don’t take it that way myself but as a psychologist, I think of the brain (mind) as being part of the body, rather than being separate. So the idea that emotions, thoughts, or other “mind stuff” impact the way the rest of one’s body works is no news to me. To be clear, I don’t believe that disease is caused only be stress, attitude, etc.
It was pouring down rain this morning so I waited to take my walk. It’s beautiful so I’d better get going!
Let’s say you signed up for a health activist writers’ blogging challenge to write 30 posts in 30 days.
Let’s also say that you had major surgery 3 1/2 weeks ago.
And to earn extra points, you walked three miles and had three healthcare appointments, two of your own and one of your daughters.
You have not driven much lately but today you drove to downtown and back twice. The final trip home was at 5pm on a Friday, the usual bad traffic, and a teen in the car who is playing along with her tunes using drumsticks on the dashboard.
You get home and your husband tries to engage you in conversation. You find that you are unable to communicate coherent thoughts. He understands and gives you space.
Then you have dinner and watch a video because it is family night. It is your husband’s turn to choose the movie and thankfully he picks something light. He has a rep for choosing the cod liver oil type films meant to impart a meaningful lesson to your daughter. He is annoying that way. When she was 8, he chose ‘Chariots of Fire’ and then kept getting annoyed with her for repeatedly raising her hand to ask questions. For some strange reason, she did not understand the subplot involving anti-semitism. Also, the frenetic pacing of the movie, especially the slow-motion running scenes was too much for her. She did however, like Vangelis’ score and downloaded it to her iPod.
Supposing you did all of these things, you perhaps would not hesitate in your bedtime routine even when your husband notes, ‘But it’s only eight-thirty’.
You will finger type a post on your Smartphone, secure in the knowledge that you are taking care of yourself.
As a healthcare activist, my sign reads, ‘Women of the world, rest when you are tired.’
Susan emailed me to ask me to help her spread awareness for pleural mesothelioma, which is a rare and aggressive form of cancer brought on by exposure to asbestos. Her husband died from it. He was member of the US House of Representatives and in his memory she has become active with cancer victims rights group, especially those affected by asbestos.
You can read her story here:
http://cancervictimsrights.org/my-story-opposition-to-the-fact-act-susan-vento/
Thanks for her
My Eyes Are Up Here 