by Marjory Ramsay


Breast cancer radiotherapy is at best an ordeal and at worst a living nightmare for many women.

The worst moment after being told you really do have cancer is being told you will need chemotherapy and radiotherapy as treatment to fight the disease. Having been there I know it's shocking and I felt I just simply would never cope with it all. I'm writing this article and describing my experiences in the hope that it will make it easier for others to cope. If that applies to you then my thoughts are with you - good luck on your journey. Be strong and you'll see it through.

My own breast cancer treatment regime was to consist of four treatments of FEC chemo, four weeks of radiotherapy treatment then four treatments of Taxotere chemo. This would all take the best part of ten months.

Having survived the first part of the chemo ( just! ) I went into my radiotherapy a bit bruised and battered. The first thing that needed done was going to a simulator to have the very complicated process of marking out where your treatment would be. This is done with lasers and details of where your tumour or tumours were. Small tattoos are then done to mark out the treatment area. This enables the machine to be set up very quickly every day during treatment.

I mentally decided that for the four weeks of radiotherapy I would treat it like a job. It took 45 minutes or so to drive to the hospital and back every day. The Western General in Edinburgh where I had all my treatments has a fantastic set up for radiotherapy patients. There is a dedicated car park next to the unit and you are guaranteed a space or they will valet park your car. This was amazing and a big weight off my mind as your appointment only lasts five minutes and you have to be there in time as the machines are in use constantly.

The actual radiotherapy lasts a few minutes and is painless-quite relaxing really. Some people find the treatment very tiring. I didn't, but I think if you've had chemo first then your perception of tiredness changes! The going to the hospital every day is a bit of a bind but use any mental trick to over come this.

After a few weeks of treatment the skin over the treated area can become very red and fragile. No soap or creams should be used as these can make your skin even more sensitive. This does clear up but it did cause discomfort for a few weeks. The skin on this area will always be more sensitive and sun should be avoided. It's also worth mentioning not to forget the exit area - mine was on my back - where the radiotherapy exists your body during treatments.

Radiotherapy treatment, for me, was the least unpleasant of the treatments I went through. At the outset it seems daunting but really it's not - honestly!

by Sara Daniels


There are three main treatments for ovarian cancer, once a diagnosis is made. These are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. In some cases it will be recommended to have two or even all three of these treatments. When chemotherapy is recommended, it is usually given after the surgery in 6 doses spaced 3 weeks apart. This is called "first line" because it is the first time chemo is administered.

The chemotherapy drugs are injected intravenously, often by way of a port which your oncologist will place in your chest or arm. Sometimes intraperitoneal chemo is used which injects the drugs directly into the abdomen.

The standard initial therapy suggested by doctors uses a combination of a platinum-based drug such as carboplatin or cisplatin along with a taxane such as paclitaxel or docetaxel.

Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells that are left in your body after surgery, but they also damage normal cells, as the drugs do not differentiate between normal and diseased. The simple explanation is that they work by destroying rapidly-dividing cells which is a description of cancer cells. Unfortunately, other cells in the body also fall under this category and are also damaged in the process. The hair follicles are an example, which is why most patients experience hair loss. It is only a temporary condition though and the hair will begin to grow back almost immediately after the chemo is stopped, although in some cases it will look different at first. Other healthy cells that are damaged include red and white blood cells, platelets (which are needed for clotting), and cells that line the gastrointestinal tract. This can often cause the nausea which is so common with the treatment.

Because the chemo drugs can damage the bone marrow that normally produce cells, patients can experience low blood cell counts and often must take yet another medication to encourage the bone marrow to begin producing cells again. The combination of all of these drugs sometimes causes people to have mild forgetfulness and memory loss often referred to as "chemo brain." This should go away once treatments end.

by Althaf Ahmed


Ovarian cancer is a disease that afflicts up to 25,000 women in America every year. This disease begins with tumors in the ovaries, but the disease spreads as the tumors eventually attack other parts of the body. Some women have their ovaries removed when the disease is caught at an early stage. However, at a certain point in the disease's progression, surgery becomes futile, and the patient's best hope becomes chemotherapy.

The problem with chemotherapy is that it is extremely uncomfortable, even painful, and many women are discouraged by the overall survival rates of ovarian cancer victims. Still, for others, anything is worth trying for that fighting chance to live.

Before you decide whether or not chemotherapy is for you, it's best to know the facts:

Ovarian cancer chemotherapy uses powerful chemicals to kill the cancerous cells in your body. These chemicals enter your body sometimes through drugs taken orally, but more often they are directly pumped into the blood stream using an IV needle and a tube.

Chemotherapy is uncomfortable. It usually makes you feel much worse before you start to feel better. Patients undergoing chemotherapy often feel nauseous. They usually lose their hair.

These effects happen because the chemicals killing the cancer cells are also, at the same time, killing healthy cells. The expectation is that the cancer cells will be eradicated before the healthy cells are. This is why it is very important for chemotherapy patients to take care of their bodies and keep their healthy cells fit to stay in the lead.

But after the chemicals do their job, then you start feeling better. In fact, even in cases where chemotherapy is unable to treat the cancer many doctors still prescribe chemotherapy because even in situations where not all the cancer cells are killed, chemotherapy destroys enough of them to still give the patient relief from some of the cancer's symptoms.

There is another important thing you need to know about ovarian cancer chemotherapy: no matter what happens to you, when you subject yourself to it you are giving other people a better chance of fighting the disease. Every ovarian cancer chemotherapy session gives the medical community a better understanding of how to best treat ovarian cancer. New facts that could be discovered during your treatment may one day help your daughter, your granddaughter, and many other women that come after you - whether or not the chemotherapy helps you yourself.

by Ravi Jeswani


Now days, Hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy hospitals of India provide very good option to abroad patients for getting the surgery done at very low cost. The cost of treatment in Indian liver surgery hospitals is very low as compared to the cost of treatment in liver surgery hospitals of abroad. Because of the low cost of treatment and the availability of most experienced liver surgeons in India, many abroad patients are getting attracted to India for getting their treatment done from India at low cost. Hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy hospitals in India are at Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai, the surgeons available for liver surgery in these hospitals are experts in their field. This shows from the success rate of liver surgeries in India. As the surgery is performed by most experienced liver surgeons the risk involved in the process is very less and the success rate is very good, In these circumstances Indian liver surgery hospitals becomes most preferable choice for abroad patients for getting their treatment done from India.

Hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy is designed to improve chemotherapy benefits for liver cancer by increasing the amount of chemotherapy delivered to the site of the tumor. Chemotherapy is dispensed from a specialized infusion system in which a catheter is placed into the hepatic artery to directly deliver the chemotherapy to the liver. A fully implanted system is used so that the pump that connects to the catheter in the hepatic artery is implanted under the skin. This allows for long-term administration of chemotherapy medication directly into the liver. The pump is periodically filled with chemotherapy by your oncologist. Direct infusion of chemotherapy into the liver minimizes the side effects of the chemotherapy and allows high doses to be administered. Infusion of chemotherapy directly into the hepatic artery to minimize the side effects of the chemotherapy is an option in selected patients with liver cancer or metastatic spread of cancer to the liver. This treatment has been of special interest in patients with colorectal cancer with liver metastasis. Because liver metastases from colorectal cancer derive more than 80% of their blood supply from the hepatic artery, hepatic arterial infusion is well suited as an alternative or together with systemic chemotherapy for the treatment of liver tumors. Hepatic artery infusion of chemotherapy has also been used in patients after liver resection for colorectal cancer spread to the liver. This is most advanced technique available for the treatment of liver disorder patients. This surgical technique is most preferred by most of the liver surgeons. The benefits of Hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy are this chemotherapy often leads to a better response of the liver disease compared to regular chemotherapy and delays further growth of the tumor, HAI therapy shows a trend toward increased survival rates, HAI therapy shows reduced systemic side effects that are associated with regular chemotherapy, HAI therapy enhances quality of life. As the surgical technique is most advanced thus the side effects reduces after the surgery as compared to other surgical procedures.

Medical tourism in India provides very good treatment facilities to abroad patients and along with treatment they take care of all the things required by patients for their comfortable stay here in India. The medical infrastructure in Indian liver surgery hospitals is best and clinical care provided by the hospitals of India is very good, that is also one of the reasons of attraction of abroad patients to India. Medical tourism in India takes care of all the things required by abroad patients during their stay here in India; they also arrange the accommodation for comfortable stay of abroad patients in India. For further details of liver tumor surgery in India at low cost visit: - http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com and mail us at enquiry@forerunnershealthcare.com

by Win.Ho


Chemotherapy is one of the important means to treat lung cancer. Unfortunately chemotherapy will also injure normal cells while killing cancer cells. Gastrointestinal reaction is the most common chemotherapy drug reactions, including nausea, vomit, diarrhoea, abdominal distension, etc, most patients feel unwell. So it is very important to regulate the diet during chemotherapy. Reasonable diet arrangement will not only reduce these gastrointestinal reaction, but also the general state of the body can be adjusted to ensure the smooth progress of chemotherapy.

We need to pay attention to the following points:

1. The diet should adopt some delicious food with little or no oil or some sour food, which are appetizing. Avoid eating spicy, fried, greasy, marinated, smoked food.

2. Eat several times a day but less food at each, avoid satiating. Increase some small high-calorie nutrient-rich food, such as chocolates, eggs products. Eat more vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C and vitamin A, such as tomatoes, hawthorn, oranges, etc.

3. Keep indoor air fresh, avoid contacting with the odour which can cause discomfort such as cigarettes, perfumes, disinfectants and other odours.

4. Fully supplement of water, drink water several times a day, some cups of tea is feasible.

5. As far as possible not to eat or drink lying down, you may have a chat or take a deep breath when eating or drinking.

6. Overcome fear, you should adhere to eat food even if there are nausea and vomiting.

by Intergrative Research


Generally speaking, the way the West treats cancer diseases is different than those in Asia. This is because the western medicine approach is to remove the cancer or destroy the cancer with chemo or radiation. However, if the cancer is not removed or destroyed at the end of the chemotherapy, the immune system is less able to deal with the remaining cancer cells that might remain, and the tumor may return.

But in Asia, however, some opt for Beta Glucan instead because it has been the primary treatment for cancer in most of Asia for the past 40 years. The Asians believed that the primary reason a person develops cancer is a sudden change in their immune system. Therefore, with the help of Beta Glucan, it could help boost the immune system to better protect the human body against intruders like germs, bacteria and viruses. The concept is very simple: it is to help the immune system start to recognize the cancer which is something it should have done in the first place.

Western medicine mainly believes that to cure cancer, you must destroy or remove the cancer cells in the human bodies. However Beta Glucan does not cure cancer; it works on the likely cause of the cancer - an immune system that does not perform correctly. Beta Glucan doesn’t really have direct anti-tumor or antibacterial activity, but rather restores or enhances cell-mediated immune responses. Alternatives to the treatment of cancer are available, however, it is up to the patients to decide which method they would prefer: Western methods or Asian methods.

by Mark Branyon


After a diagnosis of cancer there are generally two paths open to people. They can undergo an orthodox medical treatment program for the cancer or they can look at alternative treatments for cancer. A third option involves doing nothing and hoping things sort themselves out. So which is best?

Unfortunately it is practically impossible to say because there is no absolute research into this. The reason that there is no research is because medical professionals are not allowed to prescribe alternative treatments. The result is that in almost all cases a patient who is diagnosed with cancer undergoes an orthodox treatment program including chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. Very few choose to either do nothing or to pursue alternative treatment options.

The reasons that people tend to go the orthodox medical route are varied and complex, but if we want to simplify things as much as possible they boil down to this: Chemotherapy and Orthodox medication are the treatment of choice of those seen as 'experts' on cancer, the doctors, and it is doctors who will usually diagnose cancer. In other words, the choice is a bogus one and a combination of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation are usually presented as the only options there are.

But suppose you were to be told that there is an alternative to this trio of invasive medication. Suppose it had no side effects. Suppose it not only helped your cancer but also greatly improved your general health overall and suppose it wasn't going to cost you over quarter of a million dollars(The US department of commerce reported that a cancer patients treatment will cost over $375,000).

The alternative does actually exist, and it remarkably simple. Where chemotherapy destroys the immune system, alternative treatment enhances it. Where radiation kills cells indiscriminately alternative medication only targets cancerous cells. Where surgery can often aid in the spread of cancer alternative therapy helps your body to use it's naturally defenses to suppress that spread. The 'cure' is nothing new, it is merely hidden from the public as a viable option, or ridiculed as 'quakery'. Perhaps most surprising of all is that it has been supported by some very reputable names who have put their reputation and careers on the line to get word of it to the public, and without fail that is exactly what they have lost.

When a doctor makes a diagnosis of cancer he will also usually include a prescribed course of action. This usually consists of 3 parts. First they will attempt a surgical removal of the cancer tumor, secondly chemotherapy and radiation will be used to kill the cancer cells. Alternative medicine will usually start with building up the immune system and cleansing the body of toxins. Which is better?

The statistics take a little wading through, but it has been suggested that around 45% of people will achieve a 5-year cure from cancer by following orthodox treatment methods. This is a misleading statistic - it is a 5 year cure not a total cure. Alternative medicine tends not to measure 5 year cures but rather total cure rate. Orthodox medicine does not release total cure rates though it has been suggested that their cure rate is around 3%. Of those who attempt orthodox treatment and, when told there is nothing more orthodox medicine can do for them ( or that they can afford to pay for) attempt alternative medication the total cure rate could be as high as 50%. Of those who seek alternative treatment instead of any orthodox treatment the likely total cure rate is close to 90%.

So if we have a 90% cure rate from alternative medicine and a 3% cure rate from orthodox medicine, why does the alternative approach not become the standard one. The answer is a little cloudy and is based on those numbers being very hard to prove. Orthodox medicine does not compare itself with alternative medicine and so the only official numbers we see are the increase in effectiveness of their own treatments. So to help you with your decision let's examine what danger cancer presents and how it is dealt with.

The first thing that is probably not explained to you is that a cancer tumor usually is not fatal. A cancer can be benign or malignant, and only if it is malignant does it pose a serious threat(note that a benign tumor that places pressure on a major organ or blocks an artery is dangerous by itself - but not because of the cancer). Thus it is not the cancer that is dangerous to our health, but the spread of the cancer.

Alternative medication looks at the cause of this cancerous growth which is usually the combination of a weakened immunity system and a carcinogen. The alternative therapy will then seek to address this problem and destroy the atmosphere which leads to the cancer. The increased immune system, combined with fresh delivery of oxygen prevents the cancer from spreading and eventually starves it to death. The beauty is that this process targets only foreign cells, killing off the cancer but not harming (and usually benefiting) the healthy cells.

Orthodox medicine treats the tumor very differently. The tumor is very much the focal point of attack. It is treated as the problem when in fact it is merely a symptom of the problem. Often surgery is the first method of dealing with this problem and while this can remove the tumor it can also release cancer cells into the bloodstream. Remember that it is the spread of cancer that can be fatal, not the cancer itself. Surgery may very well contribute to that spread.

Secondly radiation treats cancer by killing off the cancer cells, but it does so indiscriminately and kills many healthy cells at the same time. Chemotherapy drugs also seek to reduce the size of the tumor and break down the cancer cells, but in doing so they can damage healthy cells and decimate the immune system. Chemotherapy drugs must be administered gradually. The reason for this is that is given all at once they would destroy too many healthy cells and probably kill the patient. The body must be given time to recover between chemotherapy sessions. For some reason it is assumed the cancer will not also recover in that time, when it will most likely spread as a result of damaged adjoining cells and a crippled immunity system.

The biggest frustration for the advancement of alternative cancer treatments is not providing evidence that alternative treatments work, but getting that proof recognized. Registered doctors are not permitted to practice alternative treatment if they wish to remain a member of the AMA, and experiments outside the AMA are usually rubbished as not being performed by real medical professionals. In 1976 when a 'real medical professional', two time Nobel prize winner Linus Pauling, took his experiments outside the country he was able to show in his Scottish study that a cancer patients life expectancy could be extended by 600% by merely administering 10 grams of vitamin C intravenously. Vitamin C is well know for it's ability to build up the human immune system.

30 years ago this research by a Nobel Prize winner proved that natural treatment can greatly improve the life expectancy of a cancer sufferer. Natural treatment advocates have been able to refine that research to provide even more efficient vitamin C treatments, but mainstream medicine has not even replicated the study.

While the evidence is blurred, lied about, hidden and in same cases destroyed, it seems clear that there is plenty of merit in pursuing further investigation of alternative cancer therapies. There is at enough examples of successful treatment using alternative medicines that it cannot simply be dismissed out of hand as 'quackery' as has been the official line. There are plenty of examples of medical practitioners who have set out to prove alternative natural treatments wrong and have subsequently changed their opinion to support it. Alternative therapy is at least an adequate alternative for orthodox medicine and most likely a very suitable replacement.

by: James Arond-Thomas, MD


In January, 2005 it was reported that cancer has surpassed heart disease – for the first time – as the top killer of Americans younger than 85. In 2002, the most recent year for which information is available, 476,009 Americans younger than 85 died of cancer, compared with 450,637 who died of heart disease. An estimated 1,372,910 new cancer cases and 570,260 cancer deaths are expected this year.

Paclitaxel, a preferred treatment for lung and breast cancers, has a cancer-promoting risk as well….

Lung cancer remains the biggest cancer killer, projected to claim 163,510 lives this year. Paclitaxel will be used in the attempt to save the lives of many of these patients. However, one little-known effect of Paclitaxel is that in a subset of these patients there will be up to a fivefold increase in the production of Interleukin – 8 (IL-8) – a cellular communication molecule that initiates the growth of new blood vessels to feed the growing cancer. In other words, if you fall into this subset of patients, treatment using Paclitaxel alone may not be effective at preventing recurrence.

NF-kB blockade enhances cancer killing ability of Paclitaxel!

IL-8 is under the control of an inflammatory regulating protein called nuclear factor-kappa Beta (NF-kB). When the activation of NF-kB is blocked, IL-8 dries up, much like a faucet that has been turned off. Thus, blocking NF-kB activation enhances the cancer killing ability of Paclitaxel. These results were seen with many types of cancer cells, including lung and esophageal cancer cells.

Paclitaxel is NOT the Only Drug that Promotes Excessive NF-kB

Paclitaxel is but one of a group of drugs that has this unwanted side-effect of activating NF-kB. Other drugs in this group include Doxorubicin, 5-Fluorouracil, Cisplatin, VP-16 (Etoposide), ARA-C, and Methotrexate. In addition, research demonstrates that excessive NF-kB activity contributes to cancer development in the following types of cancers: non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic, primary liver, head and neck cancer, prostate, breast, esophageal, stomach, colon, Hodgkin’s disease, and multiple myeloma.

Supportive treatment that improves chemotherapy effectiveness…..

Paclitaxel, along with the other NF-kB activating chemotherapeutic drugs, is approved for the treatment of a wide range of cancers. It appears likely that they will continue to be used for the foreseeable future. If you are on (or considering using) Paclitaxel or one of the other drugs in this group to treat cancer, there is a supportive treatment that you need to know about that improves the effectiveness of these drugs and reduces your risk of having a cancer recurrence.

We have a Multi-Dimensional Approach to Reducing Inflammation that Complements and Enhances the Impact of these Drugs!

At the Center for Learning about Healing in Ann Arbor, MI where I practice integrative medicine and behavioral oncology, I focus on multi-dimensional ways to empower patients to evaluate and change patterns of eating, behaving, thinking, and coping that are known to contribute to inflammatory reactions in the body. These methods complement the cancer killing effects of Paclitaxel, Doxorubicin, 5-FU, and other such drugs.

Genomic Testing Can Clarify Your Specific Inflammatory Molecular Mechanisms that Sustain Your Cancer

Inflammation is present before, and during the life of a cancer. In cancer, inflammation is a pathological process characterized by injury or destruction of tissues caused by a variety of cellular and chemical reactions. It is usually manifested by typical signs of pain, heat, redness, swelling, and loss of function. However, inflammation is also essential for tissue repair and tissue rebuilding. Genomic testing (easily performed with saliva or blood samples) allows us to create a personalized map of your inflammatory tendencies based on your genomic predispositions. This method is revolutionary because it allows you to regulate your genomic capabilities to your advantage, which then allows you to reduce the expression of your inflammation-related genes.

What Cancer Patients Need to DO is
Reduce the Expression of Inflammation-Related Genes

Once you know your specific genomic blueprint for excessive inflammation, we work together to develop the tools you need to re-set the expression of your inflammation blueprint. These tools must be unique to you, precisely because your genomic expression capabilities are unique to you. These tools include anti-inflammatory diets supported by oral and intravenous nutrients that block and down-regulate NF-kB. Remember, it is this protein that is responsible for the abnormal rise in IL-8 during Paclitaxel administration. By measuring markers of cellular inflammation before, during, and after chemotherapy treatment, and using your unique tools, we compile a personalized treatment record of inflammatory responses (normal and abnormal) that serves as a benchmark for your risk of cancer recurrence after chemotherapy treatment.

With these personalized guidelines, you will have insider knowledge about choices of foods, behaviors, and interpersonal relationships that will be conducive to keeping your inflammation-related genes quiet. Patients with high inflammatory markers during chemotherapy are at higher risk for recurrence, and thus need to more closely monitor and modulate their NF-kB expression after the chemotherapy ends.

What is important to understand is that:

* There is an optimal amount of expression of NF-kB consistent with health;
* Excessive expression contributes to diseases like cancer recurrence, especially when NF-kB is turned on continuously; and
* You will have the power and the tools needed to regulate NF-kB’s expression.

Become the Captain of Your Healing Team!

As your physician-coach, I recommend that you become the captain of your healing team, and let me and my team partner with you to clarify the specific molecular mechanisms driving your specific cancer. We coach you to learn the skills and to master the tools needed to reduce the collective contribution of foods, emotions, and behaviors to the excessive expression of inflammation-related genes. By working together, you learn to modulate your inflammation blueprint by modulating the expressive capacity of NF-kB. Modulating your expression of NF-kB is the inner game of self-discovery, consciousness expansion, forgiveness, and cell (self) renewal that is what allows healing to occur. (To view diagrams describing NF-kB in health and in disease, visit our website at http://www.arond-thomasonline.com!)

Learn More about How You Can Improve Your Chances of Not Having a Cancer Recurrence…

You or a loved one can learn more about how you can improve the effectiveness of your cancer treatments and improve your chances of not having a recurrence. at http://www.1CancerCoach.com.

by: Naweko San-Joyz


How much chemotherapy does an obese woman need? Typically an obese woman with breast cancer would receive reduced doses of chemotherapy as they battle breast cancer. Back in June of 2005, a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine concluded that obese women should receive chemotherapy based on actual women, and not in reduced amounts as the standard practice.

And now again a study presented in the August 2005 edition of Lancet claims that doctors should not reduce chemotherapy doses for obese women when no receptors for the hormone oestrogen have been found on the breast cancer cells. This type of cancer is called oestrogen-receptor negative.

Clinicians often reduce chemotherapy doses for obese patients because of worries about how the treatment may react with the patient and affect their overall health.

According to the study’s director Marco Colleoni of the European Institute of Oncology, Italy, and his colleagues, reducing the first course of chemotherapy for obese patients with oestrogen-receptor negative breast cancer proves “detrimental”.

Colleoni and his team looked at the relation between body-mass index (BMI), chemotherapy dose reduction, oestrogen receptor expression, and outcome for pre-menopausal women with breast cancer by examining data from four randomized trials.

They found that 97 out of 249 obese patients received less than 85% of protocol specified dose during the first course of chemotherapy compared with patients with normal and intermediate BMI.

Obese patients with oestrogen-receptor negative disease that received 85% or more of the first protocol specified dose had significantly better disease-free survival and overall survival than those who received less than 85% of the normally recommended dosage.

Yet, obese patients with oestrogen-receptor positive breast cancer who had reduced doses of chemotherapy did not have a significant difference in their outcome compared with those given the recommended chemotherapy doses.

And contrary to popular practice, the researchers also noticed that obese patients initially treated with protocol doses of chemotherapy did not have more toxicity than patients who received reduced doses.

Dr Marco Colleoni concluded that, “Our findings suggest that for women with ER-absent or ER-low tumours, reduction in chemotherapy dose should be avoided.”

The message for obese women coping with cancer is to be aware of your risks and rights. Ask your doctor will she recommend lower doses of chemotherapy for you based on your weight and ask why.

Resource: Lancet, Archives of Internal Medicine

by: Melissa Buhmeyer


Chemotherapy is a word that strikes fear into most of our hearts. We've seen the movies and heard such horrible stories about undergoing this difficult treatment for a disease that could very well kill us. I underwent chemo for breast cancer and know that, in some cases, the cancer isn't hard … it isn't painful … it doesn't make us sick. That's the case for most of us who have breast cancer, but don't have distant metastases. But then, they say we need to do chemo and we know we'll feel that.

Although chemo drugs haven't changed that much, and they're still terribly hard on our bodies, the management drugs have changed a lot. Chemotherapy, for many of us, isn't the show-stopper we thought it would be. Of course, each of us is different and the chemo drugs affect each of us in different ways, but, for the most part, chemo is definitely doable.

My breast cancer was Stage IIIa, with a 5.8 cm tumor, 8 of 10 lymph nodes positive, and I was only 39 years old. That bought me a ticket for the chemo ride. And I was scared out of my wits. But, I found an online breast cancer support group, at WebMD, and those women told me everything to expect and more. I went through four rounds of adriamycin and cytoxan. Both of them are some pretty stout breast cancer chemo drugs. After that, I did a controversial treatment that involved extremely high doses of cytoxan, taxol, and cisplatin, so I learned quite a bit about surviving chemotherapy.

First of all, I would highly recommend getting a port. This is a line that goes into a vein in your chest, the entrance to which sits just under your skin, right below your collarbone. It requires a quick surgery to put it in but, if you're having a mastectomy for your breast cancer, you can get the chemo port put in at the same time. If you choose not to do that, you'll have to get your chemo treatments through your veins and chemo is really hard on your veins. This means that you will, most likely, have to endure multiple attempts for them to find a vein, as time goes by. With the port, it's already in a vein, so all they have to do is stick the needle into the port to access it. If you find this uncomfortable, there is a cream they can give you called Emla cream. One of the first things I learned was to tell them the moment I was uncomfortable. It's all fixable. You'll put the Emla cream on a bit before you have to have your port accessed and it'll numb your skin.

Most breast cancer chemotherapy drugs will cause your hair to fall out. This is because chemo kills the rapidly dividing cells in your body. Your mucous areas and hair follicles are affected for this reason. That's why you may have nausea or develop mouth or throat sores. Again, all this sounds scary, but is totally manageable. Since you will probably be losing your hair, which can be quite traumatic, I would advise going wig or hat shopping before you even get your first chemo. Take a girlfriend with you and be adventurous. Try on different styles, and even colors. If you've always wanted to be a blonde, now's your chance! Make a day of it and have fun with it. Goodness knows, you have to look for that silver lining every chance you get. Also, make sure to have your nausea med prescription filled before you go so you'll have it waiting for you if you need it at home. You may be pretty tired, afterward, so don't wait till then to get those meds.

On your first chemo day, they will probably give you some steroids, intravenously or through your port, to help with the nausea. This may make you hungry; it sure did for me! But, I would recommend you don't eat your favorite food on chemo day. Chemo is manageable, but after you're all done, you may find that you have associations. For example, I used to love the cucumber melon fragrance when I was going through chemo. I had cucumber melon everything! But, to this day, the smell of cucumber melon makes my stomach do a little somersault because it reminds me of such an unpleasant time in my life. The same can happen with food. I still can't look a chicken burrito in the eye! But, I'm sure glad I didn't eat a taco because I would've hated for that to be ruined for me!

Many breast cancer chemo drugs are hard on your bladder, so be sure to drink, drink, drink. If you don't feel like drinking water, then broth, jello, or even popsicles will help. Since you've gotten your nausea meds all filled in advance, be sure to take them as prescribed, whether you think you need them or not. Chemo nausea isn't just any kind of nausea and it's much easier to stay ahead of it than to try to fix it once it occurs. If you do happen to get nauseated, and I can't stress this enough, call your doctor!!! There are many, many nausea meds and you do not have to feel sick just because you're doing chemo. Once they find the right drug for you, it will be so much easier. So, do not suffer this in silence! The same applies for if you get sores in your mouth or throat.

You will be tired from this treatment. Most of us get more tired as the treatments progress because they make our white blood cell counts drop really low. Because of this, it's a good idea to keep some Purell, or something similar, with you all the time for use when you've had to touch, for example, public restroom door handles. Your risk of infection will be much higher during this time.

If you lose your hair, it will typically happen in 10-14 days after your first chemo treatment. If you have long hair, you might want to cut it short in preparation. I know I felt so out of control of everything, during that time. When your hair comes out, it lets go quickly and in large clumps, getting all over your pillow and clogging your drain. For many women, that is more traumatic than even losing a breast. So, I figured that was the one thing I could control about this whole breast cancer thing … when my hair came out. I cut it really short, beforehand and, when it started to let go, I had my husband get the clippers and shave my head. My daughter helped and we did a little Mohawk and stripe action first!

That was my way of shaking my fist at this cancer … it might take my breasts, and it might take my hair for a while, but I beat it to the punch! It was my way of saying, "You cannot take my spirit!" You can do the same thing. Your breast cancer does not define you. It is but a speed bump in the course of your life. Strap on your gloves and step into the ring. This chemo is your biggest punch. Your spirit is your own and that breast cancer can't touch it!