is knowlage power?

hansie said:

3 calls in to dr still no reply...

cabbott said:

Good luck!
Dear Nell,

I am a two time cancer survivor. The first time around I was diagnosed with breast cancer, stage one. I remember being seriously worried that I wouldn't make it through the month. All I knew about cancer then was that people died of it and I had it. (Not exactly a comforting thought at the time to say the least!) That was almost 6 years ago! Two years ago in August I was diagnosed with lung cancer, adenoma with BAC tendencies, stage 1A. By then I knew more about cancer fortunately. Cancer caught early and treated aggressively is often curable, not that you could have told me that 6 years ago. Even later stage cancer is treatable. Many folks at this site have lived for years after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. They give me much hope. There are many things you can do to make even the short term problems that come up more manageable. I used a body pillow as well as a pillow for my head to make a comfortable "nest" so I wouldn't roll on my sore side at night. Some folks sleep in a Lazy Boy recliner so that they don't lay flat. I much preferred my bed with pillows as needed. A ceiling fan on low helped me breath a little easier. The nurse told me that an open window or a fan would help. It did. I like to be active and it took a lot of time and effort to get my energy level back. It takes weeks just to get all the drugs out of your system and months for your body to recover from all the insults of surgery. My mom took me to the mall soon after surgery to walk during the day. At first I could barely toddle around the place once. Gradually I worked up to walking a mile. Then, later in the fall when it was cooler, I could walk two to three miles outside. That really helped me sleep and feel more normal. Of course, take your time and don't do any exercises until the doctors say it is okay. Even then, don't do too much. The breathing exercises they had me do in the hospital helped strengthen my lungs so that I could cough better. The doctor said to do them frequently at home too. That decreased some of the coughing. I'm not good at keeping those kind of exercises up, though I still have the device they gave me. Now I go to the local Y and do exercise classes. Yoga today is much more fun! I carried a water bottle with me everywhere I went in case of coughing attacks when I taught class the first year. Coughing is less of a problem these days, but I have noticed that when I avoid coffee the cough comes back. Only regular coffee and vigorous exercise seem to be really effective in stopping the cough for me. I have an appointment with a pulmonologist next month to see if he has any tricks in his bag to get rid of the cough without raising my blood pressure like coffee does. Support from fellow survivors like the ones at this website helps me get through the worries that used to keep me up at night looking at the ceiling. The chatroom here is great for talking to others in "real time". I found a support group in town (the Wellness Community) that provided support with arms. The local hospital puts on inservices on various cancer topics from time to time that I like. The discussion boards at this website are a great place for me to find answers from folks that have been there. I hope you feel better soon! Good luck at the Oncologist's on Monday!

C. Abbott

cabbott said:

Great news!
Wow! That's great news! I did not have to have chemo myself. The surgeon saw me every three months for the first two years and now I'm down to an x-ray followed by a CAT scan six months apart and I didn't even have to go in after the x-ray came back okay. I have lots of better things to do than go to unnecessary doctor visits, but I make every single one that they say are important. At four or five years I will go to one test every year. Then who knows! I suppose I will want an xray every few years just to make sure things are okay. There are some things you can do between doctor visits and tests to help keep cancer at bay. None of them are fail safe of course, but the research does show some things help. One of the big things that seems to prevent relapse and prolong survival is simple exercise. Daily exercise makes some seriously good changes in our bodies. It also strengthens bones, especially if you add in some strength building exercises along with the cardio stuff. When bones are strong there are less places for cancer cells to land and set up camp quite so easily. Walking, weight lifting, sports that involve some bone bouncing activity like tennis,football, basketball, or soccer all help build bones. Swimming and skiing may be good for the heart and important to do daily too, but they do not build bones. They help your heart (also an important piece of equipment if you are planning to live long and live well!). I'm not talking about spending all day at the gym. Thirty minutes to an hour each day is all you need. More than an hour is not really more effective. (Marathon running is actually associated with coming down with minor illnesses like colds for a month after the big event and preventing colds is another way to stay healthy when you have had lung cancer.) Eating a colorful diet with lots of veggies and whole grains also helps. Anything that makes you more healthy is great even if the cancer comes back, because you will be in position to withstand more aggressive treatment if you are in better shape. Of course, if it is successful in preventing the cancer from coming back, so much the better! There is research showing that selenium found in root veggies and spices like tumeric seem to lower lung cancer risk. Broccoli and broccoli sprouts,as well as green tea have chemicals that kill cancer in the test tube, though they are obviously not as effective as chemo. If they were, no one would ever have to do chemo. Still, they might help prevent something, so it may be worth adding to your diet. I figure anything that makes me healthy and feels (or tastes) good too is okay with me. So you won't find me chugging green seaweed or taking a million dollars worth of supplements (not proven in the research to be helpful but you might be amazed what people swear by), but I'm always looking for comfortable ways to stay healthy and fight cancer. Good luck in your fight!