BREAST CANCER EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS
We've added these breast cancer videos by popular demand. Take a look. Let us know what you think of them:
Breast Cancer and Hip Size
Yikes - can it really be true that hip size is a predictor for the
risk of getting breast cancer? A new study suggests that it might be.
Scientists from the UK's Southhampton University have shown that women whose mothers have wide and round hips could be seven times more likely to develop breast cancer
It seems that a women's hip size is a marker of her oestrogen production.
Wide, round hips represent markers of high sex hormone concentrations and if your mother has wide hips then you - the daughter - could be at increased
risk of breast cancer.
The study looked at the health of over 6,000 Finnish women born from 1934 to 1944 and comparing it with information on their mothers' hip size. The measurement used was the intercristal diameter -- the distance from hip bone to hip bone.
According to the findings, a woman's
risk of breast cancer went up by 60 per cent if her mother's hips were more than 30 cm across. The risk increased with hip size and with the length of time the baby was in the womb.
I'm not sure how this fits into the big picture of breast cancer awareness but it's certainly food for thought.
Labels: breast-cancer, breast-cancer-risk, living-with-cancer
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Weight Loss and Cancer Risk
Can Losing Weight Reduce Cancer RiskNew research hinting that losing weight cuts the risk of breast cancer is the latest development in the cancer - healthy lifestyle debate.
At a conference in Birmingham UK earlier this month the National Cancer Research Institute heard that middle-aged women who lose weight and exercise twice weekly are 40 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer.
It seems that weight loss was the key factor, followed by a low-fat diet with plenty of oily fish.
Scientists believe weight gain prompts inflammation in fat stores, in turn stimulating breast cells to become cancerous.
Evidence of another link between diet and disease is more ammunition to the growing body of opinion that says the way we conduct our lives has an overwhelming bearing on our future health.
Now all of this is good and well but of course many people who have an exemplary health diet will still develop cancer. The food issue is only a part of the jigsaw in my view - not nearly the whole story but still, I guess that it all helps.
What do you think?
Labels: breast-cancer, cancer-diet, living-with-cancer, weight-loss-cancer-link
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Too tired.....
As I said after my last Herceptin....I'M
KNACKERED! Thank you to all the other Herceptin recipients who e-mailed me to say that I'm not abnormal. I seem to spend most evenings dozing off and feel washed out during the day.
On a happier note, my eyelashes are starting to grow back in again but I am aware they may fall out again. Joy. God, I'm feeling a bit sorry for my self today. Can it be the thought of Herceptin tomorrow? Or just longing for a
European vacation? Bit of both perhaps.
Sorry to be less than cheerful. :-(
just joking :-)
Labels: about-marjory, breast-cancer-symptoms, chemotherapy, living-with-cancer
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Fabulous Day
Well I've just had the most amazing day. It started with Gordon and I meeting the lovely Mr
Butterworth who is the plastic surgeon I was referred to for breast reconstruction. The surgery of choice is the Tram Flap-fantastic. As I mentioned before you achieve reconstruction from removal of fat and skin from your tummy. A tummy tuck!!
Now, like most woman my age I have a bit of a spare tyre but I was delighted to hear from the man himself that I barely have enough fat on my tummy for the planned
reconstruction ( find that SO hard to believe!) so on no account have I to lose any weight between now and the op. As I was about to embark on a diet to lose about ten pounds this was music to my ears. Imagine, no guilt at over eating, then a nice surgeon removes all the said fat and gives me two lovely breasts!!
As he shook our hands and said he would be in touch nearer the time, I said I couldn't wait and was looking forward to it. I think he must think I'm a bit odd.
Then I set off to
Maggies centre at the Western General in Edinburgh. The young
woman's group I go to had been invited to take part in a 'Look Good....Feel Better' class. This is a company that work with woman who have had cancer and what they do is give you a make up lesson and a
goodie bag which contains AMAZING products.....
dior,
chanel,
estee lauder.....the list is endless. What a treat!
Needless to say I came home feeling amazing. What a day.
Labels: about-marjory, cancer-support, living-with-cancer
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Herceptin side effects
The last time I spoke about
Herceptin and it's side effects I proudly said I didn't seem to be experiencing anything other than a running nose. Spoke too soon!!
I had my tenth
Herceptin last week and just after the nurse left I wondered why I felt so tired? That
fatigued feeling got a whole lot worse and by evening it felt like chemo all over again. Thankfully it had mostly worn off the next day but it did give me a bit of a surprise. I had been told this could happen but was pretty sure I'd managed to avoid it after ten treatments. I have seven more treatments to go so it will be little me off to bed after the nurse leaves 'til well into the next day. Actually when put like that it sounds quite nice!
The other alarming thing that has happened is that my eyelashes have started to fall out again. The air was blue when i noticed. Now, what I want to know and nobody seems to have the answer, is this a side effect of
herceptin or a side effect of chemo? My eyelashes did grow back in much longer and thicker than before and I thought
aaah a nice reward for months of feeling crap. Again, spoke too soon!! Joking aside I am more than a little concerned that I'll wake up to find them all gone. I found it distressing the first time ( shallow I know when you're
receiving life saving treatment) and if it happens again I don't suppose I'll be over the moon. I just love putting on mascara and seeing LASHES. If anyone out there has experienced this let me know. I also want exact timescale of regrowth. Only joking....
As a note at the bottom( Ha Ha) I also seem to have
diarrhoea rather a lot and I know this can be a side effect with
Herceptin. God, serves me right for being so confident!! Ah well it could be worse, I might have the aching joints or a
frozen shoulder as well. Now that I think of it......
Marjory
Labels: a-lump-in-the-breast, breast-cancer-symptoms, cancer-support, chemotherapy, herceptin, living-with-cancer, mammogram, symptoms-of-breast-cancer, what-is-a-mammogram
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Life gets back to normal....or does it?!
Well, after a long absence from blogging I'm back. Where have I been? Just getting life back on track and having much needed down time. Not sure life will ever be back to 'normal'. My idea of normal has changed over the past year, but I think for the better. There's nothing like a cancer scare to make you appreciate life and all it has to offer. The phrase 'don't sweat the small stuff' is my new mantra.
It's now a few months since I finished chemo and I feel great. My hair is growing back, my energy is returning and all things considered life is pretty good. On the subject of hair....I said way back that my biggest dread was my hair growing back grey and curly....well it has and guess what? I don't care, its hair and I love it. Another added bonus is that my eyelashes have grown back thicker and much longer-not suggesting chemo as an alternative to mascara but it did it for me. I've even tried taking a spoonful of
manuka honey every day but I'm not sure it's doing me any good.
I'm now on
Herceptin and more than half way
thro' my years course. Doesn't seem to have much in the way of side effects for me so can't complain and have even relaxed a bit about
cannulation! I get my
Herceptin at home and its all very relaxing compared to hospital.
I had my first annual review with my surgeon this week and was quite uptight about it although I didn't really understand why. Then it hit me....the dreaded waiting room and just being in the same clinic where I heard the worst news of my life was enough to turn me into a
jibbering idiot.
Anyway, after a chat with my surgeon I have decided on a left mastectomy and bilateral reconstruction where fat and muscle is taken from my abdomen ( yes, a tummy tuck, how cool!) and shaped into breasts ( even more cool!) Can't wait.
Oh, nearly forgot. Treated myself to a black lab pup. She is ten weeks old and is causing chaos. Shes eating her way around the garden, chewing the carpets, terrorising my older dog but guess what-we're all crazy about her.
Marjory
Labels: about-marjory, herceptin, living-with-cancer, mastectomy, reconstruction
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Sleeping With The Light On
Breast Cancer, Sleep and Keeping the Lights On At NightWhen I first read about this study it all sounded a bit to far fetched to be true - but the evidence does seem to support the claim that
sleeping with the light on can increase breast cancer risk.
The study was certainly done by reputable scientists at the National Cancer Institute and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in the United States. The authors believe that it might partly explain why breast cancer risks are rising in rich countries - but don't seem to be in the developing world.
Now - it seems clear that some of this increased breast cancer risk in the Western world relates to issues known to be linked to breast cancer like family history, smoking, drinking alcohol, diet, medicines, and such reproductive factors as childlessness and having children late.
But evidence has been building up that using electric light during the hours of darkness may also increase breast cancer risk.
Other research in the past shows that night shift workers are much more likely to develop breast cancer and that women who are in the habit of frequently staying up late are also at increased risk. Some studies also show that totally blind women are less at risk from breast cancer.
The link seems related to melatonin - a substance naturally produced by our body when in darkness. Melatonin is known to impair the growth of cancer cells and improve the immune system.
Now - like all these studies, they're only a small part of a bigger picture - but, as I type this, Marjory is reminding me that she doesn't like the dark and has slept with a light on nearby for most of her life! We'll be changing that from now on!
As for me, I'm trying cider vinegar for insomnia - I'll let you know how it goes !
Gordon
Labels: chemotherapy, insomnia, living-with-cancer
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Herceptin - UK breast cancer patients win battleThe National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK have finally given the go ahead for all suitable women with early stage breast cancer to receive
Herceptin Treatment.
This means that a woman with HER2 positive breast cancer with our without lymph nodes can be offered herceptin as part of her treatment plan. The final decision about giving herceptin will be taken by the oncologist in charge of the case.
This sees the end of a long battle for breast cancer pressure groups and breast cancer sufferers.
Herceptin in the UK was previously reserved for women with widespread breast cancer disease or with several positive lymph nodes.
This means that the NHS system will now fully fund herceptin treatment for those UK women who can benefit from it.
Read
more in the press here
Read my previous postings
about herceptin treatment, about
herceptin UK, about
Tykerb and about
new drugs for breast cancer.
GordonWhen to use herceptin remains an issue for many patients with breast cancer - read more about it in our herceptin treatment archive page
Labels: breast-cancer-symptoms, cancer-support, chemotherapy, herceptin, living-with-cancer
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New Herceptin Information from the HERA studyHerceptin is going to form a big part of Marjory's treatment program. New
research data from a huge international trial of
Herceptin in early breast cancer has been released in the last few days. This shows that women treated with Herceptin had their risk of cancer recurrence reduced by about 35% and their risk of death reduced by about the same amount.
Please read my other recent posts about
herceptin treatment and about
new breast cancer drugs when you're taking this information into account. Remember that herceptin only works in women whose breast cancer is susceptible to it - so called HER2 positive breast cancer. About twenty five percent of women with breast cancer have a tumour that will respond to
herceptin treatment.
The HERA trial is one of the largest breast cancer research studies ever done. It looked at more than 5000 women with HER2 positive breast cancer around the world.
The HERA study will report results again in the coming months about whether taking Herceptin for two years is any better than taking it for one year. The study is still going on so that information is not available yet.
Concern about herceptin causing damage to the heart has also been eased by the HERA study results. Only 0.6% of women who took herceptin showed any significant signs of heart problems.
These results provide yet more good news for those women whose breast cancer can respond to herceptin. New guidelines for treatment with herceptin in the UK are expected soon.
Gordon
This site now has several herceptin treatment articles - you should check them out for more information relating to herceptin's place in breast cancer treatment
Labels: breast-cancer, breast-cancer-risk, herceptin, living-with-cancer
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