The indignities never cease. Truly. There are probably 1001 things that chemo patients go through that are never spoken about. Here are the ones I remember best, and just for fun, I’m hoping others will share!
When it comes to cancer “cures,” the debate about natural remedies, complementary therapies, and the medicinal value of peach pits and coffee enemas will likely never cease.
As I’ve posted in a number of forums, I support first and foremost the right of each of us to make our own decisions about treatment. Period. While someone may make very different decisions about treatment than I have, I will never question nor criticize that choice. We each need to sleep at night, and the only way to do that is with confidence that we’ve made the best decision we can, and one that is consistent with our values. I will call out anyone who passes judgment on the choices of others regardless of whether they fall in to the “traditional” or “alternative” medicine camps. (Read: I’d love your comments on this post, but when it comes to criticizing others, play nice!)
In the way that our blogosphere seems to build from one post to another, Marie at Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer recently shared thoughts about the language of “survivorship,” and leads right into some thinking I’ve been doing this week.
All this talk about language, and I’m a bit stuck on the issue of “war” verbiage. I sense there are those who are “fighters” and those who are “living with” cancer. I respect both deeply, and hope for a time when they can respect one another!
I have been vocal (can we be vocal in writing?) in my frustration with the “war rejectionists,” if you will. If fighting a battle against cancer doesn’t work for them, then without question they should find language that is more fitting or comfortable. But they need to leave others to use the language that fits. I wonder, too, whether war language is easier to critique when treatments are behind you, and perhaps something that is particularly beneficial for those of us in treatment. As I read the comments on Marie’s earlier mentioned blog, it was not lost on me that most of the feedback was from women who were NED, their cancer treatments behind them. To continue my own analogy, they are no longer in the trenches. Like great generals, they can step back, be objective, wonder what the war was all about and how to move forward.
So, as someone who is back in treatment with no end in sight, I find the “living with cancer” language a tough pill to swallow. Breast cancer cells have taken up in my bone marrow. They have begun to erode my pelvic bone. They are in perfect position to spread to other vital organs. 75% of women in my condition are dead in 5 years. I do not, under any circumstances care to “LIVE with my cancer.” I want it DEAD. Completely. Annihilated. Gone. It is most unwelcome and I am not interested in living with it, being kind to it, or making peace with it. I don’t want these cells to settle in and feel comfortable.
So, I’m not prepared to see myself as “someone living with cancer.” I would much prefer to be killing it. Doing so, for me, is active and empowering. Killing cancer cells is what my body needs to do to save my life.
How does working the night shift impact your breast cancer risk?
Would the early detection of DNA damage help determine future breast cancer risk?
Can breast milk be screened for breast cancer, or to determine breast cancer risk?
Does one’s breath contain biomarkers for the early detection of ovarian cancer?
Might acupuncture improve the sleep of breast cancer survivors?
Clinical trials. This is how we will find the cure to breast cancer. However, the only way to complete and assess the outcomes and potential of new threapy is to conduct and complete a clinical trial. And as frustrated as we can be with the pace of trials, and finding a cure, we hold the key — we can be the change agent….
This week’s breast cancer headline: the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted unanimously to withdraw Avastin as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer, though it remains to be seen whether FDA Chair Margaret Hamburg will ultimately suspend Avastin. Genentech, as well as patients and doctors are still pushing, and Medicare has announced that it will continue to pay for the drug for breast cancer patients. Avastin will remain available for the treatment of other cancers, and can ultimately be prescribed “off label,” though it may no longer be covered by private insurance if the FDA withdrawal comes to pass. Continue reading
