Cancer Survivor, writing about Health and Fitness as you age

(Yes, a more adult slant in my title.)  Having a conversation with someone who has recently been diagnosed with cancer can be a bit tricky to negotiate as you try to figure out if to ask questions and how much to ask. So I thought I'd weigh in on what you may want to think twice before saying. "People don't die of breast cancer any more, do they?" Speaks for itself. Yes, approximately 13% of women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 will die. (1) "There's a cure for that isn't there?" Not really, although some women will go into remission (cancer responds completely or partially to treatment), and after a number of years of no signs or symptoms, someone may be considered "cured". Any cancer that occurs after that time is considered new. "Someone always has it worse" While that may be true, I didn't really find it uplifting to hear about horror stories. In my delicate frame of mind I found positive stories more he

(This is a short post since I just started back at work this week.) I refer to my current hair style as the "New York look" for no particular reason, and while everyone has commented on how good short hair looks on me, my husband's comment was, "I bet they were all women". That had me thinking. Both males and females have said good things (perhaps they were being kind), but it did remind me of a comment a friend had made many years ago. He said that the short-haired girls may be the ones you date, but the one you bring home has long hair. Hmmm.

***I am  not a doctor. This is NOT medical advice. This is NOT a definitive statement on how cancer works  *** There is much being written now about the link between diet and cancer. I recently read, "Foods to Fight Cancer" by  Dr. Richard Beliveau and Dr. Denis Gringras (cancer researchers - see my book review). According to the authors, one of the risk factors for cancer is poor diet (up to 30%), that is, about one-third of all cancers may be linked to diet. They talk about what research exists that shows eating certain foods help fight cancer. (I've included my interpreted summary in a table below). The bottom line is to eat a healthy diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables. It is interesting to note that newer cancer drugs target one of the two ways cancer works, and mimic the effects of fruit and vegetables. How cancer works: But first a quick overview of these two basic ideas (as explained by the authors): 1. Apoptosis. Cancer cells don't "commi

Yes, that's right. This past week I completed #33 of #33 daily radiation cycles. I can hardly believe it. Next stop reconstruction, but not for months yet. Thanks again to our friends and family who have made such a difference in our lives. I feel that you were with us through this whole time. I am ecstatic at having completed my treatment plan. However I, like many other cancer patients who have completed their treatments, feel unsure about the future. This past week has seen my sleep get all messed up again. I still have to assess the enormity of the past 8 months on my life, but that is on the agenda. Mentally & emotionally- somewhat messed up. Physically-getting stronger every day and healing with every day that goes by. Round 1: TheNewMe-1, Cancer-0. While I certainly hope and pray there is no next round, I am waiting. But not in the sense of sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring. More like going about my life so that when or if that phone ever rings, I&#

It has occurred to me that very frequently life allows us to show our true selves and exactly what we are capable of, if we are sufficiently motivated. And what brought me to such profound thoughts? Well, I was told by the nurse that I need to soak in an astringent solution and use a special cream 4 times/day to help my irradiated skin. If it gets too damaged, they will have to stop my treatments (No way in hell!!) This process takes about 45 mins each time. So last week I found myself sitting in the car between appointments applying this solution to my skin (very surreptitiously), and then trying to let it air-dry discreetly, all the while pretending to read a book so nobody would approach my window to ask what was wrong.  You can imagine the scene. It reminded me of when my last child was a baby. I was so motivated to breast-feed even though I had gone back to work, I would pump in the car on the way to work. The drive time was just right and I would keep a shawl in the car aroun

I am well-equipped with war terminology, and able to make appropriate sounds. I am a good lieutenant and can follow orders...most times. I can build Legos (and change batteries on various battery-operated toys). I can trash-talk with my 10-year old. By trash talk I mean, "Prepare to be defeated!", "You will never defeat me!", "The adults will take you kids down!" This last was at my son's school game-day with parents. I wasn't joined by the other parents. I soon shut up. Apparently that kind of talk was not appreciated. I am not too shabby at Time Crisis . I allowed my 4-year old to watch The Princess Bride . All of the adults who recommended it neglected to inform me that they say son-of-a-bitch towards the end of the movie. Nice. I am pretty good at soccer, enough so my kids enjoy playing with me. I am slowly learning to temper discipline with moderate amounts of flexibility. It is a challenge for me. At times I have abandoned discipl