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American Cancer Society Releases Top 5 Carcinogens in Report

As medicine advances, we know there are certain things from which we should stay away from in order to help increase our chances of not getting cancer. Smoking – check. Asbestos – check. Burnt, grilled meat – check. But this week, the American Cancer Society (ACS) issued a report of 20 “suspected carcinogens,” that is, things that cause cancer. The organization would like more research done on these items. Making the list were: lead and lead compounds; cobalt with tungsten carbide; titanium dioxide; welding fumes; refractory ceramic fibers; diesel exhaust; carbon black; styrene-7,8-oxide and styrene; propylene oxide; formaldehyde; acetaldehyde; dichloromethane, … Continue reading →

Cancer: Local Spread vs. Metastasis

One of the most insidious things about cancer is the way it can spread. I’m not especially a fan of the way it can keep coming back after treatment, either, but that’s a story for another day. The American Cancer Society talks about two different types of spread: local or regional spread and metastasis. Local or regional spread is when a cancer extends beyond the organ in which it started. For example, a very large breast cancer could spread into the lymph nodes in the armpit or the lungs. Metastasis means that the cancer has moved to an entirely new … Continue reading →

Lymph Node Removal

Before I started my first chemotherapy I still had to have one more surgery. This surgery is removing lymph nodes under the arm to be sure that the cancer had not spread beyond the initial site in the breast and to place the medi-port. The medi-port will be used to infuse the chemotherapy. There are different methods that the surgeon could use to choose what lymph nodes to the one I wish my surgeon had done is called a sentinel node dissection. With this the surgeon removes the lymph node closest to the tumor, if this lymph node shows no … Continue reading →

What to Expect on Your First Oncology Visit

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As I previously mentioned that at one point someone once told me that getting cancer is like walking through a door that only opens one way. Once you walk through it you can never go back to the life you had before hearing those words. When you walk into the Oncology Office the first time you are not a cancer patient but, when you walk out you be one. It is a very rough realization to have to face and you should not be alone when you start this journey. If you do not have someone to go with you … Continue reading →

My First Oncology Appointment

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So my oncologist just told me that he could treat me this time BUT when it came back he could not. I am sitting there in a small room with my husband and the doctor and the room feels like it is getting smaller. Did this doctor just tell me that basically a recurrence was a given and it would kill me? I was only 35 years old my youngest child just turned 3 and my oldest was just 6. Was this some cruel cosmic joke? Did I really do something so bad that this is it? Did I take … Continue reading →