World Cancer Day

Begin forwarded message:

From: ELIZABETH PEEPLES <peeples_e@bellsouth.net>
Date: October 23, 2012 12:52:05 PM EDT
To: Susan Griffin <sgriffin@att.net>
Subject: Fw: Fwd: Fw: A small request and  it's just one line. Gayle

Monday is world cancer day...I'd appreciate it

if you would forward this request.
A small request and it's just one line. Gayle


Dear God, I pray for a
cure for

cancer.. Amen

From: ELIZABETH PEEPLES <peeples_e@bellsouth.net>
Date: October 23, 2012 12:52:05 PM EDT
To: Susan Griffin <sgriffin@att.net>
Subject: Fw: Fwd: Fw: A small request and  it's just one line. Gayle

Dear Susan, This is from my first cousin who is now in remission from breast cancer and I do want to keep it going and maybe you have the address of one of our beloved DAR's who have beaten this.

 

Monday is world cancer day...I'd appreciate it

if you would forward this request.
A small request and it's just one line. Gayle


Dear God, I pray for a
cure for cancer.. Amen

All you are asked to do is keep this circulating, even

if only to one more person. In memory of anyone you

know who has been struck by cancer or is still living with it.

A Candle Loses Nothing by Lighting Another Candle..
Please Keep
This Candle
Going..

 

,

All you are asked to do is keep this circulating, even

if only to one more person. In memory of anyone you

know who has been struck by cancer or is still living with it.

A Candle Loses Nothing by Lighting Another Candle..
Please
This Candle
Going..

 

,

Stages of Breast Cancer, Tai Chi and those darn leaves.

Happy Friday Everyone, The sun is shining on the green hills of Kentucky. The trees are turning wonderful shades of orange, red and gold. Those  lost leaves will soon create a carpet, first in our front yard, once we get all of those leaves raked the two very large/ old oak trees will loose their treasured leaves.  (as Peter would say "sigh") Those beautiful shade trees  will leave several hours of work for Peter!

As I travel my recovery path - I am returning to Tai Chi ( my original plan was to do this  2 weeks after my mastectomys) Well, that just did not happen!  Now eight months later I am focusing on Tai Chi. This is a great video, Tia Chi  brings wonderful energy to you - something you can actrually  feel as you say good bye to negative feelings, thoughts and such.

 I am knitting a new pair of socks and my hair is still growing.  I feel good:)
Wishing peace and love to all!

• Video: Tai chi
• Video: Mammogram for breast cancer — What to expect

show: Stages of breast cancer

By Mayo Clinic staff

• Slides:
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Stages of breast cancer

The extent, or stage, of your breast cancer gives your doctor an idea of your prognosis — the likely outcome of your disease — and helps guide treatment decisions.
Your doctor determines your stage of breast cancer through examination of the tissue removed during a mastectomy or lumpectomy and of the lymph nodes under your arm.
Your breast cancer stage takes into account how large your cancer is and whether it has spread beyond your breast. Using this information, your doctor assigns a Roman numeral — I through IV — that describes your breast cancer stage.
Double click next slide will take you to article. (I hope)
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Marching Forward with postive energy! I Have Hair (some hair), Post Chem updates.

Hello Everyone:) Some after chemo thoughts. I think I mentioned before that I have had to deal with some depression, after my reconstruction surgery. The thing was it took me a while to understand that I was depressed. When you do not want to get off the couch, walk talk, eat - even the feeling of helpless. Those of you that know me, understand  this description is  really the opposite of my normal self.   Here are some signs of depression :

Depression symptoms include:

• Feelings of sadness or unhappiness
• Irritability or frustration, even over small matters
• Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities
• Reduced sex drive
• Insomnia or excessive sleeping
• Changes in appetite — depression often causes decreased appetite and weight loss, but in some people it causes increased cravings for food and weight gain
• Agitation or restlessness — for example, pacing, hand-wringing or an inability to sit still
• Irritability or angry outbursts
• Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
• Indecisiveness, distractibility and decreased concentration
• Fatigue, tiredness and loss of energy — even small tasks may seem to require a lot of effort
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself when things aren't going right
• Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
• Frequent thoughts of death, dying or suicide
• Crying spells for no apparent reason
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

When I realized depression had settled in I called my family Dr. she increase  the dose of the anti depression I was taking. After a few days I was feeling much better. The lesson I have learned is reach out to others make a phone call , you do not to have to live with these over whelming feelings. Never feel like you are bothering your Doctor.  You just simple have to do it! Depression tries to creep back in, I am wiser now  and will not let it take over my daily life!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today I saw Dr. Bhandari for my  two month checkup - he is doubling my dose of Tamoxifen for the next two months, I am tolerating  Tamoxifen well :)  However I will not be taking it for five years. IN December he will be introducing me to a new estrogen blocker. I will stop the Tamoxifen. Of course I can not remember the name of the new drug! LOL There is a new study out that shows the newer drug is more effective in preventing re occurrence of breast cancer. I asked him about re-occurrence.  He said it could come back, it could come back any where in my body.  How do you know if it comes back? He will check my blood work every six months, blood count is important, He also wants to know if I develop any pain that does not go away.  I am now aware of  the fact that cancer does not just go away. Chemo kills the current cancer but does not stop it from coming back. As I walk this path "living with cancer"  I truly under stand the meaning of early detection. This is breast cancer awareness , make sure please please  you get you mammogram/ ultra sounds and you check ups.

I will continue  to try and make a difference any way I can. If someone needs help  on their journey I will be available.Reaching out to others is my therapy

Chemo Brain - OMG it is very hard to carry on a normal conversation. It takes a while to pull out of my brain what I am trying to say. I have discovered this is normal! I am going to let Idelle Davidson explain it for me. hehe I have some pictures to post but I can not figure out how to post  them.  I will get Peter to help !
 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Post Chemo by Idell Davidson

I was forgetful, would have to really focus to keep myself on task. Mid-sentence, I would either forget a word, get stuck on a word, or simply stop talking because I could not remember what I was saying.

Nine months post-chemo I went on a trip with girlfriends and could barely focus on a conversation or events. I dreaded going because I knew I was not myself. Then at night I would cry ALOT which was very unlike me. The post-chemo was far worse than actual chemo for me. It all just hit me and never left. I was going on job interviews, talking to recruiters because I had to, but looking back I was messed up.

I am two years from diagnosis this month and I finally feel like myself. I would say the fog has lifted 90%. The tamoxifen seems to have no effect on anything for me, thankfully.

The most telling part of my chemo fog, is when reading your book how long it took me to remember where I put my paperwork so I knew what chemo drugs I took (cytoxan and docetaxel)!

ourbrainafterchemo.blogspot.com/2010/01/breast-cancer-at-38-with-fog-depression.html

Welcome to My Blog

Idelle Davidson is an award-winning journalist, a breast cancer survivor, and the recipient of the 2009 Pillar of Strength Award from the

From: MORAGAJO@aol.com
Date: September 11, 2012 7:25:23 PM EDT
To: susanpi@aol.com
Subject: (no subject)

So glad the trip was a success and the storm didn't mess it up for you as I was thinking about that.

When I first heard about your journey back to good health it seemed like it would take forever and I'm sure it felt that way at times to you.  Now it is over and I love your smile and attitude that pulled you through.

 

Now the rest of your life begins - enjoy.    Josie

Shell Island

 Dana Dearwater, Cheryl Matthews, Me  - yes I do have a beer and it is a glass bottle,  on the beach!

 My older brother Tom:)

False Promises on Ovarian Cancer

Published: September 11, 2012

(Note : I would like to know who was on this panel that have come to this conclusion. If the test saves one life it is worth having)  You can  appear healthy and still have cancer. We need to use all the tools/testing that is available!  Early detection can save your life! 
Susan

New evidence that women are more likely to be harmed than helped by screening tests for ovarian cancer is disturbing. The tests do nothing to prevent healthy women from dying from the usually fatal disease. Yet they often lead doctors to perform needless surgeries that cause serious complications in many patients.

Related

• Ovarian Cancer Screenings Are Not Effective, Panel Says (September 11, 2012)

• Health Guide: Ovarian Cancer

Connect With Us on Twitter

For Op-Ed, follow @nytopinion and to hear from the editorial page editor, Andrew Rosenthal, follow @andyrNYT.

The judgment from the United States Preventive Services Task Force, issued on Monday, updates its longstanding verdict that healthy women with an average risk of ovarian cancer should not be screened for the disease. The task force, 16 federally appointed experts, makes recommendations on which screening tests work and which don’t. The American Cancer Society and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have also discouraged the use of screening tests for ovarian cancer in most women.

Such advice does not apply to women who have genetic mutations or a family history that puts them at high risk or to women who have suspicious symptoms, like persistent bloating and pelvic or abdominal pain, symptoms that are not unique to ovarian cancer.

The task force relied heavily on a large study published last year of 78,000 women ages 55 to 74, half of whom were screened with ultrasounds and blood tests for a biological marker of ovarian cancer, and half of whom were not. After following them for 11 to 13 years, the death rate from ovarian cancer was the same in both groups. But nearly 10 percent of those screened, more than 3,200 women, had false-positive results and more than 1,000 of them had surgery, usually to remove one or both ovaries. Many of them had serious complications, such as surgical injuries to other organs, infections and blood clots.

As Denise Grady pointed out in The Times on Tuesday, the problem with the tests is that the biological marker being measured (CA-125) can be elevated by conditions other than cancer and the ultrasounds can reveal benign cysts that cannot be distinguished from cancer without surgery to remove the ovary.

Despite the expert advice against routine screening, a survey of 1,000 doctors published in February found that a third of them believed that screening was effective and many offered it to patients. Many patients request screening, believing that it can find the disease early enough to save lives. It is long past time for doctors and their patients to recognize that this assumption is wrong.

Pictures From The Beach

Sunset on Panama City Beach! The tropical storm/hurricane  did not keep us from going to the beach. We had 10 days of celebrating my recovery. My strength is finally returning  we had a great time!

We took a boat ride in the bay, looking for dolphins. We did not  see any:)  the water was a bit rough after the storm and all the rain. We went to Shell Island it has beautiful  beaches with wild grasses  it sits between the Gulf of Mexico and the Bay. A little tiny island. We also stopped at Limes an outdoor  grill. The fruit punch drink was very tasty ! Lime's made the national news a few years ago when President Obama   stopped in for a visit.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/limes-dockside-bar-and-grill-panama-city

Mike Jackson, my friend Kathy's son was our Captain. He is a great sport he is brave enough to go with us on our annual "girl's trip". He shows his humor  while dealing with his Mother and her awesome friends. He also tells stories about his adventures with us, mostly about Kathy who  is lots of fun when she has a few cocktails.

Tom Ward & Clyde Akard

I think they were thinking omg what have we gotten our selves into with all these crazy women.

My Dog Sugar, My New Hair

I have never uploaded a video before so I hope this works. My walking companion is my dog Sugar. ( thou I would like my hubby Peter to be my walking companion) Sugar is a very smart dog, she knows everything you say to her. she can find all her many toys by name, she also knows that when we go for a walk she has to pre~poop in the back yard. I gather our walking tools like the leash and keys we go outside and I tell her to go poop ! Here is what happens. She is a hoot!

I know my brother Tom is anxious to see my new hair do....I want Tom and Clyde to be able to recognize me at the airport on Thursday. My hair is growing, I am not sure what color it is. My red hair is gone, I know it cannot possible be gray. At least it is growing some of it is dark !