November 2009 Archives

A blessed Thanksgiving

  • Posted on November 25, 2009 at 3:49 pm

Thanksgiving is a time of year to reflect on our lives and count our blessings, one by one, as the hymn goes. I have just been advised to stop taking Arimidex, an anti-estrogen daily pill I have taken for over six years. My former oncologist counseled me to stay on this pill for life, but my new doctor believes there is no further benefit, and there are even risks, in taking it longer than needed. So I will be stopping it starting in the New Year.

Since I had a recurrence two years after I got off tamoxifen in 2001, I am a bit apprehensive about discontinuing my daily Arimidex. It’s like a security blanket, but with prickly side effects. My doctor said I could take Evista (raloxifene) for a further five years to ward off my anxiety. But the possibility of experiencing deep vein thrombosis, stroke or other nasties from this tamoxifen-like drug do not seem worth it. And like Arimidex, this drug has no generic equivalent. So it would further drain my bank account as well as my estrogen.

This Thanksgiving I’m resolved to throw my fears out the window, to be grateful to God that I no longer need any adjuvant drug. I believe I’ve done all I can do to reduce my risk of another recurrence by enduring a bilateral mastectomy, two aggressive courses of chemo and a year of Herceptin.

Perhaps being off Arimidex will be like pressing the “Pause” button on my post-menopausal symptoms. Maybe my hair will have a chance to thicken and my night sweats, hot flashes and joint pain will subside. Maybe I’ll even lose weight! What a wonderful blessing all that would be. But if I don’t recover any youthful traits, that’s okay, too. My heavenly Father knows best. And for that I am the most grateful as we wrap up 2009.

A joyous and blessed Thanksgiving to one and all!

Jan

New mammography screening guidelines

  • Posted on November 17, 2009 at 9:05 pm

As a breast cancer survivor who found her cancer at 43,I couldn’t let another day go by without commenting on yesterday’s breast cancer screening recommendations from a panel of experts. In case you haven’t heard, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women under 50 of low or average risk scrap being routinely screened for breast cancer.  Their rationale?  The risk of false positives and unneeded radiation and biopsies outweighs the benefits of blanket screening. A cost-benefit analysis also played into this recommendation. This panel still suggests mammograms for women with a family history of breast cancer or who are otherwise at high risk. For more details check out http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/news-417459-98.html?ic=6006.

These latest guidelines are controversial.  The American Cancer Society, the American College of Radiology and some other experts disagree with the findings. Still, insurance companies might well use this panel’s newest release as an excuse not to cover mammograms for women in their forties.

I’d be interested in your opinion. Please join in taking the survey I’ve created on this controversial subject by clicking on the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=MT1uhaKNg50glsw0BibO_2bw_3d_3d. Once the results are in, I will share them with you.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Jan

Cancer Patients Seek Honesty, Informality in Doctors

  • Posted on November 13, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Cancer patients want straight talk from their doctors, according to a written survey recently reported  in WebMD Health News (http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20091104/cancer-patients-want-honesty-from-doctors?ecd=wnl_brc_111009).  The survey reflected responses from over 500 survivors of breast, lung or prostate cancer.

A large majority of patients (95%) appreciated honesty in their doctor regarding their odds of survival and how long they might live.  Prostate cancer survivors were more likely than lung cancer patients to want their doctors to be upfront about survival chances: 97% vs. 91%.

In addition, the survey revealed that patients welcome informality in their doctors. Almost 75% preferred to be addressed only by their first name, and even more were fine with their doctor not wearing a white coat.  Most wouldn’t mind a hug after two months of radiotherapy, and a third of women cancer survivors indicated a desire to have their hands held by their oncologists during critical office visits.

Further survey findings reveal that most patients (84%) welcome a detailed explanation of their treatment plan, and an even higher percentage (95%)  said they want their physician to use laypersons’ terms when discussing the details.

As to spiritual matters, 40% of survey respondents indicated they would like to share their own beliefs with their doctor. The results indicated that patients don’t appreciate doctors imposing their own spiritual views, but would like doctors to affirm the individual patient’s own belief system.

I consider these findings refreshing. Patients long for an informal, straight-forward and detailed conversation with their oncologists, similar to what we had before doctors stopped making house calls. Anything the doctors can do to incorporate these findings into their practice would be very beneficial for cancer survivors struggling to understand their prognosis and treatment options. The personal touch is in.

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