Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Andrea Paine

Breast cancer survivor
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Cancer Survivors Need Some 'Me Time'

Posted: 06/29/11 04:14 PM ET
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I can't say enough about the power of positive thinking. It's what got me through breast cancer, and what gets me through the last few kilometres of a running race.
But it takes some effort to think positive at times. There are many people out there that are their own worst enemies. There are days where I am my own worst enemy too! I wake up, for the sake of not another descriptive, crabby. And starting your day that way could very easily lead you on a downward spiral to very negative thinking, and a very bad day.
And it's on these days that you'll hear me listing quite a lengthy array of excuses of why I have no time to run: My daughter needs a ride to a friend's place, or to work. I need to go to the bookstore with my youngest daughter, who loves books, to purchase yet another book for a book report. It's raining. It's snowing. It's way too cold. My legs are stiff, maybe I ran too hard, or did too many weights yesterday.
All the reading I do regarding running and cross training indicates that we have to listen to our bodies... and my body is tired today! I have too much laundry to do. My house is a mess. My box of summer clothes has been in my room for two weeks, and I still haven't had the time to do the switch with the winter clothes still taking up space in my drawers. I haven't done my groceries yet.
And the same thing can happen to cancer survivors. You can get tired of the many doctor appointments you have to book and take time off to go to. There are times when you just want a break. Time off from that too.
Yes... even the people with the most positive mind frames have bad days, me included. You see, it takes much more effort during those days to bring my mind back into a more joyful place. I have to talk my own self into getting off my butt and moving, or doing something constructive to pull myself up. Perhaps you are someone who lived through your childhood with negative influences around you. For those of you in this category, the hill may be much bigger.
But you can do it. It really is like taking baby steps, and making priorities. What is important to you? What will make you feel completely whole, and put a spring in your step? What will make you a better influence on the loved ones around you?
For some it is meditation, for others it's yoga, lacing up the running shoes, or simply booking that doctor appointment when you think of it. Others may need to find an agenda where they can prioritize the many tasks they have in the day. As long as you set in that ME time, everything else will fall into place. It may be three times as hard to do this on some days, but, trust me, if you can muster up the strength to do it; you will have so much energy, and will be back in a positive frame of mind.
There is always time to do what's right for you. I find there are some days that I have to wake up earlier, in order to fit everything into my day. But I find that, as long as I find even 15 minutes of ME time each day, the world's a better place. So when you find yourself listing the many reasons why you can do something, push those thoughts away. Give it a try. You won't regret it!
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Doctors can treat skin precancer before it turns deadly

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Bob Neuman grew up at the beach on Long Island, N.Y., playing in the sand and surf almost every day of the summer. Blond and fair-skinned, he remembers his mother covering him with suntan lotion.
  • Bob Neuman grew up going to the shore of Long Island, New York without using sunscreen has had several precancerous squamous cell skin growths removed from his head.
    Todd Plitt, USA TODAY
    Bob Neuman grew up going to the shore of Long Island, New York without using sunscreen has had several precancerous squamous cell skin growths removed from his head.
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Todd Plitt, USA TODAY
Bob Neuman grew up going to the shore of Long Island, New York without using sunscreen has had several precancerous squamous cell skin growths removed from his head.
The sun protection available in the 1940s and 1950s was far less advanced than today, however, and Neuman wonders if that really helped his skin at all.
"I thought I wore a hat when I was a kid," says Neuman, now 67. But in terms of sun damage, from skin cancer and precancers, he says, "my face and my head are the worst."
Neuman today is diligent about regular skin checks.
Frank Pompa, USA TODAY
A special series raising skin cancer awareness.
He says he feels fortunate that doctors today can catch skin cancer early — finding and removing precancers before they turn malignant.

Skin cancer rates

Annual cases:
Basal and squamous-cell cancers: 2 million
Melanoma: 68,100

Annual deaths:
Basal and sqaumous-cell cancers: 3,090 Melanoma: 8,700

Melanoma survival:
Early stage: 98%
Spread to lymph nodes: 62%
Spread to other organs: 15%

Source: American Cancer Society
In addition to early squamous cell carcinomas — a cancer that's usually curable — he has been treated for half a dozen of these precancers, called actinic keratoses. About one in six Americans develop these lesions, which can appear rough and red, says Darrell Rigel, former president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.
In some cases, precancers go away on their own, especially if people are careful to avoid additional sun exposure, says David Leffell, a professor of dermatology at Yale Medical School. Studies show that only a small number turn into squamous cell cancers, Leffell says.
Doctors have a number of ways to treat precancers.
If a patient has just one or two lesions, doctors may freeze them off with liquid nitrogen, Rigel says. But doctors also may prescribe a cream to treat a broad area, such as the forehead, to prevent new precancers from ever appearing, he says.
One of the most commonly used creams contains a chemotherapy drug, called fluorouracil, which destroys the precancerous cells by blocking essential cellular functions within them. Another cream stimulates the immune system to reject the precancer, the Mayo Clinicsays.
Another alternative is photodynamic therapy, in which creams or injections make the precancers sensitive to light, before they are killed with a laser.
In the short term, the creams can turn a person's skin bright red and raw for seven to 10 days, Rigel says. But when the skin heals, it often looks better than before, with fewer fine lines and wrinkles. Manufacturers are looking into low-dose versions to use cosmetically, he says.
These treatments can get rid of about 80% of precancers, Rigel says. Doctors follow other patients closely.
Some melanomas — a more serious form of skin cancer that kills 8,700 Americans a year — also begin as precancerous moles, called dysplastic nevi, Rigel says. Up to 4% of Americans develop them. Removing all of them can be difficult, as some people may develop dozens.
Says Rigel, "A few years from now, we may have better technology and devices to help you determine when to do a biopsy."
Neuman says his wife, who was treated for an early melanoma, now also goes for regular skin checks.
And Neuman, who's now partly bald, says he never goes out without a hat.
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/medical/cancer/story/2011/05/Doctors-can-treat-skin-precancer-before-it-turns-deadly/47309030/1
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