12-11-09 gray matter of brain
Lately, it seems like there is an epidemic of non-invasive breast cancer. It seems of all the breast cancer data I collect in a day, at least half the cases are breast in-situ disease. I noted this increase just in the last 3 to 5 years or so.
Is there something causing this increase in women today? Hormone replacement?, The Pill use? Our diets? Our sedentary life style? Or could it be simply from better technology and improved mammogram equipment?
No one has the exact answers on these questions. Could the increase use of mammograms themselves be a risk with the increase exposure to radiation?
Breast cancer and mammogram recommendations; OLD versus the NEW recommendations are very complicated and fraught with emotion. On one hand it seems logical if you find something “early” like pre-cancerous breast disease and treat it, all will be well. But what if that pre-cancerous breast disease is no urgent threat and may never evolve into invasive cancer….. have we burdened ourselves over nothing, have we allowed fear to make ourselves over react and over treat?
Well, I’m blabbering on, with really no wise counsel for you all.
However, I will say, in the past I have purposely stretched the time between my mammograms out from 12 months, to 18moths and often two years. So this year, I am NOT getting a mammogram in 2009, I will probably wait until late summer of next year.
For women in their 50’s with no risk factors, research does prove that having mammograms every two years is reasonable.
However, I do believe it is important to get a baseline mammogram at age 40, and earlier if you do have any type of risk factors in your family….. or even for the reason of obtaining some peace of mind for yourself.
My friend Robin was diagnosis with advanced breast cancer at age 40, which was not palpable on self breast exam. Her life was saved because of this detection, so I do believe in baseline mammograms. It's a big expense for the population to burden, but young lives are saved, and who can put a price on that?
AND I still believe in self breast examinations. Women and men both need to be aware and actively engaged in monitoring their own health and be familiar with their own bodies inside and out.
I believe two key factors in staying healthy are:
1. Know your body, know what is normal so you can identify changes that occur, and be your own advocate.
2. Find a doctor you are comfortable with and develop a close working relationship, so together you can come up with a plan that is best for your specific health situation. Good two-way communication is worth striving for in a doctor patient relationship.
Remember it’s always been and still is- “the practice” of medicine. Question everything and ask for 2nd opinions if your instincts tell you something is not right.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Scum-bag
Thursday night: Reclusive brain
I’m just getting ready for bed when I looked in the mirror while brushing my teeth and about scared myself to death. What a scum-bag I am this week. I realized I haven’t washed my hair since Sunday!!
This is what I turn into when Greg is not around and I’m stranded in the house all week due to the snow….
Why shower? Why even get out of my sweat pants? Dirty hair?... just put on a hat. Well, actually I did soaked in a hot bath most evenings this week. It’s a great why to relieve sore muscles from doing some of the shoveling. I’m so glad I hired the driveway to be plowed out. With this much snow, I couldn’t have done it myself.
I am going to venture out tomorrow, so I will be taking a shower and washing my hair!
PS: Hi to Greg in Ohio without me!
I’m just getting ready for bed when I looked in the mirror while brushing my teeth and about scared myself to death. What a scum-bag I am this week. I realized I haven’t washed my hair since Sunday!!
This is what I turn into when Greg is not around and I’m stranded in the house all week due to the snow….
Why shower? Why even get out of my sweat pants? Dirty hair?... just put on a hat. Well, actually I did soaked in a hot bath most evenings this week. It’s a great why to relieve sore muscles from doing some of the shoveling. I’m so glad I hired the driveway to be plowed out. With this much snow, I couldn’t have done it myself.
I am going to venture out tomorrow, so I will be taking a shower and washing my hair!
PS: Hi to Greg in Ohio without me!
Mammograms Part 1 of 2
12-10-09 complex brain
I am a “vibrant” 54 year old and I’m due for my annual mammogram this month. What am I going to do?..... schedule one before Christmas? or skip this year?
The back story about me- which affects my decision making is:
I’m a *former hypochondriac. While I attended nursing school for 1.5 years, back in the mid 1970’s, every new disease we would study, I would begin to feel like I was experiencing the symptoms. Logically I knew I did not have that particular disease, but I, none the less, was always acutely aware what my body was doing and feeling.
Even in graduate school, while studying nutrition and food science, I suspected that I was suffering from one vitamin deficiency or another. When I started working in the cancer research field, I was also on high alert for any changes in my body which might indicate a developing cancer.
My top three paranoid fears were:
1) Pancreatic cancer; since survival rates are dismal.
2) Ovarian cancer; since the symptoms are vague and often diagnosis is found after the cancer has already spread throughout the abdomen. Stage 4
3) Cancer in-situ of the breast (pre-cancer, non-invasive, intra-ductal breast cancer)
You’re probably bewildered why I would put a pre-cancerous disease on my list…..The reasoning is that the treatment of this disease has been and still is controversial, and the significance of in-situ disease of the breast has not been agreed upon.
Over my 26 year involvement with cancer data collection, I have attended many conferences and listened to differing opinions of non-invasive breast cancer.
Some feel this type of “in-situ” disease comes and goes in our bodies. Our natural immune systems can help of fight off pre-cancer cells every day.
Some feel in-situ disease is a sign of a developing cancer, while others believe a person can live with this for decades and not be bother.
I have personally know four women who where diagnosed with in-situ cancer; two chose to have the small spot removed, then were given radiation treatments; the other two went full out and had both breasts removed and reconstructed. Not an easy surgery.
What would I do if I were diagnosed with in-situ breast cancer? ….. My fear was that I would just want to wait and do nothing…… a strange plan coming from a hypochondriac like I was.
Continued tomorrow
*Former: I’m not totally sure why I am no longer am a hypochondriac, or when this transformation happened. I believe it has something to do with me no longer fearing death. And that has been a slow process of me growing in faith and connecting on a deeper spiritual level. (Totally another blog topic for later)
I am a “vibrant” 54 year old and I’m due for my annual mammogram this month. What am I going to do?..... schedule one before Christmas? or skip this year?
The back story about me- which affects my decision making is:
I’m a *former hypochondriac. While I attended nursing school for 1.5 years, back in the mid 1970’s, every new disease we would study, I would begin to feel like I was experiencing the symptoms. Logically I knew I did not have that particular disease, but I, none the less, was always acutely aware what my body was doing and feeling.
Even in graduate school, while studying nutrition and food science, I suspected that I was suffering from one vitamin deficiency or another. When I started working in the cancer research field, I was also on high alert for any changes in my body which might indicate a developing cancer.
My top three paranoid fears were:
1) Pancreatic cancer; since survival rates are dismal.
2) Ovarian cancer; since the symptoms are vague and often diagnosis is found after the cancer has already spread throughout the abdomen. Stage 4
3) Cancer in-situ of the breast (pre-cancer, non-invasive, intra-ductal breast cancer)
You’re probably bewildered why I would put a pre-cancerous disease on my list…..The reasoning is that the treatment of this disease has been and still is controversial, and the significance of in-situ disease of the breast has not been agreed upon.
Over my 26 year involvement with cancer data collection, I have attended many conferences and listened to differing opinions of non-invasive breast cancer.
Some feel this type of “in-situ” disease comes and goes in our bodies. Our natural immune systems can help of fight off pre-cancer cells every day.
Some feel in-situ disease is a sign of a developing cancer, while others believe a person can live with this for decades and not be bother.
I have personally know four women who where diagnosed with in-situ cancer; two chose to have the small spot removed, then were given radiation treatments; the other two went full out and had both breasts removed and reconstructed. Not an easy surgery.
What would I do if I were diagnosed with in-situ breast cancer? ….. My fear was that I would just want to wait and do nothing…… a strange plan coming from a hypochondriac like I was.
Continued tomorrow
*Former: I’m not totally sure why I am no longer am a hypochondriac, or when this transformation happened. I believe it has something to do with me no longer fearing death. And that has been a slow process of me growing in faith and connecting on a deeper spiritual level. (Totally another blog topic for later)
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Wednesday night
My driveway is pretty cleared out now, thanks to hired hand. There was no way I could have dug myself out of this one. Of course the bottom of the driveway is full again due to one pass of the city plow, but I'll worry about that tomorrow. I'm not doing anywhere.
I was invited down to neighbors for soup dinner. I took corn bread. It's very cold out.... and a neighbor, who shall remain nameless.... actually went out into his hot tub with wind chill below zero! His wife and I declined the invitation to join him.
I'm crazy, but not that crazy!
I had to take a picture for him!
I was invited down to neighbors for soup dinner. I took corn bread. It's very cold out.... and a neighbor, who shall remain nameless.... actually went out into his hot tub with wind chill below zero! His wife and I declined the invitation to join him.
I'm crazy, but not that crazy!
I had to take a picture for him!
snow pictures
click pictures to enlarge.
Drifts are up to my waist.
Wind still blowing, so more drifting!
snow Snow SNOW
12-9-09 sleepless brain
Des Moines has been dumped on- Tuesday all day it snowed and into the night. Now today we have blizzard warnings since all this fluffy snow is blowing about. I woke up at 3:00AM to the sound of freight train winds.... can't sleep so decided to get up at 5:00AM..... I hate when sleeplessness visits me.
I'm not leaving the house today! But I'm lucky to live in a neighborhood that is has a high walkability score. Only 1/2 block away we have a good locally own restaurant and I walked there Tuesday night to get a pizza to bring home which fed me last night and will be my lunch today. At 5:30PM, I was the only one in the restaurant. They were begging me to say and eat, just for the company. I doubt if anyone else came all night long.
While my pizza order was being made, I walked another 1/2 block to the grocery store. My cupboards were bare, since Greg and I are due to leave town for a trip to Ohio, but our trip is now being postponed until maybe we can leave on Thursday.
It was actually kind of fun being out in the snow Tuesday night, when only a few brave souls are out. I would never get the car out in all this snow, but I'll bundle up and walk without hesitation.
I love this song from White Christmas.... and this time of year, I try to entice Greg into singing along with me. Greg sings well, I sing off key, but that doesn't stop me!
Unfortunately today, I'm in a crabby mood, even this clip only slightly puts a smile on my face. It's a snow day here, but when you work out of your home office, there is always work that can be done.
This is going to be a long day........
PS: I forgot to mention the -6 degree wind chill this morning......
Des Moines has been dumped on- Tuesday all day it snowed and into the night. Now today we have blizzard warnings since all this fluffy snow is blowing about. I woke up at 3:00AM to the sound of freight train winds.... can't sleep so decided to get up at 5:00AM..... I hate when sleeplessness visits me.
I'm not leaving the house today! But I'm lucky to live in a neighborhood that is has a high walkability score. Only 1/2 block away we have a good locally own restaurant and I walked there Tuesday night to get a pizza to bring home which fed me last night and will be my lunch today. At 5:30PM, I was the only one in the restaurant. They were begging me to say and eat, just for the company. I doubt if anyone else came all night long.
While my pizza order was being made, I walked another 1/2 block to the grocery store. My cupboards were bare, since Greg and I are due to leave town for a trip to Ohio, but our trip is now being postponed until maybe we can leave on Thursday.
It was actually kind of fun being out in the snow Tuesday night, when only a few brave souls are out. I would never get the car out in all this snow, but I'll bundle up and walk without hesitation.
I love this song from White Christmas.... and this time of year, I try to entice Greg into singing along with me. Greg sings well, I sing off key, but that doesn't stop me!
Unfortunately today, I'm in a crabby mood, even this clip only slightly puts a smile on my face. It's a snow day here, but when you work out of your home office, there is always work that can be done.
This is going to be a long day........
PS: I forgot to mention the -6 degree wind chill this morning......
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
More Pearl Habor story
12-8-09 honoring brain
Yesterday, I talked about what Pearl Harbor Day means to Greg and I, however the day is also important to my family for other reasons. My Mother's relative, I believe it was her cousin, Ray Wilson, was killed that day on the USS Arizona ship.
Mom's aunt, Reca, was the grandmother of Ray.... so not sure of the official name for that type of relative. As a child, I grew up knowing this and remembered that we had some of Ray's navy hats and clothes in our basement. Ray was a thin guy, as I suppose most young men of that era were.
I remember wearing his navy jacket and hat once in Jr. High as a costume and it fit me perfect.
This picture I scanned from some material my Mother has included in one of the scrap books she has made for me.
Here is Web site: on Pearl Harbor where you can find list of those who died.
One day, I would like to go to Hawaii to see the memorial there of the Arizona ship. Hummmmm.... looking at the picture of Ray, I'm wondering if he had blue eyes like me, perhaps this is who I get my nose from.
Yesterday, I talked about what Pearl Harbor Day means to Greg and I, however the day is also important to my family for other reasons. My Mother's relative, I believe it was her cousin, Ray Wilson, was killed that day on the USS Arizona ship.
Mom's aunt, Reca, was the grandmother of Ray.... so not sure of the official name for that type of relative. As a child, I grew up knowing this and remembered that we had some of Ray's navy hats and clothes in our basement. Ray was a thin guy, as I suppose most young men of that era were.
I remember wearing his navy jacket and hat once in Jr. High as a costume and it fit me perfect.
This picture I scanned from some material my Mother has included in one of the scrap books she has made for me.
Here is Web site: on Pearl Harbor where you can find list of those who died.
One day, I would like to go to Hawaii to see the memorial there of the Arizona ship. Hummmmm.... looking at the picture of Ray, I'm wondering if he had blue eyes like me, perhaps this is who I get my nose from.
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