symptoms Of Breast Cancer
Back in the early part of the 1990’s a film called ‘The Medicine Man’ was released and the story revolved around a doctor working in South America who discovers the cure for cancer, only to lose it in a local disaster. Think about that for a moment. Research over the years has helped our understanding of cancer but not to the point where we are able to foretell exactly when it will happen.
Even now many people do not really understand what cancer is despite growing up with it all around them. This is a disease where unhealthy cells grow, divide and then expand into other cells, often transferring to parts of the body using a method called metastasis.
There are rare occasions when a benign tumor changes to a malignant one. It causes more deaths per population than any other illness, a staggering thirteen percent and the older you get the more prone you are to contracting the disease. While smoking, chemicals and radiation for instance, can be the cancer trigger, it is the poison from these or other sources that transform body cells and create genetic abnormalities which grow and multiply.
The cause can also be the responsibility of faulty DNA replication or a genetic trait inherited from parents which means a person can be born with them. Complex relationships between carcinogens and a person’s genetic makeup may explain why only some develop it after exposure to a known carcinogen.
Owing to this ongoing, worldwide research, we do actually know a considerable amount about cancer even if we are some way from finding a complete and consistent cure. Much of the world’s research into diseases is to try and find the reason why some people do not contract certain diseases while others do. We all want to know more about the causes of cancer what we can do to help prevent this illness from striking.
Over recent years, concern has been made public over the possibility that our dietary habits may be partly to blame for the incidence of the condition. Other foodstuffs that could create problems are too much salt and saturated fat.
Cancer can affect any part of the body from the bones, blood, skin or organs. nowhere is safe from it. Usually the cancer is at an early stage and a person may have a better chance of being cured. Although not it is not something anyone wants to be diagnosed with, cancer does not have to mean death these days, with the advances in medical treatment.
Breast Cancer Survivor Stories - Write Your Own!
Breast cancer is something that can happen when you are so busy with many different things that you don’t realize it until it’s sometimes too late. Some people will feel no pain at all, which is sad because most breast cancer will have no pain and nothing showing until it is already too late.
Never think that you can’t get breast cancer, for anyone can get it, no matter your age or genetics, although that may play a part in it. For your own peace of mind it is better to get checked, then not to and then find out that you have breast cancer and that it has spread.
To discover and talk with someone who has successfully fought breast cancer all their lives, and are still surviving it is very heartening - whether it is someone you, yourself, or someone you know - the fight gives tremendous strength in times when making through it seems impossible. This strength will hold you up when people ridicule you, or mock at you for taking the cancer so seriously.
There are people who can not even think of handling something as gruesome as cancer, and it’s only natural. And not everyone you meet will sympathize with you, or share your grief, and if they did, only tears and mourning would prevail in the world. You will have to stand up alone, gather the courage to talk with doctors and know all there is to be known about the progress of your treatment. You have just one body, and you should do all you can to not let it go.
Breast cancer can be vanquished with sheer will, the many proud survivors will tell you. Be willing to cure it. If you feel sad, do not demean yourself. Everyone feels depressed sometime or the other and cries. It’s normal to let your emotions flow out, but accumulating grief within you will put so much more pressure on your already very sick body and will dampen all your chances to recover. Vent out your anger, outrage, frustration, whenever you feel you need to, no one would call you weak for doing so, but remember, do not lose hope.
One thing that will help to survive this is to not focus on it. Yes you have been diagnosed and that is as hard to handle as anything, but if you focus on what makes you happy and enjoying life as much as you can, you will see that you will not be consumed by your disease, and family and friends will be able to see that as well.
Metastatic Breast Cancer
America received a shocking piece of news in March 2007. John Edward’s wife, Elizabeth, had been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. She spoke calmly, with inner strength, about how she had asked her husband to continue his presidential campaign, and how she wanted to campaign by his side. She did not want to be best known by her illness; she wanted, in fact, needed, to carry on as normally as she could.
Her diagnosis gave a face to this illness. Americans began to discuss Elizabeth and John Edward’s decisions. Globally, people talked about how deeply cancer affects families. Breast cancer is something that affects many, and almost everyone has known someone who has died from it. Her announcement gave a face to it and it made people think. It brought the topic out in the open.
Women who have stage IV breast cancer usually receive chemotherapy and or hormonal therapy to destroy cancer cells and control the disease. They may have surgery or radiation therapy to control the cancer in the breast. Radiation may also be useful to control tumors in other parts of the body. The symptoms of metastatic breast cancer varies depend on where the cancer is and how large it is.
Treatment plans may include surgery wherein the cancerous growths are removed from the body; radiation during which affected cells are attacked with pinpoint x-ray technology; and chemotherapy which exposes the patient to a course of intravenous drug therapy designed to stop the growth of cancer cells. In most cases, however, a combination of several therapies will be used in order to achieve the greatest chance of success. There are also experimental and holistic therapies that patients often try in conjunction with other therapies and under the guidance of their doctor. As the needs of each patient vary, so do the treatment plans.
In it, cells break away from the breast, circulating through the blood and lymphatic system. The body’s immune system attacks these circulating cancer cells. Most do not survive, but if the immune system malfunctions or is weak, or for another, unknown reason, will usually spread to the bone, then lung and liver next. The cells that have metastasized are still breast cancer cells, no matter where they are found in the body.
Treatment is palliative, improving quality of life, relieving symptoms and aimed at extending a woman’s lifetime. But there are new treatments coming that are giving more hope to those patients with this cancer. Many women with this illness choose to become part of a clinical trial in order to access treatments that are not yet approved by the FDA.
Palliative care to relieve symptoms from both the cancer and treatment involves drug and non-drug treatments such as relaxation therapy, acupuncture, and dietary management. Besides physical symptoms, palliative care for patients who are being treated or who cannot be cured focuses on spiritual and emotional needs, as well as physical needs.
North American white women have the highest rates of breast cancer in the world, but the 5-year survival rate for all stages (Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, and Stage 4) combined is 88% for the U.S. A recent study found European countries have lower 5-year breast cancer survival rates, with England at 77.8% and Ireland at 76.2% (Lancet Oncology). The difference in these survival rates is usually attributed to life-saving early detection.
Non-Invasive or Invasive Breast Cancer?
Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast is one of the main types of breast cancer. The breast is an organ designed to manufacture and deliver milk to the infant. The majority of the breast is composed of fatty tissue. Milk glands lie within this fatty tissue and are connected to the nipple via a series of ducts. The breast is also rich in blood vessels and lymphatic channels.
The types of cancer vary in their prognosis and the way in which they present. Lobular carcinoma (in situ and invasive) will be discussed here. The term ‘in situ’ refers to pre-invasive breast cancer. This is breast cancer which has not yet penetrated (’invaded’) through the basement membrane (the membrane at the base of the epithelial lining of ducts or glands). In situ carcinoma has the potential to become invasive carcinoma, and so is treated as an early form of breast cancer. In the left-hand image below, you can see how the normal cells which form the lobules of the breast might look. In lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS, the image to the right), the lobular cells have developed the ability to multiply out of control - one of the characteristics of cancer. The cancerous cells have not yet spread beyond the lining of the lobule. This is known as LCIS.
Once your GP has referred you to a specialist, certain tests may be done to help make the diagnosis. They include mammogram, ultrasound scan, fine needle aspiration and needle core biopsy. Invasive lobular breast cancer can sometimes be difficult to diagnose. This is because it is less likely to present as a firm lump and is therefore not easy to feel. It is also more difficult to see on a mammogram. This is because the white dots (calcifications) that may be seen on a mammogram with other types of breast cancer are not usually formed by invasive lobular cancers.
Invasive lobular breast cancer does not always show up as a firm lump. And it does not form the pattern on a mammogram called calcification. So it can be difficult to diagnose. Because of this, invasive lobular cancers may be larger than other types of breast cancer when they are diagnosed. You may have a thickened area of breast tissue instead of a definite lump. The tests for lobular breast cancer are the same as for ductal breast cancer.
LCIS is viewed as an uncommon condition, but we don’t know exactly how many people are affected. That’s because LCIS does not cause symptoms and usually does not show up on a mammogram. It tends to be diagnosed as a result of a biopsy performed on the breast for some other reason.
Invasive lobular breast cancer can sometimes be found in more than one area within the breast. If this is the case, it may not be possible to remove just the area of the cancer. You may be asked to have a mastectomy. If at all possible, your breast surgeon will offer you the choice of mastectomy or lumpectomy and radiotherapy.
Finding Breast Cancer Support Groups
If you have breast cancer, it is natural to be scared, since the outcome is not certain. As your cancer advances, even the help and understanding of family members may not satisfy you. They have not experienced what you are going through, and in such cases, talking to other patients who have survived what you have will make you feel stronger and more capable of fighting back.
There are many support groups for women with breast cancer. These groups have been initiated and run by previous breast cancer patients and survivors, and by women who are still undergoing treatment. They provide all the relevant information needed for the treatment and coping of your cancer. These women will understand your problems and fears perfectly, having themselves gone through the same phase as you, and will give you a new hope where treatment seemed just a dreaded task to get done with. Your solitude will disappear within minutes, and you’ll find yourself discovering new friends in these women.
Susan G. Komen’s breast cancer support organization, cms.komen.org, has its own research team which works very hard to provide better treatment options for you, along with information and news updates on cancer research, and countless breast cancer victims and activists who tend to you and your problems like your best friend would. Breast cancer support, bcsupport.org, has chat rooms which give you a platform to meet women who can understand your fears and women who are going through or have gone through the same emotions you go through.
Breastcancersupport.org is a volunteer-based organization that was started in 1988 by two breast cancer victims who understood the need of helping and enlightening breast cancer victims. So you see, you just have to look around, make a few searches here and there, and you will find many people who know and understand just how you feel.
These organizations will not give you a magical power to fight breast cancer. They just let you know that you are not the only one going through these miseries, and that, in no manner, do you have to be the only one to face them. They stand by you, cheer you up, and see you through it through the sheer power of understanding. You, too, will find yourself developing affection for them, and might even want to volunteer to help other scared women, just by being friends with them. This will give you a mental strength for surviving your treatment, more than you can now imagine.
If your treatment costs more than you can afford, you do not have to be disheartened. There are countless organizations that receive donations for people who can not meet all the financial funds treatments require. All you need to do is decide if you want to avail help in any matter, and be assured, you will get a lot of love and support, along with all the help you want.
Early Symptoms Of Breast Cancer
The first symptom that you may have breast cancer is finding a lump in one of your breasts. Usually the lump will end up being benign which is a huge relief for that means that it is not breast cancer.
Sometimes it doesn’t even have to be lump, it can be a change in the nipple, the shape of the breast or nipple, getting some sort of oozing out of the nipple that is blood stained a rash that doesn’t go away or even a swelling in your armpit. Getting any of this doesn’t mean you have breast cancer but it is definitely something you should not wait to get checked out by your doctor as soon as possible.
Another helpful piece of information is that some types of cancers, like the Inflammatory breast cancer and Pagent’s disease show classic symptoms of their own type. Very red and hard breasts which keep getting sore show along with the regular breast cancer symptoms are a classic case of the Inflammatory breast cancer, whereas very itchy, red, scaly rashes, easily confused for eczema, on the breasts along with other breast cancer symptoms are Pagent’s disease. Always get the doctor to clarify your doubts.
A cyst is just a sac filled with harmless fluids. Sometimes, cysts are all there is to the lumps. These cysts can be easily and very quickly removing by inserting a needle into them and taking out all the fluid accumulated inside the cyst. If, in such a case, no fluid comes out, the needle can still be used to extract a small tissue sample from the breast, to be tested for cancer. This procedure is called a biopsy.
Removing such lumps can make some women feel a lot more comfortable and better, even if the lumps were benign and not a danger to them at all. All it requires is for you to make a decision today itself. If your will is undermined due to outward pressures on having benign lumps remove, always go for a second opinion without inhibitions. If you do not want the benign lump removed, forget about it, and stop worrying because of it, because it will never turn into a cancerous cell or be noticed by people.
It can make some women feel better to have any lumps removed regardless if they are cancerous or not. It is not something you have to do each and every time, but the decision is yours to make. If you are being pressured to have any benign lumps removed, it is ok to get a second opinion. If they do not have to be removed then one should just leave them there, they can’t turn into something dangerous and no one will notice them.
Natural Pain Relief Techniques
There is a reason we have pain and that is to stop us from injuring ourselves further as the pain will normally stop us from doing any more damage. Pain can come from any type of injury, illness or condition but it is then our job to locate where the pain is originating from to stop it. However, there are occasions where even though we know where the pain is coming from we have trouble stopping it.
This is called ‘chronic’ pain and is distinguishable from ‘acute’ pain by its persistence and common examples of chronic pain include backaches, migraine headaches, and arthritis. Untold millions of people suffer from chronic pain and despite medicines best efforts there is no way currently to eliminate or prevent the cause of it. Often the cause of chronic pain is actually cured but the nerves still believe the condition is still present and the pain will often become the condition itself.
The most popular treatment for chronic pain are prescription medications, but these often have adverse side effects ranging from nausea to fatigue, and can cease to be effective once a patient builds a tolerance; many people are now looking towards natural pain relief methods. One very old practice providing natural pain relief is acupuncture which many people who suffer with chronic illness tend to favor. This method of pain relief has been used successfully in China and the East for many thousands of years.
Patients claim acupuncture has proven effective in treating ailments such as neck pain, migraine headaches, arthritic pain, and even depression. Herbal remedies are another time-tested alternative to conventional therapies, providing natural pain relief to sufferers without many of the unwanted side effects of conventional medicines. For the reduction in arthritic pain, Emu oil can be used and people with scarring pain can try vitamin E; these are just two natural pain relief remedies of the many available.
Some people do not like using these herbal remedies, not because they do not provide enough relief but because they take longer to work; the plus side is that nothing synthetic is entering the system that can harm it. The best way to avoid the need for any type of natural pain relief is to look after your health and avoid substances that create problems like processed foods, foods with high salt and fat content, and eat more fruit and vegetables. People often underestimate the need for proper sleep and disregard any advice on regular exercise like walking and refraining from using the elevator to use the stairs, both of which are good for the hear
Benefits of Alternative Health Treatments
Alternative health therapy is often used instead of conventional treatment. Integrated therapies use a combination of either alternative or complementary therapies with normal medical treatment, for the practice of which a high level of expertise is required. Alternative therapies make available services which are not offered in conventional medicine. Some of the alternative therapies include: herbal medicine, folk medicine, and homeopathy, diet fads, new age healing, faith healing, naturopathy, chiropractic, and music therapy even though this isn’t an exhaustive list. Alternative therapies very often promise cure or help in areas where conventional treatment might not wish to do so.
You can gain a sense of control over your health through alternative health therapies that improves general quality of life by making you feel better about yourself. Reducing and eliminating tension, stress, anxiety, depression and sleeplessness, causes the person to feel a sense of well-being and relaxation. Alternative health therapies can help you to reduce all of the symptoms that are associated with cancer, like feeling sick, pain, constipation, breathlessness, tiredness, diarrhea, and poor appetite along with moderating all of the side effects that are associated with the traditional treatment for cancer.
A combination of alternative health therapies and conventional medicine has been noticed to be very effective in alleviating pain, even when there is a serious condition. Some cancer support groups for example, offer these therapies for free or make a small charge and some hospitals and hospices provide as part of cancer care, alongside conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Many cancer patients currently use alternate therapy to manage and sustain themselves through the difficult cancer treatments. These therapies are very valuable in that they identify and support spiritual and emotional characteristics and physical features, but they should not be used as the only alternative line of treatment.
More than billion is spent by the Americans annually on vitamins and herbs which are alternative health products. The recent studies that were conducted by Phillips, Tindle, Eisenberg and Davis, reflected that there was roughly seventy two million adults within the United States that use alternative and complementary therapies. The studies conducted by Herman, Craig and Caspi in 2005 also show an out of pocket spend of about billion annually on these therapies.
However there is no specific alternative health therapy that is more effective than the other, you will only be able to determine which treatment would suit you and which one is effective only by the trial and error method. Individual therapies like massage, meditation, acupuncture, homeopathy, aromatherapy, hypnotherapy, reflexology and reiki are proved to be very helpful for some people in improving their life. Before you consider any of the alternative therapies that are available, it is always a very good idea to consult with your physician, it is also important that you double check that any treatment that you take in addition isn’t going to adversely affect any of the current treatment programs that you are on.
In case you are thinking of using any alternative health therapy along with your contemporary medication then you must talk to you doctor and find about the pros and cons that are related. Do not neglect any important aspects that need to be discussed. Before considering and deciding on this option, you should first check with your doctor on whether or not the treatment is available at your hospital or clinic. Many doctors are getting convinced that complementary medicine still has its own place in the society. They would also be able to recommend specific therapies and treatments which would suit. For many today, alternative therapies are helping them cope and manage the effects of conventional treatment by the reduction in the feeling of anxiety and feeling the return of a certain control of their own lives.
