I have been thinking about some things lately and I am sorry, but I am going to have to get up on my soapbox for a bit.
This little thing called cancer is not such a little thing anymore.
I saw a statistic somewhere that said that 1 in 8 people will have some form of cancer in their lifetime. That is a very scary statistic.
85% of women who have breast cancer have no history of it in their family.
A lot of cancers are curable if found in the early stages- even at later stages like mine, there is so much more hope of surviving cancer. It is definitely not a death sentence like it used to be.
That said....here is what I am going to say to you.
Please take care of yourselves.
Get your mammograms, colonoscopies, blood pressure and cholesterol checks, PAP smears, prostate exams, etc.
Listen to your body and that "still, small voice" within you. If you feel uneasy about something that doesn't seem quite right- don't wait. Get it checked out.
Here is a link to the MayoClinic. They have a great tool that has you put in your gender and age and it tells you what tests you should be getting.
MayoClinic Health Screening
Now here is what I would like to insurance companies and doctors or anyone who has anything to do with that.
Let people get screened early if they choose.
Let's start spending some money on preventative measures instead of spending a ton more money on treatments after the fact.
It is still the recommendation for women who have no history of breast cancer to get their first mammogram at age 40.
Well guess what folks- if I hadn't found a lump- I would not be here for my 40th birthday. That is a very sobering thought.
If 85% of women who get breast cancer have no history of breast cancer then why are we making them wait until they turn 40 to have a mammogram?
I hope that your insurance company or doctors will not give you a problem if you request to be screened for something- whether you have a history or not.
One more thing- I am a big fan of the many non-profit organizations that do so many great things to raise money for cancer research. They have made great strides in the treatments and in helping people fight and win this battle.
I am all for finding a cure.
But let's put a little more of that money in finding the cause.
Why are we getting this cancer in the first place?
If we can find the cause(s)- maybe we won't need a cure.
Maybe we can catch it before it starts or change things in our lives so we can prevent it.
Now even with all of that said- I know that this cancer is part of the plan for me.
It is one of the many trials that I must face and overcome in my life.
It's no picnic- but I have learned and continue to learn so much from it.
*I have learned that I need to simplify my life- a lot.
*I should be spending more time with my kids and less time "getting my craft on" or doing one of the hundreds of other little things that I tend to fill my life with.
*It's okay to take naps- or even sit down for a few minutes and just do nothing.
*Playing a game with my kids is not wasting time- it's creating memories and letting them know that they are more important to me then my vinyl cutting machine or sewing machine.
So as much as I loathe and detest this cancer- this enemy that has made me alter my life for a year or more- I am thankful for the things that it has brought to my attention. I am thankful that it has given me an opportunity to be an advocate for people like me who are fighting to win their battles- with any disease. I am thankful that it has given me the opportunity to share my love for my Savior with so many more people than I ever could have imagined.
I still think I detest it more than I am thankful for it.
Chemo #7 tomorrow.
That means after tomorrow I will have 1 more and I will be able to say goodbye to chemo. That will be a very happy day, a day of celebration.
Hmm, I am going to have to get my "creative juices" flowing to come up with some celebratory activities for that day because you know I am going to be partying the whole day. :)
I saw a statistic somewhere that said that 1 in 8 people will have some form of cancer in their lifetime. That is a very scary statistic.
85% of women who have breast cancer have no history of it in their family.
A lot of cancers are curable if found in the early stages- even at later stages like mine, there is so much more hope of surviving cancer. It is definitely not a death sentence like it used to be.
That said....here is what I am going to say to you.
Please take care of yourselves.
Get your mammograms, colonoscopies, blood pressure and cholesterol checks, PAP smears, prostate exams, etc.
Listen to your body and that "still, small voice" within you. If you feel uneasy about something that doesn't seem quite right- don't wait. Get it checked out.
Here is a link to the MayoClinic. They have a great tool that has you put in your gender and age and it tells you what tests you should be getting.
MayoClinic Health Screening
Now here is what I would like to insurance companies and doctors or anyone who has anything to do with that.
Let people get screened early if they choose.
Let's start spending some money on preventative measures instead of spending a ton more money on treatments after the fact.
It is still the recommendation for women who have no history of breast cancer to get their first mammogram at age 40.
Well guess what folks- if I hadn't found a lump- I would not be here for my 40th birthday. That is a very sobering thought.
If 85% of women who get breast cancer have no history of breast cancer then why are we making them wait until they turn 40 to have a mammogram?
I hope that your insurance company or doctors will not give you a problem if you request to be screened for something- whether you have a history or not.
One more thing- I am a big fan of the many non-profit organizations that do so many great things to raise money for cancer research. They have made great strides in the treatments and in helping people fight and win this battle.
I am all for finding a cure.
But let's put a little more of that money in finding the cause.
Why are we getting this cancer in the first place?
If we can find the cause(s)- maybe we won't need a cure.
Maybe we can catch it before it starts or change things in our lives so we can prevent it.
Now even with all of that said- I know that this cancer is part of the plan for me.
It is one of the many trials that I must face and overcome in my life.
It's no picnic- but I have learned and continue to learn so much from it.
*I have learned that I need to simplify my life- a lot.
*I should be spending more time with my kids and less time "getting my craft on" or doing one of the hundreds of other little things that I tend to fill my life with.
*It's okay to take naps- or even sit down for a few minutes and just do nothing.
*Playing a game with my kids is not wasting time- it's creating memories and letting them know that they are more important to me then my vinyl cutting machine or sewing machine.
So as much as I loathe and detest this cancer- this enemy that has made me alter my life for a year or more- I am thankful for the things that it has brought to my attention. I am thankful that it has given me an opportunity to be an advocate for people like me who are fighting to win their battles- with any disease. I am thankful that it has given me the opportunity to share my love for my Savior with so many more people than I ever could have imagined.
I still think I detest it more than I am thankful for it.
Chemo #7 tomorrow.
That means after tomorrow I will have 1 more and I will be able to say goodbye to chemo. That will be a very happy day, a day of celebration.
Hmm, I am going to have to get my "creative juices" flowing to come up with some celebratory activities for that day because you know I am going to be partying the whole day. :)
Well said! I asked my doctor the same thing about why are we not screening for breast cancer earlier. I think that change needs to happen!
ReplyDeleteJust a note from someone who works in the "business". Please don't take this the wrong way...I absolutely agree with you that taking care of you body and doing all your preventative testing is soooo important! But the reason they can't screen for breast cancer much earlier than 40 is because a woman's breast tissue is too dense for a mammogram to pick up a lump, and ultrasounds don't show lumps very well, so that doesn't really work as an option either. Monthly self examinations are THE BEST tool for a younger woman to detect changes in her breasts. And you can actually start with a baseline mammogram at the age of 35 without getting too much flack from your insurance company or doctor or whatever. Again please don't think I am disagreeing with you, I just thought I'd share some of the knowledge I have gained working where I do. Thank you for sharing this journey with us. You have made us all better people just by knowing you and seeing your strength!
ReplyDeleteReading this made me think of writing and English classes in school, and how you really learned how to communicate and write beautifully! All our PV teachers would be giving you big A's! I have been so saddened and shocked by how many young friends of mine have been dealing with cancer. I hope and pray for a cure and that the cause can be found, too. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!
ReplyDeleteSteph-
ReplyDeleteCertainly did not take your comment the wrong way. Thank you for making those points! Self breast exams are essential and I should have included that in my rantings and ravings on the post. :)
I just want people to be informed and aware and they need to hear all sides of the issues to make an informed decision for themselves. So thank you again for your comment! I really appreciate you taking the time to respond with those great points!
Ladies---do your self breast exams!