Not Every Woman Diagnosed With Breast Cancer Loves Pink

I can take or leave the colour pink. Mostly before 2009 I ignored it. Red- yes; pink - no.

I have had dark hair from the day I was born and pink is just not flattering to me. I would much rather wear and surround myself with dark fuchsia which is a black-pink or violet which is a red-purple. There was very little pink in my life until 2009 when I was diagnosed with DCIS and suddenly kilos of Breast cancer pink was all around me.

I was in a panic state. This pink was bringing out all sorts of emotions in me and it was smothering me or so it felt to me. I could not escape it even when we went to New York for a holiday after my radiation treatment finished. We arrived there in the middle of their Breast Cancer awareness week. It just was not going to leave me alone until I had dealt with what pink meant to me; what I was afraid of about pink and what pink is here to teach me.

Over the last four years, pink and I are getting along a whole lot better. I do not have any pink clothing but I have one pink necklace that I am comfortable wearing. There are a few more pink items in my home where before there were none.

When the latest Breast Cancer magazine arrived, I finally sat down to write how I now feel about Breast cancer pink.

This pink colour speaks to me about being alive and proud to be me. It is not about being soft and invisible but me celebrating being a woman. It is a colour of balance - not too pale and not too dark. To feel comfortable with this pink in my life, I have had to throw out the urgent and add only what is really important to me. It is not a passive subdued pink. It is a lively pink.

This pink is also challenging. Breast cancer pink is pink en masse. Welcome to the sisterhood of women. It speaks community and letting others help me and this has been a real challenge for me. I am not alone. I had to embrace other women and let them help me rather than always being the responsible one that everyone else leaned on.

Finally, breasts are a team. In the beginning before my operation, I drew on the inspiration from another woman and named my breasts. One needed the help and the other was there to support her and me through it all. Breast cancer pink to me is now the colour of team women.

I am part of that team and maybe in the future I will feel comfortable enough to walk into a room full of pink. I am building up to it step by small step.

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Important Things To Know About Different Types Of Cancer Treatments

Cancer is one of the most dangerous diseases that can affect anyone. Thousands of people die every year due to cancer in different parts of the body. Irrespective of huge progression of medical science, this is a disease that is hardly detected at an earlier stage. As a result, the chances of survival and recovery are very rare. Though scientists are carrying out research in order to find effective cancer treatment, yet they have not been successful in finding out treatment solutions that can completely help in the recovery of the patient. Only the survival chances for few more years could be enhanced with the help of these different treatment solutions.

Facts Of Lung Cancer:

Among the different kinds of cancers prevalent in human beings, lung cancer contributes to the greatest rates of deaths in both men and women across the world. There are of course several factors that can lead to lung cancer, but it has often been found that cigarette cancer is largely responsible for this form of cancer. There are again two different types of cancers in the lung that requires different kinds of cancer treatments. One of these is lung cancer of the small cells, while the other one is lung cancers of the non-small cells.

Stage And Treatment:

A person might be detected with at different stage. The stage actually refers to the extent to which the cancer cells have spread into different areas of the lungs. Different tests are being conducted in accordance with the symptoms to recognize the stage of cancer, and on the basis of that the ideal lung cancer treatment is considered by the oncologist for the sufferer. Unfortunately, lung cancer is detected at a very advanced stage, due to which the chances of survival is also quite low or nil.

Different Forms Of Treatment:

The treatment offered to the patient can vary based on the condition of the patient and the severity of the condition. While surgery is often thought of as an ideal solution, often a combination of surgery and other therapies like chemotherapy and radiation therapy can help in increasing the survival chances. In the recent years, several experimental methods are also tried out on the patients, to check out if these conditions prove to be effective, at all. Therefore, in order to prevent cancer, it is very important to stop smoking at the earliest.

Cancer is one of the most dangerous diseases that can affect anyone. Thousands of people die every year due to cancer in different parts of the body. Irrespective of huge progression of medical science

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Breast Cancer Treatment Options to Consider

After you have been diagnosed, you will need to work with your physicians to come up with a breast cancer treatment plan that is right for you. The plan that will be put to use will be based upon the pathology report regarding your disease. The plan will consist of one or more specific options that are focused on zeroing in on cancerous cells in numerous ways. The therapy option will also minimize the risk that the disease will return.

The breast cancer treatment that is most fitting for you will be based upon your specific medical situation. The doctor will take into consideration your overall state of health and the decisions that you need to make. As you go through the process from your diagnosis to the various steps of the procedure, you may have to periodically re-evaluate the decisions that you are making or still need to make. Look for guidance from the medical team that is taking care of your health needs.

A successful breast cancer treatment is one that involves the removal of the disease or maintaining adequate control over it for an extended span of time, which is known as remission. Since this condition develops in the chest, it can be composed of a range of different types of cells, so getting rid of all of the cells will require not just one therapy plan but a variety of them.

The breast cancer treatment plan that the doctor feels is right for you may include a combination of means by which you can get better. Surgery may be performed as well as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and anti-estrogen therapy. The physician may also feel that it is in your best interests to use a targeted therapy such as Avastin, Herceptin, or Tykerb.

A great deal of thought must go into the design of a personal therapy strategy. The ideal plan is one that effectively fights against what caused the disease to develop, spread, and grow, affecting other healthy cells and tissues in the body.

What you need to be aware of, as a patient is that no disease is exactly the same. Everyone is different and unique in his or her own way. Also, different cells that are cancerous require different types of therapies. These are all things that you can discuss with your oncologist.

You physician or team of doctors will most likely recommend a specific sequence for treatment. The most common pathway that is taken generally starts with the surgical removal of the tumor or the entire chest and reconstruction. If chemotherapy is to be undertaken, it will follow the surgical procedure. After that, radiation therapy will be done. You may then be given a hormonal therapy, such as an aromatase inhibitor or tamoxifen. This will be prescribed for you if your disease is deemed to be hormone-receptor positive.

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The Good News About Breast Cancer Treatment

Have you ever wondered if there is any good news about breast cancer treatment? Through modern medical breakthroughs, this disease is growing more curable every day.

EARLIER DISCOVERY With state-of-the-art equipment and techniques, malicious cell structures are being discovered much earlier than ever before. This means they're smaller when found, and they haven't had a chance to metastasize or to spread destructively. They're getting less and less of a chance to affect lymph nodes, organs, and other parts of the body.

INCREASED EMPHASIS Trends today are on the increase for more and more screenings and regular yearly mammograms. This fact has greatly increased the effectiveness of breast cancer treatment as well as the survival rate.

The most crucial things a woman can do are to get an annual mammogram, a complete examination by a trained health professional, and perform monthly self-exams. The earlier a diagnosis can be made, the better chance there is for a cure.

DRUGS Scientific medication research has improved tremendously. Those who are at increased risk clearly have many more effective options. There are even several drugs that can "stave off" the disease in those who are at higher risk.

CURRENT CHANGES Breast cancer treatment has altered considerably over the last decade. No longer is a complete mastectomy considered to be the only way to control the disease. Thankfully, today's emphasis is on preservation and a simple technique called a lumpectomy may be all that's needed followed by a degree of radiation. State-of-the-art machines and radiation devices have improved so much over the years many organs and other parts of the body can be spared from damage while targeting only one part.

CHEMOTHERAPY Throughout the last years, chemotherapy has been much improved. There are better drugs and the combination usage of these drugs is more effective.

Specialists are able today to personalize breast cancer treatment on an individual basis by looking closely at certain genes in each person. The scrutiny of these genes will help the specialist to determine if the person would be best helped by the use of hormone therapy, chemotherapy, or no therapy. This is quite an advancement from years ago when every patient was treated alike.

THE FUTURE The future looks bright as increased advances are discovered. New technology will most likely be able to detect cells "as small as 1 to 2 mm" versus traditional technology, which can only detect in the 5 to 10 mm range.

There are new and improved genetic tests in the medical field. They'll be able to inform people who have a high risk of this disease in their genes whether they'll be at risk themselves.

The good news is that breast cancer treatment is better understood today than it has ever been before. With rapid discoveries through scientific research, more targeted therapy can be incorporated every day. The future is bright as advances are made to diagnose and treat.

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Emotional Symbols Related to Cancer, Mastectomy and Chemotherapy

Dying of cancer was far from my mind that day in 1987 when the surgeon told me that the tissue removed from my breast looked suspicious. He informed me that a modified radical mastectomy would be the only option if the lump in my breast was malignant.

Focusing on the possible loss of a breast, I entered the hospital. Following surgery my first question was, "Is it gone?" The loss of my breast triggered strong emotions. I was 46 years old, wife and mother of two sons, and worked as an elementary school counselor. The good thought was that I had six weeks sick leave to read all those unread books on shelves in my family room.

The day after surgery my internist told me the lump was malignant, and presented cancer statistics. He didn't think I would need further treatment. My focus continually reverted to my father's experience with cancer. He was in his 30's when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease. A course of X-ray treatment kept him in remission for 35 years - pretty amazing at that time.

The first symbol of my mastectomy came in the form of daffodils. They were given to me the day before I left the hospital.

"I didn't want the daffodils! I took them only to be polite.

Daffodils are supposed to be a cheerful ray, a yellow delicate creation.

I wanted to deny them a place in my hands as I left the hospital.

Why hadn't I given them to the old man in the room next to mine?

Why was I taking them home?

Why didn't I ask my husband to carry them?

"They loomed large as I sat in the wheelchair being pushed through the corridor. I considered dropping them in a wastebasket. Surely they were the label that conveyed the message that I had cancer. (--the reason being that the American Cancer Society had a daffodil sale every year.)

My anger told me to slam them to the floor to be crushed under the wheels as we moved through the halls.

At home they sat in a vase.

I hated looking at them and was glad when they died."

These strong feelings were foreign to me and I didn't talk about it with anyone. Two weeks after surgery I was informed that a six-month course of chemotherapy was highly recommended. My father's cancer returned in the form of Lymphoma. He had a year of chemotherapy and then he died. Maybe I would too. I was still recuperating from surgery. How much more could I take? Would I lose my hair? - so much to worry about.

"Planters, flowers and cards are bringing out the anger in me.

I don't want all these reminders of my condition. I don't want my condition.

(Later after mail delivery)

More cards.

"Planters, flowers and cards help me know I am not alone.

I suffer; I'm in pain; but enveloped by a cloud of love, I continue on this journey."

Chemotherapy was hard. It stole my energy and concentration. It threw me into early menopause, and hot flashes became a menace. Losing my hair was traumatic and raised deeper issues of identity and aging. My mother's hair was thinning.

THREE REFLECTIONS

"I look in the mirror. Who am I?

In the reflection I see a curly-headed blond.

Out into the world I go, feeling the wig around my head and wondering who notices.

I feign confidence - trying to forget.

"I look in the mirror. Who am I now?

In the reflection I see a thin-haired old woman. Into my world of pain I hide, aware of the hair loss, telling others it's like a baby's fine hair; trying to deny the real thoughts, the old woman thoughts.

"I look in the mirror. Who am I now?

In the reflection I see a cover-up. Feeling my head getting cold in the comfort of my home, I add a scarf that offers warmth and hides reality. A scarf. And yet, another symbol."

Every day I swallowed pills and every Friday I was given drugs by IV. Every reported pain was taken seriously and led to CT scans, X-rays, bone scans and MRI's. Recurring headaches worried me.

"Yesterday I believed I was dying - dying of brain cancer as I awaited the results of a CT scan because of headaches - headaches that for two months now come and go. I know someone who just died of brain cancer.

"Awaiting a diagnosis can seem an eternity. Do I plan for next week? Next month? or, is the future cancelled - or at least postponed. Do I fear dying or do I fear losing life - or the quality of life to which I am accustomed?

"Today the phone call came. CT scan normal. Cause of headaches unknown. Headaches now seem unimportant - cancer cells are not the cause.

"Will this fear of cancer continue forever? - a curse I relentlessly bear?"

Where was my faith in all this? My God would offer strength and comfort. Yet, my prayers were sluggish - few and far between - seemingly ineffective. Still, knowing I was in other's prayers carried me. When emotions swirled through my being, I wrote or used art as an outlet. Actually, it was through art that my subconscious found the God connections that brought me peace.

Quotations are from the book, Journey Unknown - Focusing on the Emotional Aspects of Cancer, Mastectomy and Chemotherapy Second Edition published 2012. The author of the book is me, the author of this article.

Three final thoughts:

1) Talk, but select your listeners carefully.

2) Ask for help, especially from family.

3) Deal with each aspect of the cancer journey in little bits. The whole is too overwhelming.

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