ANOTHER SYMPTOM for GCT

This morning I was introduced to a U.S. website with a good array of information on all forms of women's cancer. When reading the details on stromal cell cancers (my GCT falls under this category), I was intrigued to see that 'new onset acne' was listed as one of the top three symptoms!

This is the first website that has provided confirmation that the breakouts that always seems to be present - not only on my face, but also on my arms and legs - during a recurrence of GCT is actually a symptom. Who would have thought that acne would be a sign that cancer had returned? 

Now that I see the symptom confirmed, I guess it's time to make an adjustment to my own symptom list!! 

Until next time .......

~ B-Optimistic ~

NEW BRUNSWICK BIOSCIENCE FIRM ON CUSP OF CANCER BREAKTHROUGH

I have seen "New Brunswick + Science Breakthrough + Cancer" in a lot of stories over the past couple of years. In this story a team of scientists, headed by Dr. Jack Stewart and working out of his lab in Sackville, N.B., have discovered cancer fighting potential in the venom of the lowly shrew.

And once again it appears that our little province has extremely "shrewd" scientists working diligently to develop new and highly effective treatments for cancer. Let's hope the clinical trials prove their theories right!

Read how the study came about here.

Until next time .......
~ BOptimistic ~

A "PERKS OF CANCER" BLOG

I just happened upon this blog entitled "The Perks of Having Cancer" and thought I would share. This lady has been blogging about the good things she has discovered since being diagnosed with cancer and has been documenting them since October 2011, actually reaching 100 perks on June 25th!!


Florence calls herself a "Breast Cancer Warrior", a great term for describing her battle against breast cancer. Check out her story. It might just motivate you to start your own list of perks!


Until next time ........
~ BOptimistic ~

DaVinci Robotic Surgery

I was just checking out the profile on a fellow GCT survivor and noted that the DaVinci Robotic surgical technique was used for her 3rd surgery. She said she was back to work in 3 weeks! Impressive!

Have You Had Your Laugh Today?

Laughter truly is the best medicine. But do you know why?

Have You Had Your Laugh Quota Today?

Laughter truly is the best medicine. But do you know why?

This "How Stuff Works" provides the ins and outs of why this is so.

Two Hundred Years of Cancer Research

An article by Vincent T. DeVita, Jr., M.D., and Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D. in the New England Journal of Medicine

This article provides a great overview of the advancements made in cancer research and procedures over the past 200 years.

Having had Ovarian Cancer, this paragraph really got my attention and made me stand up and pay attention:

"In the treatment of cancer, surgery was the first tool available. In 1809, Ephraim McDowell removed an ovarian tumor without the use of anesthesia, the first abdominal surgery performed in the United States, and provided evidence that tumor masses could be cured by surgery."

I have only one thing to say. OUCH!!

Until next time ......

~ BOptimistic ~

Ovarian Cancer Links

Have you been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer? I just discovered two wonderful links that might be just what the doctor would order -

https://www.inspire.com/ lets you connect with others who have been diagnosed with Ovarian cancer
AND
http://www.ovariancancer.org/ contains multiple resources (including a link where you can track your symptoms)

Check them out to see if they are what you are looking for!!

Connecting with Others Affected by Cancer

Here is a great resoource for anyone affected by cancer - either directly or indirectly. It was extremely helpful to me when I was diagnosed 10 years ago. Connecting directly with other individuals who are going through the same type of cancer is very therapeutic and educational. Check it out. And most importantly of all, share the link!  http://www.cancercompass.com/

Four Year Anniversary

The 4-year anniversary of my last cancer surgery is coming up next week - so far, so good.  I was reading through my journal from that time in my life and it is really surprising what I had forgotten!

I had a good chuckle when I read this section: “I remember feeling very confident when I awoke from the anesthesia this time. I can't describe it any other way, but it was a very palpable feeling. Even before asking whether I required a colostomy, which seems to be my first response when they wake me up, I felt good - no nausea at all. For some reason I don't remember coming back upstairs to my room. I do, however, remember that every time I opened my eyes, Willie, Bob & Jeff had their chairs circling the bottom of the bed and all were staring at me as if they were waiting for me to breathe or something. Talk about make someone paranoid!! haha I sent them all home at a decent time tonight. I imagine they are tired from the day and I am doing fine.”

I also wrote about the other special people I met during this journey – a lovely but lonely lady from PEI whose son was her only relative and he wasn’t arriving until the next day, the 72 year old who had brain cancer and was facing radiation for the umpteenth time but still had a whole lot of spunk left in her, the 60+ year old gentleman who had throat cancer and had been given 5 months to live if he didn’t have treatment. He decided to try the radiation but had to live at the hospital for the entire month because he had no family - his wife had just been admitted to a local psychiatric hospital. I looked forward to our chats in the TV room. 

And then there was Barb from Sussex (it really is a small world) who arrived a couple of days before I left. Barb and I had a lot of time to sit and talk between family visits. We even shared email addresses and kept in touch for several months afterwards. The last message I received from her was not a good one - her cancer had returned quickly - and severely - and she was leaving that afternoon for Saint John to undergo intensive treatments. I never heard from her again.

I spent a week in hospital. A lot happens; a lot changes, a lot is forgotten. But I can guaranteed that these wonderful people who touched my heart will be with me forever. As I write this, I see their faces. And I wonder.

Until next time ......

BOptimistic!! :-) 

Ovarian Cancer Canada News

Ovarian Cancer Canada names Dr. David Huntsman for inaugural research award. 

Cancer Research: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Dr. Anil Potti, a researcher from Duke University, has voluntarily resigned nearly a year after the university began looking into the possibility that he may have 'padded' his resume, an accusation that appears to have some merit.

However, this is not the most devastating factor in this story. It also appears that the research completed in 2006 by the doctor and his collaborator, Dr. Joe Nevins - who is also the Director of the Center for Applied Genomics at Duke - was faulty. The findings have left cancer patients who participated in clinical trials based on this research wondering what happens now.


The Chronicle provides an insight into the magnitude and potential ripple effect of the flawed research completed by the two researchers: "The paper, titled “Genomic signatures to guide the use of chemotherapeutics,” was published in the journal Nature Medicine in October 2006. The paper seemed to help answer long-standing questions in oncology concerning how doctors should choose cancer treatments for their patients. It has since been cited by 334 other articles, according to Google Scholar."


The first inkling that something was not right with the research came to light in 2007 when three University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center biostatisticians found that the findings could not be replicated. Keith Baggerly and Kevin Coombes, biostatisticians at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, spent 1500 hours reviewing the findings of Dr. Anil Potti's and Dr. Joe Nevins' research and published their report in the November 2009 issue of the Annals of Applied Statistics recommending that all trials based on this research should be halted. Three clinical trials were officially - and finally - halted earlier this month (Feb 2012).

The paper has already been formally retracted by a leading cancer publication, The Journal of Clinical Oncology, and all research in which this paper has been cited is being reviewed.

It seems that all of the news on cancer research lately has been negative. But, as cancer survivors, all we can hope is that this example is an exception to the rule ... that the majority of the research is being checked and rechecked for flaws before the clinical trials commence. After all, it is not only us, but future generations, that are counting on these researchers to ensure that what they have 'discovered' is sound information based on their ability to cross all of their "t's" and dot all of their "i's". Someday their lives could be dependent on that reassurance too.

Based on information from:
The Herald-Sun
Science Blogs' Cancer Letter
Duke Chronicle

Until next time ......
~B-Optimistic~

Would you Want to Know Everything?

Would you want to know all of the details of your cancer prognosis ..... every little detail, no matter how devastating? According to this article, that might not be what you get from your doctor.

My gynecologist/surgeon was very forthcoming with every detail of my condition, both before and after my first surgery. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. By knowing all the details, I was able to educate myself and, hopefully, ask better questions the second and third time I went under the knife. 

Would I want to know if I had only months to live? You betcha. Because I would make the most of every last minute that I had remaining. Gory? I don't think so. It's the real deal. We're all going to go sometime. 

Tim McGraw says it best ...... Live Like you were Dying

Until next time .......

~B-Optimistic~

Focus Switched for Ovarian Cancer Research

“Put bluntly, we had the name wrong, the staging wrong, and the diagnostic testing wrong. It is no wonder we have lost so many lives to this disease.” (Dr. Lucy Gilbert, director of gynecologic oncology at the McGill University Health Centre)


Read the entire article here ......
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/02/09/ovarian-cancer-fallopian-tubes.html?cmp=rss


Another quote from this article brings better news ...... "Based on the four-year research project called the Diagnosing Ovarian Cancer Early (DOvE) study, the McGill centre is opening 12 satellite clinics in Montreal to make it easier for women who are experiencing symptoms to get tested."

On a personal note, I realize that there is nothing that can be done for mistakes of the past, but going forward, let's hope that this present theory is correct and that more lives will be saved. (Note: nothing in the article indicates that anyone can be referred to the clinic or just women in Quebec. I would assume, however, that the facility will be open to anyone with a doctor's referral).


Until next time .......
~B-Optimistic~

OVARIAN CANCER SYMPTOMS

Pay attention to these symptoms because they could be the heralding signs of ovarian cancer!


I personally had ALL of these symptoms ..... and neither a pap test, pelvic exam, or ultrasound found the tumour. It took a CT Scan to discover my cancer.


It will be 10 years this spring since I was first diagnosed and I thank Dr. Robert Thompson, my family doctor, for recognizing the need to delve further into the symptoms. A gynecologist, an intern, and 2 surgeons examined me and did not recognize them. 


It's up to you to be aware .... keep a journal of changes that your body is going through and list any symptoms that are not usual. Above all, be informed!!! And if you have a combination any of these symptoms for more than two weeks, see your doctor. Don't hesitate to demand that he/she sends you for a Scan. Hopefully it will be nothing.

Update - Three cancer treatment drugs may have potentially fatal side effects

Read this for more information. This warning was posted on the GCT Facebook page and it appears that these drugs might be considered by some doctors for the treatment GCT. Be aware and be informed!

An Uneventful Year – Gotta Luv it!!

I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I posted in my blog. Time to remedy that!!

For the record, my cancer remains at bay – no symptoms to indicate that it has returned and I am praying that it stays that way for many, many years.

I’m still struggling with my efforts to change my eating habits and lose weight – not an easy feat when faced with an addiction to sweets that has plagued me since I was young. It’s on my mind every day. Each morning I wake up full of ambition and motivation; by early afternoon I have given in to the temptations of sugars and the carbs that bring on the cravings.

I know that low carb is the way to go for me. I know because it has worked. I have never felt better than when potatoes and breads have been eliminated from my diet - more energy, better skin, no sugar cravings, and more! It’s time I get my act together. I have too many things on my Bucket List to accomplish, but I need the energy to get them done!!

“The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd druther not.” ~Mark Twain

I hear ya Mark! But I think I can find a way to keep my health and enjoy it too!

Stay tuned and remember to .....

~ B-Optimistic! ~

The King's Speech

We went to see "The King's Speech" tonight. I was extremely impressed with the performances of the three main characters in this movie - Colin Firth, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Geoffrey Rush - and although I was always a huge fan of Firth, he has now moved to the top of my list!!

What a wonderful mood-boosting movie! I'd give it a 5 out of 5 on the feel good meter! Definitely a must-see!

Until next time .......

~ BOptimistic ~

Sunny Days Ahead .....

I feel wonderful today – healthy, happy, & content ......

I am at a familiar stage, felt only once before, and a few years after my first bout with cancer. I realized this morning that my head is clear of thoughts of the disease and that I can once again picture my life without it. Call it denial, call it naivety, call it whatever ... it is an amazing feeling. I am not concerned that aches and pains might be the sign of a return of the disease and I have a wonderful feeling of plain old lust for life. It appears the black cloud that followed me all fall has finally dissipated! Yahoo!

I am also pleased to report that although I miss my buddy, that feeling has also eased. Perhaps the feelings are related? Perhaps it is a coincidence? I have no plans to ponder why ......

I am starting to think that 2011 might be the year that I will move on with my life, follow my dreams, and begin many new adventures! Hmmmm .... wonder what is in store? Stay tuned .....

Until next time .....
~ BOptimistic! ~

Reflecting ......

It’s hard to believe that a year ago I was waiting for results of a CT Scan and expecting to be told that my GCT had returned. I will always remember the elation of getting the phone call from my Gynaecologist telling me that the scan was clear. That was definitely the best Christmas gift ever.

I am still feeling wonderful (knock on wood as I don’t want to curse it) and looking forward to spending Christmas with our sons and two boisterous grandchildren. The year has gone by so quickly! My wonderful Mom always said that as I got older, the time would fly by faster every year. She was so right! And I am only 53..... I can’t imagine what it will be like in 20 years!

But for the record, things weren’t exactly perfect. I had a rough fall psychologically with no discernable explanation at the time for the emotional roller coaster I was on. Health wise, everything seemed to be fine. But as I come out of that ‘doom and gloom’ fog I was in, there seems to be one dominant thought factor. I am still missing the companionship of a canine friend, even more so now than last year at this time. I thought that, after nearly 2 years, I would have gotten used to not having a four-legged, hair shedding, pesty little critter around, but guess that is not to be. I have had a pet for way too many years and I think this is the longest that I have gone without.

I am hoping that this urge will pass. I have no immediate plans to run out and find a replacement, mainly because I can’t imagine as strong a bond with another animal as I had with Rocky. But also because my husband and I have plans to travel and a dog would definitely tie us down. So I will persevere.... Wish me luck!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!
And until next time ........
~ BOptimistic! ~