TNBC Facts

Breast cancer. Other types of cancer. Do you know there are subtypes to nearly every major type of cancer? There are!

Below are infographics I discovered this morning via the TNBC Foundation Facebook feed I receive. I want to pass on the information that explains facts we know about BC and this particular subtype. (Which, incidentally, has 6-7 identified sub-subtypes, too...) The mystery is slowly unraveling in real time. Just wish it could happen at the speed of light rather than based on funding, politics, and myriad other variables.

Got questions about BC or TNBC? Please feel free to ask general and personal questions via comments on the blog. I'll do my best to respond and get answers if I don't know myself. Dialogue is important. Communication is key. Understanding is powerful.

At Long Last

Our long awaited, highly anticipated, much talked about trip is starting today and it feels . . . a little odd to both of us!

Early on during chemo treatments, Joshua and I started dreaming about what we were going to do / where we were going to go once all the treatments, surgeries, radiation, and recovery were over. Talking together about this trip throughout the past few years has been a light at the end of a long tunnel - for us both. It gave us something good to look forward to and focus on throughout some trying times.

So the time is nigh for us to get out and play!
Make memories!
Enjoy time with just the two of us.
Do only what we want to do.
We're ready.

Behold: the Power of Cayenne!

Joshua and I have done a lot of digging to find foods and spices/herbs with "superpowers" - that is, ones that do or may contain anti-cancer properties. One of the spices we've increased our use of is cayenne. - Muy caliente!

"In 2010 researchers from the UCLA School of Medicine studied breast cancer cells and found that capsaicin not only retarded their growth and arrested their ability to travel, but also increased the degree of apoptosis."

-Read more about Cayenne Pepper, Cancer & Tumors in this article on Livestrong's website.

Here are some other interesting links about cayenne pepper:

• University of Maryland Medical Center - uses include: pain relief, psoriasis, weight loss, and other uses
• Web MD - uses and effectiveness for a variety of symptoms
• Livestrong - cayenne pepper health effects, benefits (along w/side effects & interactions), benefits of cayenne pepper pills  
• Health Freedom Resources - a link to their cayenne concentrate dropper bottle, which also has information about cayenne pepper + its uses
• Wikipedia article - all about cayenne peppers

You CAN just use plain ol' cayenne pepper.
- or -
If you're a spice aficionado, try this product!
Joshua puts 1-2 drops on nearly everything
except ice cream!
It boasts "100 times hotter than jalapenos" and
"Scoville rating: 500,000" on the bottle.
It even ate through one medicine dropper top.
YIKES!

Joshua has trained his system to tolerate more peppers and hot, spicy stuff than I can handle, so he usually adds and extra dose to his servings. See the picture to the right for how he doses his food with extra capsaicin.

We do not think cayenne (nor capsaicin, the ingredient in cayenne that makes it hot) is a cancer 'treatment.' Yet we are aware that capsaicin demonstrates the ability to inhibit the growth of cancer cells; research suggests that the compound promotes apoptosis -- the death of cancer cells. 

We don't have any contraindications to using it, so why not give it a try? 

- - - - - - - - - -

For the people that like to know more about everything, here's an informative article about the Scoville scale - used to measure the pungency of chili peppers!

It Takes a Village

THANK YOU: 

family, friends, workmates, co-survivors, acquaintances, neighbors, survivors, blurkers, and others - for reading the Ta-Ta Times blog posts, leaving uplifting and humorous comments, supporting, praying, hoping, and believing.

While I personally know many individuals that have assisted us in this breast cancer journey, I am sure there are many more out there I do not know. I appreciate all of you! Your prayers, cards, thoughts, communication with my family, pick-me-up gifts, laughter, tears, girl dates, check-ins, and everything else have been a major well of support upon which to draw during "low" times.

I want to express my heartfelt thanks - which in some ways, I'm sure, is overdue.

I'd be a big, fat liar if I said there weren't dark times looming in my own head about breast cancer since my diagnosis. All your help when going through treatment and surgeries allowed me to focus on my job at hand: to get through it step-by-step. That was a full time job that sometimes took every bit of what I had in me...and then some. Your meals, help with snowblowing, uplifting emails and cards, and so many other "love exchanges" helped me and my co-survivors navigate through our bumpy roller-coaster ride. We had people to lean on. We had lovely surprises that made life easier for us. Thank you.

I'm in awe at the outpouring of support we received. And at times felt unworthy and uncomfortable accepting your support. However, I soon realized we wouldn't have been as capable of dealing with each day without accepting help graciously, which we learned to do. I lost track of the ways people helped, and the list of thank yous, and I've learned to know that is okay. I needed to just accept help - and I did. And I allowed myself to have a free pass at sending individualized thank yous. Sometimes it's best to help others and not expect anything in return; it's also at times best to accept help and know that it's okay to not have to give back what you've been given in spades. Wow - what a concept!


So this is my little love letter to all of those that supported me and us in our time of need. What a gift you've been! Did you know how much your acts of thoughtfulness meant to us? Please let this shed some light on that fact. Our blessings did not go unnoticed. We took note, we are thankful, and we are doing our best to help others in ways we've learned were most helpful to us. I praise you for reaching out of your comfort zone and helping make a difference in our lives.

It took a village...

...and I realize more than ever that our village is vast, steadfast, and full of sparkle. 

Mantras: post-traumatic stress

It's short and it's simple:

"I survived."

and:

"I'm still here."

Empathy

Empathy. The world needs more of it.

Please watch the video below (4min 25sec).

Medical ID/Lymphedema Alert Bracelet Update

Time for another personal BC-related update. The summer is flying by way too fast, yet I'm enjoying going and doing - something I haven't been really able to do the two summers previous. More on that later - possibly. :)

I'd like to bring attention to medical ID bracelets again.

About this time last year, I blogged about my first medical bracelet. It was a good friend - while it lasted. During my trip to Boerne, TX this year, it spontaneously flew off my wrist in several pieces (completely unprovoked, I might add!) and broke in a way that I could not repair. See what happened:

I have its bits and pieces & hope to have it repaired.
Still, a major bummer.

Luckily, I brought a second medical ID bracelet with me. It is more rugged and I purchased this one to take with me while participating in "sporty" things (hiking, biking, anything needing sunscreen application, and other dirty-making activities).

I think this bracelet has a smart design: adjustable and easy-to-use Velcro, durable materials that can stand up to a beating, waterproof, machine washable, and a handy-dandy inside pocket for customized and important medical information.

This bracelet from Amazon came with
2 foldable (and waterproof) ID cards.
It holds important customized medical information
about me in case I'm incapacitated and
need medical attention.

This lightweight, durable medical bracelet really saved me on my trip! Not having a medical alert bracelet makes me anxious - the peace of mind it gives me is powerful. And it is so important that medical personnel know to not poke me with needles nor take my blood pressure on my right arm! What a mess that could easily lead to...

While the above bracelet came to my rescue, I did prefer to have something a little less "sporty" for everyday use (something I can wear with normal clothes and when I dress up). That led me to start searching for a durable metal bracelet that could (hopefully) stand the test of time. I settled on the one shown below - and truly hope this one lasts for years and years. I chose to have it engraved with my specific medical information, too. (After all, what good does having a medical alert bracelet without information in/on it do if you aren't able to think clearly or speak to those trying to help you?!)

FYI and a tip for others:  When wearing a medical bracelet, I think it's a good choice to let that be the only bracelet on your arm. Some medical bracelets out there look like charm bracelets and hide the important "medical alert" well. To me, that seems to totally defeat the purpose of having it in the first place. While this is a lower-profile bracelet, it has the medical symbol on it + special instructions and it is the only thing I wear on my right arm (besides ye olde lovely lymphedema sleeve / glove / gauntlet when needed), so I think there's a greater possibility of someone noticing it if ever I'm in that situation.

It's also a great reminder to myself! On one of my follow-ups at the oncologist's office last year, I started hollering like a crazy cat lady when the blood pressure machine began pumping on my right arm - I had totally forgotten about my limitation. I freaked out the nurse tech (and myself), but she stopped the machine promptly and all was well.  That was when I knew I needed a visual reminder - for others as well as for myself - and it prompted me to get my first bracelet.

Think about it - it could save you and others from a lot of pain and agony.

BC Infographic

I'd like to share an informative infographic with you all. There will probably come a time another woman (or women) I know will be diagnosed, although I hope that I won't know many that do. It's a club that you don't want to be a part of, but boy is it uplifting to meet others that have "been there, done that" and "get" what this experience is all about.

Please pass on this information to anyone you know that could benefit from: knowing the facts, checking their breasts (male and female!!), or not feeling alone in their journey.

There's definitely a part of me that wants to know more about this disease. Like what specifically causes it? What are surefire ways of stopping its growth? When will there be a cure? So many questions...hopefully time and bonafide research will elicit answers.

source: http://www.onlinenursingprograms.com/code-pink/

'Tis the Season...

...for SUNSCREEN!

Boy, have I had [more than] my fair share of bad sunburns:

 Sunburn acquired while honeymooning.
Hawai'i, 2004

Now that most of us have emerged from our dwellings to enjoy summer sunshine, it's time to apply sunscreen. Did you know all sunscreens aren't created equally? It's true.

Waaaaay back in the early stages of my cancer treatments, I watched a documentary that spoke to me: Crazy Sexy Cancer. It's based on Kris Carr's own battle with cancer - stage IV cancer found in her liver and lungs in 2002. While I didn't/don't subscribe 100% to all of her recommendations, the documentary was jam-packed with information. I took what spoke to me and incorporated it into my own life. I now have the same approach with her email 'digest' I receive once weekly.

In early June, the focus was on sunscreens. While I knew some sunscreens contained freaky toxins, I wasn't sure quite what to do about it, who to trust, and what to spend my money on. This article helped me. In case you don't want to read the full article, here are some excerpts and tips to help point you dear blog readers in a different direction when making choices about that next bottle of sunscreen. After all, we do vote with our money!

To begin with, look for these 'red flags' when reading sunscreen ingredients:
• What: Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate or “retinol”).
Why: Linked to increased cancer cell growth.

• What: Oxybenzone.
Why: Hormone disrupter—experts caution against using it on children.

• What: Powder or spray mineral-based sunscreens (usually on ingredient label as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide).
Why: These ingredients are typically safe in lotion form, but can cause internal damage if inhaled.


Have you heard of the Environmental Working Group (EWG)?

EWG is an American environmental organization that specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of toxic chemicals, agricultural subsidies, public lands, and corporate accountability.

Stephanie, a BC friend of mine, introduced me to this organization sometime this May/June. Since then, I've used their databases to look up products we had at home that I thought were safe (many weren't!) as well as ones I've considered buying - this organization's work has helped me make more informed and clear decisions when purchasing cosmetics, sunscreens, produce...the list goes on.

To help you on your quest, here are some of EWG’s top-rated sun care products in the sunscreen category - for adults and kids:

• Aubrey Organics Natural Sun Sunscreen, Green Tea, SPF 30+
• Aubrey Organics Natural Sun Sport Stick Sunscreen, SPF 30+
• Badger Baby Sunscreen Cream, SPF 30
• Green Screen D Organic Sunscreen, Original, SPF 35
• Kiss My Face Natural Mineral Sunscreen with Hydresia, SPF 40
• Releve’ Organic Skincare by Emerald Essentials Sun-Lite Sunscreen, SPF 20
• Seventh Generation Wee Generation Baby Sunscreen, SPF 30

"There's an app for that!"

Yes, it's true. There are two apps available for the iphone (one for the iPad) created by the EWG. They are working on others. 

The Dirty Dozen: a list of foods with the highest pesticide residue (also complimented by the 'Clean 15' - a list of foods with the lowest pesticide residue).

EWG Sunscreen Buyer's Guide: Isn't it self-explanatory? I think so.

Now that I'm armed with strong and broad UV protection with few safety concerns, it's time to get out and enjoy some more of that Colorado sunshine!

Mantra: calm the mind

First, note whether you are feeling calm or angry, content or agitated, without desire or filled with desire.

May I accept that things do not always go as I would imagine.

...become aware of your state of mind...

May I accept that things do not always go as I would imagine.

May I accept that my hard time will certainly pass.

May I find a practice that helps me to know.

May I find the stillness. 

May I find the quiet.

May I find the resolve.

May I find the peace that helps dispel the suffering.