What is Cancer?

Many people know of cancer but many do not know what cancer really is. Hopefully this will help clear some of the questions up for you. Cancer forms when abnormal cells grow. Abnormal cells are formed when the DNA in the cell becomes damaged. The damage to the cells can be damaged due to genetic reasons; environmental influences, smoking and many other not clear reasons. . These abnormal cells turn into cancer cells they grow and create more abnormal cells and the abnormal cells can invade tissue and organs. The reason for the abnormal cells cannot be determined this part … Continue reading →

A Case of What Ifs

When you finish cancer treatment people will think that the worrying stops and that it was a page from a book that is closed. The reality is much different than everyone’s perception. The fact is that the fear never goes away. The possibility that the cancer can be somewhere in your body is just too scary to ignore. I have a friend from high school who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer a few years before I was. She had a recurrence a few years later and has now been cancer free for about 5 or 6 … Continue reading →

Boys and Anorexia

Anorexia is typically seen as a girls’ disorder, and this can have fatal results for boys whose disease often goes undiscovered too long, as parents, friends and loved ones don’t recognize the signs until the disorder has a firm hold on its sufferer, often with fatal results. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, there are at least one million males in the United States that are fighting anorexia or bulimia. Some affected by these psychological illnesses are as young as ten years old. These numbers are probably lower than the reality. There is more of a shame when a … Continue reading →

Cancer Again?

When you are a cancer survivor or if someone you love is you know the worries never really go away. The worries may lessen or find a new place in your mind but they never go away. Today I am going to tell you something personal; shocking I know; well it is not about me it’s my husband. As I have shared before in 2004 my husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer. This week my husband mentioned that his remaining one was feeling a bit tender. Now of course my first thought was crud not cancer again. My mind automatically … Continue reading →

Kidney Check Up

My husband had a doctor’s appointment today with his nephrologist (kidney doctor)t\o follow up on his kidney disease. Today we will get the results of his latest blood test that will check his kidney function. The results are in our diet changes has definitely helped his creatine levels have gone down and they are estimating his one remaining kidney is functioning about 60 percent. Considering it was originally designed to only work 50 percent 60 is great. His high blood pressure is definitely under control 115/65! The doctor is a bit concerned with some swelling in his legs so they … Continue reading →

Hearts Out to Michelle Beausoleil

Well today I want to talk about a wonderful thing that my high school graduating class is doing for one of our own. As I have mentioned in previous entries we have a high number of cancer in our city and in our graduating class. For women under the age of 40 breast cancer is supposed to be a rare occurrence yet in our class has a very high occurrence rate. The graduating class of Woonsocket Senior High Class of 1988 is rallying to help one of our own. Right now a 41 year old class mate Michelle is in … Continue reading →

When a Friend Has Cancer

I found out not long ago one of my oldest friends has cancer. I don’t mean to imply that we are terribly close by saying “oldest friends.” I’ve known him since I was 9. He is two years older than me, the older brother of a friend with whom I took piano lessons. However, he and I had reconnected through Facebook a couple of years ago. We had a shared memory of taking judo lessons together. He was still participating in judo. I gave it up at age 14 when it suddenly became legal to choke me during a tournament. … Continue reading →

Paula Deen Comes Clean

Hey Y’all, I got diabetes. Can you just hear that spoken in Paula Deen’s southern accent? Well, that may not be exactly how she released the news, but it’s true – one of America’s favorite chefs has Type II diabetes. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. If you’ve ever seen a Paula Deen show, read one of her recipes, or even eaten a Paula Deen recipe someone’s cooked, you know they are so good because they are so bad. Her Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies recipe contains a stick of butter. Her Cheese on the Cob is corn … Continue reading →

What To Tell

I have a dilemma and I am not sure what to do. My friend just found out that one of her oldest friend’s husband has stage 3 prostate cancer which has metastasized to his bladder. The gentleman is in his 70’s and he does not want to do treatment if it is not going to make a huge difference in his survival time. She called to ask me how rough the chemo therapy and radiation therapy is. Now I was brutally honest with her. I explained that when my husband had his abdomen radiated for testicular cancer (generally the same … Continue reading →

Am I Being TOO Motherly?

My husband’s kidney disease is wearing on him. He is always mentioning how he is going to have to go on dialysis if it fails. I think he is more worried about that than he was with his cancer. Now I understand the idea of dialysis or kidney transplant are scary, believe me I get it. If you have never checked out my cancer blog I can tell you that what a doctor says to you sticks with you and causes a lot of stress. In my case when my oncologist met me for the first time and said he … Continue reading →