Health Leader - Mary's IBC Survival Guide

Mary's IBC Survival Guide

Before diagnosis: if it's on the breast, go see your doctor and then don't be embarrassed to seek a second opinion. My own doctors scheduled me for my second opinion and it was the smartest thing I did.
After diagnosis: beyond baseline information, avoid the Internet. I was an addict. The minute the family went to bed, I was surfing the Net, looking for good outcomes. All I found were stories by widowers who had lost their wives. Not a single survivor wrote in. I became hopeless. When I asked my doctors why no survivors logged on to these sites, they said because survivors are out living their lives!
Don’t let treatment scare you into doing nothing. My medications to manage side effects were outstanding. I never vomited. When I grew tired, I rested. But, I lived my life and surrounded myself with the people I loved.
On hair: I have terrible hair. Thin, colorless. I never thought I’d miss it that much. I was more interested in not dying. But, a friend of mine collected a bit in a bottle when it began to fall out. I held that little bottle in my hand every day of my treatments. It got me through the rough patches.
On body hair: Loss of all the other hair took awhile. You forget about that. Then one day, you look in the mirror and you have no eyebrows or pubic hair. For some reason, that was harder for me than anything. Remember, it will grow back.
On wigs: I went for the expensive natural-hair wig that was styled and created to look exactly like my own hair. What I didn’t realize was that everything else would change, too: skin tone, eye lashes. I found that it made me look sicker. I ditched it for the cheap wig and wore it every day.
Freedom of speech: nope. You actually become more protective of those around you, downplaying your illness and trying to keep loved ones hopeful. So, you need to find a place and a person you can vent to. For me, it was my husband at Burger King. It became our secret place where we could say anything.
On faith: I found faith that I didn’t know I had. I also found (as a Catholic) that the rosary was of great comfort to me. When my mind was going in a million directions at once, the simple ritual of working the rosary in my hands stabilized me. Find something you can hold and draw meaning from. It’s powerful.
Educate your doctors: many cases of IBC are missed because it appears first as a dermatological problem or soft tissue infection. Since it is a rarer form of cancer, there’s a high possibility that most doctors, other than oncologists, have never even seen a case of it. But, also remember, a breast can have a simple infection. Don’t panic, just get a second opinion.
Number One piece of advice: if you find yourself in cancer treatment, read Harry Potter, the whole series. You’ll laugh till you cry and find meaning in these wonderful books. If possible, read them with someone you love, out loud.

UPDATED: 10-18-2006

Health Tip:

Food Irradiation
and Safety

On August 22, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a final rule that allows the use of irradiation to make fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach safer and last longer without spoiling.

Irradiating fresh iceberg lettuce and spinach will help protect consumers from disease-causing bacteria such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli). Illnesses from these bacteria range from uncomfortable symptoms to life-threatening health problems.

The foods affected by the final rule are

loose, fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach
bagged iceberg lettuce and spinach

Irradiation (also sometimes termed "ionizing radiation") is a process of treating products with a measured dose of radiation. Food irradiation is not new. FDA has conducted irradiation safety evaluations for more than 40 years and has determined the process to be safe for use on a variety of foods.

After studying the safety of irradiating fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach, FDA has determined that these greens, when irradiated under the conditions specified in the final rule, retain their nutrient value and are safe to eat.

FDA considers irradiation a complement to, not a replacement for, proper food-handling by producers, processors, and consumers. Irradiation is just another tool to reduce the levels of disease-causing microorganisms on fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh pinach.

Irradiation does not take the place of washing. FDA continues to recommend that consumers wash fresh and bagged produce before eating unless the packaging specifically states that the product has been pre-washed.

For more information, go to: http://www.fda.gov)