Did you know....

that books on cancer awareness and prevention are not only for survivors, but for people who don't have cancer...like YOU. :)  I realized this when I got diagnosed.  I purchased every book I could get my hands on...and I bought them so I could take notes in the margins and ask questions to my physicians.  What I realized when I made these purchases was that I should have considered getting my hands on this information prior to diagnosis.  Don't get me wrong...not even my physicians know why I got breast cancer.  There are many genetic and environmental factors that come into play in order for cancer to happen.  I don't regret not having those books, I just want to share this insight with you.

I just wanted to share this bit of information with you.  Understanding cancer will only bolster your knowledge about your general health.  Chronic inflammation is a major contributor to cancer and it also contributes to many other auto-immune disorders (e.g.rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, etc.)  So educating yourself on cancer, which is projected to directly affect 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women over a lifetime, is not a bad idea.  It will only help you understand optimal health for your body.  (Those figures are based on the American Cancer Society.)

I am not trying to scare you because there is nothing to be afraid of...awareness can lead to prevention and/or early detection.  That is my hope for all of you.  Some books to consider are "Dr.  Susan Love's Breast Book" by Susan Love and "It's Not About the Bike" by Lance Armstrong.  "YOU, the Owner's Manual" by Mehmet Oz is a wonderful book.  It is funny and interesting.  All of these books provide awareness information about general health and cancer-related issues in easy-to-read formats.  Check them out from the library, if you wish.

Just consider being a part of the process.  Michael and I both feel the main thing that has changed my Stage IV status to a chronic condition, from that of a life-threatening condition, is that I decided I was a part of my medical team from the beginning.  I had a good primary care physician, and good ob/gyn.  Both of them led me to great physicians when I needed more care, but both Michael and I took part in this process.  We even made our second-opinion oncologist our ONLY oncologist because he had the same mind-set as we did.  Be aggressive and gain actual knowledge of what is going on in your body.  So we did full-body scans from the beginning and we do them every three months still.

Don't just hang your hat on statistics...if I had only believed in stats, then my story would be very different right now.  I had a small primary tumor that was projected to have no additional growth in my body.  But projections on data mean nothing when it comes to assessing the life of a person.  We pressed on to get accurate information and found out about a small tumor on my liver so that we could treat it IMMEDIATELY.  It was a bummer, don't get me wrong.  But having that information is one of the many steps that saved my life. 

Even though I am math nerd, I realized early on that I am not a number.  I hope you believe the same about yourself...and find your role on your medical team.  Empower yourself with education and knowledge.  If you don't like your doctor, consider another one.  Find one that will listen to you.  There are numerous great doctors out there who want Smart Patients!

Alright, enough for now.  Posts that are on the horizon..."My wonderdrugs and me" and "What's so special about breast cancer?"

Have a wonderful day!

Lolo