Monday, March 26, 2001
Sleep is important! - read about how your body repairs itself during sleep. If you are undergoing treatment, recovering from treatment, or just trying to lead a healthy life, you must get enough sleep!I had my 1 year follow-up with the surgeon today. He was really pleased to see how I've slimmed up with the swimming. He said the skin looks great and that the breast tissue hardly changed at all. He wasn't too impressed about them not seeing the lesion on CT, but when I told him that they couldn't find it on ultrasound (after his tech found it almost immediately in January), he looked at me and said, "God still answers prayers, doesn't he?"
I was supposed to see the oncologist next Monday, but he just called and said he wants to do a chest/abdominal CT before I see him again. So that appointment is off. I'll have the CT in the next couple of weeks and then go in to see him. He also told me that my tumor markers were all normal and so were the liver studies. So that's great and I'm going into the CT scan confident that nothing will be seen!
posted by Karen Weber Monday, March 26, 2001
Tuesday, March 27, 2001
A (Really) Brief History of Time - note what she says about melatonin and time shift. More evidence that melatonin may be one contributing factor to the increase in breast cancer.
posted by Karen Weber Tuesday, March 27, 2001
Wednesday, March 28, 2001
Office of the Press SecretaryCANCER CONTROL MONTH, 2001 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION
In 2001, an estimated 1.2 million new cases of cancer will occur, and more than half a million individuals will die from the disease. Standing alone, the figures are discouraging. However, a recent decline in the rates of new cases, as well as cancer-related deaths, offers us hope. The 5-year survival rate has improved for all cancers, and 8.9 million Americans are cancer survivors.
Thirty years of investment in the National Cancer Program following the National Cancer Act of 1971 have accelerated the pace of cancer research. The investment in research has yielded great dividends in the areas of cancer prevention, early detection, better treatments, and improved quality of life for people with cancer. These advances are remarkable, but much remains to be done.
Healthy behavior can greatly reduce the risk of cancer. About 45 million Americans have already quit smoking, but this most preventable cause of cancer continues to damage public health. Tobacco use causes nearly all cases of lung cancer and more than one-third of all cancer deaths. Children can become addicted to tobacco in a very short time, placing a serious responsibility on adults to help young people stop smoking, or ideally, never start.
Other weapons remain formidable in the fight against cancer. Since 1991, the 5 A Day for Better Health program has spread the message that eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily can improve health and prevent disease. Over the past 15 years, increasing numbers of women have been screened for breast cancer. Continued emphasis on screening for cancer, including colon cancer, can play a vital role in saving countless lives. Clinical trials of new drugs may reveal which ones are most effective in treating cancer. The Cancer Information Service, a free public service of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institutes of Health, operates as a national resource for information about cancer. Americans may contact the organization at 1-800-4-CANCER or visit its Internet address at http://www.cancer.gov.
Cancer takes a terrible toll on our country. I encourage all Americans to make healthy choices in their personal behaviors. Together, we can help stop cancer and improve the odds of survival for people of all ages.
In 1938, the Congress of the United States passed a joint resolution (52 Stat. 148; 36 U.S.C. 103) requesting the President to issue an annual proclamation declaring April as "Cancer Control Month."
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2001 as Cancer Control Month. By reaffirming the importance of controlling cancer, concerned citizens, government agencies, private industry, nonprofit organizations, and other interested groups can work toward the day when this devastating condition is finally eradicated.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
Taking the Stealth out of Cancer's Spread
Insurance payments can work against less-invasive biopsy for breast cancer
Quality of life after breast carcinoma surgery: A comparison of three surgical procedures
posted by Karen Weber Wednesday, March 28, 2001
Thursday, March 29, 2001
Breast Cancer Risk Often MisinterpretedParabon Computation, Inc Put your computer to good use all the time. Download their software to empower cancer researchers, qualify to win cash, and recycle your computer's idle time.
posted by Karen Weber Thursday, March 29, 2001
Friday, March 30, 2001
Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles - this is the shrine of La Negrita in Costa Rica, where one of the women in my support group went to pray for me before my first liver biopsy. Today I received a bottle of water from the shrine in the mail from her. Thank you, pebs!Tamoxifen does not hinder sexual functioning or psychological well-being
I just got back from visiting Boomer, the walleroo, and Dee. Last time I was over there, I was bald and pretty sickly. Boomer has doubled in size and looks great. The female wallaby who lives there is pregnant, and they are expecting to be able to retrieve the baby from the pouch sometime in the next couple of months. Exciting!
posted by Karen Weber Friday, March 30, 2001