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Wake-Up Call: My journey with breast cancer and what I am learning from the experience. |
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As early
as the age of 12, I had discovered a tumour in my right breast. A biopsy
confirmed the tumour was benign. I heaved a sigh of relief.
Twenty years later, I again detected a tumour in my right breast. This time round, I was psychologically prepared and told myself that I could have contracted breast cancer. However, the medical report still said the tumour was benign. Two years later, the same thing happened; but this time, the tumour was in my left breast. It was in October 1996 that I found a tumour in my right breast for the fourth time. A Mammogram did not show anything wrong. But after removal of the tumour, it determined it to be malignant, a 1.8cm. Infiltrating carcinoma (Bloom- Richardson Grade 2 /3) with negative estrogen receptor status. The tumour was small, so the cosmetic result of a lumpectomy would be good. To my understanding, cutting more does nothing to improve survival chances. So I had a lumpectomy with lymph node dissection, which showed no lymph node involved. I underwent 6 cycles of chemotherapy (Cytoxan, Methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil-CMF) and 3 weeks of radiation therapy. During my treatment, I like eating spicy and flavorful foods. I enjoy and crave for foods. I have a well- balanced diet including meat. As surgery and radiation reduce the cancer cells but not all of the microscopic ones. Chemotherapy helps to wipe out the microscopic cells, but it probably doesn’t kill them all. So the body’s immune system has to take over and get the rest. The next logical step would be to find some ways to stimulate the immune system. Most of the complementary treatments - exercise, diet, “positive thinking” techniques, laughter or visualization are methods that will strengthen the immune system and help to fight off the cancer. I believe that a blend of conventional and complementary medical approaches enhanced the quality of one’s life and possibly prolonged it. Theoretically the complementary treatments can work well in conjunction with chemotherapy (the chemicals that kill the cancer) while the complementary method bolsters the body’s immune system. Although there have no scientific proof, I feel that, if nothing else, my ability to empower me and give me a role in my care can’t help but be strengthening, why not. |
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The following are my ways of dealing with that uncertainty. *Three hugs a day- the amount of hemoglobin in the blood increases when you are hugged, which means your blood is more readily able to deliver life-giving oxygen to your cells. Laughter Therapy- Laughter is the best medicine -Humor help to relax and also can relieve stress and anxiety, improve self-image and increase energy. Use whatever makes you laugh i.e. Movies, sitcoms, books, jokes and friends. Laughter activated the release of endorphins, the body’s pain-reducing substance, not only as a painkiller but also as a stimulant to the immune system. Give your life purpose-Don’t let your life move past you without thinking about where it is going: take control of your own future. *Develop meaningful relationships-Close relationships are important for the health of every cell in our bodies. Loneliness is one of the easiest emotions to link with suppression of the immune system. Study for a positive mental attitude – Allowing your minds filled with positive thought. There are inspirational books and tapes filled with reasons why life should and can be lived to the fullest. Read them. . Reading adds to our positively. Listen to people who make you laugh. Take time out to really laugh, it is a wonderful means of Release. Cancer can be overcome- Fear is one of cancer's greatest strengths. We, as cancer survivors, can and should help the society to be free of that fear and deal with it appropriately and successfully. Do meditation. Affirm it. Practise it. Affirmations are wonderful things. They work for me. By using simple, positive statements and repeating them regularly, it can condition my thoughts so that. So, when I get up in the morning, I will repeat some affirmations to myself, and listen some of my taped inspirational songs, at least once a day and it truly wonderful for me. Don't be skeptical about this. It is not false imagining; affirmations do work. Do the best you can –When we give our best, we feel good about ourselves. When we compromise and take shortcuts our self-esteem suffers, because all us have the pride to want to do our best. Enjoy life’s small pleasures – Take time to relax and indulge in life’s small pleasures which provides therapeutic benefits to our health. Living in the moment, really being aware of our surroundings has been shown to have value beyond just providing relaxation and enjoyment. It makes us more appreciative of the things we love yet take for granted. It makes us better able to cope with stress and difficulty in life. It helps build a healthy mental attitude. Creating the healing environment-Music therapy has been shown to be associated with pain reduction, and to help cope with stress, regulate breathing and heart rate, aid memory loss, ease depression and stimulate the immune system. Read or listen Inspiration poems or inspiration songs and soothing Music. A song can put into words things you can't express yourself. You hear a song, and it seems like it was written just for you. It like a form of therapy. I have found comfort in songs, a reassurance that I am not alone in my feelings. Have Low-fat protein Diet- Exercise- dance, Qigong, Yoga. Meditation, which in its passive- forms steadily, builds a positive attitude. As we practice it we will become unaffected be stress and anxiety. You simply feel good. This will do merely aid our body to relax and give it more vitality. We will also find it beneficial emotionally and mentally. But remember that you need to work within your limits best in nature atmosphere. Breathing- using the method of diaphragmatic breathing will enhance blood circulation, activation of our body channels, develop the chi force, aid digestion, also regulate the blood circulation and the nervous system. Hobbies and holidays can be very pleasant diversions, they provide an opportunity to relax and let go a little.
So for my healing, I took up Qi gong and Middle Eastern dance. As for Middle Eastern Dance is NOT flaunting my body – I am expressing my inner self. The self I have always been instructed to suppress. I will find a newborn sense of ‘me’. |
