TeamIHadCancer
TeamIHadCancer
Survivor: Breast Cancer (Stage II)
Get and/or give support
New York City, NY
Female
About Me
My Journal
I am a Survivor
Type of Cancer
Breast Cancer (Stage II), 2008
Treatment Information
Stage of Treatment:

Finished treatment 5 or more years ago

Treatment Types:

Acupuncture

Escozul

Hospital:

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York City)

Side Effect:

Chemobrain

Discussions (11)
Tests & Treatments
Has anyone ever had a leaky feeding tube?
July 14th, 2016
Surveys & Outreach Requests
Online Survey: Patterns of Health Behaviours of Survivors of Multiple Cancers
April 26th, 2016
Hey 99% - Occupy Healthcare
December 2nd, 2011
Currently, America is a experiencing social unrest comparable to the Civil Rights movement half a century ago. People across the US (and the rest of the world) followed in the foot steps of the few who decided to stand up to Wall Street  for themselves and the 99%, demanding equality and economic balance.
  
How does this affect us?

I Had Cancer believes Patient Knowledge to be the most discarded resource in the Health Profession. While there are some patients who manage to get heard by their health care providers and have their knowledge taken into account even applied if necessary, the majority of people - perhaps 99% - are not being heard by their doctors.
 
Now before we start talking about Doctors and/or their inability to listen to anything that does not sound agreeable to their line of thinking, it must be noted that the fault is not entirely their own. Between seeing a large number of patients, writing charts, organizing staff, meetings and what have you, technically doctors have about 15 minutes of allotted time to talk to their patients and cover all the basic life sustaining information. This is NOT enough time to go over all the questions patients have about their immediate treatment of discussing alternative treatment.
 
Self-advocacy begins with us. Everyone of us has the ability to research, learn and exchange information. While most of us will not be able to convince our health care providers to simply sit with us for a longer period of time than with others, we can do something to help ourselves be heard. While camping out in front of your doctors office holding up signs is probably not the way to go on this one (pharma and insurance companies aside), here are three easy steps to gain the attention you deserve.
 
- Ask your health care provider to give you a good time to discuss your questions or have your doctor meet with you at the end of their day so as to give you more time to talk.
 
- Email a list of inquiries to your doctor before your appointment so that he/she may prepare answers before you meet or send them back to you via email.
 
- Get a second opinion about your treatment course.
Health, It's News
November 18th, 2011
Everyone - independent of age, gender, location, etc, - should take care of their health now rather than later. This is not news in the sense that it’s a revolutionary concept. However, when we get caught up in the daily grind and put our health on the back burner a reminder to keep healthy sounds like news.

Yeah, we need to get to work, pay the bills, take care of the kids, fix things around the house and the like. But, we MUST be in good health both physically and mentally to do them. If we are too sick to reap the fruits of our labor, what did we labor for?

It is completely normal to not want to exercise, really it is, but you should. It is very easy to eat what ever you want but we shouldn’t.

Here aresome helpful info to get back on the healthy track.

While exercising often seems like the absolute last thing you want to do, it is crucial that we get over our desires and get to it. You do not need to start bench-pressing or piling on the one hand push-ups but a brisk, 15 minute walk in the morning and then again in the late after noon is perfectly doable. You get your circulation going, your metabolism working, your cardio pumping and before you know it, you’re exercising.

East well. Stick to good fats that actually help you keep healthy by absorbing and breaking down necessary nutrients. Olive oil, canola oil, almonds, avocados, sardines, salmon, herring, walnuts and tofu are good for you. In small amounts, so is corn fed mean or poultry. DO NOT eat many bad fats that are found in processed and red meats, dairy products such as cream, butter, margarine, doughnuts, french fries or cooked chips.

While you should always consult with your physician before taking any medicinal advice, you may want to research Vitamin C and D. While most people are aware that Vitamin C helps support a strong immune system and benefit skin complexion, Vitamin D has been a curious subject of research, doctors are discovering previously unknown health benefits for people with heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer.

BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE, learn more and live better.

Movember is here! Movember is here!
November 10th, 2011
Don’t pretend you don’t know what that is -
Ok, some of you may actually not know what it is, but you should, so pay attention!
 
Mo is Australian for mustache, but Movember is a completely awesome, super cool, and totally affordable way to spread awareness about prostate and testicular cancer poor fellas might have to face. All you have to do to help is,,,wait for it,,, Grow Your Mo!
 
While Movember is an official organization based in Aussie land (check out http://us.movember.com/), I Had Cancer is kicking off it’s own Mini-Movember and we invite you to join us. No, not for forever, only till the end of November.
 
How does not shaving for a half a month help raise awareness you ask? Well for one, when you walk down the street sporting a sweet mo, you are bound to attract some attention. You may even have someone striking up a conversation with you - that would be your chance to do some major good for cancer awareness.
 
Talk to the people who notice your stash, let them know of why you decided to look like “that” for a few weeks. Take a picture together and post it on our personal, mo-friendly page on Flicker. Just follow us to here :http://www.flickr.com/groups/1817862@N23/. We love mustaches, love em’, so, of course we want to see you with them, it takes so little to make us so happy.
Life is Grand
November 2nd, 2011
We value our lives, those of our loved ones, friends, pets and so on. But every so often we start to value the life of someone we have never met as if that person was part of our immediate circle. They are not a celebrity, politician or some unexplainable popular figure. There is something else about them that draws us in. Whether it’s charisma, enigma, or what have you - this something is larger than life. It’s an unexplainable magnetism about the persons character and you find yourself unable to walk away.  Jolene Von Millanich was such a person. We have never met  but she was someone who’s life was very much valued simply because of the kind of person she was.

Jolene found out she had breast cancer at an incredibly young age, 17. As time flowed forward, the cancer spread. It attacked her jaw, brain and lungs. There were many surgeries to try to stop the metastasis but unfortunately, in this case, they failed. We read her posts on Facebook and heard her speak on the Stupid Cancer Show. We learned of the people who kept up with Jolene and realized that she has touched many lives - indirectly but significantly. She did this by being herself, by extending a few worlds of kindness at the world while chronicling her experiences with cancer. Often, the last sentence in each post was reserved for wishing the world a good night. “LOTS OF LOVE TO YOU WORLD!!! SWEET DREAMS!!!” she would write.

At 26 years old, she decided to end treatment to enjoy the remainder of her life with friends and family by her side. What makes Jolene really amazing is that she used this time to really live every moment she was here. She created a bucket list and followed it religiously. She took charge making arrangements for her funeral, picked out her urn and figured out the details. It was her decision to take the burden of these tasks on her self. Even if cancer was invading her physically, there were elements that she could still control - and she - did demonstrating a strong character and her ability to sensibly look at her unfortunate situation.

She was young, beautiful (inside and out), brave, and always consistently inspired by this fragile yet remarkable thing  called LIFE. With effortless ease she would influence you to be inspired by it as well. It is with burdened hearts that we write she is no longer with us. The incredible, completely self possessed girl we had the pleasure of getting to know has moved on from this life, and from the stupid cancer that took her body. We want to dedicate this post to Jolene, to everyone who is no longer with us, to anyone who has lost a loved one to this disease and to everyone currently in the for the fight of their lives. Thank you for taking the time to share your stories.

Reading in between the lines: Pinktober
October 24th, 2011
Ah! October - the month of Breast Cancer Awareness, Charity Fundraisers and Pink - lots of pink, everywhere. Breast Cancer will be diagnosed in approximately 200,000 men and women this year. Some 40,000 people will have their lives claimed by this all consuming illness.

So, what does Pinktober mean for them? Well, it means that now is the time to raise and spread awareness about breast cancer - distribute information, participate in charity events and bond with the afflicted community. Yet, it also means fighters, survivors and supporters are bombarded with “pink culture” and merchandise. With so many  products from different sources out there, how can clarity be maintained in the pink fog.

Here are a few simple guidelines:

1) When choosing to show support for cancer (of any type) please make sure to read up on what the cancer is and whom it affects. The first step to spreading awareness is to be informed.

2) Remember that both men and women can get breast cancer. While it is true that the disease affects mostly women, to believe that it is exclusively so is a mistake and will lead to discrimination. You can always wear “pink” for the men affected by this disease.

3) While it is wonderful to show support for the fight against Breast Cancer with a purchase, please make sure it comes from a creditable source and clearly indicates the funds will going to research, awareness or helping those affected. Just cause it’s pink does not mean it’s genuine.

4) Always remember that the most effective way to spread awareness is through people. You can wear the “pink”  t-shirt, bracelet, watch or earrings to spread awareness, but ultimately the most important thing anyone can do is to speak up.

5) Never underestimate the power of individuals. One person can educate and enlighten many others about this killer disease. Helping only one person means saving the life of someones child, mother, father, sibling or partner therefore helping many.

Each one of you is a catalyst of change, can spread awareness and help save someones life. Pink or no pink, we need you.

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