BREAST CANCER study - Can night light make cancer resist Tamoxifen?

Tulane's profile, which I got to by accident on Twitter, listed this study: effect of light at night on  cancer resistance to Tamoxifen in rats.   

Tulane study: Total darkness during the night 

is a key to success of breast cancer therapy.  

http://tulane.edu/news/releases/pr_072514.cfm

Yes, it's only a lab study. On rats. No studies on rats are not always predictive for humans.  Yes, since it's in a lab, all they studied is probably artificial light (they mention light coming in around a door when you're not yet asleep.)  

But it grabbed me when it mentioned melatonin.  I take very mild melatonin for sleep, and there is a little light leak into my room at night.  I turn toward the wall when I get into bed because I don't like the bit of light from the window.

Even if you don't read the whole thing, consider the possibilities:  is it going too far to take precautions on the strength of a lab study?  After all, keeping the light out may make us sleep better regardless of any lab studies.  And they're not asking us to take some scary new medicine, just to turn off the light.

It might be inexpensive to do something about light coming in around the door.

You might get used to a sleep mask.

If you don't have blackout curtains, would you consider getting them? - Streetlight light and traffic light does come in around "blackout" shades.

What if it's not Aging????

I put the question mark after aging because I'm in serious doubt that my physical condition is all caused by birthdays.

1. One of my best friends is almost exactly my age, but she has put herself on a strenuous exercise program ever since I've known her.

2.  I've moved away from my old apartment where I could do a 20-minute hill climb in the morning.

3. I never could climb the rope into the second floor of the beach house.

4. I had a lot more enthusiasm and energy before Tamoxifen.

In short, I'm weak and haven't done enough about it.

Did I mention that the lying-down exercises they taught me 5 days after lumbar fusion are in many cases ones I'm taught now - just with more repeats.

The long string of doctors I mentioned on the way to getting PT was frustration much of the way.

What I wanted fixed: backaches, home-made metatarsal supports, sub-beginner balance.

What didn't help:

Two doctors thought I was in the wrong specialty office, even though I had been referred.
Two or three doctors brought up the subject of more pain medicine, which I didn't want.
Being told I wasn't good at describing my problem.
A prescription for something that I couldn't drive under influence of.
Being told "You've been walking on those feet now for . . . .years."
No one mentioned that I could try a small towel around the waist for fidgety sleeping and morning back ache.

What did help:

The last doctor contacted a physical therapy company and asked them (or had staff ask) to call me! So after two years of begging, I got PT without an X-ray.  (It has been almost two years since the spine surgery.)

Why does simple taking care of ourselves turn into a full-time job?

I wish you health.

AGING - PT: Putting Humpty Dumpty back together

Busy morning.
For now, I'll just point to my post: ...Breast Cancer - Is PT Saving My Life?


More later.

I wish you health.

Breast Cancer - Is Physical Therapy Saving My Life?

    Ever since diagnosis, I've been reminded of Dr. Salwitz's Rest In Peace article, and how I was not exercising enough to protect against cancer.

After ringing the radiation bell, I had time to consider the rest of my body.  Months before diagnosis, I had requested physical therapy, but was told a PT would require x-ray, and I didn't need more of that.  My foot problems cut down on my walking, and gentle in-bed exercises from acute rehab didn't make me strong. My right thigh nerves still hurt despite spine surgery.  My balance was scary at times, and I was not strong. 

Then, maybe a few weeks into Tamoxifen, my feet seemed to spread and change in shape. Lucky accident, I got shifted to a PA one day. The PA sent me to a podiatrist.  I told him all my foot and balance worries.  He told me that my legs could make my feet burn.  He mentioned a custom orthotics man, and also told me to ask the PA about an arthritis doctor.

The PA sent me to a rheumatologist.  He didn't feel I should be seeing a specialist, but when I left, I found he had arranged for a physical therapist to call me for appointment!  And his staff gave me cards from a different podiatrist.  My discouragement lifted a little. I had something to look forward to!

Now I've had three sessions with the PT, who lavishes attention on me, works on clenched muscles, and supervises exercises.  Funny, some of those "baby" exercises from the rehab hospital are still valid; I just needed more reps and my many new exercises It's wonderful to have someone take care of me for a whole hour.

This morning, I feel better than I have for months (for instance I don't feel a hundred years old.)

The hospital, without asking me, has already cheerfully scheduled another mammo.  I really didn't want a breast issue or breast fears to interrupt my PT joy.  My affected breast still hurts with any pressure on the right (incision and mostly radiation) side.  My oncologist may have to hear my complaints about that.

Is it too soon to want to believe that PT is protecting my breast health?

You've Got Breast Cancer - Now listen ...And listen . . .And listen

 Recently, a doctor I respect wrote a phrase about patients not listening well.  Gave me an instant blood pressure spike.  I decided to make a list of five reasons a person, especially one who's just heard the words breast cancer, might have trouble remembering and understanding a lot of the doctor's next words.  And the next.  And so many.

But I couldn't keep it to five reasons.
List of ten?  Still not enough
Now I think it's up to 15.

Do you want to add more of what makes it hard to digest all the doctor says after "breast cancer?"

Emotional and life situation overload
Fear of Death
Fear of Treatment and side effects
New situation shock
Exotic terminology
Pages of studies being speed-read to us
Cognitive load limit exceeded
Pain
No frame of reference for dealing with the life-threatening
No time to breathe or relax
Not an auditory learner
Doctors not in agreement
New doc, new hospital, even new town makes people feel powerless
Prior Medical Conditions

Send me your thoughts on this.

I wish you health,

JUST BE AWARE - No morcellation.

 The New York Times

Study Adds to Worries Over Use of Hysterectomy Procedure That May...

A study suggests that cutting uterine tissue into pieces before removal can inadvertently spread cancer cells, since undetected tumors in women having hysterectomies are more common than thought.

The above bit was on Twitter.  The study was in JAMA.  There has been a lot of reaction to this study. But why?

I've read some doctor groups' reactions to stopping morcellation altogether. BUT why would Johnson & Johnson take this cash cow off the market and even offer a paid recall if power morcellation was a great idea?   

Please read my earlier post or read the earlier articles in The Atlantic if the New York Times doesn't convince you.

What more will it take to make the point? No morcellation.  No kidding.

BREAST CANCER - KEEP THE HEALTHY BREAST

A study reported by Charles Bankhead, that I found on medpage, updated July 20, showed very little 20-yr extra benefit from contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) (removing the unaffected breast.)

The study from University of Minnesota, Minneapolis indicated only about 1% benefit over 20 years from removing the well breast--slightly higher for "younger patients."

In the Relevance section, the article goes on to cite drastic increases in doctors removing the healthy breast in patients with low-level cancers. 

More disturbing, a report from NY shows "20% of women who underwent prophylactic mastectomy from 1995 to 2005 had no risk factors for breast cancer."  I feel like putting that in very big type with !!!! Had no risk factors for breast cancer!

Also striking, Europe does not report the same significant increase in CPM that we do!   Have American women been victims of hype, fashion, family pressure, panic?  

Are American women (and their doctors) influenced by celebrity mastectomy?

It's time we slam on the brakes.  And think.

I wish  you health.


http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/BreastCancer/46840