Tests: Mammogram versus Thermogram

So here is the first of the promised blogs on tests.

All tests are stressful. So which ones are useful for me?

Types offered: mammogram, x-ray, ultrasound, various blood tests

Things to be considered are their effectiveness, their possible side effects, their accuracy, what they tell us. Information is hard to get and often biased or unreliable. It's possible that the bias comes from who is promoting what, such as big rich companies.
       There are relatively new tests, so research is still coming, although I was surprised to read that one so-called new test was being used in the 1950's.

I have decided to rely on Thermography, Circulating Tumour Cells blood tests and Live Blood tests. I am refusing mammograms, ultrasounds and x-rays. Now this is a bit alternative, but I have not made this decision lightly.

Thermography

This is from one thing I have read. It is a quotation from Kennedy  & Sealy.

There is no one screening tool currently available that
provides 100% predictability of the presence of a cancer-
ous tumor. The only definitive diagnostic tool is a biopsy.
In the past 30 years there have been numerous studies
that have demonstrated thermography to have the ability
to detect breast abnormalities that other screening meth-
ods may not have identified (Kennedy & Seely, 2009) .

Apparently, there are good machines (Russian) and other less effective ones. Here is a link to more information   Again, knowing what is promoted mainly in order to make money is a difficult skill. However, thermography has no known bad affects on our body.

Mammograms

There is as much information against mammograms as there is for them. Australia seems to be the biggest promoter of them. I am told there is a great amount of Government investment in the machines. I am not going to give you links to the promoters as you can find these easily. Here are a few that are critical of mammograms.

Your Greatest Weapon Against Breast Cancer (not Mammograms).

Screening mammograms do more harm than good 

A google search

 And here are some academic resources:

 Gotzsche, Peter C. (2012). Mammography screening: Truth, lies and controversy, London: Radcliffe Publishing.

Gotzsche, Peter C, & Olsen, O. (2000). is screening for breast cancer with mammography justifiable? The Lancet, 355(January 8, 2000), 129-134. 

All of our Australian Cancer organisations promote mammograms so it is scary to go against them. However, I do know a lady whose three episodes of breast cancer were not detected by mammogram and another whose one episode was not detected. So.....

• Switzerland says no to mammograms  More on Switzerland's Decision

• And one more danger - "the possibility that an existing tumour may spread due to the pressure exerted on the breast during screening"

Choices and Decisions

I hope I am not going to be criticised for writing about this choice. I realise that some of my Breast Cancer Support friends will be reading this. It is up to everybody to make their own decisions, but these decisions should be informed ones. I found the decision difficult and scary but then this whole breast cancer thing is scary. I am going to use other blood tests to go with this choice of thermography and I will explain that in the next blog. Stay tuned.

 

Professor Savni Appointment and My Anti-StressProject

It was good news at my appointment. The results of my "Circulating Tumour Cells" test were that I do not have any cancer cells in my blood. However, I do have quite a few clusters of "potentiallly malignant cells". This means, according to Avni, that I need to be learning better stress management skills. He gave us a few ideas like attending weekends by the experts such as Ian Gawler, going to the movies (concerts?) more often, learning to identify stressors and how to manage them. So, we are going to work on that.

I get the big tick for my dietary efforts, but was told very strongly that no diet would keep me safe if I was anxious or depressed. I can hear you wondering why am I so stressed. Well sometimes I don't even know I am, but Keith feels it pretty accurately so we will keep working on the ANTS.

I can recognise when  student is stressing me so I am working on dealing with that in a better way. For example, one student is very angry about only getting a pass in a recent assignment, and although I am not her tutor, I am the coordinator and must deal with it in a way that will not come back to bite me later. Another student is asking questions I would expect from someone who was not capable of doing a university degree. Answering her questions  many times in a way, that maybe she might understand, is difficult when I feel like saying that maybe she should give up.

I am learning to say no to some activities that come my way, spacing my events out so that I have more time to just "be" at home.

I am not watching any more graphic news of poor wretched refugees or victims of earth quakes etc. I tried last night but was surprised how quickly my tears flowed.

Avni suggested that insensitive people who do not care or think might not be as susceptible to cancer as more sensitive people. He gave examples of a few politicians but I won't mention their names.

I am relieved to have this result and also to know more definitely what I need to work on. I am also glad to be guided on which doctors and professionals I need to be visiting and what tests I need to have in the future. In my next blog I will talk about these tests. For now, I can just live until February.

Waiting for Test Results

From what I have read, it is not uncommon for cancer "survivors" to dread the time between tests and  getting results. For one thing, the memory of getting the results that initially said "it is cancer" are very raw. I think I have lost confidence that results will be positive.

Two things go continuously through my mind.  I know that I am in good hands and that I am doing almost everything possible for a good outcome. But, I am aware that I have not yet learned how to cope with life's stresses, the big ones, I mean.
Thursday is the big day when I should get the results of the recent blood test from Professor Sali.

Dealing with stress and anxiety is a subject that upsets me because I seem to be so bad at it. Everything I read tells me that this could put me at risk. So, more anxiety because I am putting myself at risk!

Daily yoga and meditation I can and do, but when things happen, I find it difficult. Here's what I found  on the "Anti-Cancerize Me" web site:

Studies have shown that the majority of people who have been diagnosed with cancer live with the fear that it could grow, spread or come back after treatment. These emotional feelings can become a chronic source of stress on the mind and body (leading to adrenal exhaustion). - See more at: http://www.integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2013/09/adrenal-exhaustion-and-cancer-is-this-real/#sthash.s2I4acvR.dpuf 

and

Substantial evidence suggests that exposure to long periods of stress increases rates of cancer development and growth. - See more at: http://www.integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2012/04/anticancer-lifestyle-stress-reduction-101/#sthash.Yr4XPK8O.dpuf 

My blood tests in March showed that I had some adrenal stress, so I know I have to work on it. One way of learning that we read about is to identify and change the feelings and worries, when I am stressed. This system is called ANTS (Automatic Negative Thoughts).  Keith is helping me isolate and examine mine. Stay tuned.....

Exercise Duration & Intensity Matter:

A new study indicates that if you want to see even better results longer duration and higher intensity exercise matters. Breast cancer survivors who did about 1 mile per day of brisk-paced walking reduced their risk of dying from breast cancer by 24%. If they stepped it up a notch and ran for 2/3 of a mile each day they reduced their risk by 40%…and the superstars who ran 2.3 miles per day dropped their risk of recurrence by a whopping 95%!

- See more at: http://www.integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2014/01/exercise-duration-intensity-matters/#sthash.SFt1JSxp.dpufExercise Duration & Intensity Matter:

A new study indicates that if you want to see even better results longer duration and higher intensity exercise matters. Breast cancer survivors who did about 1 mile per day of brisk-paced walking reduced their risk of dying from breast cancer by 24%. If they stepped it up a notch and ran for 2/3 of a mile each day they reduced their risk by 40%…and the superstars who ran 2.3 miles per day dropped their risk of recurrence by a whopping 95%!
- See more at: http://www.integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2014/01/exercise-duration-intensity-matters/#sthash.SFt1JSxp.dpuf

Exercise Duration & Intensity Matter:

A new study indicates that if you want to see even better results longer duration and higher intensity exercise matters. Breast cancer survivors who did about 1 mile per day of brisk-paced walking reduced their risk of dying from breast cancer by 24%. If they stepped it up a notch and ran for 2/3 of a mile each day they reduced their risk by 40%…and the superstars who ran 2.3 miles per day dropped their risk of recurrence by a whopping 95%!
- See more at: http://www.integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2014/01/exercise-duration-intensity-matters/#sthash.SFt1JSxp.dpuf