I've been searching the net & all I understand is how it forms & the symptoms. What I want to know is how it affects you [& everyday life]. Also, what treatment's and therapy you have to go through? For the people who keep just tell me "you can die from it" I know that already. I'm doing a report and need more than just that. It's both writen and oral. I disagree with the previous answer, I think this is a legitimate way to do your research - how else will you find out if you don't ask people who have been through or been close to breast cancer?
I was diagnosed with breast cancer almost 5 years ago. The treatment that is recommended depends on the individual's particular cancer - on such things as the grade, the stage and whether the cancer has travelled to any underarm lymph nodes.
Grade refers to the size and aggressiveness of the tumour - the grades are 1.2 and 3. Stage refers to how advanced the cancer is - there are four stages; stage 4 is when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body and is not considered curable, though it can often be managed, sometimes for years. Most cancers will not have reached this stage at diagnosis.
Usually surgery is performed first, though in some cases chemotherapy is done first to shrink the tumour. Patients may have a mastectomy or a lumpectomy, again depending on their individual situation.
I had a mastectomy. It isn't actually the major surgery it sounds - after surgery it's sore rather than painful for most people, and painkillers take care of that. You do have to take it easy for a few weeks, and do exercises every day for some time to make sure you maintain full use of your arm.
It can be emotionally devastating though - it was for me, and it was a long time before I could actually look at my changed body (it's amazing how you can bath, dress and undress with your eyes shut!)
Treatments that follow can include chemotherapy and radiotherapy; herceptin if the cancer is HER2 positive, and hormone therapy (in the form of pills taken for at least 5 years) if the cancer is oestrogen positive, as the majority of breast cancers are.
One way it affects your life is that if you have had lymph nodes removed you have a lifelong risk of lymphoedema, a swelling of the affected arm caused by a build-up of lymph fluid in the tissues. This is a permanent condition. To try and avoid it, care must always be taken to avoid heavy lifting and scratches, burns, bumps, cuts, sunburn to the affected arm, and injections, blood samples and blood pressure can't be allowed on the affected arm. I developed it over two years after surgery.
The greatest way it affects your life, though, is the fear. There is no all-clear for breast cancer; it can recur at any time, even many years after treatment. After 5 years the chance of recurrence is statistically less, but it is always there. So every ache and pain cause fear that the cancer is back and has spread. As the years go by this fear takes more of a back seat; you know you can have a headache without it being brain metastasis for example. But that fear is always there somewhere. Every day in th US an average of 112 women die of breast cancer every day; in the UK it's an average of 33.
The breast is the organ that the female succles her young.
Although not all females breast feed their young that is the reason it exists, partly.
Also the breast is to varying degrees an important sexual characteristic of a feminine body.
Being female means more much more than having breasts but the feminine shape including breasts and its function and loss by women who have had disease that involved their breasts experience a sense of loss that some feel has its root in feminine sexual identity. Its not like losing a finger.
Women who have had breast cancer potentially experience fears that they may not feel attractive to potential or existing lovers. Pleasure is experienced from the breast that may be altered or absent due to disease or surgery.Women who have an illness effecting the breast experience an altered body image. They may also grieve the loss of their ability to succle their young, if an illness interferes with that function of the breast.
Grief is also experienced due to the altered body image and everything that is changed in their life due to illness.
Also, breast cancer is an insult that can threaten life. Is it going to come back, did it spread? Will the treatment interfere with my life? How much will the treatment interfere with my life? How much will my life change due to the illness and treatment and the time of recovery for this disease?
Am I going to pass the genes for this disease to my children or potential children? If I alteady have children will I be here until they grow up? If not what do I need to do to help prepare for me not being here for my children.The potential loss of her role in the family.
There is a movie I believe the name is "Step mother" starring Julia Roberts. It is about a divorcing mother dying of cancer and about Julia Roberts who is the new girlfriend of the divorced husband of the cancer ridden ex-wife. Although I am not sure the malady is breast cancer, many of the same issues of a breast cancer victem are faithfully and dynamically portrayed in this film. You may benefit from viewing the film.
I lost me second wife following a two-year battle with breast cancer.
It started as a slight pain in her right breast in October of 2005.
She then had a lumpectomy followed by chemotherapy (basically injections of poisons and toxins to kill the cancerous cells), then with radiation of the affected area.
Without anyone's knowledge, a microscopic portion had survived in her L5 vertebrae (lower back). About six months later, she began feeling back pains. Within three months of this, the L5 vertebra was broken in half (broken back).
She was treated for a broken back and started another regimen of chemotherapy and radiation. This didn't work. Within two more months, it spread to her lungs. This was May 2005. She passed away in September of 2005. With the cancer having destroyed her lungs, she could no longer breathe.
The best treatment is very early detection. This includes mammography, self examinations, etc.
I hope this helps explain how serious this disease can be. I apologize if I was a little graphic with my descriptions. But, this is a serious disease that can kill.
I also hope it hasn't affected anyone in your immediate family. If you want to continue researching, please visit komen.org for one of the most complete discussions of breast cancer treatments as well as stories from women who have survived breast cancer.
As far as the impact on ones life or how it "affects" a person there are two answers... clincial and personal.
Clinically, a breast cancer survivor can return to leading a "normal" life, though, once you have had breast cancer, you have a higher risk for developing a new breast cancer than someone who has never had breast cancer before. There is also the possibility of lymphodema that can be a life-long painful reminder of your battle.
For each person, survival is an individual journey. There is no single answer for how it impacts someone. There's no pros.
Cons are easy.
You could get breasts removed, which is embarrassing and uncomfortable to live with.
Medications are often tiring and take a lot out of you, regular hospital visits must be made.
It's expensive.
It affects family emotionally.
This ties into the 'it can kill you' thing, but Breast cancer often starts in the Lymph. Lymph is a fluid that is between EVERY CELL IN YOUR BODY. This means that in such a case, the cancer is either incurable, or very difficult to cure, and it may go entirely unsuspected. This information is also not very well known, which is a con. you might have to get it cut out. and then you sould be healing for about the time form now to thanksgiving if you were to have the surgery now. and you would have a huge bandage rapped around your upper body near you chest and it would be very hard for you to do anything! i have a friends mom going through it and my aunt is going through it don't call this SILLY please
There are all cons no pros some common things people can experience are:
mastectomy, scar, chemotherapy, body image disturbances, lower self esteem, depression, pain, it can spread to other organs, Well that is all i can think of right now. There are also a lot of 'pros' - including finding out how many real friends you have and how supportive they are.
Look on www.after-cancer.com to find out some of the side effects of the drugs.
Verite R uh, besides the fact that you can die??..... yeah.
you are supposed to do your own homework and research isn't asking us here- you have to do this yourself. Uh It can kill you!
Really Sad.
Basscreator you might lose one |
