#7 HAWMC Health Activist Choice- OC Research News

  #7 HAWMC Health  Activist  Choice!  Write  about  what  you  want  today.

I've been waiting for a prompt like this. I think I might have to post two entries some days- those part of the HAWMC and those about OC news / events or general survivorship issues.

It has been a busy week ( the AACR annual meeting was taking place)  and a number of different Ovarian Studies were being presented and discussed online. Because of the holiday weekend ( Happy Easter / Happy Passover) I will not provide in depth commentary on these interesting links to research.

DNA Markers May Predict the Success of Ovarian Cancer Treatments
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/243748.php
It is all about microRNAs.

Height and Ovarian Cancer 
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57409545-10391704/study-taller-women-may-be-at-higher-risk-for-ovarian-cancer/
Retrospective study - taller women greater risk of OC also found higher BMI greater risk.
I am 5'2".

Genetics Set Analysis may be Keys to Surviving Ovarian Cancer 
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/242596.php
Immune suppressant FKBP65 has also been found to be inversely associated with the expression of tumor suppressor gene P53. 


PARP inhibitor slows Ovarian Cancer 
http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/SGO/31869?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=WC&eun=g323472d0r&userid=323472&email=womenofteal@gmail.com&mu_id=5317600
Problem - AstroZenaca no longer produces this inhibitor. 

Of course there are also other topics being discuss that impact patients.
Here is one I found especially interesting. - Complex choices require shared decisions
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2012-04-01/doctor-patient-decision-making-choice/53933086/1
I am glad that my doctor and I discuss treatments and agree with the steps going forward.


Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!

#6 HAWMC Haiku- Symptoms

#6 HAWMC  Health  haiku.  Write  a  haiku  about  your  health  focus.

Symptoms

Bloating, feeling full
Ovarian cancer clues
See your doctor now!

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!

#5 HWAMC Ekphrasis - Reaching Out

Ok first let me admit that I had not idea what Ekphrasis meant . From Reference.com I found this information.

What is ekphrasis?

Ekphrasis has been considered generally to be a rhetorical device in which one medium of art tries to relate to another medium by defining and describing its essence and form, and indoing so, relate more directly to the audience, through its illuminative liveliness.

I went to flickr and put the words "reach out" in the search box. Was I cheating by looking for an image I wanted to show what I wanted to convey ?

Anyway this image - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dip108/388012741/ came up.

Why did I choose a hand that is reaching out? Because this entire journey with ovarian cancer I have been reaching out.  I have reached out to :
my doctors for healing
my friends in support group and other survivors for understanding
my God for courage and strength
my family for support and love
my friends for a shoulder to cry on
my pets for unconditional love and to make me smile

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!

#4HAWMC - I write about my health because...

#4 I write about my health because... Reflect on why you write  about your health for 15 minutes without stopping. So here goes...

I began writing my blog in 2007. I am an ovarian cancer survivor and had attended the first Livestrong Survivors Summit the year before. At the Summit many survivors had spoken about how they shared their story online in blog form and stayed in touch with family and friends that way too.

So in December that year I began writing this blog. Below is my first post.

Today I took the plunge and decided to make this blog. I guess you could say it is an early New Year's resolution. In addition to sharing my thoughts on this journey, I will post links and information relevant to women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in New Jersey. Since I am a strong supporter of the Lance Armstrong Foundation I will also post items relevant to LiveStrong activities from Challenges to LiveStrong Day.


It was a simple a blog back then with some links to other blogs that I read. I have come a long way since then. I now have multiple pages to my blog - resources, local events, support groups,women of teal page ( honoring survivors and those who lost their lives to this disease),  about me and and a news page.

Back in 2008 this blog was the way I communicated about my recurrence. I wrote about my choices for treatment, when I had my surgery , when I started chemotherapy, the time I spent in the hospital after a serious reaction to carboplatin and about finishing treatment and becoming NED( no evidence of disease) again .

And since then I have been, as ovarian cancer survivors say "dancing with NED", I have taken to writing about ovarian cancer research.  I look at news articles about ovarian cancer and then read the related journal articles and then put that research into layman's terms and write about it on my blog.  I also try to relate if the study will impact my reader's lives. Don't get me wrong if there is a fun event or fundraising activity taking place in NJ you will find me writing about it on this blog.

I hope to continue sharing my story and important research studies for years to come.

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!

#3 HAWMC Superpower Day

HAWMC #3 prompt: If you had a super power what would it be. 

As soon as I read this prompt I knew exactly which super power I would want to have. My friend is currently in treatment for metastatic endometrial cancer and is in a tremendous amount of pain. The  power to take away the pain caused by cancer would be my super power. Not just pain from ovarian cancer but pain caused by any cancer.

 I would travel around the world visiting patients in cancer centers and their homes and with a gentle touch remove the severe pain wherever they might be experiencing it in their bodies. I have seen too many of my loved ones and friends deal with pain that is uncontrollable even with the most powerful narcotics. This would make one part of their cancer journey a  bit easier.

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!

HAWMC #2 Quotation Inspiration

I am participating in the Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge during April. Today's prompt: # 2 Quotation Inspiration

With God All Things Are Possible- Matthew 19:26


I don't regularly write about my faith in this blog but this prompt "find a quote that inspires you and write about it " has opened the door to do just that.

I have loved this quote since I was a child. My faith and God has always been an important part of my life. When I was growing up and things were tough I would remember this quote. When I applied to engineering school I thought of this quote and prayed it. When I taught school a small poster with this quote would hang in my classroom.I knew that with God and the Holy Spirit things would work out.

So when I was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 this quote was already part of who I was. I now use it as a  mantra. When I am going for medical tests (blood work, CT scans, etc) and doctor visits, if I take a deep breath and repeat "All things are possible with God. All things are possible with God......" it really helps to calm me. It is a way for me to pray, calm myself and it gives me hope, all at the same time.

I thank God for all he has possible in my life.

Dee
Every day is a Blessing!

HAWMC #1 Health Time Capsule

I am participating in the Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge during April. Each day I will post a blog based on a different  prompt. 


Today's prompt: Make a personal health Time Capsule to be opened in 2112


My time capsule would contain:

• A yellow LIVESTRONG bracelet
• A teal ribbon
• My medical history

When my capsule is found and opened the conversation between a mother and her daughter will sound something like this.

Daughter: "Look at this classic LIVESTRONG bracelet Mom. It doesn't contain any information though it is just yellow plastic. What year was it that they started including the data on your electronic Medical Record inside the bracelet?"
Mother: "I think that was in 2060. Let me see that piece of paper. It looks like a medical history."
The mother reads the history.
Mother: "It seems this woman was diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer in 2005. Ovarian Cancer used to be the deadliest gynecologic cancer . Around 2032 they found the stem cell involved in ovarian cancer and about 5 years later the drug endovar  was developed that would prevent the stem cell from developing into ovarian cancer. Since then all women take the drug. You have been taking it monthly pill since you started menstruating "
Daughter: "So I take that drug along with my vitamins, the drugs to prevent breast cancer and the osteoparosis?"
Mother: "Yes, Hun"
Daughter: "Why do you think this greenish -blue ribbon was important"
Mother: "Oh, that ribbon color is teal and ribbons were used to raise awareness of the disease. You don't see too many of those cancer awareness ribbons any more since so many of the causes and pathways of cancer disease progression have been discovered and cures have been found."
Daughter: "We have really come a long way since this woman was alive."

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!