Let’s Talk About Blood Cancers

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Cities around the country are Turning It Red in support!

Every three minutes someone in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer. Blood cancers account for approximately 10% of all cancers in the United States and include lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma. Each type has it’s own set of symptoms, typical age at diagnosis, and risk factors. Blood cancers can be slow and chronic, with little to no symptoms for years, or they can be fast-growing and acute, having more pronounced symptoms. There are no known ways to prevent blood cancers.

If you have a family history of blood cancer or have had high exposure to radiation, please see you doctor to discuss risk factors and what you should know.

#BCAM2023 #FightBloodCancer #ThisisBloodCancer

Cancerversary: A Time of Gratitude, Reflection, and Intention

We typically celebrate and acknowledge special dates in our lives.  Our birthdates; our anniversaries; the birthdates of our children, friends and family members; graduation dates, work anniversaries; or the day we got that license or certification that we’ve been working towards.  But for cancer survivors there are other dates that are also front and center in our minds.  The date we got diagnosed, the date we finished treatment, the date we got that “No Evidence of Disease” report.  Our “cancerversaries.” For some, these dates are triggers that remind us of our traumatic cancer journey.  For others, they are a time of gratitude, reflection, and intention. 

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.  I am an ovarian cancer survivor who was diagnosed in September.  September is also Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.  My father had prostate cancer before he passed away.  September is also National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.    I have an inherited genetic mutation that increases my risk ovarian cancer.  The irony of the correlating awareness months and my diagnosis month is not lost on me.  Despite these awareness days reminding me of some difficult memories, I choose to recognize my cancerversary on the date I got diagnosed with ovarian cancer in September 2021. 

Now you may ask why I would recognize the date I got diagnosed and not the day I got my “No evidence of disease?”  For me, this is simple.  The day I was diagnosed was the day that I and my medical team were made aware that I had cancer.  The day before, whether I knew it or not, I had cancer and because I didn’t know it, I was powerless to do anything about it.  Once I was diagnosed, I, along with my medical team, could take the steps needed to try and save my life. 

 First and Foremost Gratitude

As my first cancerversary date was coming up last year I had an extreme and profound sense of gratitude because, truth be told, I never felt like I was going to make it one year past diagnosis.  I had ovarian cancer, long called “the silent killer” because symptoms tend to be vague and to develop only after the cancer is at an advanced stage.  I also had a particularly aggressive form of cancer.  Even though my oncologist clearly told me that my treatment was focusing on “cure,” I wasn’t convinced that I was going to make it. 

 Around the date of my first cancerversary I began really reflecting on the previous year and how I made it to one year, alive and starting to flourish.  What immediately came to my mind were the two people who set me up for success, my gynecologist and my gynecologic oncologist surgeon.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am extremely grateful for my current oncologist and the team of nurses and Nurse Pratitioners that care for me on a regular basis.  They too are a huge reason that I am here today.  But I believe that the quick action by my gynecologist and the skillful proactive surgery by my gynecologic oncologist are a huge reason why I even had a chance to be here today. Recognizing this, I sent them personal letters expressing my gratitude.  As I had moved out of the area and I was no longer a patient of either of them, I also let them know that my treatment was successful thus far, that I was doing well, and that I attributed a good part of this to their prompt and skillful care.  As good deeds tend to come back to us, my gynecologist called me one evening after hours to tell me how moved he was by my letter.  And I was moved by his call.  The gratitude just deepens.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, September 2021

 Finally, I planned a celebratory trip to the Great Smoky Mountains.  On my actual cancerversay I set my intention to fully live this precious life that I have been given.  I wanted to push myself to do things I thought I couldn’t do, to explore the boundaries that I had set up for myself to keep myself safe.  My husband and I hiked to Clingman’s Dome that day.  The stunning views of the world in front of me reminded me I was part of something bigger and that there was a whole wide world out there to explore.

 Profound Gratitude and Profound Sadness

This year my sense of gratitude is focused on the nurses from my oncology office that have helped keep me cancer free.  I am currently on a maintenance medicine that is monitored closely by my gynecologic oncologist.  I have monthly labs and a monthly visit with my gynecologic oncology Nurse Practitioner.  I have purchased little key chains for the nurses inscribed with the following: “May you be proud of the work you do, the person you are, and the difference you make”.  My plan is to write them each a personal note and include the keychain in the note.  A small gesture marking my two-year anniversary and expressing my gratitude towards those that have helped me on my journey.

As I reflect on the past two years of survivorship, along with my profound gratitude for life and the people that have helped get me here, there is also a sense of profound loss.  Several months ago, I lost my good friend Lori to ovarian cancer.  We were diagnosed around the same time with the same type of ovarian cancer.  Even though we were hundreds of miles apart we were support to each other during this cancer journey.  It’s hard knowing that I can’t text here when I’m having a difficult day or reaching a milestone.  It’s hard knowing that I can’t offer her the support and encouragement to just keep going, day by day.  Her loss is a reminder that the cancer journey comes with profound sadness along with profound gratitude.

 Intentions

My intention for the next year is to continue to open myself up to life and to share my journey with others. Hopefully this website will find the people that it needs to find and offer them comfort and support in knowing that they are not alone.

What day is special for you?  The date you were diagnosed?  The date you completed treatment?  The date you received a “No Evidence of Disease” report?  How do you acknowledge and celebrate YOUR cancerversary? 

 In memory of Lori, whose light and joy lives on in the people she loved. 

Let’s Talk About Prostate Cancer

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Here’s what you need to know.

Approximately 288,300 men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2023. It is the most common cancer among men in the United States as almost 13% of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths for men. The causes of prostate cancer are not known.

What are the risk factors for prostate cancer? Risk factors include age, more than half of the men diagnosed are 65 years of age or older; race, being African American or Caribbean of African ancestry; a family history of prostate cancer; and inherited genetic mutations.

What are the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer? Signs and symptoms include but are not limited to difficulties with urination; blood in the urine or semen; and pain in the hips or back. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, see your doctor.

What can I do to prevent prostate cancer? There are currently no ways to prevent prostate cancer.

What can I do to reduce my risk of prostate cancer? The most important thing that you can do to reduce your risk is to see your doctor and get annual screenings.

For more information see: The website for the Center for Disease Control here ; and the website for the National Institute of Health here.

Who is a Cancer Survivor?

It seems like a relatively simple and straightforward question, “Who is a cancer survivor?” Funny thing is, even in the cancer community, there is some debate about the answer to the question. Some feel that the term “survivor” should be saved for those that have completed treatment. The more widely held belief is that the term “cancer survivor” applies from the moment of diagnosis. You have cancer and you are alive, you are a survivor.

Cancer Patient or Cancer Survivor?

When I was newly diagnosed I was in a state of disbelief, shock, and exhaustion from my recent surgery. I certainly didn’t think of myself as a cancer survivor. I was a “cancer patient” being cared for by a team of medical professionals and my goal was to “survive” my treatment. I was not a “cancer survivor.” Not yet anyway. Now you may feel very differently about this, and there is certainly no right or wrong perspective. Wherever you stand on the topic, we can probably agree that there are different issues that arise during your treatment survivorship journey versus your post-treatment after cancer survivorship journey.

Newly diagnosed and in treatment, I certainly didn’t think about the future, the next treatment, or sometimes even the next day. I did what I had to do to get through the day in front of me.

Newly diagnosed and in treatment, I focused intently on what was right in front of me, getting through the day to day. Some days this was as simple and straightforward as getting through my day to day tasks of eating, personal care, resting, and trying to walk a few more steps than the day before. Other days, it was a monumental task where it felt like I was climbing Mount Everest just to get out of bed. I certainly didn’t think about the future, the next treatment, or sometimes even the next day. It was, what did I have to do to get through this day in front of me. To be brutally honest, I tried really hard to be in denial and not think about what happens if treatment didn’t work. I didn’t have the emotional energy to go there, so I didn’t.

In the after cancer, I started to think about what my tomorrow was going to look like.

The after cancer, after treatment was completed and I received my first “no evidence of disease” (NED) scan, was a very different story. While still trying to focus on what was right in front of me, because some days didn’t feel all that different from the days during treatment, I also started thinking about a future. Now I wasn’t brave or naive enough to think about a future in terms of decades or even years, but I started to think about what my tomorrow was going to look like. What, if anything I still wanted to accomplish, what I wanted to see and do. What was and is mostly on my mind were these questions: will I get stronger, will my chemo brain go away, will I always be this fatigued, will I always feel this fragile, will I always be afraid of my next scan. I am two years out from my cancer diagnosis (September 15, 2021) and these questions still linger in my mind.

It took a long time to shift my mindset into thinking and believing that I was and am a cancer survivor.

Thinking of yourself as a “cancer patient,” a “cancer survivor,” or both, may depend on what you yourself are focusing on. When I was struggling to get through treatment and after I finished treatment and was still struggling to get through the day, it didn’t feel right to think of myself as a survivor. So I was a cancer patient. It took a long time to shift my mindset into thinking and believing that I was and am a cancer survivor. Believing now that I am a cancer survivor, there remains other lingering questions about my status. If I’m on a maintenance drug does that mean I am still a cancer patient? Can I be a patient and a survivor at the same time? Or am I just a survivor? As if being “just” a survivor isn’t a mighty feat in itself!

Being a “cancer survivor” means I was and am strong.

While you may say this is all a matter of semantics, defining who you are within the cancer journey is also about your emotional cancer journey, not just your physical cancer journey. Being a “cancer patient,” I thought of myself more passively, as someone who was getting something done to them by outside forces and waiting to see the results. In a way it signified to me that I had little to no control, which is why I looked for other ways to have control. (More on my control issues in future articles.) It was easier to think of myself as a “cancer patient” because I felt physically weak. Being a “cancer survivor” means that I was and am strong. I endured something that very sadly some others have not. “Cancer survivor” makes feels like I had a part in my survivorship, maybe not physically but emotionally because we all know it takes determination and grit to choose to go through treatment.

As I reflect now on who is a cancer survivor, I think I shortchanged myself during treatment by not thinking of myself as both a “cancer patient” and a “cancer survivor”. We don’t have to be one or the other. We can be both. The truth of the matter for all of us is that during treatment we are a “cancer patient”, we are receiving medical care, and our body may feel weak. We are probably still a “cancer patient” when we are receiving maintenance treatment. But during all these times we are also a “cancer survivor” because we have the strength and fortitude to push forward in spite of and because of our diagnosis. Cancer may have marked our lives, but we are alive, living, breathing. Cancer survivors!

What about you? Who do you think is a cancer survivor?

Let’s Talk About Ovarian Cancer

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Here’s what you need to know.

Approximately 21,000 women are expected to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year with most women diagnosed over the age of 60. Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths of women, meaning its survival rate is lower than that of other cancers that affect women. This is sometimes due to late diagnosis as the symptoms are often common symptoms and benign. The causes of ovarian cancer are not known.

What are the risk factors for ovarian cancer? Risks factors include but are not limited to age (middle-aged or older); having a family history of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, or colorectal cancer, and inherited gene mutations.

What are the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer? The most common symptoms include bloating, pelvic pain or pressure, trouble eating/feeling full quickly, and urgency or frequency with urination. If these symptoms are new and persistent, see your doctor.

What can I do to prevent ovarian cancer? There is currently no way to prevent ovarian cancer.

How can I reduce my risk of ovarian cancer?

• Know your family history.

• Discuss genetic testing with your doctor if you are at risk.

• Discuss risk reduction options with your doctor.

For more information see: The website of The Center for Disease Control here, and website of The National Cancer Institute here.

Welcome!

Welcome to Surviving to Flourishing! I am so happy you are here. You may have read a little about me. If not, take a look at my About Me page. I’m Donna, an ovarian cancer survivor. I was diagnosed in 2021 during COVID, went through six rounds of chemotherapy, and am currently receiving maintenance treatment with a PARP inhibitor. If you are like me, when I was diagnosed with cancer I thought that surviving and getting through treatment was going to be the tough part. I thought that I would finish treatment, and if I was luck enough to have clear scans, I would rather quickly resume life as I knew it. What I soon realized was that for me the after cancer part was shocking, difficult to navigate, and nothing like what I expected. it certainly wasn’t back to life as I knew it.

Physical Side Effects of After Cancer

While this certainly looks different for everyone, for me the physical side effects of chemotherapy have taken a long time to subside and become “tolerable”. The PARP inhibitor compounds that because it has some of the same side effects: fatigue, nausea, joint pain, chemo brain/brain fog. So I never know whether I am having long-term side effects from chemotherapy or iffy side effects are from the PARP inhibitor which is hopefully keeping the cancer at bay. Chemo brain is a real thing and while my memory and word finding is better, I still have some difficulty. Nausea comes and goes, rearing its ugly head unexpectedly. And the fatigue. Oh the fatigue. Sometimes it is manageable and sometimes I just need to take days to rest and rejuvenate. I try hard to increase my stamina and stay active, but it often feels like I am getting stronger at a snail’s pace if at all.

Emotional Side Effects of After Cancer

Adding to the physical side effects of after cancer is the emotional side. The dealing with what I and what all cancer survivors have been through, a life threatening illness. The reflection on my life, legacy, and relationships. The gratitude. The regrets. The survivor guilt. The ups and downs of watching fellow journeyers. The scanxiety. The disappointment and sadness towards those who haven’t or didn’t show up for you. The deep sense of gratitude towards those who did and still dowel this journey with you. The depth of feeling towards the preciousness of life and the joys in walking up each day. The depth of appreciation for simple things. The need to figure out what my life looks like after cancer.

Why this Blog

Whew. That was a lot. And there is so much more. So why did I decide to start Surviving to Flourishing? First and foremost, I am a helper. I truly want to make life a little easier for others. It is just who I am. And let’s face it, when we help others, we also help ourselves. I have learned so much during this journey that I want to share what I have learned in order to make YOUR journey a little lighter. Maybe I have a tip or trick that can make your life easier. Maybe there’s a resource that you have needed, or a different perspective on something that you had not thought of that brings you a little peace. Maybe just knowing that there is someone else out there, going through the same thing you are, feeling the same feelings that you are feeling, sharing feelings that you are not really sharing with anyone because you are not sure that they will understand, makes you feel a little less alone. A little more “normal” in your journey. A little more, “Hah! It’s not just me”.

What to Expect

The biggest thing to expect is that this website is here for you! To inspire you, to give you hope, to provide you resources, to make YOUR journey and mine, easier and lighter. Let’s go on this after cancer journey from Surviving to Flourishing together!