“Your child has cancer.” The cancer coping journey begins. An empty space is born in my heart. I respond by acting; I play the role of someone who is capable of coping with cancer. This journey was booked without my knowledge or consent. I ache to lay down my life for her. This is not an option so I do the next best thing – I stand by her.

1. Focus on the here and now: She had just finished a painful procedure. I was still reeling from the shock of the pain she endured but she intently studied, pondered, then chose a toy from the treasure chest of toys in the procedure room. While she plays with the doll, her sincere laughter makes me appreciate the present moment. I choose to focus on the present moment instead of dwelling on the painful procedure that happened a few minutes ago. (more…)

If you spend time in the sun it’s wise to check your body occasionally for signs of skin cancer. This is the number one cancer affecting millions of people each year. A at home self check is easy to do and early detection is the best way to prevent this cancer from spreading. You’ll learn a few different methods to do this as you keep reading.

Starting The Exam

It’s simple, you start with a full length mirror and also a small hand mirror. The first thing you want to do is look at yourself in the mirror and note any freckles, blemishes or moles that currently exist. Next sit down and check your legs, thighs, back of legs and feet. Be sure to check the bottoms of your feet too. Use the hand mirror to view places your not able to clearly see like the back of your legs.

Check your lower back, scalp, upper back and other places that sun exposure is prominent. It’s good to note on paper the markings on your skin so your able to compare this to future check-ups. (more…)

I have a chronic problem with kidney stones. It was because of this problem that I received a blessing in disguise. While I was seeing my urologist for a scan on pain from a kidney stone, he found some abnormalities. He first noticed that I had a double hernia and also an enlarged prostate. After the hernia surgery, I went back to the urologist to get a psa test.

PSA stands for Prostate specific antigen. Although I’m not a doctor, I learned that it can detect different issues with the prostate. The first is prostatitus. This is some type of infection or inflammation in the pelvic region. The second is an enlarged prostate or BPH which causes difficult urination. Lastly, psa can detect prostate cancer. I have had difficulty urinating for a few years, so I thought for sure that I simply had BPH. (more…)

Cervix is the neck of the uterus. It is the bottom, slim part of the uterus which is connected to the topmost part of the vagina. Cervical cancer is believed to be due to the infection caused by HPV (Human Papillomavirus). The malignant symptoms of this cancer include bleeding of the vagina, contact bleeding and vaginal mass. Other symptoms include moderate pain during sexual intercourse and vaginal discharge. In the advanced stages of this disease, a person experiences loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, pelvic pain, back pain, leg pain, single swollen leg, heavy vaginal bleeding, bone fractures and leaking of urine or feces from the vagina.

Because of the growing cases of cervical cancer each year, a cervical cancer vaccine was made available. It was aimed to provide protection from HPV which is believed to be the root cause of most cervical cancer. Gardasil is the first cervical cancer vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Its effectiveness is said to be up to 98%. Cervarix is the other cervical cancer vaccine which is already in use in some countries. But in other countries, it is still waiting for approval before its full campaign. Gardasil vaccine protects against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. Cervarix is said to be 92% effective against HPV 16 and 18. HPV types 6 and 11 are considered as the cause for 90% reason for all genital warts issues. HPV 16 and 18, on the other hand, are considered as the cause for 70% of all cervical cancer issues. The vaccine aims to particularly block the causes of the cancer (such as the HPV) to even get to the core. (more…)

Mesothelioma is primarily caused by long-term, regular exposure to asbestos. People who have been exposed to asbestos insulation in the workplace have a higher death rate than anyone else from this type of cancer. In fact, they are about three hundred times more likely to die from it than those who are not in regular, direct contact with it. In some cases, people who were exposed to asbestos in the workplace have family members who develop the disease. This is thought to be possible because the workers bring the asbestos home on their clothes and their family members are in direct contact with it.

Pleural Mesothelioma, the most common form of the cancer, is thought be caused from the inhalation of asbestos dust. The fibers of asbestos are so small that the lungs are not able to filter them, allowing them to embed in the tissue of the lungs and form into cancer. Sometimes Mesothelioma is located in the lining of the abdomen. This is called peritoneal Mesothelioma , and is thought to be caused by ingesting asbestos. Asbestos can be ingested by eating food that has been contaminated with asbestos. (more…)