Calling all triple negative breast cancer patients in the UK
Comments
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Hello everyone,
I thought you might like to see last night's sunset over Exmouth.
I thought you might like to know, also, that I cooked the pieces of fresh turmeric last night and it was delicious. I cut it into small pieces with some cut up fresh ginger root, put it in with some sliced organic carrots and cooked it in the pressure cooker for about four minutes. The turmeric was a very subtle, pleasant taste. I am going to try it grated raw and sprinkled over salad or vegetables.
There did not seem here for world cancer day yesterday, but on the news last night it was announced that fewer people were dying of cancer.
I also saw that at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, a building has been started for the first proton beam radiotherapy treatment in the UK. It will not be ready until 2018! We need to do better in the UK. They also showed a patient being operated on for colon cancer and having chemotherapy fed into him at the same time. New chemotherapy drugs were mentioned, but I keep seeing the same old ones.
The good news is that it was also stated that they are trying to treat new patients less aggressively.
Keep posting.
Best wishes.
Sylvia
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Hi Sylvia /everyone
Hope everyone doing ok ? It's my day off today so thought I would pop on to see how everyone is doing.
I did hear that Christies hospital are building a unit to offer proton radiotherapy Sylvia, also this will not be available until 2018. On the radio a few days ago it reported a person had travelled to the Chech republic, against NHS recommendation and had this done and was now doing great. We seem to be so behind here in uk. Another programme I watched in the week , the real marigold hotel , featured a hospital in India , the service and care was far superior to here in the UK.
I have been suffering from a few aches and pains recently , so I decided to go out for a run, sound a mad idea when I was aching but I felt so much better after. I'm going to try and go just twice a week . I think a bit a exercise really does help.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
The photo of the sunset is beautiful Sylvia
XxxAmanda xxx
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Hello Amanda,
Thank you for taking the trouble to post on your day off.
I do agree that we are not doing well enough with our cancer treatment. We should have had the proton beam therapy years ago.
I do remember the story of the young boy whose parents had to take him to an Eastern European country to get proton beam treatment and how badly treated the parents were for doing so. The powers that be here had the parents arrested and separated from their little boy on a European arrest warrant. The Spanish authorities let them go and they went on to Eastern Europe and he is still doing fine.
I cannot understand why the NHS would try to prevent treatment that they are not offering.
I was interested to know that you had watched the Real Marigold Hotel. I thought it was just about retired people going off to retire in India. I shall make sure I look at the next episode. We should be ashamed in this country that the treatment is better in India. We are told all the time that we are the fifth largest economy in the world and yet our NHS seems to be dying. I think newly diagnosed patients, and any of us having our cancer return, should be more assertive and proactive about the treatment we want.
I wrote down the following information that I picked up on the television the other day: apparently this government is making cuts everywhere in the health service. Patients diagnosed with cancer by their GP are waiting for more than six weeks to get a referral to a consultant for a definite diagnosis. They are then waiting about thirty-one days for treatment to begin after this diagnosis. Cuts are being made to the numbers of people training to be radiologists. It makes me wonder whether we shall end up with proton beams and no one to work them!
The government says it is putting £19 billion extra into the NHS for cancer, so where is the money going?
Apparently the government is making cuts to payments to cancer patients who are not well enough to work. The charities are against these cuts.
In the programme I was watching, there was the usual political battles going on with one side saying survival rates are better in Wales and the other side saying the NHS is worse in Wales and that cuts are being made. I do not have a high opinion of politicians who make hay over people's lives. The NHS should not be a political football and I am fed up with conflict politics. Perhaps we need a government of National Unity that makes it compulsory to look after people.
I do not think there is enough emphasis on cancer prevention. We need to ask people to take some responsibility for their own well-being and to eat healthily, stop smoking, stop drinking alcohol or have it only in moderation. To exercise (a walk is enough) and to keep to their ideal weight. Cancer is a failure of the immune system and the end product of inflammation due to lifestyle.
We all know that sugar is associated with cancer and yet we still have charities offering up alcohol and cake to raise funds!
I was glad to know that you felt better after a run. I think just getting out in the air wakes us up and freshens us up. I know I start to feel very lethargic and stiff in the limbs if I am stuck indoors.
I am still reading What Doctors Don't Tell You. I was very interested in the article about sugar and breast cancer. I need to read it in more detail. Other articles of interest are:
The Cure for all Diseases (most chronic diseases are caused by low grade inflammation)
Bad-mouthing (evidence is stacking up to show that bad teeth and gums may be a major cause of a raft of diseases). I discovered that periodontal disease may play a big part in whether on not you develop breast cancer, especially if you are past the menopause. This frightened me because I have inherited periodontal disease. This is a long article with lots of information.
Another interesting article is The Secret Cause of Diabetes (diabetics are told their pancreas has packed up from overweight or insulin resistance, but with his long experience Dr Patrick Kingsley has found another culprit). In brief, he seems to think that diabetes is all down to inflammation.
I was glad to know you enjoyed the photograph. I think at this time of year it is therapeutic to have some nice photographs on the thread. It helps with the winter blahs!
Have a good weekend, Amanda, and do not get running a marathon!
Fond thoughts
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia
I will have to wait till next month to read Woollams email, and I hope there are no more problems with them. A lot of good information there.
Today marks one year since my husband passed away, the year has flown by. So much has happened in the last 2 years.
Looks like there is more panic over the zika virus. It is now in this country, but not in the bugs yet. People are contracting it while traveling and coming home with it. Sounds like if they are bitten by a mosquito while the virus is active, they can pass it on that way. And sexually, according to a case in Texas.
Also looks like in the area of our philosophy on politics we will have to agree to disagree. I do hope it does not come to a choice between Sanders and Trump for us, but we have 9 months yet to go. I think it's silly to spend so much time and money on just campaigning, but it seems to be the norm anymore. Our representatives in Congress serve 2-year terms, seems like over half of that is spent campaigning for the next term. I would like more term limits set in place.
That is a beautiful sunset in Exmouth!
I had not heard that there are fewer people dying of cancer. That's good, but it also seems that there are more and more people coming down with cancer. With not any really definitive answers to that problem. I was at the cancer center today to get my port flushed and the chairs were all full, seems to be no shortage of people receiving chemo. Hopefully it is working for them; I usually am just glad to get out of there. Yesterday I was reading that if one drinks out of plastic bottles, one should only drink liquids out of plastic bottles with a 2 stamped on the bottom; any other number is not safe to drink from and can cause cancer! While I was out and about today I checked many of the bottles of water in the shops. They all had the number 1, which is supposedly the worst number for drink safety! I guess it is just not safe anywhere with anything.
I guess I should have asked someone while I was there at the cancer hospital about photon beam radiography, I had not heard about that before reading about it on this discussion board, so I am pretty sure they don't have it. Maybe some of the big cancer hospitals do, I will have to check that out.
Be well, and talk to you soon,
Mary
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Hello Mary,
Thank you so much for another interesting post. I shall answer later on today. It is one of those days here when you feel like staying in bed. I woke up to pouring rain and clouds everywhere, not to mention raging winds.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello everyone,
I posted this information on another thread where they were discussing receptor status and I thought I would post it on our thread as well.
Best wishes.
Sylvia
- Group 1 (luminal A). This group includes tumors that are ER positive and PR positive, but negative for HER2. Luminal A breast cancers are likely to benefit from hormone therapy and may also benefit from chemotherapy.
- Group 2 (luminal
. This type includes tumors that are ER positive, PR negative and HER2 positive. Luminal B breast cancers are likely to benefit from chemotherapy and may benefit from hormone therapy and treatment targeted to HER2. - Group 3 (HER2 positive). This type includes tumors that are ER negative and PR negative, but HER2 positive. HER2 breast cancers are likely to benefit from chemotherapy and treatment targeted to HER2.
- Group 4 (basal-like). This type, which is also called triple-negative breast cancer, includes tumors that are ER negative, PR negative and HER2 negative. Basal-like breast cancers are likely to benefit from chemotherapy.
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Hello Mary,
I do hope you will be able to read Chris Woollams' email next month. As you say, they always have a lot of information and we should not ignore that information.
It must have been very difficult for you getting through that first anniversary of your husband's death. Did you do anything special? A lot has gone on in your life during the past two years.
I do wonder what is happening with this zika virus and whether we are getting all the details. There is always a lot of covering up. It looks as though if it can be passed on from human to human, we could be in big trouble.
I must admit that on the whole I am a bit weary of politicians and their political game. We are still getting a lot of news about the Presidential race in the US and it is only the beginning of everything. The latest news we are getting is about Cruz and Rubio. Here they are saying that on the Republican side it will be a race between these two and Trump. As for the Democrats, we are told there are only three candidates with which to start. I do not know if they have mentioned the third one, so it looks as though it will be a battle between Sanders and Clinton.
As for the UK, we are getting nothing but the European Union and whether we should stay in or leave. I dislike all the in fighting with the two different sides and the general brain washing of the general public. I do not like all the money that is spent on these elections and referenda. I just want a leaflet in the post with a legally binding manifesto if it is an election, and as for the referendum on the EU, I would like all the politicians to shut up, let the general public think for themselves and vote on their decision without a load of brainwashing. I have decided to vote to get out so that we can become a nation state again, control our borders, make our own laws and protect our own culture. I do not really think we have democracy in this country.
I was glad to know that you liked the photograph of the sunset in Exmouth. At least we can appreciate the beauty of nature and I find it makes me feel a lot less pessimistic about everything, even if that feeling is only fleeting.
I have certainly heard on the media this past week that fewer people are dying of cancer, but of course we have no way of knowing if we are being told the truth. We do not know, either, what kind of quality of life these cancer patients have while they are surviving. It certainly seems true that more and more people are being afflicted with cancer. The experts say that it is because we are living longer but certainly with breast cancer, there seem to be more and more young women. When I read the TNs thread I am so concerned about all those young women with children to bring up.
I did not realise that you were wearing a port and having to get it flushed out. Do you have one of those that are inside you and can be left for life?
I am not surprised that your chemotherapy centre had a lot of people receiving chemotherapy. This seems to be the backbone of treatment whether a patient is newly diagnosed, has recurrence or metastases, but there is only so much the body can stand and I think that eventually the chemotherapy kills you rather than the cancer.
I had no idea that plastic bottles were numbered according to their safety. It is not good considering the number of people drinking straight out of plastic bottles these days. Plastic is everywhere. Sometimes you feel as though you might as well give up.
If you get any information about proton beam radiotherapy, please keep us posted. Do you think it is used currently in the US? Here in the UK we are always behind on everything.
Here in the UK we have about a million people queuing up for food banks and yet we think we can take in thousands of immigrants and give them houses and fit their children into schools, even though we have a shortage of both.
It has been raining here all day, so not a day for being outside.
Take care of yourself and keep in touch.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello everyone,
I saw this article on line in the Sunday Mirror today. I read it with great interest as it was all about how alcohol is a risk factor in developing breast cancer. The person here was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer, which is one of the less common ones, and alcohol drinking is associated with it. This patient decided to continue drinking wine because she thought that doing so made life more 'fun'.
I was wondering what your thoughts are on this article.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/id-...
Best wishes.
Sylvia
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Hi Sylvia and everyone
Regarding what you said about alcohol I should say in the book The Rainbow Diet Woollams expressed how the organic red wine could be beneficial to health. Yet, here in Iran all alcoholic drinks are prohibited. Though it may be beneficial to our health , I consider this law as invading people's privacy. Every day I hear some say this is good for you while others strongly oppose it. All is left is a great confusion and anxiety over everything we have.
About what you asked about my teaching, I should say I really love it and it's one of my biggest pleasures in life. I m also continuing with my badminton playing. I fast every other day from morning till night as I have read about its benefits on general health and killing any probable cancer cells. I will have my blood test in two weeks and I hope everything goes well.
Love
Hanieh
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Hello Hanieh,
It was nice to hear from you and to have someone picking up on information that I have posted and answering my request to have comments and opinions on this information. As I have always said, these threads have to be interactive, otherwise they serve no purpose.
As far as alcohol is concerned, I do not think there will ever be any agreement about it.
Here in the UK the sale of alcohol brings in lots of money to the government coffers. There is tax and duty on all alcohol, so the government will never try to ban it. It is ironic as well that in Parliament the politicians have cheap alcohol (not to mention food) and they take full advantage of this. We, the taxpayers, subsidise their drinks, so, in a way, they are sponging off us.
The politicians in general are always talking about the war on drugs (termed hard drugs) but statistics show that these so called illegal drugs do less harm in society and cost less socially than alcohol, which is an addictive drug but socially accepted. It does a lot of harm to our bodies (remember the diagram that I posted from doctor's surgery about damage to the liver). Illness from alcohol abuse costs our NHS dearly, but those with alcohol problems say that they pay their taxes so they are entitled to NHS treatment, but I doubt whether the taxes cover the cost of treatment. There is also the problem that drunks do to other people when they drink and drive etc. However, those with alcohol problems will point the finger of blame at smokers and overweight and obese people and so the merry-go-round continues to go round. I doubt that there will ever be a solution to this problem, especially anything from government. It can only be done through education.
I think that you do not need to drink red wine, even organic, to reap some health benefits. The 'magic' ingredient is resveratrol and you can get that through eating red/black organic grapes, especially the ones with seeds. You can have organic unsweetened red grape juice but this is probably too concentrated and if you overdo it will send your blood sugar level soaring. Organic red wine will still be addictive and will still have high sugar content and it will damage the liver just as easily.
Alcohol destroys vitamins C and B, which are essential to good health.
I think each person should make their own choice but should be aware that alcohol is an addictive drug and know the consequences.
We all know that sugar should be a no-no for cancer patients and survivors because it fuels tumour growth.
I think that a person's right to privacy stops when that privacy and its consequences harms others.
I thought that the prohibition of alcohol in Muslim countries came about because of hot climates, in much the same way as pork. Even in the UK we used to be told to avoid eating pork in the months when there was no 'r' in the spelling, that is May, June, July and August, the hotter months here. I think that all disappeared with refrigeration.
I have had occasion to witness drunks being brought into A&E at the hospital, accompanied by police officers, and being given priority for treatment in front of genuinely ill people. In the towns you can see drunken behaviour especially on Friday and weekend nights. I have also witnessed someone completely destroying himself through alchol addiction.
I was interested to know that your politicians are celebrating the anniversary of The Islamic Revolution. I suppose you mean the one in 1979 when the Shah was deposed and went in exile in America. I do remember all that. It was probaby before you were born. I remember the news about Ayotollah Homeini (I do not know if I have spelled that correctly) returning from exile in France. I remember the hostage taking of Americans. I would think your parents and grandparents were powerless to do anything. It would be like us and the younger generations coming after us blaming our parents and grandparents for world war 1 and 2. The politicians cause and make war and send ordinary innocent people as canon-fodder to fight their battles. The world is a very dangerous place at present and I am quite afraid of world war 3.
I must take a break. I shall post more later.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia and all,
I passed the first anniversary of my husband's death a year ago with a very busy day and then dinner with friends. I did find myself reliving the events of the time of his death, now I am going to try to move along with life and remember him as he was when he was feeling well. After his death, his daughters and I went through boxes and boxes of pictures, mostly taken by he and I, of us when younger and healthier. It was wonderful to see him again looking vibrant and whole, it really helped my state of mind.
We had our New Hampshire primary yesterday. Trump was the big winner of the Republican side, and the winner of the Iowa primary, Ted Cruz, came in 3rd. Sanders trounced Hilary Clinton, which surprised nobody because he is from right next door in Vermont. I believe the next primary election is in South Carolina, promptly followed by Super Tuesday, where a large number of states hold their primaries. Our state is farther down the line, about mid-March. Not sure what will happen to Trump and Sanders in the South, they are both New Yorkers and the South is in the Bible Belt.
I feel your frustration with politicians. We are supposed to be a democratic republic, supposedly represented in Congress by our congressman and Senators. And at the state level our districts are represented by congressmen. The state level is one thing, these are ordinary people who are in office for a limit of 4 terms, 8 years. Then they go back to their lives and jobs. Many of the men in Washington seem to be in office well into old age, with no intentions of returning to their normal lives. Much money and influence is spent on remaining in their seats of power, and the people they are supposed to be representing seem to be forgotten except around election day.
I hope you get your wish about getting out of the EU. Protecting borders, laws and culture seems like a very wise thing to do. In all countries.
Yes, I still have my port. I asked my BC surgeon at one point how long it would be in, she said it varies from person to person. I will ask my oncologist about it at my next visit in April.
I have learned that the Barnes Hospital Cancer Center in St. Louis, Missouri has the proton beam radiotherapy, haven't checked the large hospitals in Texas etc. but I would bet they do have it if St. Louis does. I know it's hindsight, but I wish I had gone there when I was diagnosed; perhaps I wouldn't have had so many problems from the chemo. But that's another thing I need to put behind me, what's done is done.
I also read the article on alcohol you posted, and read Hanieh's response. I think that ever since the first human discovered that he could ferment a substance and create something that altered his consciousness for a while, we were hooked. I also think that when alcohol is used in a very limited way it can be beneficial and enjoyable. However, it is also so easy to overdo. The one glass of wine a week becomes one a day easily, and then maybe 2 a day, and so on. The area where I live was settled mostly by German immigrants in the early 1800's. They brought with them their knowledge of wine and beer making, and passed it along to their families. Alcohol is a part of most get-togethers and occasions around here, and I would say many cultures have their similar history. Some of the religions, Mormons and some of the Baptists, for example, do not include alcohol in their lives. Other than that, it's pretty much up to each person since it is so readily accessible. You referred to getting the resveratrol in organic grapes; I have not been able to find organic grapes all winter in my area. When I ask, I am told the different stores just can't get them, for some reason. Must have been a bad harvest, or they are going to larger markets.
I was not sure why the Muslim faith forbids the use of alcohol, so I asked Mr. Google and was given a long list of reasons, saying basically, it's not good for you. I still agree with Hanieh, people should be allowed to choose for themselves.
It is very cold here this week, and we have also had a high wind for several days. It looks like that has died down, thank goodness. But still cold. I have been thinking about my nice warm days of my trip to Mexico!!
Talk to you soon, Mary
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Hello Mary,
Thank you for a most interesting post. I shall answer in more detail tomorrow. It is so good when we are interactive and changing views. It is most interesting what is happening in the US primaries with Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, but there is a long way to go yet. Bernie Sanders' brother was on the radio this morning for an interview. He lives here in the UK. I had no idea that he did. I shall post more later.
Fond thoughts,
Sylvia. xxx
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Hello Hanieh,
I am so glad for you that your teaching work brings you so much happiness and long may that continue. I am sure you bring much happiness to your students. Your teaching work is so important.
I was glad to know that you are playing badminton and also doing some fasting.
I am sure you are doing everything to keep yourself healthy and fit.
I am longing for spring.
Love,
Sylvia.xxx
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Hello Mary,
I have at last found time to answer your post properly.
It is good to focus on all the happy times that you had with your husband.
I do find the build up to the Presidential elections in your country most interesting. These primaries are all the more interesting in that they seem to be following the trend that we have had in this country.
Even though the Conservatives got elected and we have David Cameron as Prime Minister, there is a great distrust of the established parties and of those who are making a career out of being MPs. The Conservatives have a slim majority of just twelve MPs, and the Liberal Democrats, who went into coalition with them at the 2010 General Election got trounced last year, and now have only eight MPs. The Lib Dems were punished for going into coalition with the Conservatives (also known as Tories).
After the 2015 General Election, the Labour leader resigned and there was a leadership election. An MP called Jeremy Corbyn and on the Left of the party, contrary to expectations, got himself on the ballot paper to run for leader. He emerged then as the Labour Party leader, way ahead of everyone else and with a landslide. A huge support group of young people voted for him. Jeremy is a very honest, ethical person on the Left of the Labour Party. He was a rebel and the Establishment figures in the Party, such as the awful Tony Blair, have gone out of their way to make life difficult for him.
On the Right there is a party called UKIP (UK Independence Party) and their leader is Nigel Farrage. He is also anti-establishment and getting huge support. He is a great speaker. The Party wants to get out of Europe, be in charge of our borders and our own country, and do something to stop us from being overwhelmed by immigrants.
I shall be following the rest of your primaries with interest. I think it was good that Hilary Clinton got beaten by Bernie Sanders. The Clintons and the Bushes are becoming too much like our hereditary monarchy and taking victory for granted. It remains to be seen what happens on the next stage of the journey.
I agree with you that we are supposed to have government of the people, by the people, for the people, but we do not have that. We ordinary people are just vote fodder.
At least you have a bit more democracy than we have. I get annoyed when the establishment get on their high horse about this country being the mother of democracy. I cannot see that. We have a feudal hereditary monarchy, an unelected House of Lords, and people being given titles. We are rotten to the core with the class system. We do not even have a written Bill of Rights or a written Constitution.
I shall be glad when we get this referendum on whether to stay in or get out of Europe. The pro-Europe group is already scaremongering and David Cameron, who leads it, is pretending that he is getting reform. It is a load of nonsense. I shall not waver from voting to get out.
With reference to your port, I am wondering why there is this variation in how long a cancer patient keeps the port in. you will remember my own story and how it had to be removed because it had split. If I ever have to go through chemotherapy again I shall do as I did the first time and have a cannula on the back of my hand. I consented to the port only because my oncologist said, after chemotherapy, and before surgery and radiotherapy, that she thought I might have to have more chemotherapy. Luckily for me I did not need it. I hated the feel of it inside me and I was glad that it split and had to be removed.
I was interested to know that the Barnes Hospital Cancer Centre in St. Louis, Missouri, has the proton beam radiotherapy. I would be surprised if it is not very common in the US. You are always ahead of us. It would be interesting to know whether it is being used for breast cancer. I wonder what a prototype of this looks like.
I was interested to know that the area where you live was mostly settled by German immigrants in the early 1800s.
It is strange that you should have mentioned organic grapes. They disappeared from the supermarket here, but this week I found that they were back again, black, red or green, and come from South Africa. Of course resveratrol will be in the non-organic grapes as well. It is a pity that it is so hard to find seeded ones, because I understand they are the best. When I was growing up all grapes were seeded.
I do agree that alcohol drinking is a personal choice, but I find it sad that in the west people think drinking alcohol is having 'fun'. When I was teaching in Morocco for three years I attended many functions at the school and at the homes of Moroccans and there was no need for alcohol in order to enjoy ourselves.
As for no alcohol among the Muslims, I would think it probably started at Mecca where the Muslim faith started and then spread out. It was probably due to the hot climate. Drinking in the heat would make you very lethargic and dehydrate you.
In the west we should remember that alcohol destroys vitamins C & B and is the cause of much ill health and social problems.
The weather here is damp, dull and cold. Yesterday it was dry, sunny and cold. I did work in the ground here for an hour and a half and felt very invigorated. It was so nice to see all the spring bulbs shooting up.
That is all for now. Take care and keep in touch.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Mary,
I thought you would like to know that I have just been reading Google as well, about alcohol and religion. Some of it is quite long. As you said, it can be put to good and bad use. These are the links.
http://lordsofthedrinks.com/2013/08/06/muslims-can-drink-just-like-mohamed/
http://www.free-minds.org/alcohol-quran
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi Sylvia
Today I had a songraphy of my breasts. There is a 3mm mass in my opposite breast that should be ruled out. I m trying to keep calm and put everything in God's hands, though sometimes anxieties and hot flashes make it difficult . On Monday I have an appointment with my surgeon late at night. Hope everything goes well.
Love
Hanieh
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Hello Hanieh,
I was so sorry to hear your news and I can understand that you must be in a state of anxiety.
I do hope that the 3mm mass will not turn out to be something serious.
It is the waiting that is the worst and it will seem a long wait until Monday evening.
Just try to do anything that will make the time go quickly and tell yourself that whatever the news, you will be able to deal with it.
You know that our small group will be here to support you.
Thinking of you and sending you all my love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Hanieh,
I just had a look at the thread to see if anyone from our group had posted in to give words of reassurance. I was disappointed to see that there have been plenty of views but no posts.
I shall be thinking of you today and keeping my fingers crossed for you.
Today it is Valentine's Day. It is a big day here but, like all our celebrations, it is too commercialised.
I did hear on the news yesterday that in Pakistan the powers that be are saying that it is a Western nonsense and to be avoided.
I have one week to go (February 20th) to reach 10 years and 8 months since diagnosis. I think that I get periodic anxiety about what is going on in my body since I was discharged from the hospital last June.
If it will take your mind off things, please feel free to post about anything you like.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi Sylvia
Thanks a million to be here and all your support. Now it's 2:30 Pm and I'm back home from work to have some rest and then go back to work again. My next class is at four. The only thing I try to do is to keep telling myself it's nothing serious and I will be back to my normal self again. I ve been under some anxieties lately and I think it can be a reminder that I should be careful and more easy going. My mother is coming to be with my daughter tomorrow night, yet I haven't told her anything about it and have just told her it's a regular check up. I'm really happy to have such a great friend as you. Happy valentines day dear Sylvia. Here in Tehran all the shops have changed decorations to red. Yet , according to our ancient traditions our valentines should be in four days. Overall the thing that matters here is to tell all our loved ones how we love them and care for them regardless of the date .
Sylvia you're a great person and though far apart I love you deep in my heart. I also love all my sisters here.
Best wishes
Hanieh
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Dear Hanieh, I just saw your post, I am so sorry for the troubles you are going through. Try to remember it could be something benign, I know the waiting is the worst.
I am interested to see you have Valentine's Day too, I had forgotten about the day until I read your post. I thought about it yesterday but put it out of my mind. Wrap yourselves in the love of your family today, and know that your family here, even though scattered around the globe, is thinking of you too, and waiting with you.
Love and best wishes,
Mary
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Hi Mary
Thank you so much for your kind words. What a relief it is to come here and talk to such lovely people as you. Actually you are my lovely sisters who give me much more comfort than my blood sister. She has never been with me through all this journey as she was pregnant during my treatment and now she's is pretty busy with a lovely, cute baby whom I love like my own daughter.
I'm just spending these hours telling myself nothing serious is there in my breast.
I hope I come here with good news.
Lots of love
Hanieh
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Hello Hanieh,
Thank you for your post. It is good that you have your work to keep you busy.
You are right to keep telling yourself that all will be fine. Remember, you are just a young woman and young women have dense, lumpy breasts so this could be what the mass is.
It is quite true that we must all remember to try not to put ourselves under stress or to get anxious. Sometimes it is very difficult to stay calm and relaxed when problems and difficult situations come our way. Life is full of ups and downs and we have to concentrate on the ups, get through the downs and forget them.
I was glad to know that your mother is coming to stay with your daughter tomorrow night and I am sure it will be good for you to have your mother around, even though you have not mentioned what is going on with this mass.
I was interested to know that you had some Valentine decorations in Tehran. It is good for us all to get informed and educated about our different countries.
It is true that somehow we all need to learn to love one another.
Thank you for your kind words. We all need to help and support one another.
I was so glad to see that Mary had come on board to support you. She is a good woman, thinks a lot and can help and support us all.
I think it is about midnight in your country so I hope that you sleep tight tonight. I shall be thinking of you tomorrow and waiting to hear from you.
Here in England it is half term this week, so all the schools and colleges will be closed. It is always a busy time in Exmouth.
Love
Sylvia xxxx
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hi Sylvia/ everyone
I am at work but just quickly logged in on my break.
Hanieh I'm hoping everything goes well at your doctors appointment and sending you big hugs.
Hope everyone else ok
Love Amanda
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Hello Amanda, Thank you for taking the trouble to pop in while you are at work. I do hope all is going well with you and that you are coping well at work.
I am waiting to hear from Hanieh and hoping that she will have good news. She is such a caring young woman.
I do wish we could get more emphasis on prevention through lifestyle rather than the emphasis on more lethal drugs. I do not like the way we are told that one out of two of us will develop cancer.
Did you do anything special for Valentine's Day.
Fond thoughts, Sylvia xxx.
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Hello everyone,
I bought these pink carnations yesterday in bud and I have watched them start to open up during the day. I do not know how the rest of you are feeling, but I am fed up with the long months of winter and autumn. I thought they might cheer everyone up and focus on the fact that here in the UK official Spring is just six weeks away.
I have just noticed on my diary that today in the US it is Washington's birthday a Federal holiday.
Are you doing anything special. Mary?
How are things going in Vancouver, BC, with you, adagio? I used to find the Canadian winters in Quebec and Ontario very hard.
Where are you Michael? I hope you are well. Are you taking any interest in the EU referendum? Hope to hear from you.
Best wishes to all.
Sylvia
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Hi Sylvia, Mary and Amanda
All my prayers were answered. Now I'm in my car back home, and my husband is driving. My surgeon told me it was from my fibrocyctic breast and nothing to worry about . Thanks a lot for all your caring and support. I lost two kilos during all this anxiety as I was not able to eat anything.
Love you all deep in my heart
Hanieh
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Hello Hanieh,
I was so glad to find your post with the good news. I am sure you will sleep peacefully tonight.
I think it is very common for young women to have problems with fibrocystic breast problems. When I was 34 and living in Canada I had something similar in my left breast. I saw a consultant who said it was a cyst and he aspirated it. He then decided to take out what was remaining, even though it has shrunk considerably. That was the end of it. In fact, he should not have removed it through surgery because it would have disappeared on its own. I have read that nowadays it is not recommended to touch them.
I hope you can now relax and start eating normally.
Sending you all my love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Dear Hanieh, How wonderful to read your happy, relieved post. It's a shame we all have to suffer these ups and downs as we travel through life now, but this one turned out well!
I have also had the fibrocystic masses in breasts well before I had the cancer diagnosis, always scary. I was told I had dense breasts.
Time for some hearty meals!
Continued good health wishes! Mary
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Hello Mary,
I think we are all so happy today that our Hanieh is fine and can get back to normal breathing, not to mention normal breathing..
All the headlines here today have been about cancer and new trials with genetically modified genes. I should think you must be getting too, since it is all coming from the US. The tabloids here were full of it, but the headlines were very misleading. I bought the iPaper,which is theEssential Daily Briefing from The Independent as I did not think I would have time to read The Independent today.
The front page had the following headline 'Cancer revolution uses body's defences. Dying patients savedby breakthrough treatment. White blood cells made in lab can attack tumours.
When you read more it is only for blood cancers.
Have you been reading about this and what are your thoughts?
Fond thoughts,
Sylvia.xxxx
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Hello Mary, again,
If you look at page 4 under Cover Story, the title is Revolutionary cancer therapy harnesses body's immune system by Steve Connor, Science Editor. The first paragraph says "A revolutionary cancer therapy that uses the body's own immune cells to attack metastatic tumours that have spread is being hailed as a 'paradigm shift' in treatment of the disease."
The article goes on to mention patients with advanced blood cancers who were not expected to live for many months showed complete remission after eighteen months with no sign of the disease coming back.
There are a lot more details which you will find on the ipaper website for today February 16th.
Under Analysis, there is another short article by Steve Connor about immunotherapy and how it boost defences to destroy cells.
There is mention of some immunotherapy drugs called checkpoint inhibitors and how they work on these checkpoints and release the brakes on the immune cells so that they can attack cancer cells.
Apparently, trials with such drugs as nivolumab and ipilimumab have had promising results. Another approach is to involve T-cells, which are a type of white blood cell, in the targeting of cancer cells.
I would be interested to know what you think of this.
On a different matter, I was surprised to read in the same paper that excessive fish-eating is linked to obese offspring. Apparently a pregnant woman should not eat fish more than three times a week, as any more increases her chances of giving birth to an obesity-prone baby!?
That is about all for today.
It has been a very cold, but dry day today here in Exmouth.
I forgot to say there was an article in this paper as well that eating organic farmed meat, milk and dairy products is better for health than non-organic produce because it contains around 50% more omega 3 fatty acids. This was according to a major study published today. Apparently organic milk contains 40% more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and obesity. Organic milk has higher concentrations of iron and vitamin E, but lower levels of the essential mineral iodine.
All this was in the British Journal of Nutrition.
It also said that organic meat has slightly lower concentrations of two saturated fats linked to heart disease.
As you know, I do not eat meat or dairy products, and only eat wild, oily fish.
Thinking of you and sending best wishes.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
Link to the ipaper and The Independent
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