Every cloud has a silver lining

As I was out for a walk in the snow I was thinking about all of our issues.

Then it hit me, the need for conversations about getting a vasectomy is over!

Over the years Pace and I had discussed the options; after we'd had a couple of kids she could get her tubes tied or I could have a vasectomy. There have been a spicy conversations about this subject with polarized opinions from various people.

"Why would you put your wife through such an invasive operation as getting her tubes tied?"
"Buddy, you get a vasectomy and you're not a man anymore!"
"Would you rather be a gelding or a stallion?"

So while a vasectomy is less invasive it still carries risks. Sperm takes 90 days to grow in the testes and it gets stored in the epididymis. While doctors think sperm can last up to 48 hours in the uterus and fallopian tubes they have no idea how long it lives in a man's body before ejaculation.

Vasectomies most commonly result in painful, swollen, and tender epididymis or testis in the first year after surgery. One might then think that sperm lives on for more than 48 hours...

In more extreme cases because the testis continues to produce sperm it eventually dies in the epididymis and now must be reabsorbed by the body. Some men develop anti-sperm antibodies which provoke immune system over-reactions like rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile diabetes, and multiple sclerosis.

Some studies suggest vasectomies increase the risk of prostrate cancer, others have shown no increase in risk. There is a theory but no proof.

Given everything we've been going through, it's nice to have one less worry.

So guys, would you get a vasectomy? Leave a comment!

Erin Brockovich

When I came into the living room Pace was watching the movie Erin Brockovich.

It's relevant as Erin Brockovich triumphed over the odds, she proved herself, and reinvented her life. Pace has voiced an intention of helping out young women, especially young mothers with Breast Cancer.

There is a poignant scene where Erin is talking with Donna Jensen about her cancer diagnosis. Donna has to get a double masectomy and a hysterectomy. It went something like this.

Donna: "I've had so many cysts I never figured this one would be cancerous."
Erin: "We'll make sure you get well taken care of."
Donna's eyes start welling up with tears.
Donna: "Can I ask you something?"
Erin: "Anything."
Donna: "If I don't have breasts or a uterus anymore am I still a woman?"
Donna starts crying.
Erin reaches over and gently takes her hand
Erin: "Of course, you'll always be a woman. You just won't have to buy any more underwire or maxi-pads."
Donna and Erin both smile.

This mirrors an ongoing discussion Pace and I have had. More on that in another post.

Egg Whites killing cancer?

Viragen, the company that brought us the cloned sheep Dolly has genetically manipulated chickens to produce cancer fighting antibodies inside of egg whites.

Even the antibodies are lab created, and due to the difficulty of manfuacturing they've found a way to grow the antibodies in chickens. It's so precise that the protien remains confined to the egg white.

More details in this article on Science Daily or Reuteurs.

$2.3 Billion in lost personal productivity annually

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute just published a study estimating the cost of cancer for the patient in the first year of treatment alone.

Their methodology included adding up the hours spent sitting in doctors' waiting rooms, interviewing with doctors and researchers, waiting your turn for M.R.I.s, CT scans, attending chemotherapy sessions, radiotherapy sessions and other treatments. They estimate the collective cost of Cancer to individuals is around US$2.3 billion, that's over $3,000 per person.

They did not consider a second person coming along for support and care; based on our expenses, this study is a serious underestimate of cancer's financial cost to the family.

This estimate is only time spent in the health system; getting tests, operations etc. It doesn't count the days spent home in bed recovering from surgery or regaining strength from chemotherapy and radiotherapy regimens.

Dr. Len Lichtenfeld of the American Cancer Society summed it up poignantly "Cancer is more than the just the dollars and cents for the medicines and the treatments and the doctors. It's also the lost opportunities for the patients."

There's also day care for kids, transportation, parking, outrageously expensive prescriptions, and other unexpected expenses. The there's the way cancer puts careers on hold but more on that later.

Caregiver stress and hair color over 3 years

I was looking through some of our pictures on the weekend and I came across these two.

Wow, it's amazing how the stress of Keeping Pace and our other trials of the last 3 years has stripped my hair color. That said, I have earned every one of these gray hairs.

My barber says I should strip them white this summer when I have a tan for a really striking look. Hmm. We'll have to see about that.

Decline in Horomonotherapy Prescriptions Results in Decline in Breast Cancer

In one area the incidence of Breast Cancer has declined over the last 8 years. A clinical study running since 1974 demonstrates a corresponding decline in breast cancer when compared against the decline in hormone replacement therapy.

Annual Number of Prescriptions
for Female Hormonotherapy
2001 - 12.6 Million
2002 - 11.6 Million
2003 - 8.5 Million
2004 - 6.7 Million
2005 - 5.9 Million

The upper lines of the chart on the right illustrates in yearly rates the prevalence of estrogen-only and estrogen/progestin–containing hormone therapy use, the lower lines demonstrate the incidence of invasive breast cancer in members of the Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company group for Northern California (KPNC) members, the 13-county KPNC client study area, and the overall stats for the state of California, from 1994 to 2004.

The Oncologist is happy!

Late in December we saw Dr. Rami and he told Pace that all seems well. She is healing well and the scarring is diminishing. He want's to see her every 3 months for a year and then every 6 months following.

He wanted to be sure that we were seeing the gynecological oncologist and that he strongly recommends that she gets her ovaries out. Pace told him she'd already decided on that.

He also told her to see the Plastic Surgeon as her right breast implant has changed, probably as a result of the radiation therapy or physical exertion.

From a standpoint of dealing with BRCA1, Pace has survived the Breast Cancer reaction. Now we move into the proactive stage to mitigate Pace's chances of having breast cancer again.

2 Breast Cancer Survivors and a generation of hope.

Pace has beaten Breast Cancer and is taking proactive measures to eliminate the risks of the BRCA 1 genetic mutation to her health.

France has beaten Breast Cancer that is believed to be a long term effect of the radiotherapy she recieved to beat Hogkins Disease.

The wee one is a decendent of the Amazons. Fortunately by the time she's 20, medicine will be as different from today as it is in comparison to 1986.

Merry Christmas, God Bless Everyone!

My best Christmas present this year: life.

Pace beat her Breast Cancer and we have a very good idea of the steps required to protect her from further incidences of Cancer.

Beats getting an iPod.

Love to all from Robert, Pace and the wee one.

God's blessings to all who've helped us on this trip and to any other families going through similar circumstances.

Great Advertising and Brand Reinforcement

Working in Marketing I've seen good, bad and ugly advertising.

This ad hits all of the keys of a great ad. The message is aligned with the brand, its funny (or scary and funny depending on how you feel about your children playing with scissors) there's a twist that make it aspirational and its memorable.

Click this link to watch it on YouTube.com 

Alert! Breast Cancer Hoax E-mail canular de cancer de sein

With all good intentions, my good friend Craig forwarded a message his wife had recieved. Usually I ignore these types of emails but this is good food for the blog. (There have been a few questions due to translation issues, so let me stress that the following is text from a hoax/"canular" email.)

This comes from someone who works in the breast cancer unit at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Dr. N. Neman.

Recently a lipstick brand, called "Red Earth", decreased their prices from $67 to $9.90. It contained lead. Lead is a chemical which causes cancer. The lipstick brands that contain lead are:
1. CHRISTIAN DIOR
2. LANCOME
3. CLINIQUE
4. Y.S.L
5. ESTEE LAUDER
6. SHISEIDO
7. RED EARTH (Lip Gloss)
8. CHANEL (Lip Conditioner)
9. MARKET AMERICA-MOTNES LIPSTICK.

The higher the lead content, the greater the chance of causing cancer. After doing a test on lipsticks, it was found that the Y.S.L. Lipstick contained the most amount of lead. Watch out for those lipsticks which are supposed to stay longer. If your lipstick stays longer, it is because of the higher content of lead. Here is the test you can do
yourself:
1. Put some lipstick on your hand.
2. Use a Gold ring to scratch on the lipstick.
3. If the lipstick color changes to black, then you know the lipstick contains lead.

Please send this information to all your girlfriends and female family members. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Dioxin Carcinogens cause cancer, especially breast cancer.

Lead is dangerous compound that wreaks havoc in the nervous system and lead is a suspected carcinogen. However, Dioxin is a Human carcinogen.

I never understand why people write things like this but there are plenty of them out there; from the improbable Wal-Mart Contributes 5% of Sales to Homosexual Group to the strange Live Frog Found in Packaged Salad (but it's in the picture!) and there are so many more listed on sites dedicated to hoaxes and urban legends; you'll find more here and here.

If the message contains the phrase 'Forward this to everyone you know!' Don't do it please it's killing the economy.

Halo Effect Marketing of the Pink Ribbon

I am happy to see that there are companies that are putting their corporate resources behind raising funds for research.

However, some of this "halo effect" marketing feels more like a symbol being co-opted for fast buck rather than an altruistic fund raising campaign.

Yoplait Source gives 10 cents from each $2.99 container to breast cancer research. That's less than 3% of the retail price.

So Good didn't even say how much they'd contributed to the cause, just that they support it.

I spent $2.95 at 7-11 for these Breast Cancer Awareness Mints 50% of after tax profit goes to research. I've seen a lot of companies whose expenses eliminate any pre-profits pre tax.

There is an urban legend that one of the oil companies said it would donate a penny a litre to Breast Cancer Research, the fine print reading only on the premium/super grade of gas.

More clarity would be in order.

My scarist genetical term: Autosomal Dominant Chromosomes

In genetics, our DNA is made up of 23 pairs of chromosomes. An autosomal gene is on one of the 22 pairs of chromosomes that are not sex chromosomes. The implications of Dominant Autosomal Chromosomes means that only one parent has to have that specific genetic sequence to pass on a genetic condition.

In the case of BRCA1 and the wee one's future health; Pace had a 50% chance of passing that genetic mutation.

If the wee one carries the BRCA1 mutation her risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer in her lifetime is estimated to be 36-87%.

So do we test her? If she does carry that gene and we confirm it through genetic testing, her chance of getting insured is probably zero.

Would you get the test conducted if the wee one was your child?

Click the comment button below and tell me what you think.

Pace's Zoladex Side Effects

The doctors tell you that side effects cannot be anticipated, some are common and some are not.

Pace had few side effects to the Abraxane but the Zoladex seems to be something else

The bold faced side effects are the ones we've encountered so far. We just need to keep the doctor informed.

A list of the more common side effects of Zoladex may include:

Acne, application site reactions, breast development in men or enlargement in women, breast tenderness or pain, change in sex-drive, depression, dizziness, emotional problems, flu symptoms, fluid retention and swelling, hair growth in women, headache, hot flashes, infection, insomnia, lethargy, loss of appetite, loss of breast tissue in women, lung problems, nausea, nervousness, pain, rash, sexual impairment, sore throat, sweating, urinary problems, vaginal dryness vaginal inflammation, voice changes, weak heart, weakness, weight gain

A list of the less common side effects of Zoladex may include:

Abnormal thinking, allergic reactions, anemia, anxiety, blood in the urine, bronchitis, bruising, chest pain, chills, constipation, coughing, diabetes, diarrhea, drowsiness, dry mouth, dry eyes or skin, fever, gout, heart attack, high blood pressure, increased appetite, indigestion and gas, internal bleeding, irregular or rapid heartbeat, itching, joint problems, leg cramps, nasal inflammation, osteoporosis, painful menstruation, stroke, tingling sensation, ulcers, vaginal bleeding, varicose veins, vision problems, vomiting

Imagine the length of the television ad to cover this grocery list.