My fight with Cancer - a recipe for survival

This is a different kind of recipe for survival based on my experiences in 2012.

How I survived Cancer

This postrepresents my journey with cancer from diagnosis through treatment to help others who are in the same boat with many unanswered questions. Talking to other cancer survivors helped me understand what to expect so this is my opportunity to share the treatment details.

This happened during my visit to California in 2012  to spend time with my 11 month old granddaughter. At the insistence of my son, I went for a general checkup. I had an inherent fear of visiting doctors and fortunately I never had to visit a doctor except for child birth of my sons. Grandma’s recipes and herbal medicines had worked well for me so far. You can imagine my shock when the doctor told me she suspected a lump on my breast and suggested a mammogram. The doctor was amazed that I had never had a mammogram in all my years and hardly ever visited a doctor. She promptly arranged for a visit to a radiologist and recommended further blood tests.

My son who was waiting at the reception figured something was wrong. But neither my husband nor I shared details since we were still in shock. With lack of detailed knowledge about cancer treatment, we assumed the worse.Back home we eventually told our kids about the doctor’s suspicion. Everyone became gloomy and Googled for details.  My niece, a breast surgeon at New York hospital comforted me and said that cancer can be eliminated based on the stage of the growth. She even suggested that she could treat me in New York which gave me some mental relief while waiting on the mammogram results.  The waiting period was the worst.

After a couple of days, we went to radiology department for the breast scan appointment which confirmed the suspicious lump. The radiologists shared the images with my family and referred me to a surgeon for needle Biopsy. Since my husband underwent bypass surgery a year ago, I was worried about how he would endure this. To my surprise, he was very calm and provided strong encouragement throughout the treatment.

Next I was referred to the chief surgeon and was waiting for an appointment. We were initially planning to return to India to celebrate our grand-daughter’s first birthday. So still hoping for a false diagnosis we were following up every day to get an earlier appointment with the chief surgeon. Finally we met the chief Surgeon a very pleasant and confident woman. She slowly unfolded what may be in store and explained the treatment protocol very patiently for about an hour. I was speechless and as she was explaining the procedures. My mind was burdened with so many doubts.

On March 1 2012, the doctor performed the ultrasound guided needle Biopsy and found my growth was stage 2. She gave us two options, mastectomy or lumpectomy. She clarified that in case of the former I need not have chemotherapy and in the second option both chemotherapy and radiation therapy would be required.

For mastectomy I had to lose one breast and go for plastic surgery. For me, as a woman, removing a breast was a difficult choice but the advantage of mastectomy was the minimal possibility of recurrence. The choice haunted me at night and I chose lumpectomy with courage to encounter chemotherapy. The decision was conveyed to the doctor and we postponed our trip to India. My family back home was in shock and it was tough to console them over phone.

On 23^rd April after due preparation, I was ushered into the operation theater around 10 A.M. The doctor greeted me with her smile and put me at ease. The surgery was completed by her along with another doctor from pathology.

The whole surgery took 3-4 hours and I was back in the post-operative room by 2 P.M. When I woke up, my folks were waiting to take me home. The doctor prescribed pain killers and told me not to carry any heavy weights on the operated left side. My granddaughter realized that she could not come near me and I could not carry her. More than the procedural pain, the emotional aspects were difficult. I was positive and proceeded through my routine.

On my follow up appointment, the doctor explained that she had to perform an additional surgery called excision lumpectomy around the already removed lump to remove remaining cancerous cells and two sentinel nodes. For this I went to a radiologist who inserted a wire around the lump and put two ends of wire outside the skin. This would enable the surgeon to remove the lump affected without leaving any residual cancerous cells in the body. After the procedure samples were sent to pathologist for analysis. Meanwhile relatives in India got the news and we received anxious phone calls. Next the surgeon referred me to the chemo therapist / radiation surgeon. By mid May, the radiation surgeon reviewed my medical history and set June 18^th for radiation and chemo therapy. The chemo treatment would be done in four sittings with intervals of 3 weeks for each. She explained that dosage will be done using a mathematical computer model. The treatment and after-effects were explained to us.

Usually I have to visit the clinical lab 2 days prior to therapy to ensure that all parameters were in range to withstand therapy. On the day of treatment a nurse would inject an intravenous fluid to contain nausea which may occur during treatment. The whole process usually took around 4-5 hours. We usually took juice and food for the four hours which seemed much longer.

I was informed that on completion of each therapy the following symptoms could occur. These symptoms varied from patient to patient.

1.   Terrific pain
2. Loss of taste
3. Nausea
4. Loss of hair ultimately leading to Baldness but on completion of therapy hair growth resumes
5. If there is a fever, we had to rush to the nearest medical center for required treatment. This should be done within one hour after the temperature reaches 101*F

To avoid contacting any infection, it is better to avoid crowded places and people (including kids) with cold, cough, fever etc. My God! This meant I had to stay away from my grandchild who was my source of entertainment.

Prior to chemo treatment, the doctor explained that I should drink plenty of fluids, eat protein rich food, though symptoms include lack of appetite and taste. I was asked to meet a social worker. The worker was very courteous and empathized with my distressed state of mind. She told me about the “Cancer Society” and the help they extended. Back home my husband contacted the cancer society and registered my name as a new Cancer patient. From that day onwards, I received booklets on breast cancer, treatment, diagnosis, details on chemo and radiation therapy. The cancer society was a great support as we received phone calls from patients who underwent this agony and survived. 

Each survivor narrated their experience and comforted me by sharing stories of their will power. With a bit of courage and co-operation from family one can easily face the after effects of chemo. Meanwhile I was reading all materials available on the web as well as booklets sent by Cancer society to understand what to expect.I had to eat healthy and bought a variety of foods including protein rich milk, juices, soups, fruits etc. I spoke to friends here and in India who also went through a similar experience. They often called me to share their insights and encouragement. All the support I received served as pillars of strength

During my treatment I realized that every person had been through tough times and were willing to offer help. After waiting, on 18^th June I went for my chemotherapy. A day earlier I started a tablet for 5 days starting on 17^th June. I lost my taste buds and hence eating was impossible. However, I forced myself to take different types of food and tried whatever anyone suggested as beneficial for recovery.

On the first day since I was told that the whole process will take 4 to 5 hours, I took necessary snacks, juice and water and was comfortably seated on a recliner seat. Initially I was administered intravenous anti-nausea fluid and anti-allergic capsules. This was followed by Cytoxan for about 2 hours and then Taxotere for another hour. The chief nurse there was monitoring me for reactions. The nurse provided lot of encouragement from the day I visited the oncology department. She monitored blood pressure, temperature and oxygen level every 15 minutes.  My son and husband stayed with me during the treatment. Fortunately I had no reaction and left for home relieved. I was instructed to visit again next day to administer an injection to improve the white cells in the blood.

I was at home, doing my chores and playing cards with family members. On the fourth day when we were playing cards, I felt pain in my spine. I felt as if someone was cutting me with a handsaw. The pain alternated from part to part. I went to bed and the unbearable pain persisted even with a pain killer. Everyone at home was looking at me with sad feelings and enquiring whether the pain subsided. I waited for a day and contacted the oncology department. The duty nurse prescribed vicodine for pain. But the pain occurred with irregularity. I decided to face all sufferings and around 15^th day my taste buds came back to life.  And the pain also subsided. I could not express my happiness in words when the pain subsided. Two days before the second chemo I visited the laboratory for blood sample analysis. A day prior to the second chemo I met with the Doctor who reviewed my blood report. After enquiring my experiences and examining me she said everything seems to be normal for continuing chemo.

At this time we came across another cancer patient undergoing treatment. She informed us about cancer society and their voluntary transportation services. Armed with this information we contacted the cancer society. They promptly organized the volunteers. For each chemo we needed their service on three days – the day prior to, on and after the chemotherapy. This was a boon to us. The volunteers were surviving cancer patients. Two of them made as strong impression on us. One was an 80 year old lady who walked with difficulty but insisted on seating me first with the seat belt secured and then heading to her seat. Another person came from nearly 50 miles away and allocated two days in a week exclusively for the volunteer service. The volunteer commitment brought tears to my eyes at time. When we asked why they chose to do this, they answered that they want to give back to the community what they received. Wow! What an inspiration.

On 9^th July 2012, I went through the 2^nd dosage of chemo. I had developed a schedule for the pain and taste loss by the 5^th day of the treatment. This time I also noticed that my hair started falling in lumps.  I felt pain in the root of the hair like someone pulling out a bunch of hair. The loss of hair was not confined to one area and the doctor confirmed that I could get rid of all the hair. The loss of hair and the change in physical appearance was an emotional journey for my near and dear ones more than me. However I took it as part of the journey and covered my hair with colored Bandanas (scarves). On the positive side, the pain in my scalp vanished. I shopped for pants and tops to match my bandanas to instill confidence – it is a physical transformation which requires solid iron mindset.

I went through the four sittings with similar cycles of pain, loss of taste etc. But after each stage I was feeling tired and hence I increased my food intake to counter that tiredness. This made me realize the importance of nutrition and healthy food.  This has changed my food habits till date. On completion of all sittings doctor examined me and prescribed Letrozole medicine for five years.

After a 3 week interval I was called by the radiation Oncologist. She was a welcoming person who explained details about the radiation, side effects and recommendations to overcome it. She said that the whole process would take just 15 minutes and I needed to do this for 21 week days at the same time.  We were not sure how to manage transportation as cancer society was unable to get volunteers sometimes. While we were pondering this to avoid troubling our children for transportation, we met a regular patient who mentioned the possibility of using Anthem Blue cross’ transportation

Once the treatment started, the doctor and attending nurse would mark the affected location for radiation. The whole process took about maximum fifteen minutes. During radiation period, the affected part became red. I was scared to view that in the mirror and applied lots of moisturizer (Lubriderm).

At last on October 19^th my treatment was complete and I left for India shortly after that.

In the initial stages we were not aware that the treatment would take so long. We used to tell doctors that we were scheduled to return to India by March 2012. When the doctor said that we could leave, we were so happy. Immediately after returning home we confirmed our tickets and finalized the journey. My mind was flying in the skies, day dreaming to see our other son’s family, relatives, friends and our sweet home. I could not believe that I have crossed the critical period of the treatment successfully. On returning home, I continue to go for walks, focus on balanced nutrition, and attend religious meetings. I keep my mind occupied with productive work without much physical strain. My hair started growing immediately after stopping the chemotherapy and is growing faster after I applied Aloe Vera gel on my head.

Every day I feel grateful for all those who were administering treatment like nurses, doctors, other paramedics and administrative staff. I recollect some of the patients who were taking treatment at the same time with me. Some of them were in advanced stages of cancer but were very brave. The cancer society, volunteers, cab drivers who waited patiently in medical center relatives, friends and survivors who gave me immense support were crucial for my recovery and will never be forgotten.

My doctor initial words are still ringing in my ears - “Do not worry. Like the captain of the ship, I will coordinate the treatment. You leave all your worries on my shoulder. I will take care of you.”  These were the words which gave me courage at a time when my confidence was shattered in a foreign country.

Hope this posting helps those who are living with dreaded cancer. With determination and will power people can get over cancer or any other difficulty as our mind if such a powerful healer.