October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Pink Ribbons are flying!
What does that really mean ... AWARENESS???????
Before I was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, I was aware of the prevalence of breast cancer. I knew it was a disease that struck mostly post menopausal women. I was aware that women who have family histories; who smoked; who took oral contraceptives for prolonged periods of time were more likely to be stricken with breast cancer. I was aware of mammograms and lumps and lumpectomies and mastectomies. I was aware of the existence of radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
I was aware of our local news station and its "Buddy Check 12" campaign. I was aware of the Pink Ribbon campaigns. I was aware that every October there was a hub-bub about the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure. I was so aware that for the last 15 years I ran the Race for the Cure; ironically shaving off up to 8 minutes in my pace time each year. (As it turns out, I guess I wasn't running fast enough!!!!)
It wasn't until I was blind-sided with a diagnosis of breast cancer this summer that I became aware of the breadth of my ignorance. There was, and still is, so much that I did not know about the disease and its treatment. And, none of the information I received over the last 15 years of my "pink" involvement ever even hinted at the depths of my naivete.
For example . . .
I did not know there were myriad of causes of breast cancer - the majority being environmental
I did not know that women without genetic predispositions could get breast cancer
I did not know that women who did not live a high-risk lifestyle could develop breast cancer
I did not know that there were subsets to breast cancer (ductal, lobular, inflammatory and Paget's Disease)
I did not know that as a pre-menopausal woman in good health I could develop breast cancer
I did not know about sentinel node biopsies
I did not know about drainage tubes ("d-bombs")
I did not know about tram flaps; or that as a 100+/- lb person I am not a candidate for one (And thank the Creator for that one - not a procedure I would have wanted!)
I did not know about the long term effects of chemotherapy
I did not know about Adriamycin (aka "Red Devil")
I did not know about Tamoxifen (or that outside of the U.S. it is listed as a cancer-causing carcinogen)
I did not know about Herceptin and Aromatase
I did not know that the medical community treated pre-menopausal women differently than post menopausal women
I did not know about Oncotype DX and MammaPrint tests for chemo efficacy
I did not know about how a cancer is "staged"
I did not know that mammograms are not a reliable or effective way to early-detect Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
I did not know that a Vitamin D deficiency can be a contributing cause in the development of breast cancer
I did not know how key Vitamin C is in preventing the occurrence and recurrence of breast cancer
I did not know that a build up estrogen in the body is toxic.
I did not know that the only way the body effectively disposes of unneeded estrogen is through daily waste elimination
I did not know about E-cadherin and protein tests and saliva tests and hormonal balancing
I did not know about the vast discrepancies in how breast cancer is approached and treated in the U.S. as compared to Europe - and that stateside we are not on the higher road
and so it goes on, and on, and on . . . . AND
I did not know what an insidious and pervasive industry that breast cancer has generated in the U.S.
I did not know that the med-pros really do not have a "CURE" for breast cancer, but rather a "PROTOCOL" - that they are vociferous in the application of their established protocol; that the protocol has not changed much in 50 years; and that despite the protocol women are still dying - at times as a result of the protocol.
I did not know that even though 100s of millions are raised for research, awareness, marketing and merchandising that we are still no closer to a cure.
I did not know that some of the pharmaceutical companies that produce & distribute cancer treatment drugs consciously include cancer-causing carcinogens in the household products and foods we consume.
I did not know that I would need to become my own "lay expert" in order to earn a voice in the discussion regarding my own health and treatment.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And, I am a little more aware this October of 2009 than I have been in all my previous years. I am also excruciatingly aware that my new found knowledge and the continuing pursuit of knowledge has nothing to do with the flying of little Pink Ribbons!
