Choose You Blog

Being proactive about your health is one of the best New Year’s resolutions you can make since many life-threatening diseases can be discovered during regular health checkups. Be sure to ask your doctor about these screening tests.

• Blood Pressure Check – Check at each regular health care visit.
• Body Mass Index (BMI) – Check at each regular health care visit.
• Clinical Breast Exam (CBE) & Mammography – Get a CBE every three years until age 40, then yearly with your mammogram.
• Pap Test – Get one every year from age 20 to 30; at age 30 and beyond, get screened every one to three years depending on the type of test and past results.
• Cholesterol Check – Starting at age 20, get tested every five years.
• ColonScreening – Starting at age 50, get screened every 1 to 10 years, depending on the type of test.

Depending on your family history and personal medical history, you may need some other tests too, or you may need to start screening at a younger age. Talk to your doctor today to find out which screening tests are right for you.

Click to share this tip on Facebook. Each time you “share” Choose You with your friends on Facebook, Sprite Zero donates $1 toward cancer prevention awareness – up to $450,000!

I have a weird mole located in a weird place.  And that’s about as specific as I’ll get on the subject.  What I will tell you is that one doctor suggested I remove it, but he was a specialist for another matter, so I went to my regular doctor to see what he thought. He said it looked like a “healthy mole” and that I should keep an eye on it but as long as it was a regular shape and didn’t change size or color it was fine.

I’m fortunate in that I haven’t had any issues with skin cancer (my father, on the other hand, was always having something removed) so I did a little research to see exactly what I should be looking for and I found some easy to remember advice on the American Cancer Society’s website.  It’s called the “ABCD rule” for uncovering common signs of melanoma and here’s what we should all be looking out for:

• Asymmetry: One side of a mole or birthmark doesn’t match the other.
• Border: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.
• Color: The color is not uniform and may include shades of brown or black, with patches of pink, red, white, or blue.
• Diameter: The spot is larger than ¼ inch across – about the size of a pencil eraser.

Also be aware that not all melanomas fit those conditions, so point out anything suspicious to your doctor.  Things that you might want to mention include:

• Any new spots
• A spot that doesn’t look like others on your body
• A sore that doesn’t heal
• Redness or swelling around a mole
• Itching, pain or tenderness
• Scaliness or discharge

As part of a routine cancer-related checkup, your doctor should examine your skin, but it’s also important that you check yourself on a regular basis.

Click and share this post on Facebook. Each time you “share” Choose You with your friends on Facebook, Sprite Zero donates $1 toward cancer prevention awareness – up to $450,000!

Lynn Lamousin is a Choose You subscriber from Atlanta, GA who signed up to Eat Right, Get Active, Get Regular Health Checks, and Protect My Skin. (She quit smoking many years ago, but still dreams about cigarettes.) Her mother and brother both lost battles with cancer.

The current recommendation is that women should begin having mammograms at age 40, and mammograms should then become part of your annual health checkup. I knew this, but there was no history of breast cancer in my family and I had heard that mammograms were uncomfortable tests; so I put it off the year I turned 40. Then that year rolled into another year, and another, and another, until there I was age 44 and I had never had a mammogram.

I’ve recently had some health scares in my family so getting up-to-date on checkups became a priority (too bad it took a crisis for me to get proactive about my health checks).  I knew a mammogram was one test I needed to schedule immediately, so I made an appointment.  I was still concerned about the test hurting, but I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer.

Note: If you are easily offended, please skip the next paragraph. (But, it’s not that shocking! Only about a “1” or “2” on the bawdy meter. And what I write is the truth!)

So I was really nervous and had no idea what to expect when I went in for the mammogram.  What I discovered is that some of what I had heard was true.  They do smush and grind your breasts and it’s not pleasant. But I have to tell you, it wasn’t any worse than the clumsy attempts at romance I’ve endured from some of the men I’ve dated over the years.

For those who did not read the last paragraph, here is the gentrified version: the test wasn’t bad.  Any slight discomfort is worth the benefit of either knowing your results are normal (as was my case), or of the early detection of any issues.

While not perfect, current evidence confirms that mammograms offer substantial benefit for women in their 40s and beyond and can help find cancer early.  So don’t be afraid to schedule your mammogram.  It’s not a scary procedure at all.  In fact, I can attest to the fact that it’s as easy as rounding second base.

Click and share this blog post on Facebook. Each time you “share” Choose You with friends Sprite Zero donates $1 toward cancer prevention awareness — and your friends learn about putting their health first!  Remember, sharing is caring!

Lynn Lamousin is a Choose You subscriber from Atlanta, GA who signed up to Eat Right, Get Active, Get Regular Health Checks, and Protect My Skin. (She quit smoking many years ago, but sometimes still dreams about cigarettes.) Her mother and brother both lost battles with cancer.

I just moved to a new state and I have to get new health insurance and new doctors.  And I admit that I dread the process.  So, I did some research to educate myself on how to select a new primary physician or specialist.  Here are questions that I’ll be asking the doctor and myself:

• How much experience/education/training does the doctor have and is it the type of background that will match my needs?
• Is the doctor board certified?
• What hospital is the doctor affiliated with?
• Does the doctor accept my insurance?
• Does the doctor seem to be listening to me and treating me with respect? What about the doctor’s staff?
• Is the doctor’s office in a convenient location?
• What days of the week is the doctor’s office open and what are the office hours?
• How long does it usually takes to get an appointment?

At the first appointment with my new doctor I’ll need to be sure to have all the information about my personal and family health history at hand so I can set-up a schedule of screening tests.  I learned that if you speak to the office staff at your new doctor’s office they should be able to help you transfer your past medical records to your new doctor.  This can help prevent errors and avoid extra tests.

If you’re having trouble finding a new doctor, ask friends, family and co-workers for a referral.

Click and share this blog on Facebook. Each time you “share” Choose You with your friends on Facebook, Sprite Zero donates $1 toward cancer prevention awareness – up to $450,000!

Lynn Lamousin is a Choose You subscriber from Atlanta, GA who signed up to Eat Right, Get Active, Get Regular Health Checks, and Protect My Skin. (She quit smoking many years ago, but still dreams about cigarettes.) Her mother and brother both lost battles with cancer.

My Facebook stream is usually a list of family news and health updates. The other day, as I looked through the list, people were asking for prayers and positive thoughts for relatives stricken with various diseases, often cancer.

I stopped and wondered: they’re updating us, their Facebook friends, but are they updating their doctors?

The Department of Health and Human says:

“Family news can be important to doctors, too. Researchers say that if a patient’s close relative develops a disease that can run in families, the patient’s risk may go up, so doctors could change their recommendations for screening tests.

At Baylor College of Medicine, Sharon Plon saw this in data on close relatives of about 11,000 patients across the country. The analysis looked at colorectal, breast and prostate cancers.

Dr. Plon:

“Our hope is that physicians and patients will be more sophisticated about who needs the more intensive or earlier screening, so we can pick up cancers at an earlier age.’’

That sophistication, though, depends upon patients keeping their doctors informed. Understandably, you may not prefer to Facebook friend your doctor, but do find a quick and easy way to send them news to ensure that your chart is up-to-date.

Consistently, health and cancer research shows that early detection and intervention greatly increases the chance of a positive outcome.

But what do people who lack health insurance or income do to get health checks? And what if someone does have insurance but it doesn’t cover preventive health checks such as mammograms?

The Department of Health and Human Services announced on Monday, August 1, 2011:

Historic new guidelines that will ensure women receive preventive health services at no additional cost were announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Developed by the independent Institute of Medicine, the new guidelines require new health insurance plans to cover women’s preventive services such as well-woman visits, breastfeeding support, domestic violence screening, and contraception without charging a co-payment, co-insurance or a deductible.

“The Affordable Care Act helps stop health problems before they start,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.  “These historic guidelines are based on science and existing literature and will help ensure women get the preventive health benefits they need.”

Before health reform, too many Americans didn’t get the preventive health care they need to stay healthy, avoid or delay the onset of disease, lead productive lives, and reduce health care costs.  Often because of cost, Americans used preventive services at about half the recommended rate.

Last summer, HHS released new insurance market rules under the Affordable Care Act requiring all new private health plans to cover several evidence-based preventive services like mammograms, colonoscopies, blood pressure checks, and childhood immunizations without charging a copayment, deductible or coinsurance. The Affordable Care Act also made recommended preventive services free for people on Medicare.

This adds on top of other services now guaranteed without cost sharing, including

• well-woman visits;
• screening for gestational diabetes;
• human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing for women 30 years and older;
• sexually-transmitted infection counseling;
• human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening and counseling;
• FDA-approved contraception methods and contraceptive counseling;
• breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling; and
• domestic violence screening and counseling.

This means that preventive health checks should be accessible to all, not just those with insurance that provides good coverage.

The regulations also directs the Institute of Medicine to do a full scientific review to determine how to help keep women healthy.

These regulations go into effect on August 1, 2012.

For more information on the HHS guidelines for expanding women’s preventive services, please visit: http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/womensprevention08012011a.html. The guidelines can be found at: www.hrsa.gov/womensguidelines/.

Originally from Spain, she has spent half her life in England were she was close to become a Naturopath before meeting her husband and moving to NY State.  She had a busy massage and aromatherapy practice in London and had many celebrities as clients. She is right now busy raising her 2 year old daughter and hoping to add another member to the family soon. She also runs women circles and teaches belly dancing.

I was young, too young to have cancer. At least that is what I kept saying to myself. Yet denial wasn’t an option. It was there on a piece of paper, a letter I could barely understand full of medical acronyms I was far from familiar with. Why should I? I was a healthy 22 year old Spanish girl just moved to England and about to eat the world. Life was only beginning. Or was it?

The diagnosis had come with a routine check up required for something or another. I honestly do not remember. What I do remember is thinking how intrusive this kind of mandatory test was. I sure am glad  it happened, though. Had I stayed in Spain I may have never had a Pap smear, found out I had precancerous lesions and had the chance to survive it.

Yes, I am a survivor. Those days were difficult to say the least. They were full of long fearsome names and procedures. I had HPV tests, citologies, colposcopy, cryosurgery, managed to avoid conization and finally beat the thing with laser treatment. I was by myself and never told my family. I lost boyfriends and jobs. I was an emotional wreckage. I lived with Death’s cape around me.

Those were also the most formative days of my youth, probably my life. I looked for help elsewhere than traditional medicine. London is a buzzing place for Alternative Medicine. I studied Nutrition, Massage, Aromatherapy and Herbalism, as a passing time thing. They became my profession. I practiced yoga and meditation as a way to relax and keep hope alive. They became my most solid character foundation.

I was very lucky to have an early diagnosis. I knew others who were not.

There is still a lot of reluctance among women to have an examination. It is a scary thing. It is an intimate thing. However, if you are reading this and have never had a pap smear done or have forgotten when it was the last time you had one done, PLEASE, do yourself a life saving favor: Book yourself for an appointment ASAP. Life doesn’t wait, neither does CANCER.

I am so, so very happy to share some really great news from one of our original Choose You writers, Heather!

Twenty three months ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 papillary thyroid cancer. I had a feeling before I was diagnosed, even though the odds were only 1 in 10, the nodule on my thyroid was cancer. I can’t explain why, but in the back of my mind, I knew.

A month later, I found out the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes, and not only was I going to have my thyroid removed, but an extensive neck dissection removing cancerous lymph nodes.

Reading back on these posts brought back a lot of emotions for me; uncertainty, fear, sadness, and the unknown. As I faced the surgery, I did the only thing I could do, and that was deal with everything. My surgeon, Dr. Peter Schmid, was able to save the lymph nodes in the right side of my neck. The biopsies he performed during surgery on those lymph nodes were not testing positive for cancer, so the surgery was not as invasive as originally thought. It was still as he warned me though, “brutal.”

The recovery from surgery was a nightmare, because of some mistakes made by my then endocrinologist’s office. I went for three months without Synthorid and was extremely hypothyroid.

After the radioactive iodine treatment (RAI) was complete and I could start on Synthroid in August, 2009, things started to improve. I felt better every day. I started running. I felt like the cancer was gone, but as I’ve written before, cancer changes your outlook on life. What seemed secure isn’t, what you take for granted before, you don’t. It has always been there I could still have cancer, or it could come back. I started the recurrence tests two weeks ago, having had to delay them several months due to insurance issues.

Last week I had numerous tests including a full PET body scan, and blood labs work done. I have felt poorly for the past week, from side effects from Thyrogen, used for the tests. At the scan, I received initial good news- the tech performing the scan, along with the radiologist said my thyroid area looked good.

But nothing could prepare me yesterday for the official results with my new endocrinologist, Dr. W. She confirmed the scan had come back clean, and looked great. Dr. W. told me my thyroglobulin level (Tg) which measures for thyroid cancer had come back undetectable. It should be at zero if there is no cancer. Before my surgery, Dr. Schmid had told me my Tg level was 37, which was very high for someone my age, indicating cancer had spread from the thyroid. With the Tg level undetectable that was the proof in my blood, the cancer was gone-for now. Then Dr. W. told me the words, I was not expecting, “…I’d say the cancer is cured. You are cured.”

I got through the rest of the appointment, trying to listen to what is next. Dr. W. told me I don’t have to do the recurrence tests again. She suggested since I’ve met my insurance deductible for the year, to have a neck ultrasound done now, and then I won’t have to have one for two years. I will need to come in for blood work once a year. She needs to adjust my Synthroid down slightly, because there is risk of side effects developing later in my life if I stay at the dosage I’m on. But other than that- it’s over. I’m cured.

It seemed surreal as I walked out of her office, which is across the street from the hospital where I had my surgery two years ago. I sat in my car, and started to shake. And then I started to cry. I cried tears of relief, tears of joy, and I cried all the uncertainty and doubts away I’ve carried with me for the past two years. This ordeal was over. I beat cancer, and I was officially cured.

The first person I had to tell was my dad. I don’t know how I would have survived that summer after my surgery without him. When I was so sick from not having thyroid medication, he did more than I ever could have asked him to do for me. He took care of the boys and I, when I couldn’t. I didn’t have to ask, he just did. When I was scared, he wasn’t. When I couldn’t drive myself to my doctor’s appointments, he did. I only found out later, how scared he had been for me too. I called him first and told him. I could hear the relief and happiness in his voice.

Then I called Dr. Schmid. I left him a message and thanked him for his skill and expertise in my case. He had promised me I would live to see my boys grow up, and he was right. Throughout this entire process, every doctor who has worked with me, has remarked how amazing it was that Dr. Schmid had been able to get out so much of the cancer from just the surgery. Even yesterday, Dr. W. made that comment again, that he did a magnificent job. She also confirmed there were no traces at all of cancer in the right lymph nodes- the ones Dr. Schmid had left in place. He had been correct about that as well. I feel so grateful to him. In a sense, he gave me my life back, and I don’t have to worry about cancer because of his thoroughness. He also always treated me like a person first, and a cancer patient second. Two years after the fact, I wanted to thank him again for the crucial part he played in my hearing those words, “You are cured.”

I called my very good friend, Amy, next. Like my family and so many of my other friends, Amy’s been there every step of the way for me. She went with me last week to my scan, just so I wouldn’t have to be there alone, while another friend, Heather, watched her kids, so Amy could come with me. She texted me before and after the appointment yesterday. She was in the hospital visiting me after the surgery, and organized help for me. She entered and we were finalists in a contest for a trip to New York, because I missed going to Chicago with her after I had surgery. Whenever I needed anything, Amy either did it, or asked another one of our friends if they could help me.

Then I called my family. Like my dad, they did whatever they could to help me out and the boys. They were all terrified for me, but were strong and told me I was going to beat this. They believed in the outcome, when I didn’t. When I found out I had cancer, I had to leave them a message to call me back, and some things never change. No one answered their phone yesterday. They all called me back throughout the evening, and I was able to give them the good news.

I sent messages to my friends- the ones who have been my extended family, and did whatever I needed from cooking meals, to cleaning my house, to watching the boys during my doctor appointments, to mowing my lawn. I am still so thankful for all of their help and support.

I didn’t call one person though right away, I wanted to tell him in person. When I was at home, quarantined after my RAI treatment, he would send me happy, funny, normal, run-of-the day messages. He talked to me as if I wasn’t sick, but just me- his friend from school. He’d joke my super power was now being radioactive. When I wrote him back, I didn’t feel like I had cancer, and my neck had just been dissected. I felt like myself. I didn’t have to talk to him about being sick, cancer, and all my fears. It was a sense of normalcy, and it was a beginning. A beginning that showed me I was still the same person with or without cancer. Our conversations brought out the healthy, happy side in me, not the scared and sick side. It wouldn’t matter to John if I had been told yesterday I wasn’t cured. He’d still be there, but I was very happy to tell him I didn’t have cancer anymore.

The two little guys I want to hold, hug, and kiss, will have to wait. They went to their dad’s for a week for Spring Break. They gave me so much strength-strength I didn’t know I had. When I was at my lowest and weakest points, unable to even walk up a few stairs at my dad’s house, I’d see them playing outside, and knew I had to make it up the stairs, so I could see them play. They deserved a mom who could watch them play. And I would find a way to walk up the stairs- something that had been impossible to do, until I saw them.

I told my friends other than the boys being born; yesterday was the happiest day of my life. I was wrong. When I can hold Ryan and Cole and tell them Mommy’s cancer is gone- that will be the happiest day yet. I get to see my boys grow up, and I can finally give them that reassurance.

To all my family, friends, and blog readers, thank you all for being here with me. Thank you for helping me fight and beat cancer. From the day I was diagnosed with cancer through yesterday the support has been overwhelming. I feel like you are all a piece of the puzzle and you all fitted in to help me exactly when and how I needed it.

To all my blog readers who are battling thyroid or any cancer currently, don’t give up. All the fears, pain, and doubts, you currently have are only temporary. Draw on whatever gives you strength. It is easy to lose your spirit with cancer. It took mine for a while, but it only wins when you give up. Some days you have to fight with everything you have and then some. But at the end, when you beat it, and you hear the words, “It’s gone,” or “It’s in remission,” or the sweetest one of all, “You are cured,” it will all be worth it and then some. I promise.

Sleep is good, says the National Sleep Foundation and a recent cancer study.

Choose You is all about making good health choices for yourself, but there’s one crucial ingredient that it implies but doesn’t straight up ask you to commit to: sleep that healthy 7-9 hours per night. Getting that sleeps gets hard at times. Stress, working late, health disruptions, sleep disruptions, kids…a hundred things can prevent a good night’s sleep. But what are the potential ramifications beyond feeling woozy, dull and sleepy the next day?”

Potentially? Colon cancer.

I was skeptical when the bulletin crossed my desk this morning, but when I found out it was based on a study that was the cover article for Cancer, the American Cancer Society’s journal, I took notice.

The article, Short duration of sleep increases risk of colorectal adenoma, states:

Short duration and poor quality of sleep have been associated with increased risks of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and total mortality. However, few studies have investigated their associations with risk of colorectal neoplasia.

. . .

Shorter duration of sleep significantly increases risk of colorectal adenomas. The authors’ results suggest sleep duration as a novel risk factor for colorectal neoplasia.

What does this mean — what did they find? In short, study participants who averaged 6 or less hours of sleep per night increased their risk of getting colon cancer by 50%. In the study, low amounts of sleep were directly correlated to a higher risk of colorectal adenomas or polyps, which can become cancerous if left untreated. The study attributed this to poor sleep leading to melatonin imbalances, which could damage DNA.

Dr. Li Li, the chief study investigator, said that this means poor sleep is as high a risk factor as genetics and red meat for colon cancer.

This brings home a few crucial points:

• it really is that important to get a good night’s sleep, for so many reasons, even if you think you can do with less. Dr Li himself increased his average night’s sleep from 5 to 7 hours.
• it really is that important to make those good health choices.
• it really is that important to get those health checks. Finding polyps or adenomas before they develop into cancer is essential to improving your chances.

Additional resources:

Jerry Siegel, Ph.D.: How Much Sleep Do We Actually Need?

Frequently Asked Questions About Colonoscopy and Sigmoidoscopy

Valerian and Melatonin

Sleep problems

Valentine’s Day.

You either love it or hate it. There are articles and articles about managing it as a couple, as a single, as a __________ (insert label here).

I think it’s great to consider Valentine’s Day as a thoughtful moment to think of yourself as part of a greater whole, whether it’s as a lover, spouse, partner, parent, friend, relative, etc. Or all of the above. But Cupid kind of co-opted the holiday so a lot of people have a sort of negative reaction to it. It’s a Hallmark holiday, meaningless. I don’t have somebody and this day is just a reminder. It’s one more day I have to do something great in an already too busy life. It’s just a tempatation day while I try to stay healthy.

But remember how fun Valentine’s Day parties were when you were a kid? You’d make little heart-themed and friendship-themed cards for al your classroom buddies and the most exciting moment was opening your box to see these little well-wishes from your friends.

I kind of want that back. Don’t you?

That lovely looking forward to it excitement, great feeling of giving warm fuzzies to people you care about.

So I decided I needed to get outside the box, find a new way to celebrate this day, and that’s how I figured out that the grown-up version of heart-themed cards is…donating to an organization or person in need.

What better thing to do on the day of love than give a little love to the world?

I took the money I would have spent going out to eat, and donated it to a worthy charity. [Yeah if you guessed ACS as my charity, you guessed right. ] You don’t have to fit into any bucket at all to do this, except the caring bucket. Whether it’s $5 or more, every penny helps, and I know is greatly appreciated. Doing good feels good, and the Valentine I got back came as an email in my Inbox and it thanked me for my donation. Instead of a I <3 You signature, it told me how my money would help research to fight back against cancer. Sure, I plan to have a nice meal tonight, with chocolate covered strawberries (see above!), but I think the best part of the day will be knowing I showed some love to a worthy cause, and, okay, also, the walk I plan on taking with my husband.

The only way this day can be meaningless and a non-event is if I let it be. I can choose to infuse it with meaning, and healthy choices, so I will. Join me?

Just case you want some more ideas…

Eating Right

I’d never advocate forgoing chocolate, so this Valentine’s I chose strawberries dipped in dark chocolate for our treat. They had all sizes, so I went with just two each of the big strawberries. In fact, here’s the menu:

Appetizer: fresh cut vegetables

Main: Cuban black bean soup with whole wheat tortilla rolls

Dessert: Dark chocolate dipped strawberries, with Moscato Spumante (see photo to the left — I already have the table set up, ready to go — yes, that’s my real table!)

Getting active

After dinner and treats, we’re going to stroll around our backyard (kids will be asleep) and talk. Honestly? I might be looking most forward to this. It’s this constantly busy life, with little time to just chat.

Health checks

We’ve both been really good about our diet and exercise, and today we’re both doing fitness body tests to check our health. It’s romantic, truly! I know, lol, how romantic: a health check. But seriously, what better way to let those who care about you know you care about being around as long as you can by being as healthy as you can?

Choose You

My very favorite Valentine’s sentiment I’ve seen today in Twitter came from my friend Kim who said she bought herself a robe, wrapped it, and will give it to herself tonight. I think that is so awesome. Best give ever: caring about yourself.

Here’s some other great sources for good ideas about having a healthy Valentine’s Day!

American Cancer Society: Have a healthier Valentine’s Day!

CDC: Valentine’s Day Tips

Food Courting from Livestrong (these are videos with amaaaaaaazing recipes that are healthy versions of that YUM comfort food that always makes your mouth water and your convictions turn to mush in the food court)

And–I LOVE this–don’t forget February is heart health month (wear red!) and this about.com article has these really cool and unique romantic yet healthy gift ideas. I think if someone doesn’t buy it for you you should seriously consider treating yourself! If you’re buying for someone else, be ever so much bigger than a bouquet of flowers with these great ideas, many of which are gifts that keep on giving! In good ways!

Treat yourself, treat a friend, treat a loved one…however you want to celebrate!

Happy Valentine’s Day — what are your plans, tips, and ideas?