Month: October 2016

“Have you ever had anything removed from your skin? Do you or your family have a history of skin cancer?” The nurse’s questions weren’t what I wanted to hear. She added, “It’s a standard question we ask all new patients.” Issues involving your skin are something that we’d all like to avoid wherever possible. The risk of contracting something like skin cancer is enough to make anybody want to seek confirmation from a medical professional like a dermatologist. These medical professionals, the likes of which you can find at websites like https://premierdermatologyatlanta.com, are experts in skin health and are the right people to turn to if you are ever worried about the health of your skin.

Cancer of any form is a sickening thought, but still not one that many people truly understand the full impact of before it begins to affect them. Therefore, these standard questions can seem normal for most patients who’ve never had to go through cancer treatment. Once again, I’d reaffirm that you should always see your dermatologist to discover more and learn about your options at the first sign of any unusual or concerning development regarding the health of your skin.

Thankfully, it is much easier to treat many forms of cancer these days. Advancements in treatment methods and reliable healthcare providers (similar to San Diego oncology) have meant that skin cancer is no longer the killer it once was, and there are many treatment options available to patients. There are even natural treatments available to ease symptoms, such as RSO (or phoenix tears as it is sometimes known). RSO is a concentrated form of cannabis oil that was originally developed by medical marijuana specialist Rick Simpson, who created it to treat his own skin cancer. It is available in Canada as phoenix tears canada, making it one of those drugs that we are all thankful for.

Last year, that would have been a fine question at a routine appointment. But this wasn’t a routine checkup. It didn’t matter that the question was explained the way it was (which was, I’m sure, perfectly acceptable to most people). This appointment was with an oncology dermatologist at Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center where I’m now seeing all of my doctors. I am most comfortable being treated there.

Once you have been diagnosed with some sort of cancer, your reactions change. I heard the question above as “I’m sorry, you have skin cancer.” Read the full article on Good Housekeeping.

By Melissa Musen Gerstein, Co-Founder of media company, The MOMS, and Co-Host of The MOMS on SiriusXM Stars.

“More Good Days” for me means that the people around me who I love and adore need to be uplifted and happy as they fight. If they are having More Good Days, then we are, too. The three most important women in my life have been diagnosed with breast cancer. First it was my mother when she was 48 years old, then my sister at age 38, and now my #WorkWife Denise Albert at age 41. For them to feel good everyday means that these women are nurtured and loved, and the best advice I can give is that it’s the little things that carry them through the fight. Looking to help a loved one in your life during breast cancer treatment? Here are seven lessons I’ve learned to help lessen the burden and give them more good days.

1. Communicate Constantly. I check in daily with my mom and sister, but when they were fighting for their lives, I had to quadruple the check-ins. It’s important to send supportive and uplifting text messages and emails daily. My sister, mom and Denise always appreciated positive words from me, and I like to send uplifting quotes to help jump-start the day so they know that they are constantly surrounded by love and support. Create a “Gratitude Jar” and your friend can print and save these messages so they always have these kind words near them. You might also be surprised that medically, there are things you can do for your friend too. Visit a website like https://worldhealthsurvey.com/ and Enjoy the Survey! Taking part in health surveys and clinical trials can find cures for all sorts of cancers and illnesses so it’s well worth doing if you can! Your friend will be so touched that you’re going to such an effort to help them.

2. Make Meals that Heal. Help organize monthly or weekly meals and dinners. I remembered how much it meant to my sister to have friends and family organize meals. Mealtrain.com is a wonderful resource that simplifies the organization of meal giving – and through Ford Warriors in Pink, you can take advantage of MealTrain Plus free of charge, allowing coordination of meal deliveries and much, much more. This can be super helpful when so many friends and family want to help, whether with dinners, lunches or nights in with friends (try a Book Club or Netflix night!). For Denise, I also organized a dinner party out where we are showed up in #TeamDA Shirts, and I could tell that it totally lifted her spirits. When that evening ended, I knew we needed to organize the next one as soon as possible. You can also research things like natural supplements they could take to help ease some of their symptoms, such as those mentioned in Candid magazine. You could even get your hands on some for them and take them with you next time you visit, for them to try.

3. Clean and Organize. Take care of the patient’s home – help them stay organized, help them with chores, and even help them just do the dishes. It’s the simple things that make the biggest difference. When Denise would come home after chemo every Tuesday, I would either be with her at chemo or meet her at her home. I knew she had to rest so I would help her with anything, whether that was fixing her a snack, or working side by side. She would wake and work a little and then take a break again, and I knew just being there with her and not asking her to be alone in an empty home was meaningful and important. Also, when my sister got sick, her two young daughters needed to live in a clean space, being able to take care of her home was crucial, even when she didn’t have the strength. Through Cleaning for a Reason, Ford Warriors in Pink is offering free professional home cleanings to women going through treatment.

4. Know that Music is Everything. Music just feeds the soul. It lifts a person’s spirit and energy. When my sister was going through her treatments at the hospital, music was everything. You can easily make a playlist for your loved one, or find one that’s already been created to uplift and heal. At Fordcares.com, under the Tools Section, there is “Healing Music” where you can learn how easy it is by downloading the Spotify App and typing in Ford Warriors in Pink – and there you have it, an already made playlist that is updated all the time with new artists and music! I also remember Denise and I went to Bruce Springsteen one night when she was feeling good, and I could just tell that this helped a lot. She not only had something to look forward to, but to be at a concert was a great distraction from her upcoming treatments.

5. Send Snail Mail. It is such a gift to send a letter or postcard, as it is also something to look forward to. Sending cards or small care packages always puts a smile on someone’s face. You can easily do this through Fordcares.com – Warriors in Pink offers inspirational post cards with beautiful and inspiring messages for free! Just the sight of a post card in a mailbox can put a smile on your friend’s face. If you like, you can even add a little gift – nothing expensive, maybe a bracelet that says Warrior or wristbands for the patient’s supporters to wear. It just shows your love for that friend or family member, and by wearing the wristband, they know you are right by their side with them all the way.

6. Plan Ahead – and Just Plan. More Good Days could include planning a trip at the end of treatment, a spa day to celebrate the end of chemo, or just the end of your weekly treatment. If you can’t get away, then a best friends’ spa day could be the answer – you can find some great tips on how and what to plan in the Tips section at FordCares.com. Spa gift certificates are a great gift, too – I gave one to my sister recently, as something to look forward to after treatment. My sister’s breast cancer treatment kept her tied to her bed many, many days, so I knew that having someone come into her home was better for her then to go to the spa. But now that she is done with her treatment, I know that physically going to a spa and having that relaxation experience will be wonderful!

7. Remember: Breast Cancer is 365. More Good Days are not just for the month of October. We need to remember that even though your friend or family member may be concluding their treatment or could be a few years out of treatment, to have More Good Days now and forever means to always check in on how they are. Breast cancer never really ends the day you leave a hospital or your last doctors appointment. There are medications for some for ten plus years, and body changes and possible early menopause that can still cause not only physical pain but mental pain, too. The physical pain can take its toll on the body, some people will turn to medicines such as medical marijuana to help them get through this pain, visiting sites that can give them a ‘using bong guide‘ so that they know what they are doing and seeing how it can be done correctly for the benefit of their physical and mental wellbeing. You don’t have to go through this pain alone, and discussing your options with your physician will help you in the long run. If you think you have this condition or one similar, you should visit somewhere like Advanced Gynecology of Athens as they can provide expert advice on how to deal with the condition. More Good Days is 365 Days a year and a good reminder to remember to always be there for your survivor, in October and every other month of the year.

I thought being tired and losing my hair was the roughest part of having breast cancer, turns out, radiation is awful in other ways.

Try this: Lay on the floor. Stack a baseball bat and hockey stick below your back but above your butt. Make sure the room temperature is about 50 degrees.

Take off your shirt or pull one arm out of a robe, and put your arms above your head. Have someone place a little box in the middle of your body just below your breasts. If it itches, too bad.

Don’t move. Your life relies on it.

Wait 5 minutes. Don’t scratch that itch. Don’t move your arms. I know the blood rushing makes them feel numb. And cold.

Don’t move that robe that is lying in a place you didn’t realize would be annoying. Don’t worry about the hair lying across your face; imagine you don’t have any. Keep fighting that urge to move your hands and fingers. If you do, you’ll just have to start over again.

Stay like this for anywhere between 20 minutes and 45 minutes.

Visit Good Housekeeping to read the full article.

Just as we are heading back to school, and back to work we are also struggling with mealtime and snack time. We all just want the best for our kids even though we were raised on Kraft Mac n Cheese and how about Spaghettios, remember those! This Fall we are going for a win-win! Envirokidz granola bars and crispy rice bars are the first organic, gluten-free, peanut-free bars for kids. So they are great snacks for kids with allergies as well as peanut-free schools, and are available in four flavors: chocolate crispy, berry blast crispy rice bars, chocolate chip, and strawberry granola bars. Amazing right!

If you want a further food selection that you can enjoy too (why not, we are kids at heart still), you may want to check out some gluten-free snack bars that you can keep on hand for when they get back from school or after they’ve been playing with their friends, so they feel satiated and full after a day filled with a lot of running, playing, and general childlike wonder at the world.

It is important that we give our kids healthy and nutritious food; that does not mean that you don’t include some variety! In fact, I’m sure you would enjoy making a meal from a different cuisine once in a while for dinner. Maybe some Ramen and Yakitori from an online japanese food store? Or some spicy curries and biriyani from that Indian place that you like. Your kids might actually end up having fun during dinner, because they get to taste different kinds of food. Besides, you can offer up some yummy snacks to them also. There’s no harm in giving them a little bit of indulgence once in a while so they have a healthy attitude towards food. So when you are setting the dining room table with a decorative easy to clean round plastic tablecloth (they will make a mess, you know it) and fun cutlery to amuse your children for dinner time, you can feel happy in the knowledge that you are feeding them nutritious meals but you are also letting them have some fun with what they eat so they don’t feel stuck to one type of food.

As full-time stay-at-home working moms, we not only have to make the kid’s lunch and dinner but our own as well! With Reynold’s new heat & eat containers tonight’s dinner easily becomes tomorrow’s lunch. We really love them because we simply heat it, and eat it! Clean all those messes up after with Wet Ones ®, all you need to do is run it over an easy wipe table cloth. Although we all hate the messes, those messes are making memories our kids will never forget.