The Questions is, What Doesn't Cause Cancer?

I get tired of hearing it. I really do. Every day, something else causes cancer. Or so they say. I have been warned for years about saccharin. Stay away from artificial sweeteners! Then I hear drinks with sugar in it can cause cancer. So, I can't drink anything sweet? Don't even get me started on the whole deodorant thing. I get tired of rumors. I get tired of hearing cell phones cause cancer, diet sodas may cause cancer, and something about air fresheners now. Is it really possibly to avoid all risk? It's not. I quit smoking when I was a young girl. The thought of it disgusts me now but yes I did smoke for a couple of years when I was about 20. The thought of smoking actually hurts. I avoid smoke as much as I can. I actually am not too surprised about air fresheners because they hurt to breathe in when I was sick. Seriously. We had bought a lot of those oil kind. At my worst when I came around them it burned my throat when I breathed in around them. I went around my house pulling them out of the plugs. Then again, it hurt to breathe in dust or to be around the dog too. It's odd. I am not really sure why.

I can't forget cooking meats might cause cancer. I read something about grilling food and nonstick pans too. How are we supposed to realistically avoid these things? I am not going to stop living. I am not going to eat plates of rabbit food every single day. I'll take a vitamin and I'll do my best but I will not stop living.

Of course, my very own cancer treatments can cause cancer. So, especially since they have no clue what causes Hodgkin's it bothers me. I can't avoid what causes it because they don't know. Then again, I suppose there are many cancers like this. I have had people message me about natural remedies and all that. I was much too sick to be helped by anything other than chemo when I had it. I was informed I would not last three weeks. No amount of vegetables would have kept me from dying. I needed that treatment and it worked. I admit I need to improve my diet and I am a strong advocate of trying to eat right but I don't think we can all live our lives based on what new thing is a carcinogen. I honestly ask myself why they tell us what causes cancer. Tell us what DOESN'T because in this day and age it seems like everything causes it. Or maybe that's just me.

I Received Two Blog Awards Today!

Thanks to On the Verge for giving me these awesome Blog Awards today!








I want to give both of these awards to:

Tammy at Pink Stinx


Searching for my Inner

Skinny

Random Ramblings

Following My Calling


Lady Banana


Mommy Confessions


My Lymphoma Story


So here is what you do:


1. Slap this baby up on your blog. Don’t be shy.
2. Link to the giver.
3. Nominate up to seven other fab blogs.
4. Post links to those super fly blogs your nominating.
5. Leave messages for your recipients on their blogs…so they can feel as special as you.

New Template

I changed my template so that all the extras, widgets and what not are on the right side. I wasn't sure about the old template. It's a pretty basic one and I've seen it several other times on other blogs. I don't have the knowledge to add a homemade template....because I'd lose any widgets I have on here. I could copy and paste them all but way too time consuming and I know I'd delete some on accident. So...my question is, do you like this template, or the old one better? This is directed at those that have seen it of course. :)

More Bad Dreams

Well, it seems I am creating a pattern with myself. When my appointment was scheduled for October 9th, I hadn't had any worry, or anxiety about my follow up. I was actually doing pretty well. They rescheduled my follow up for the 23rd and now it's getting to me. I think what worries me the most, is that we don't do any kinds of scans at all. I guess unless I have symptoms the benefits don't outweigh the risks. I don't want to get to the point where I have symptoms like before. I also do not want to deal with the risks of too many scans so it's such a confusing feeling. I have pressure in my veins in my neck. But then again, that never really went all the way away and could be explained by the scar tissue and enlarged thyroid. The pressure comes and goes. Still I better inform the doc just in case. I just hate being obsessive! haha I am so silly that way. Still, I guess you can't be too careful right? I had another bad dream last night. I did this the night before my LAST follow up. I had a dream they took a test...a blood test and it was much like a pregnancy test would be. Positive for my cancer coming back. I swear and my doctor was telling me "oh don't worry about that." This whole thing is getting annoying. I want my follow up to hurry up and get here. I'm chuckling at myself. It's so typical of me to get like this the closer we get to that appointment.

Blame it on Chemo Brain

I'd like to blame it on chemo brain anyway. Chemotherapy can make you forgetful. It can cause brain fog....or make you forget things in general. I definitely see this in myself and as a person who loves to read and learn I find this really hard. I went back to college a couple of years ago and took courses I would never have wanted anything to do with when I was 16. I took chemistry and microbiology. Science is now a favorite of mine. It's good since I want to be an RN. I have taken some time off obviously and I think it's for the best at the moment. I find myself getting jumbled up in my thoughts on occasion. I am good at math but must have paper and pencil to do it. Don't ask me to do too much in my head because I can't hold onto the numbers. It's like they float right on out. I actually forgot what a *diaper bag* was called. It was funny, yet scary. I asked my daughter to bring me the uh....uh....the um, thing with all the baby stuff in it? I swear. I did this a month or two ago. I remembered and was just in awe at my forgetfulness. Those moments happen occasionally, not constantly. Here is something I recently read at Science Daily:


UCLA study shows that chemotherapy causes changes to the brain's metabolism and blood flow that can linger at least 10 years after treatment. Reported Oct. 5 in the online edition of the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, the findings may help to explain the disrupted thought processes and confusion that plague many chemotherapy patients. "People with 'chemo brain' often can't focus, remember things or multitask the way they did before chemotherapy," explained Dr. Daniel Silverman, head of neuronuclear imaging and associate professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Our study demonstrates for the first time that patients suffering from these cognitive symptoms have specific alterations in brain metabolism."




It's such a real thing and I can't explain how frustrating it is. It can linger for 10 years? That's a depressing thought to me. I can only say I'll fight it by pushing my brain harder than ever. I read a lot and I plan on taking more classes this spring so it will force my brain to focus, hopefully. I hate the fog...or feeling of having to think harder to get an answer. I can usually get the answer, but it just takes more effort than before.

A funny note, I know it's not unusual for moms to call their children by the wrong name. You start with one kid's name and go through them all before you finally say the right one. I do this a lot. Well my 8 year old is Mikayla. So, if I start with her everyone in my house sounds like a McDonald's entree. For example:

Miklexi! I mean...Lexi. MikLexAngel...I mean Angel! So yeah. My girls are Lexi, Mikayla and Angel and the baby is Gabriella. So I am sure one day a MikGabbi will be added to the menu.