100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (6 page)

oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries), or if you take medications for

estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, then I hate to break it to you, but

your estrogen has been sucked dry (pardon the pun).

What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)?

Not so many years ago, if you went to your doctor with any of the above

symptoms, he/she would likely have written a prescription for a hormone

replacement therapy (HRT) pill. Most likely it would have been the drug

Premarin. Premarin is produced from pregnant mares’ urine (hence the

name: PREgnant-MAre’s-uRINe). I dunno, call me crazy, but I find it hard

to believe that ingesting anything from the pee of a horse can be good for

the body. (It ranks right up there with the eye of a newt or the spit of a toad

to me. Somebody stop me if I am carrying the witch analogy too far.) How-

ever, before Premarin, the only option available to women in menopause

was to take injections of hormones. Needless to say, when Premarin was

released in pill form, women lined up for it.

As with any pharmaceuticals, Premarin was not without side effects. Syn-

thetic hormones, such as Premarin, do not work “in tune” with your body

(unless you are a horse) and therefore may produce more problems than

they were meant to correct. Some of the risks associated with this drug are

cervical cancer, breast cancer, and blood clots.
Hmmmm
, let me think this

over; so I go into early menopause because of my breast cancer, then I have

to take an HRT that may cause breast cancer. Something just does not add

up here.

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

Mother Nature to the Rescue

Bioidentical hormone replacements are estrogen medications made from

plants, namely soy and wild yams (not sweet potatoes), and they mimic,

more closely, the actions and mechanisms of your own body’s natural hor-

mones. While still a form of HRT, they are a more “natural” way to get your

hormones because they are made from substances your body recognizes,

like food. However, while bioidenticals may seem like the obvious choice,

more studies need to be done to determine their long-term side effects. And

like synthetic hormone replacement, those with estrogen-receptor-positive

cancers (specific cancer that flourishes in an estrogen-rich environment)

won’t be candidates for bioidenticals, unfortunately.

I Can’t Take Estrogen, So What Do I Do Now?

Okay, then, here is where it gets personal.
My only problem was with the kitty.

After having a bilateral mastectomy, chemotherapy for stage-3 breast cancer

fried my ovaries and I entered the no-estrogen zone.

Then, three years later, I was treated to a hysterectomy

with an oophorectomy (all girl parts including

ovaries removed) because of a benign uterine tumor.

This left me void of every part that made me a female

of the species . . . no boobs, no ovaries, no uterus. I

was officially an android! And understandably, my

kitty suffered greatly. (The official medical term is

“vulvovaginal atrophy” or “VVA” as us hip-but-

shriveled-up gals call it.) Imagine, if you will, going

from a plump juicy grape to a five-year-old raisin that

Poor kitty before estrogen cream.

has been left out of the box in the scorching sun. . . .

Okay, I’m sure you get the picture. And the worst part was I really thought

I just had to “suck it up” and there was nothing I could do about it. But

luckily for me (and ole fluffy), I was wrong.

Women with a history of breast cancer, specifically estrogen-receptor-

positive breast cancer, should not go near estrogen, or anything that resem-

bles estrogen, because of the increased risk of stirring up those cancer cells

that are fed by said hormone. However, here is the good news: It is possible

PERK #2: Cancer Helped Me Find My Soul Mate

13

to have your estrogen, and NOT eat it, too. Using estrogen directly on the

vaginal tissue is an extremely safe and effective alternative to hormone pills

or injections if your kitty is your only issue.

The vaginal wall tissue is like a sponge when it comes to soaking up

estrogen preparations. This has a direct effect on the thinning vaginal wall

tissue and actually brings it back to life. It

changes the appearance, the plumpness, the

color, and the ability to lubricate. It really was

amazing to see and experience the change.

(My spouse thought it was pretty cool, too.)

An
extremely
small amount of the estrogen

is absorbed into your body, but based on

recent and ongoing research, it is not enough

to increase the risk of cancer recurrence, and

its safety is currently widely accepted in the

medical community.

Same kitty after six weeks of

I have the cream prepared in a compound-

vaginal estrogen cream.

ing pharmacy using bioidentical estrogen

because then I can get the estrogen made with natural ingredients and with-

out all the chemical preservatives that the drug companies use in their prepa-

rations. (I don’t use paraben preservatives because of their ties to cancer.)

A single dose of the cream is inserted into the vagina several times a week

for six weeks, then weekly to maintain kitty health.

The result, in my case, was so worth the effort. Not only

Your hormones may

were things working well in the “customer satisfaction”

take a beating from

department, but I also cut my risk of bladder infections

treatment, but help is

dramatically. Bladder infections, or UTIs, are common in

available in the form of

postmenopausal women because the tube for the bladder

safe bioidenticals for

is right next to the vagina. When the vagina and the tissue

certain symptoms.

around it is dry and shrunken, the whole area becomes

malformed, leaving a slight opening to the bladder where

there should be plump tissue to cover it. This opening allows bacteria to

enter the bladder, causing frequent infections. Plumping the tissue closes

the path for bacteria and reduces the risk for infection.

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

If kitty is looking a bit haggard, or you are getting recurrent bladder

infections, see your gynecologist to discuss topical bioidentical estrogen

therapy to see if it’s right for you. You’ve got nothing to lose but ol’ wrinkle-

puss.

Note: Be aware that not all compounding pharmacies know what they

are doing. It is important that you find a compounding phar macy from

your doctor that has lots of experience with these types of preparations.

Perk #3

Cancer Made Me Really

Appreciate the Good Days

I
recall lying in bed in full chemo-attack mode fondly reminiscing about

my precancer days when I could perform amazing feats like take a shower,

walk up the stairs, and make myself a sandwich. Before cancer, I took those

little things for granted. After my diagnosis and subsequent treatment, how-

ever I would have given anything just to be able to partake in those ordinary,

normal activities of daily living.

The thing that helped me through the rough days (and still does) is my

favorite mantra:
This, too, shall pass.
I would say to myself,
It will pass, and

I will feel good again!
Even on the days when I felt “normal-ish,” I could

almost hear the Alleluia chorus singing: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alll-eee—luuuuu—

IAAAAAA! I could only imagine how grateful I would be when I finally

recovered. With months of chemo still ahead, I made a promise to myself

that I would never again take another “good day” for granted.

When times get rough, just remember:

This, too, shall pass.

HEALTH TIP #3

Pass Too on the DEET (When Bothered by Bugs)

N
o one likes to get bitten or pestered by pesky pests, but before you reach

for the nearest bottle of bug repellant, consider this: Are chemical bug

repellents your best option? Sure they’ll keep the bugs away, but at what

cost?

I 15 J