Patient Perspective: Mary
You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” (Psalm 18:28 NIV) “. . . enjoy the gift of an ordinary day.” I read those words wistfully each time I waited in the lobby at TurningPoint. Would I ever feel normal again? On July 27, 2018 I had a bilateral mastectomy and started reconstruction two months later. To be strong and flexible again seemed like an impossible dream. But now in April I’m doing an aerobics class three times a week! How thankful I am for TurningPoint’s role in my restoration. Last fall every time I signed in I was greeted with encouraging smiles. As I sat in the lobby awaiting my appointment, I felt myself slowly relax as soft music played overhead. I read passages of scripture. Glancing up from my reading, I began to notice a lamp shaped like a plant curving gracefully upward toward the light. Nature imagery continued in the pictures on the wall — a butterfly alighting on a blossom; a dragonfly hovering over a plant. They reminded me of my Creator who soothed me as I waited my turn. Then I would hear my name. The therapist would smile at me, welcoming me warmly for another session. At first I resented the identity of “breast cancer patient;” I had already been down that rocky road in 2012. I am athletic and didn’t like to be weak and dependent. My therapist could sense this malaise and yet treated me kindly. As we got better acquainted I felt comfortable confiding some of my struggles. She listened empathetically and asked a few helpful questions. What a relief to be understood! My negative feelings were acknowledged and validated. At every visit my therapist massaged my neck and shoulder area as well as the underarm cording, and tight muscles began to ease. Since my range of motion was measured each time, I felt motivated to exercise diligently at home using their regimen. Little by little I could see changes – progress! During that time I also walked a lot outside, as well as doing water aerobics for two months. In January came the implant surgery. The preceding months had felt like climbing steep stairs, straining to reach the top, but now I was forced to go backwards, partway down the steps. I felt so frustrated at the delay and feeling limited once more. But when I could resume the TurningPoint exercises my recovery picked up speed, much faster than before. Now my husband and I are so pleased with the results of the reconstruction, and I am energetic and flexible. As I said a grateful goodbye to my plastic surgeon and TurningPoint, I knew that my God had indeed provided TurningPoint to help me and had turned my darkness into light. He also blessed me with a wonderful, supportive husband and some faithful friends and counselors.
Evidence Update: The Effectiveness of Physical Exercise on Bone Density in Osteoporotic Patients
Physical exercise is considered an effective means to help prevent osteoporosis and to increase bone strength in osteoporotic individuals. Breast cancer treatments, medications and surgery have a considerable impact on bone health, and patients may experience a loss of ovarian function, or if premenopausal before cancer treatment, may go through menopause earlier. The research supports that a combined aerobic and resistance training improves bone health in female cancer survivors. The authors in the 2019 article “The Effectiveness of Physical Exercise on Bone Density in Osteoporotic Patients” reported the most appropriate features of an exercise program for increasing bone density in osteoporotic patients. The first type of exercise that is effective for individuals with osteoporosis is weight-bearing aerobic exercises which include walking, stair climbing, and Tai Chi. The second type of exercise is strength and resistance exercises which can be performed with weights/resistive bands or swimming. Multicomponent exercises were also reviewed and deemed appropriate for the patient population. Multicomponent exercises consist of a combination of different methods including aerobics, strengthening, balance, dancing and progressive resistance. For the multicomponent exercise to be effective, the exercise must contain a proportion of strength and resistance training. Determining an appropriate and safe exercise program that helps to build strength, improve balance and posture and maintain bone mass is important to help minimize the risk of falling and fracture. Benedetti MG, Furlini G, Zati A, & Letizia Mauro G. (2018). The Effectiveness of Physical Exercise on Bone Density in Osteoporotic Patients. Biomed Res Int. Daly, RM., Dalla Via, J., Duckham, RL., Fraser, SF., Helge, EW. (2019). Exercise for the prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women: an evidence-based guide to the optimal prescription. Braz J Phys Ther, 2019 Mar – Apr;23(2):170-180. https://www.bones.nih.gov/health-info/bone/osteoporosis/conditions-behaviors/osteoporosis-breast-cancer https://journals.lww.com/cancernursingonline/Citation/2019/03000/Changes_in_Bone_Mineral_Density_in_Women_With.9.aspx
What to Expect with a Cancer Diagnosis
From Karen Whitehead, MS, LCSW, CCH and TurningPoint’s support group facilitator: People often ask if their feelings are normal. There seems to be some general assumption that there is a prescribed reaction that you “should” have when faced with the life-altering diagnosis of cancer. Given the range of human emotions and personal experiences, any number of thoughts and feelings can and do bubble up – some just under the surface and some like a geyser, and others becoming a fluid wave between the two. There are some common themes with people who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer or other cancers… Read more.
I Wish I Had Known: A Message from Dana Barrett
Dear TurningPoint Community – Some of you may know me as the emcee of The Pink Affair, and maybe you’ve heard me say a word or two about my own breast cancer battle at the mic on those inspiring and important evenings. But while it is an honor to be a part of the TurningPoint community now, when I went through cancer, I did it largely by myself. I was diagnosed at age 45 after a routine mammogram, and at that point in my life I was a single empty-nester with no family in Atlanta. My best friend and my boyfriend at the time were there for me, and helped shuttle me to and from my surgery, and my family was certainly emotionally supportive from afar, but in many ways I felt alone when it came to understanding my disease and making decisions about treatment. My doctors were fantastic, and I felt like I was in good hands, but I’m sure there were questions that went unasked and options for healing and support that I missed altogether. I say I’m sure about that because TurningPoint existed when I was going through cancer and I didn’t know about it. Perhaps there was a brochure for TurningPoint amongst all the other papers I brought home, perhaps not, but either way, I missed out on a healing place and a community of support. Years later, a TurningPoint board member saw me emceeing a non-profit event and asked if I would be open to emceeing The Pink Affair. As a breast cancer survivor, I was immediately interested, but didn’t want to get onstage without knowing more. Shortly after our initial conversation I was introduced to TP founder Jill Binkley and went to see the facility and meet some of the staff. Hearing Jill’s story, I knew the place would be special. I wasn’t disappointed. From the moment I walked in, I could feel that I was in a place of understanding. Maybe that sounds corny, but from the way the place is decorated to the people at the front desk, to the PTs, counselors and therapists, everyone gets it. It’s like you’re walking into a place where you don’t have to explain yourself. As Jill toured me around, I asked her some questions about my own experience and about my on-going fears, and she understood and had answers. And then I was lucky enough to experience a TurningPoint massage. I think at that point I was only about 3 years past my surgery, so I still had some tenderness, and some range of motion issues with my right arm. My massage therapist spent time talking to me about all of that before we even got started, and then made sure to customize my position on the table and the massage itself to my body and my trouble spots. That’s when I truly knew what I had missed out on. Her compassion, intuition, and of course skill made me almost want to cry, because I was finally in a place that got it. It was not a place full of pity or empty words of encouragement… it was real. Klonopin (Clonazepam) deserves attention because it is effective in treating such a nuisance as neurosis/panic attacks/panic (anxiety) disorder. It should be prescribed, of course, by a competent doctor, because self-treatment is unacceptable unambiguously. I consider myself competent to tell only about what I got convinced in personally by my own experience at https://holisticdental.org/klonopin-for-anxiety/, namely: if the dose chosen by the doctor is correct and accurate and if it is combined with compatible drugs, then this is the most effective remedy. It will produce the desired result! Since then I have done what I could to get the word out. I’ve emceed The Pink Affair for the last 3 years and had Jill, Rebecca and several others from the organization on my radio show multiple times. I’ve also donated a portion of the proceeds from my quarterly women’s networking events to TurningPoint and mentioned the organization to virtual strangers who probably thought I was getting too personal. Of course, we all hope for the day when breast cancer is no more. But until then it is my sincere wish that everyone who goes through breast cancer has access to TurningPoint. That means awareness here in Atlanta, and it means funding so that TurningPoint can grow in our city and beyond. So please join me this month and spread the word! Let’s make sure TurningPoint is known and grown! Much love and appreciation, Dana BarrettTurningPoint Spokesperson& Host of The Dana Barret Show on Talk Radio 640 WGST
