Evidence Update: Ongoing Survivorship Care
Survivorship is a complicated part of having cancer—because it is different for everyone. Every survivor has individual concerns and challenges. Cancer survivorship begins at diagnosis, includes individuals who have completed their cancer treatment and also includes people who continue to have treatment over a long period, to either reduce risk of reoccurrence or to manage chronic disease. Survivors may feel stress when their frequent visits to their health care team end after completing treatment. The relationships built with the cancer care team can provide a sense of security during treatment, and people miss this source of support. A 2017 study affirms the concerns that some cancer survivors have voiced about which health care providers should be directing their long-term care. A large group of breast cancer survivors were surveyed, and a majority preferred that their PCP’s handle their care after breast cancer treatment. Minority women preferred oncology-directed care versus PCP- directed care for their general preventative care. An effort to clarify provider roles in survivorship care to patients may be effective in improving team-based cancer care and support. At TurningPoint, we provide survivorship care with ongoing education, exercise classes, and continued care with massage, physical therapy, nutritional support and counseling. Wallner LP, Li Y, Furgal AKC, Friese CR, Hamilton AS, Ward KC, Jagsi R, Katz SJ, Hawley ST; Patient Preferences for Primary Care Provider Roles in Breast Cancer Survivorship Care. J Clin Oncol. 2017 Sep 1. 35(25):2942-2948.
Patient Perspective: Melissa
I have Breast Cancer. Those are words I never thought I would hear about myself. My journey began December 2017. Because I had been told years earlier I had dense breast tissue, I was being followed with mammograms and MRIs. In December 2017, my scheduled mammogram was normal, and I had already scheduled my MRI for the next week. The MRI revealed some alarming areas of concern. I went back to my Breast Specialists office in January to biopsy the areas that were of concern. In February, the biopsy results came back benign. At this point, my Breast Surgeon and Radiologist were not convinced of these results and suggested an excision biopsy to remove the tissue. In April, that surgery was scheduled. It was that surgery that confirmed my Radiologist’s suspicion that I had Breast Cancer—low-grade, stage 1 stupid cancer. It was at that point, I realized my life would change forever. I decided to have a double mastectomy. My surgery was scheduled for the third week of July, 2018. I had expanders put in at that time, and early September had implants put in. Today, I feel great! A large part of that feeling can be attributed to TurningPoint. When I was cleared to start physical therapy, I scheduled several appointments and got started. I wanted to regain my range of motion and alleviate the cording that I was experiencing. After a few sessions, I started feeling so much better. It was a confidence booster for me. I had been worried I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the quality of life I had been accustomed to; however working with the physical and massage therapists at TurningPoint changed my outlook. I lived in Sandy Springs for over 20 years, in fact, right behind TurningPoint. I had never heard of TurningPoint until I was referred to them. Crazy right? I thought so too. As an active community member and healthcare professional, I want to do more to promote TurningPoint. More people and businesses in our surrounding area need to know about TurningPoint. It’s a game changer. There is no other place like it in the South! No other PT, massage, nutrition facility dedicated only to the care of women with Breast Cancer. The specialized training of their physical therapists is focused solely on helping women recover and regain their quality of life. Game changer. My story had some ups and downs along the way, but I was diligent and so were my doctors. I could have stopped with a normal mammogram, but I didn’t. I could have stopped when the needle biopsy came back benign, but I didn’t. I needed to know why an MRI indicated something when other tests didn’t.I ultimately got my answer and it changed my life forever. I had Breast Cancer. Today, I am cancer free!
Evidence Update: Impact of Yoga for Breast Cancer Patients
Studies have shown that relaxation techniques and exercise such as yoga have been shown to increase overall health of the body and quality of life of the individual. A review article was done studying the effect on yoga of quality of life of women with breast cancer. Yoga was determined to help with physical and body stability and help with relaxation. The study noted that yoga can be beneficial for immune system modification and help to stabilize the autonomic nervous system and control emotions. It is highly recommended that women going through breast cancer treatment engage in some type of exercise in order to help maintain their quality of life. Dehghanmehr, S, Varasteh, S, Koochakzai, M, Nooraeen, S, and Salarzaei, M; (2018) Studying the Effect of Doing Yoga on the Quality of the Life of Women with Breast Cancer: A Review Article. Prensa Med Argent 104:2. doi: 10.4172/0032-745X.1000278.
You can #MakeItPersonal
Some Tips for Participating in TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation’s #MakeItPersonal Campaign As we celebrate TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation’s 15th anniversary this fall and into 2019, we are inviting and welcoming you to tell your individual stories regarding your respective journeys with breast cancer. The ultimate goal of the #MakeItPersonal campaign during this milestone is to increase awareness for TurningPoint, both for those supporting and battling breast cancer. If this effort builds significant momentum, we will be making a difference for years to come in metro Atlanta and beyond. It is the moving, inspiring stories of our patients, staff, volunteers and supporters that do the best job of capturing the essence and uniqueness of TurningPoint. Additionally, such stories often describe the many benefits TurningPoint provides for the women and men served. We invite you to tell your story through videos, photos, and or writing and ask that you limit your videos to 1 minute 30 seconds. We would love to share your inspiring journey and how TurningPoint helped play a role in it on whatever social media platform you feel most comfortable with—be it Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. In doing this, we ask that you address any aspects of your journey but with specific reference to TurningPoint’s role in your journey. ∞ ∞ ∞ In responding to this query, will you please consider answering the following questions? How and why are you involved with TurningPoint? What was the thing you value most from your association with TurningPoint? What made your experience at TurningPoint unique to your journey? Can you talk about the staff and the specific help they provided you and your family? How did TurningPoint impact your physical abilities and the return to participating in activities you did prior to learning about your breast cancer diagnosis. When you tell your story via video, here are some important tips to keep in mind. Find a quiet, comfortable place to record without any distractions; minimize the potential for disruption You don’t need a script but have a pretty good idea of what you’d like to say before you record. This will make the process go faster and more smoothly. Be authentic/be yourself as we want to know how TurningPoint most impacted your journey. If people understand how TurningPoint affects a breast cancer patient or the loved one of a TurningPoint patient, it helps on multiple levels, including increasing awareness to patients, caregivers, and doctors in the entire breast cancer community. When you post by way of relevant social media, we ask that you reference the official hashtag #MakeItPersonal (note M, I and P are all capitalized to help read it more easily) and TurningPoint’s handle @TurningPointBCR    Feel free to also reference other hashtags such as #breastcancer, #physicaltherapy and #cancercare Also, be sure to follow TurningPoint on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TurningPointBCR/ and share posts you see pertaining to #MakeItPersonal. Here are 9 examples of sample verbiage to use (please attach some image, video, or link to accompany this as the visual element of social media is so powerful and compelling.) *    During my breast cancer journey @TurningPointBCR served an invaluable role helping me become cancer free. I will never forget the indelible impact the organization left on me and my family during the peaks and valleys of my experience. I’m forever grateful. #MakeItPersonal *    I didn’t know what steps to take following my treatment plan for breast cancer three years ago. Fortunately, I came across @TurningPointBCR & its compassionate staff and will never forget the tears, smiles, screams and laughs that helped in my recovery. #MakeItPersonal *    I will always consider my time as a patient with @TurningPointBCR as the most important part of journey beating breast cancer. Without the love and support of their amazing staff and fellow patients, I don’t know that I would have found the strength to survive. #MakeItPersonal *    I always think about @TurningPointBCR for the game-changing support helping me in my battle against breast cancer.  I would not be here today without TP’s extraordinary staff helping me with physical and massage therapy. #MakeItPersonal *    It wasn’t until I went to @TurningPointBCR where I regained strength and was able to lift my ## year old child again. I will remember the real warmth and support every member of the staff showed toward me and my family. I wouldn’t be here today without it!  #MakeItPersonal *    For anyone battling breast cancer you should learn about @TurningPointBCR. It’s a unique nonprofit in metro Atlanta focused on survivorship, helping one with breast cancer feel better faster and fully return to engage in activities enjoyed before the bc diagnosis. #MakeItPersonal *    @TurningPointBCR supports women and men of all backgrounds on the way to a full recovery, providing services such as physical & massage therapy. #MakeItPersonal *    What stands out the most about my experience with breast cancer is the time I spent @TurningPointBCR. The organization helped me feel better mentally, physically and psychologically and brought me back to my family. Everyone with breast cancer needs to know about this hidden gem. #MakeItPersonal *    If I didn’t learn about @TurningPointBCR while battling breast cancer, I don’t know that I’d be here as a survivor today. The nonprofit’s genuine and skilled staff brought me back to being myself again for my family and friends. And now I have a new lease on life! #MakeItPersonal Thank you so much in advance for your support and help boosting the critical work and mission of TurningPoint!
