April Patient Perspective
Karen Hamlin Six years ago, I was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC). I chose full treatment- chemotherapy, bilateral surgery, radiation, and hormone therapy. I exercise, watch my diet, maintain a spiritually positive attitude, and continue to work even since my retirement. However, there are risks and side effects of treatment. At the beginning of last year, I was experiencing serious cramping of chest area muscles and an increase in lymphedema in my arms. My Radiation Oncologist recommended physical therapy at TurningPoint. It has been a pleasant and rewarding experience. The therapists are very positive and cheerful. They have encouraged me to do exercises and massages to reduce muscle cramping in the chest area and increase range of motion in the arms and shoulders. They have a relatively new piece of equipment, a Perometer, to measure lymphedema (swelling) in the arms. This helps me see the improvements I am making through exercise and use of the compression sleeves. It’s all about “know-how”, what I can do on a daily basis to improve my own well-being. TurningPoint has been there guiding me in this process. Thank you TurningPoint! Karen Hamlin, Breast Cancer Survivor
March Patient Perspective
Amena Mitchell In the spring of 2011 I noticed a small lump in the lower, inner quadrant of my right breast. I immediately panicked and called my doctor. I was scheduled for a mammogram shortly thereafter and was advised that it was a benign cyst and some calcification. Over the course of the following two years I went for routine mammograms and ultrasounds every six months. In April of 2013 I would learn that I had an early stage of breast cancer, which of course momentarily devastated me.tp admin I was diagnosed with DCIS, and the initial expectation was to surgically remove the impacted area, but upon further research I decided on a mastectomy. Of course this news took the wind out of my sails, and literally made me sick to the stomach, but I handled it with grace and moved forward with the process. On May 1st of 2013 my right breast was removed and the reconstruction process began. I was always optimistic that I would be just fine, but had no clue of the pending challenge I would face. I developed a condition called cording that caused the loss of mobility and limited the range of motion in my right arm. I was told it resulted from the build-up of lymphatic fluids due to the lack of movement post-surgery. This is where TurningPoint, my God-send, comes in. Approximately four weeks after surgery my Plastic Surgeon referred me for physical therapy. I literally could not do basic tasks that required the use of my right arm. I walked around like I had on an invisible sling because it hurt too much when I attempted to raise my arm. My first session at TurningPoint was the best and the worst… The best because I knew I was on the path to healing, but the worst because it was painful when my physical therapist, Lauren, first started the process of stretching and working the cording out. After that initial visit things got progressively better. Approaching two years after surgery, I will always have a special place in my heart for TurningPoint. I truly appreciate the kindness and care that the staff showers on all of their patients, as well as the encouragement to stay positive and motivated. Since my experience, I’ve trade-marked a Breast Cancer Awareness t-shirt: Size Doesn’t Matter, Finding The Cure Does™, and have committed to provide a percentage of the proceeds to TurningPoint annually. I will forever be an advocate and supporter of the cause and of TurningPoint! Amena Mitchell, Breast Cancer Survivor
February Patient Perspective
Rachel Davidson I had my first mammogram at age 32. It would be my last. The mastectomy took care of that. Young. Not overweight. Breastfed two babies. I was low risk in every sense. It was the beginning of breast cancer awareness month. I was aware and did what I was supposed to do. None of the medical professionals expected that little lump to actually be cancer. However, 2 days after the biopsy the doctor confirmed I had joined the club no one wants to join. Breast cancer awareness month felt like a celebration and I was in no mood to celebrate. Or see all the pink. Just over a year later, I am beginning to again appreciate breast cancer awareness month. And pink. Throughout my journey with breast cancer, I learned a lot I never imagined I would learn – or at least, not this early in my life when I was trying to focus on raising two young children, maintaining a happy and healthy marriage, and staying busy with a fulfilling career in child welfare. I underwent a double mastectomy followed by radiation and long term anti-hormone medication. As a side effect, I am able to commiserate with my mom about hot flashes. No one prepared me for the possibility of needing physical therapy, but my plastic surgeon graciously referred me to TurningPoint following my initial surgery. One of the most healing aspects of this journey was the treatment and support I received there – both physically and emotionally, http://www.papsociety.org/ambien-zolpidem-10-mg/. The care, compassion, patience, guidance, and knowledge they provided were such that only someone personally familiar with breast cancer could. And the silver lining? Best massages ever. I am somewhat uncomfortable when people tell me I am strong or an inspiration, since I merely showed up for the doctors to care for me. I cried plenty of times. I get anxious about a recurrence. But I know such thoughts are normal. I will move on and put this behind me, because I have hope for the future. I have hope that I will continue to raise my amazing children alongside my incredibly supportive, humorous, loving husband. I have hope for my professional future. And I have many people to thank for that – medical professionals, family, and friends. A year ago, cancer was an ugly word. I now see it as a blessing. It brought me closer to my husband. It encouraged me to truly relish in the delight and wonder that are my incredible children. It introduced me to many amazing women. It reinforced that I am surrounded by more love and support than I ever could have imagined. It also reminded me to be sensitive to others, as everyone has a battle they are fighting – whether you know it or not.
January Patient Perspective
Wynetta Scott-Simmons I have always enjoyed learning; possessed a healthy thirst for the power of and comfort found in knowledge. That thirst led me to enroll in an elective high school class that explored world religions. It was in that class that I was introduced to the concept of karma. As a result of my teenager-framed interpretation of this life view, during those formative years, and in fear of upsetting the balance of my personal life continuum, I have worked to live by a religious-based moral compass and have also been a self-proclaimed rule follower ever since. Anyone who knows me will tell you that my life mantra is – Carpe Diem! But do no harm – live smart, live honorably, live fully present, live healthy, and ultimately live happy; chief among these has always been an endeavor to live healthy. Each year I scheduled my annual physical to occur on or near my birthday, as a symbolic gift and proof of my smart and healthy living. My 56th year was no exception. My life, to that point, had been a living blueprint of the stay healthy tips promoted by the American Cancer Society; staying at a healthy weight, healthy eating, taking part in an energetic exercise program, not smoking, and establishing a schedule for getting the recommended screening tests. My breast cancer diagnosis knocked me completely off of my balance-attuned orbit. Upon hearing the news I tried unsuccessfully to pinpoint the exact life action that had caused this disruption in my karma, in my life balance. My doctor, of sixteen years, unable to find the appropriate words with which to convey the test results had resorted to medical terms. Poorly differentiated carcinoma?! I understood each word individually. Spoken together in a medical context they made little sense. They made even less sense when applied to me; the rule follower, the life lived in balance. Poorly differentiated carcinoma?! Infiltrating ductal carcinoma?! Triple negative?! 3.3 centimeters?! The literacy professor in me tried desperately to tie each word to some pre-existing knowledge, some schema which might lead to a deeper level of enlightenment. However, in those first days following receipt of my diagnosis, balance had been destroyed and no karma-justified meaning, no understanding, no clarity, no comprehension was forthcoming. My mind did, however, instantly make connections between the news of this diagnosis and a host of possible ramifications for my immediate family – for my husband and our two daughters. In those first days post diagnosis and without full understanding of the specifics of my unique cancer profile I wondered just how many more momentous life events we would all witness together – birthdays, vacations, promotions, anniversaries, weddings and grandchildren. The triple negative nature of my diagnosis and size of my tumor added a sense of urgency to my need to begin a treatment plan. While still struggling to make sense of the news of my diagnosis, I resorted to the comfortable process of searching for knowledge. We researched the unfamiliar medical terms listed in every line of my diagnosis paperwork. We systematically collected referrals, read references, poured over evaluations, visited, interviewed, and made critical decisions about oncologists, surgeons, and plastic surgeons, and hospitals. The movie-reel version of my life, during that period, seemed to progress at a frenetic and chaotic pace, while simultaneously moving at a deliberate and measured pace. We know now that a divine hand was at work in bypassing waitlists, opening appointment doors, and ultimately assembling a team that would save my life; my dream team. Carpe Diem became my team’s battle cry and it helped me to focus on waging war against this uninvited infiltrating force! My assembled team – a renowned oncologist, celebrated surgeon and plastic surgeon, respected radiologist, phenomenal group of oncology and radiation nurses, my family, and a host of friends helped me to successfully conquer sixteen weeks of chemotherapy, vena cava filter placement surgery, six weeks of daily radiation treatments, bilateral mastectomy surgery, tissue reconstruction and expander insertion surgery, skin graph surgery, http://www.papsociety.org/accutane-isotretinoin/ and the final implant transfer and nipple construction surgery. Even after waging a successful fight to rid my body of the abnormally fast-growing cancer cells, my karma-tic turmoil had yet to settle. A new diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) triggered a referral to TurningPoint. This medical diagnosis proved to be a pivotal moment in the process of rebuilding and adding to my life rather than the cancer diagnosis that had resulted in the process of breaking down and subtracting from my life. The individualized and focused care provided by the therapists at TurningPoint was specific to my particular and unique bodily needs as a breast cancer survivor and post-mastectomy patient. The therapists were committed to increasing my shoulder range of motion. They also validated my questions, affirmed my suspicions, and allayed my concerns, while arming me with the informational tools necessary to serve as my own self-advocate. With each session I began to regain my confidence. Everyone at TurningPoint helped me to restore a level of calm, a sense of balance and a renewed sense of positive karma to my life. The information, knowledge, and therapeutic strategies that I received at TurningPoint helped me to see that my new normal need not be one of limited mobility, ability, or possibility. My fighting mantra had been revived. Carpe Diem! – live smart, live honorably, live in the moment, live healthy, and live happy. I will be eternally grateful for the care and support I received at TurningPoint.
