Did you know there is a patron saint of breast cancer? St. Agatha apparently. And while I found out about this 48 hours too late, there was actually a special service for bc patients, on her saint's day, not too far from where I live in NYC.I will admit I am not an expert on the topic, so please feel free to share more about this.
My hand is hurting from too much computer use, so I am going to try to keep it light on Sunday.
Otherwise I am going to be looking for the patron saint of carpal tunnel.
Suz
Update: our commenter Lopsided Blogger wrote in to tell us about St. Aldegundis. Please read her note, or click on the image to learn more.
A lot of saints can help those facing cancer. For example, Saint Aldegundis is considered a "special intercessor" for breast cancer patients. She died of breast cancer, while Saint Agatha's breasts were cut off as torture. As a bc survivor, I identify more with Saint Aldegundis. Here's a link for more info on her: http://breastcancer.about.com/b/2009/02/05/st-aldegundis-patron-saint-of-cancer.htm#gB3
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI was unaware of St. Agatha, but I will incorporate her in my prayers from now on! Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteI developed carpal tunnel, too ~ but unbeknownst to me, it was due to one of the BC medications (to block estrogen) I was taking, well after chemo. I had no idea until I mentioned it to my med onc, just before I was to undergo hand surgery; that's when he said it was the med I was on! I went off it, and a week later, the severe carpal tunnel I was suffering disappeared! Sadly, I've known 2 BC survivors who had the surgery and were on the same med as I was; they never thought to bring it up to their oncs. I went back to the neurologist who diagnosed me, and implored him to let other BC patients who come in complaining of carpal tunnel to discuss it with their med onc.(Sounds like another post I should write!)
wow!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI’ve been on & off Arimidex for a few months, and very glad to have found information on the side effects from the beginning. Sometimes the pain is unbearable, and I just stop taking it for a couple of weeks, or till the pain stops, whichever is soonest. My 1/14/09 blog started documenting this, in addition to how to contact the FDA to let them know. If we don’t complain, the pharma companies certainly won’t. I’m not against meds, they are saving lives, but if we don’t speak up about the side effects, the cure may kill us before the disease does.
ReplyDeleteIt is very common for people to not think of telling their doctor about some symptoms, or forget to provide a complete list of meds. It’s also not uncommon for docs to not be fully aware of drug interactions or side effects. It is critical to talk to your pharmacist and read the paperwork that comes with the drug. On the other hand, many symptoms did not show up in the initial studies, and are not listed. We are the real test subjects. A handy site to learn more info about your meds is rxlist.com. They have important information about studies done after drugs are released, interactions with other meds, foods, supplements, etc. The link for Arimidex reviews is here: http://ow.ly/14NDn
I have a collection of informative sites; let me know if you need more info!
I am just about to try some Bowen Therapy for my Carpal Tunnel.
ReplyDeleteNothing to get in the way of my blogging
Chez what is Bowen Therapy?
ReplyDelete