Conversations With Aunt Emmy by Patricia Edwards

As you know Conversations With Aunt Emmy by Patricia Edwards is all about asking the right questions and providing information which will help to engage you in a powerful partnership with your treating medical provider.  This Sunday our nuggets which we re-visited were about dental health and the importance of asking questions about your breath, the condition of your oral cavity and whether the examination they do on your neck was normal.  Flossing twice per day and brushing twice per day  contributes to  your overall good health.

 

Taking vacation is an action which is very important to your health.  It helps to replenish you creativity, you general outlook on life and your job.  Why not take a vacation?  Why save vacation days?

Aunt Emmy briefly introduced a topic which most people do not wish to talk about and that is your end of life needs. As part of living we need to plan for not living and here again there are questions you need to ask yourself  so that you can ask about them while you are still around.  Aunt Emmy will do a specific show on planning for the end of life  next year.

 

The Little Pink Purse of Courage: When Breast Cancer Is The Diagnosis and Chemotherapy Is The Treatment Option is in a second edition.  The two new sections of the book address resources that one needs and then how to ask for help.  Asking for help is not easy for people. Aunt Emmy suggested having a friend  compose a list of chores which you might need help with and share the list  when others ask how they can help.

 

On a personal note Aunt Emmy made a plea to the listeners to help find a nephew by affection who is missing from his home as of  the early afternoon on December 3, 2010.  He was to pick up his mother from work in her silver grey Nissan Sentra 2009 , W827 GD and never showed up.  Very unlike this 21 year old Nova college student.

Hopefully there will be good news to report next Sunday. They live in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

Conversations with Aunt Emmy

BlogtalkRadio Show 11/7/2010

If I would just believe that I can master technology and the computer then I would not have panicked on Sunday when I tried to broadcast at
www.blogtalkradio.com/auntemmy.  In a nutshell the shows, have to scheduled and had actually ended on 10-31-10!  After trying to figure out what was  wrong, I,  all by myself figured out how to schedule the show for that afternoon. So sorry for the faithful listeners who missed me at 4:30pm.  We did the show at 5p.m. and Sonia was on the Air.
As you know Sonia is the eldest of the 3 sisters and was diagnosed with breast cancer almost 10 years ago.  She shared some of the effects that chemotherapy had on her- such as bone pain, but it was not severe enough to require medication and the doctor had forewarned her.  She worked throughout the treatment, though at times the fatigue was tremendous, but her company allowed her to work for a 6 hour day instead of an 8 hour day and that was helpful.  She spoke about the changes to her finger and toe nails and the numbness, especially in her fingers from the chemotherapy.  She even lost the nail in her great toe.  Sonia shared the need to talk- this is really a wonderful comment, coming from someone who at best does not share her feelings. A story about a women she met, befriended and listened to:. This lady had the changes in the breast which happens sometimes after a lumpectomy.  She had not allowed her husband to see her breast. Eventually she did and at her discharge, she let Sonia a peach rose to say thanks for helping her get to that point where she could undress in front of her husband.  Surviving is exciting and filled with activity, but the fact that the disease can recur is never forgotten. It especially becomes concerning when the time to have the mammogram, the scans, the blood tests roll around. What a relief when all is well.  Really sorry you missed this excellent show, but we will do it again.  Remember on November 21, 2010 at 4;30pm on Conversations with Aunt Emmy at
www.blogtalkradio.com/auntemmy , Dr Tihesha Wilson, Surgical Oncologist will be on as featured   a guest
 
If you know someone who has been recently diagnosed with breast cancer, you can make a difference in that person's life by giving them a copy of The Little Pink Purse of Courage. Visit, please
www.thelittlepinkpurseofcourage.com to purchase your copy.

10-31-10 show Conversations with Aunt Emmy

Well Breast Cancer Awareness month came to an end today , but as we always say on Conversations with Aunt Emmy breast cancer is diagnosed every day, 365 days of the year , 12 months of the year. We have to keep observing, learning and asking questions about this disease.

We were able to get Sonia on for about 4 minutes of the show and actually after we signed off but before the show actually ended!  We are going to try again on the show of November 7^th and hopefully all will go well.  Sonia in survivorship is so active and healthy that we have to have enough time  for you to share in conversations with her. Listen to the show on November 7^th!   On November 21, we will have our second guest ever on the show, Sonia being our first.  Dr. Tihesha  Wilson, a Surgical Oncologist ,at one of our leading hospitals in South Miami Dade ,will be a guest on Conversations With Aunt Emmy.  Dr Wilson is a Fellowship trained breast cancer surgeon! 

It is fantastic to know that people follow the show on the blog.  I was on Skype with my cousin who is 78 years old and lives in Liverpool England .  His name is Cecil and he has a wonderful  completely white beard and looks like Santa Claus.  Actually when he visits me in Miami, some of the neighbors call him Santa. As we were talking I asked if he had listened to the shows recently and he said he was having difficulty listening ‘ live’ but he was reading it.  I asked “Reading it!?”  “Oh , yes I follow you on the blog”……well I was so deliciously delighted….  I gave him a big hug and kiss through Skye- Thanks cuz!

The highlight of the show was Sonia talking more about surviving and the need to keep active but mostly the need to keep all your medical appointments. I will tell you why that is so important.  A friend of mine who is a breast cancer survivor who is also like Sonia and  keeps all her follow up appointments, recently had an elevated test result.  This result might have indicated that  the cancer was not only back but might have gone to other parts of her body.   Fortunately for her, two more clean results of the same test were negative and she is doing just great.

 We also completed as promised the information on what is now currently referred to as Triple Negative Breast Cancer, and learned that it presents a challenge in treatment.

Keep reading and listening to Conversations with Aunt Emmy every Sunday afternoon at 4:30pm EST in the United States. You may purchase  copies of The Little Pink Purse of Courage at www.the littlepinkpurseofcourage.com or if you live in South Florida at Walgreens drug stores in NMB and SW Dade County. The Little Pink Purse of Courage has the 41 questions you need to ask if breast cancer is the diagnosis.  Get a copy for someone you know who is recently diagnosed with breast cancer.  You will make a difference for them with a gift of this small but empowering book!

Technical Snafu

Conversations with Aunt Emmy 10.10.10

Well  Aunt Emmy  went to the Caribbean Carnival  in Dade County Miami and danced behind the winning   band with her sister  Sonia, the subject  of the Little Pink Purse of Courage while Pearline our other musketeer also in TLPPC and Sonia’s husband dance along as their daughter Lisa and granddaughter Danielle played the Steel  drums.  The bank came first out of 30 entries.  Dancing is great exercise.  I rushed home from the festivities to do the show Conversations with Aunt Emmy as it is important for me to share in conversation with you each Sunday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. on BlogTalk Radio.  This show was chock full of nuggets and lasted about 25 minutes.  Please download and listen.  Tell your friends, your co-workers and all who you engage with everyday.  I will give you one nugget, oh maybe two.  We discussed HER2 neu a significant blood test performed on women with breast cancer.  Does one’s breast become disfigured in any way after lumpectomy?  This is a question to ask before surgery and is not in The Little Pink Purse of Courage.  Call in or leave your comments- Aunt Emmy really wants to hear from you. 

Conversations with Aunt Emmy

Welcome to Breast Cancer Awareness month!  Every will be glowing pink.  The Little Pink Purse of Courage: When breast cancer is the diagnosis and chemotherapy is the treatment option (TLPPC) ask the questions which need answers for persons diagnosed with breast cancer who will require chemotherapy and radiation treatments.   All the questions are not medical.  Two other questions from TLPPC ask the physician “Will you respond to my call the same day” and" Will you respond to and treat my family with care and concern?" 

The health tip for today’s show will be familiar to anyone who has read the secret.  It reminds us to 

Conversations with Aunt Emmy have the phone lines open, but calls are not coming in.  I am trying to get some physicians and patients to join in on the conversation.  We are trying to get an oncologist to join us soon.  Let’s review our health tips:  1) wash your hands often- request, ask any health care provider who is caring for you to remove their gloves wash their hands and then don new gloves before touching you. 2) Get up from your desk, shake out your feet and take really deep breaths.

Conversations with Aunt Emmy

The show is improving and people are making lots of positive comments.  I like doing it and I am feeling more comfortable as well.  I like it because I know the information is useful and can make a huge difference in the way patients engage with their treating providers.

People are reminding each other to call for results when they go to the doctor and are learning a lot.  One listener suggests that we actually  talk about what exercises can be done  when one gets up from the  desk to stretch.

We discussed at least five things you ought to know about breast health- they change as you age. Mammograms are not done on women in their twenties  because  at that age  the breast  tissue is too dense .  This does not allow for accurate interpretation by mammography.

Does wearing and underwire bra    or using deodorant cause breast cancer? That is a myth along with several  others.

Visit www.blogtalkradio.com/auntemmy and listen at your convenience to all the great information on Conversations with Aunt Emmy.  Remember if you or someone you love is ever diagnosed with breast cancer and needs chemotherapy and other treatment, The Little Pink Purse of Courage is there with all the questions you need to ask your medical oncologist when you have your first visit. To learn more visit http://www.thelittlepinkpurseofcourage.com/.

I had my first call on Conversations with Aunt Emmy and it was from a most unexpected source- my daughter Dory who lives in Washington,,D.C.  I got feedback from my son, Gordon asking for more healthy living tips, so I included the need to set a reminder  on your computer to get up at least once per hour, walk around the office and take deep breaths as most of us do not really take very deep breaths. Another listener wanted clarification on what cancer specialty a Hematologist Oncologist manages. This  physician takes care of people with blood cancers such as Lymphoma and Leukemias, etc.  From the Little Pink Purse of Courage we discussed 2 more questions regarding hair loss. The nugget: before your hair starts to fall- cut it as low as you can manage, so when it does fall, it should be less of a shock in your appearance.  Next nugget : Negative and Positive labels for the hormone tests done do not mean good or bad as we have become conditioned to think. These results for breast cancer patients are related to the type of drugs which will be ordered to deal with the negative or positive hormone lab results.

Approximately 1,900 men are diagnosed each with breast cancer. The website: menagainstbreastcancer.org is available as a resource for men.  There are wonderful free magazines with excellent information for breast cancer survivors, the general public family and friends.  Tune in every Sunday afternoon at www.blogtalkradio.com/auntemmy and listen to this simple and informative show which helps you to ask the right questions of your health care providers especially if breast cancer is the diagnosis and chemotherapy is the treatment option.  It's not a sad show, its great information in an easy to listen to format. Listen and call in. I look foward to hearing from you.

The Role of Your Oncologist and THE FACTS

Hello my friends and listeners. I hope you tuned in to today's show. If not, remember you can go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/auntemmy to here all past shows on-demand! This week we discussed some important topics. First, I want to provide some clarification for one of my listeners about the roles of the oncologist treating breast cancer. Please remember you can ALWAYS email and ask me for clarification or additional information. Here goes:

The first oncologist you are likely to meet is the surgical oncologist who will do a biopsy and then perform either a mastectomy or a lumpectomy.

Then you may next meet the medical oncologist who is the physician who orders and manages your drug therapy (chemotherapy), orders and reviews your blood work and  keeps in touch with the radiology oncologist who administers radiation as needed.

Think of the medical oncologist as the captain of your team. 

The Little Pink Purse of Courage is a 37 page booklet with 41 questions that you need to take with you when you first meet your medical oncologist. Some of those questions address knowing the specific type of breast cancer with which you have been diagnosed and knowing what stage it is in.   Those are hard questions to ask and The Little Pink Purse becomes your voice at the point when you are most vulnerable and don’t even know what to ask.

 I also want to put this disease in perspective for you by giving you some of the facts:

• 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year
• In  2009, an estimated 192,370 new cases of  invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in women in the U.S.
•  62,000 women will be diagnosed with non -invasive breast cancer each year
• About 90% of breast cancers are due, not to heredity, but to genetic abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general
• 2.5 million women as of 2008 have survived breast cancer.
• Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the U.S.

****Information from breastcancer.org and the American Cancer Society****

Auntie Emmy's Symptoms to Watch Out For

Hello my friends! Here are the important nuggets from September 5, 2010's Conversations with Aunt Emmy on blogtalkradio.com/auntemmy. Please pay close attention to the advice below, it can save your life!

1. If you are over 40  and have never had a mammogram, it is vital that you do so immediately.  Please discuss with this your physician immediately and get a referral to have a  mammogram. It's simple and can be life-saving.

2. While breast self examination is still useful and lumps can be discovered, it's just one way of finding a lump which could be breast cancer.

3. There are other warning signs which can alert you to the possibilty that may suggest breast cancer. Promptly visit your doctor if:       

• you experience fluid coming from one or more nipple and you are not breast feeding
• you experience a dramatic change in the size of one of your breasts
• you experience a discoloration of the skin or ulceration on the skin of the breast
• you experience pain in the breast, which is persistent or unusual

On this point it is vital that you do not buy into or accept the following statement : "If you can feel pain or have pain in the breast, then it is not breast cancer."  If you were given a True or False  test question - the answer is False.

I know of a lady who worked out in the gym and lifted weights and thought her breast pain was just a muscle strain.  Fortunately, she had it checked and her concern was taken seriously by her physician;  The result: breast cancer.  Remember, the best news is that breast cancer is one of the most treatale forms of cancer and many women beat it. Survival rates increase every year. What's more, women survive at least 20 years after diagnosis.

And the blogging begins. Welcome Breast Cancer Patients & Their Friends!

Hello!! Welcome to my first official blog entry. I am now on the BLOG train and I can’t even believe it.  However, circumstances and openness to new ways of doing things, especially communicating, has catapulted me into this once unheard of word and world. My general biography is to the side of this entry. However, I feel I should explain the "Aunt Emmy" title as my name is actually Patricia:

I have been called many things throughout my life from Aunt Patsy, to Pat, to Aunt Emmy and many more. However, one thing remains constant. In my family, I am the one everyone comes to in order to seek advice. over the years, those closest to me, call me Aunt Emmy. I want my readers and followers to feel the same sort of affection. Thus, I am heretofore, Aunt Emmy!

I want to start by giving you a little overview of the purpose of The Little Pink Purse of Courage Blog and why I created The Little Pink Purse of Courage. Before, I get into that, I want to be sure and remind you that this blog will be updated every Sunday to coincide with myBlogtalk radio show, Conversations with Aunt Emmy, which can be found at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/auntemmy. This radio show, like this blog, will mainly consist of breast cancer-related and health-related content. Occasionally, we will venture into other areas. So be sure to follow me every Sunday at 4:30 p.m. EST. We always have fun! If you can't listen on Sundays, visit the above site for on-demand episodes!

Now for the crux of my first blog--

Your Relationship With Your Doctor

The message this blog will send is so important that I am leaving my comfort zone of phone calling and sending hand written notes( yes I still  do that).  Our relationships with our health care providers-especially our treating physicians, is one that is a positive and powerful partnership.  In order to achieve this empowered relationship, you have to ask the right questions and have information so that your partnership is grounded in respect and openness, This should lead to the very best healthcare possible.  I am not talking about any kind of alternative care or treatments; or that if you have a disease diagnosis you will be cured because you have this partnership with your doctor.  What I am saying is that, regardless of the disease, if you and/or your family can ask the right questions and communicate how you wish to be treated by your physician-who is as an equal partner- then you will be empowered and the course of that illness will be quite different than if your relationship with your doctor were less personal.

From the age of 2, and I am much past that now, sickness and ill health plagued my life on a personal level. My illnesses were chronic and affected my schooling, my entertainment and my childhood and young adult life all together.  I am referring to severe asthma. One day I started to pay attention- long before the pundits started writing about how to control and manage my asthma. I noticed a dramatic difference in my health to the point where today, I hardly ever take medications for it.  When I had children who were both afflicted with asthma, I had to partner with their physicians so it did not hinder their childhood as it did mine.  So I took my observations to the doctors, suggested what I thought worked and what did not.  Soon we were in agreement and an empowered partnership evolved with the best outcomes for my kids.

Fast forward to 2001 and my sister is diagnosed with breast cancer.  Here is a woman who had a routine mammogram every year- but on diagnosis is told she has Stage 3 cancer already infecting many lymph nodes.  You can imagine how devastating this was for me. But we learn from all. We can make every experience into a learning experience and it helps the healing process. It is far better than acting defeated from the get-go. Even though I learned to control my illness, when my husband became ill, so often I did not know what questions to ask about his illness. And I am a nurse. Many times, I was in this haze of technical care giving but not informed enough about the disease.  The internet was not yet a reality- but then again, when you are really, really ill and are first diagnosed- the mind is often blurred to the point where you do not want to know all the information that is out there. It is too real.

I decided that when my sister went to see the oncologist who would treat her cancer I would send questions that we HAD to have answers to. There, without knowing  it, was the genesis of THE LITTLE PINK PURSE OF COURAGE: When Breast Cancer is the Diagnosis and Chemotherapy is the Treatment Option. 

I sent her with 41 questions. The first question asked that the doctor specifically state what type of breast cancer was diagnosed.  Sounds trite but most women do not know that important piece of information and yet it affects treatment choices, among other decisions that your physician will make and offer you.

So the book has led now to my radio show on www.blogtalkradio.com/auntemmy, which I mentioned above. I am talking to women about breast cancer and other health related topics including Asthma- my chronic disease. For the next 2 months the shows will largely center around breast cancer and THE LITTLE PINK PURSE OF COURAGE. To learn more about me visit www.thelittlepinkpurseofcourage.com,  www.thepassionsofpatriciaedwards.com or on Facebook and Twitter. I try to answer all correspondence.

Until the next blog entry for The Little Pink Purse of Courage or Sunday’s radio show Conversations with Aunt Emmy. I wish you health and happiness!
-Aunt Emmy