Your day in three songs.
Hi beautiful people. I am a huge music fan and have found it so very important in helping to get through the last year. I have used it as a distraction to send me somewhere else when I have had to do something not so nice or when I was scared. I've used it to help the tears flow or not to. I use it to change my moods. My day is a good one so here's my playlist for today. Your Song Elton John (for no particular reason than it was playing in my head when I woke up) Get Rhythm Johnny Cash Three little birds Bob Marley I would love to hear yours.2.7KViewsSign in to react to this post122Comments
Otis Foundation holiday
Something positive. This is a pic of the resort in Port Macquarie, where I was on holiday last week with my daughter and partner. It was for 7 nights, provided by the Otis Foundation. It was absolutely fantastic and exactly what we needed. Prob the best holiday I’ve had in 11 (sadly) years. Very relaxing, beautiful, with lots of activities to do when we wanted to. I found out about the Otis Foundation through this site, so I’m hoping others will also follow suit and sign themselves up for this well-deserved free treat 😊. I signed myself up in early May, and was told I’d have to wait a while due to Covid, but got dates in early November, which was perfect timing after a couple months post radio. So check it out ladies, and hope to see your own holiday pics soon 😁👌🏻♥️ Otis Foundation1.7KViewsSign in to react to this post36Comments
Jigsaw puzzles
I don't know why my physio didn't suggest it to me earlier but I have stumbled upon jigsaw puzzles for therapy. The repetitive movements of sorting pieces has done my lymphedema arm the world of good. Sitting around with not a lot of energy is boring and I put on movies to watch but I still like to be doing something to keep my mind and body active. Some knit or crochet, I do puzzles. :)1.3KViewsSign in to react to this post24Comments
Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivor
I had Triple Negative Breast Cancer diagnosed back in November 2012. Now after all the treatment and appointments, specialists and monitoring, I am still here and so far so good. I don't regularly came onto the BCNA Website now, however I was a prominent visitor for the year of 2013, for those who recognize my photo. After all the successful ops, chemo and rads, we moved to Sydney and been here for 2 years. I had taken a year off during my Cancer and it was necessary. The return to work was difficult and I went back part time. My brain was like mush originally and my work place tolerated me with kindness. I returned as a Pharmacy Assistant, and stepped into a very busy work place here in Sydney, but still working only 4 days a week. They have given me zero responsibility and menial tasks. I was upfront the week before my 6 months probation finished, about having had Cancer. I was called in for the Familial Genetic blood test, and discovered there was no connection. They just put it down to "Environmental". I have learnt that people who have not had Cancer don't understand what it is and have short concentration spans if you try to involve them. The ongoing health situation, or physical ailments you may get are also something people have no idea of and little tolerance for. I am healthy and learning to play Golf in a Clinic - and enjoying the challenge. My right arm is not over the moon about it, (underarm and elbow, with slight discomfort), but I simply just go through each day now as though Cancer never happened. Although it is always at the back of my mind. It is the yearly monitoring and weekly checks that keep me real. Survivor Belinda McKenna1.2KViewsSign in to react to this post20Comments
Diagnosed on 1 May 2017
I am 58 and have a lifetime habit of healthy living. Therefore,when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, like everyone else I'm sure, I couldn't believe it. It never occurred to me I would get cancer. After I competed treatment I did everything I could think of to ensure I would be healthy and cancer free. Early this year I started to experience inexplicable back pain. I also didn't feel myself - hard to explain. After many visits to the doctor trying to figure out what was wrong, I ended up in Emergency at 4am with unbearable pain. I was diagnosed later that morning with metastatic breast cancer - Monday 1 May. Within a week I was receiving chemo and had my first radiotherapy treatment. I am blessed to have a highly skilled, caring and compassionate medical team that I have complete faith in. The resources on this site have been informative & helped me a lot, especially during the first few terrible weeks after I was diagnosed - I'm sure I took advantage of every scan and test available at North Coast Radiology during those weeks. The scans show I have extensive metastasis in my spine, hips and a few areas on my scull; and spots in my liver. The liver is already showing a lot of improvement. Fortunately my brain and other organs are clear. The scans of my spine and hips are VERY scary and the associated pain is no fun. Mindfulness meditation, eating healthily and exercise certainly help. I'd love any advice or suggestions you have in helping to live with bone pain. I read messages of hope and inspiration on this site during that first scary week. I can't find words to express how much those stories helped - I latched onto the hope and advice to live every day well and to set goals. Kitty's message that, "in a strange way, those of us with advanced disease are lucky – we know that the important thing is to enjoy today and to live as well as we can" is forefront in my mind. So ... thanks to Kitty, one week to the day after I was diagnosed I ordered my dream campervan (over the phone on my way to Lismore for more scanning). Since I was a child I have always wanted to own a two tone Kombi campervan (my god parents, who I adored, had one) My partner and I are had saved and planned to buy a modern version in a couple of years but we brought our plans forward. We do have a basic 20 years old campervan we love but is doesn't have aircon. Not so comfortable driving in summer since we moved north! Thank you all for being here. I look forward to 'meeting' at least some of you.1.2KViewsSign in to react to this post26Comments
Beautiful songs/singing to lighten your day
I've just found this amazing Father & Daughter Duo who are doing the most gorgeous DUets of popular songs The Prayer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqFCbtRz1Z0 Their other songs together: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR_SOhBL-5BSaIuqhj1U18g Feel free to add your own songs/videos899ViewsSign in to react to this post34Comments
Try this app
I've been using an app called "Insight" for about 2 years now. It's free and available on iTunes and Google Play/android. It's a meditation/relaxation app. It has thousands of recordings covering a wide range of areas. It has new ones added every day. There are topics like sleep, stress, anxiety, relax, pain, mindfulness, motivation and spirituality. There are music only recordings, nature sounds and chanting. I have found the Yoga Nidra for sleep really helpful. There are also podcast type discussions. The recordings can be anywhere from 1 minute awareness of breath to 90 minutes of deep sleep meditation. Just a suggestion. You may find it useful or at least something new to listen to as a distraction.799ViewsSign in to react to this post15Comments
Inspiration-Rising above
Hi everyone, this is my very first attempt of writing a post. I have read a lot of inspiring stories from a lot of inspirational women and thought I would try to share my story. I am on that crazy Breast Cancer Journey. It started back on the 16th December 2011, just over a week till Christmas, when I got the dreaded news "you have Breast Cancer". I don't know why but I think I handled the news quite well, I was more concerned about telling my husband and kids more than anything. My biggest hassle at the time was getting appointments with all the necessary doctors I had to see to get treatment started ASAP, everyone was going off for the Christmas break. So I decided to try and enjoy Christmas and get ready for the hard slog in the coming new year. It begins, you know all those scary tests and scans. Diagnosed with Extensive Lobular Carsinomer w/- invasive Lobular Carsinomer in 6 seperate tumors, hormone receptive (do not know what all that means, just do what you gotta do!) Jan 2012 - Right Breast Mastectomy and full axillary node clearance. Feb 2012 - 6 rounds (TAC) chemo, June 2012 - 25 rounds Radiation. Sept 2012 - Left Breast Mastectomy. Arhh!!! all fixed, all good...Until...29th December 2014 - large tumor (metastic cancer) found in my left hip, guess what all specialists gone on Christmas holidays, again, YAY! Jan 2015 - Hip Replacement, Feb 2015 - Rehabilitation, March 2015 - 10 rounds radiation. After further scans 15th Feb 2016, it showed a spread of tumors to my bones. Started another 12 rounds of Chemo (Abraxane) on 19th Feb 2016. Currently taking Aromasin and waiting for my markers to go down. So here I am today, sharing my story. I also found myself on a real downer; you know the one, WHY ME? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS? A whole lot of SELF PITY!!! I felt useless and unworthy. Don't get me wrong I had heaps of LOVE and SUPPORT from everyone around me but the mind can tell you crazy horrible things. So, there I am, feeling useless and broke because of all the medical costs, when I told myself to GET UP AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! I also told myself that there are so many other people out there going through far worse things in life than me. I have just finished reading this amazing book that has truely opened my heart and mind. The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life - ON FIRE - by John O'Leary, highly recommend it. I have found a new purpose in my life. With the help of my amazing daughter I have started a new venture. I now share Health & Wellbeing products with my friends and family while teaching them the importance of being aware of what they put on there bodies as well as what they consume. I have also learnt a lot about myself as well. Since starting my own business I no longer feel that my cancer is a curse, but quite the opposite, I now feel it is a blessing. I have learnt that everything in our lives happens for a reason, and that we are meant to learn and grow from everything that we experience in our lives. I have learnt to love myself, scars and all, to look in the mirror and feel gratitude for who I have become, a stonger, confident and a more authentic women. Personal development, gratitude and visualisation have become very important parts of my daily life. Learning to set myself goals to reach what I want out of life is also very important to me. Sometimes I reach those goals and sometimes I don't, but it doesn't matter. If I can just inspire one person it makes everything worth it. Where my life is right now, is all that matters and I am HAPPY. Sending much love from my heart to you all on this journey.515ViewsSign in to react to this post14CommentsHappiness? What's that?
I've been in therapy for many years (about 26 years on and off) for complex PTSD. I've tried talking, Gestalt, CBT, medication and I've even had Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). The one that has worked best for me is DBT - Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. But it's hard and complex and I practice it every day. I've read many self help books, some wishy washy and some hard core text books. The one I read a couple of years ago that actually made sense and gave me lots of "a-ha!" moments was The Happiness Trap by Dr Russ Harris. It's based on ACT - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy which kind of dovetails nicely into DBT. They don't contradict each other the way CBT and DBT can. It's written in a way that's easy to understand and explains why our minds work they way they do. It describes various happiness myths and how we get so caught up in them. It's not a cancer survivor specific book but I think there is a lot of transferable information in there. It's written in a very conversational way and has lots of activities. And it doesn't promise a happily ever after. It take the very sensible approach of try, fail, try, fail, try again, fail again, try one more time.... After reading a lot of comments here, I get that sense that a lot of people are asking, what now? What next? How do I move forward? Why can't I go back to my old life? Why am I stuck with a body that is barely holding together and doesn't work like it should? What this book is advocating is looking at your life and working out what are your values? How do you live a life that's consistent with those values? I think for a lot of us, having such an earth shattering disease that has completely disrupted a life that was going along just fine thank you very much, has thrown everything into chaos and turmoil. So what do we do to just get through the next day, hour, minute? And for me, like I didn't have enough physical and mental health problems already....sure chuck some bc in there as well, why the hell not?? It's not like my other issues make it hard enough to just get out of bed. I wouldn't recommend the book to anyone going through active treatment. Just keep your head down and plough through. But for those now in the "survivor" mode, perhaps this is something you might want to take a look at. The book is available in council libraries. Dr Harris also has a website with some free resources on it. https://thehappinesstrap.com/ https://thehappinesstrap.com/free-resources/ Here's an excerpt from the book. https://www.actmindfully.com.au/upimages/The_Happiness_Trap_-_Introduction_and_Chapter_one.pdf He also has lots of short and long videos on YouTube if you search on his name. Has anyone else come across any other books they would recommend?508ViewsSign in to react to this post11Comments
How mental health affects physical health
Note from BCNA: The following is a guest post in a series we're bringing you this year. Dr Helen Donovan is a health psychologist specialising in initiating and maintaining long-term health behaviour change. Her experiences encompass: health coaching with individuals and groups developing, implementing and evaluating workplace health behaviour change interventions program management of health promotion programs lecturing in health behaviour change at Deakin University training fitness professionals in the health coaching methodology. Helen is also a group fitness instructor and loves to continually update her knowledge on the interplay between the biopsychosocial aspects of health. Helen was also on the team behind Revitalise with BCNA. Why is focusing on your mental health often the best remedy for your physical health? We have all heard before that our mental health is just as important as our physical health, and that the two are linked, but how much do we really believe that to be true – and therefore make choices that reflect that belief? Do you feel like you’re putting a whole lot of effort into healthy eating and exercise, but still feeling tired, overweight and stressed? When you’re stressed or anxious, there is a cascade of biochemical responses that occur in the body. This ‘fight or flight’ response is very useful in the short term, giving us a boost of energy and increasing our alertness to deal with perceived ‘threats’ in our environment. However, if stress becomes chronic, the elevated cortisol levels (the primary stress hormone) create physiological changes that inadvertently contribute to the build-up of fat tissue and to weight gain; cortisol increases appetite, and increases the storage of unused nutrients as fat. Our immune system suffers, we feel constantly unwell and lethargic, and this can lead to a downward spiral of behaviours that do not support our health. Have you noticed when you are stressed you are much more likely to reach for food (especially sugary or fatty food)? Often we describe ourselves as ‘emotional eaters’, but actually this desire to eat when we are stressed is a direct response to the biochemical reactions occurring in your body. You can start to shift this response with one simple little practice, described below. Do you also notice other behaviours? You might skip the walk you were planning, or even stay up late watching TV even though you’re exhausted? All of the related issues (poor sleep, irritability, weight gain, fatigue) then have a flow on effect through our lives – we don’t sleep well so we are more tired in the morning; this leaves us with less physical energy and resilience to make the effort to exercise or prepare healthy food; so we become more tired and more stressed. And so it goes on. The good news is, you can start to adjust your stress response RIGHT NOW, IN THIS MOMENT! You need one single minute of your time. Wherever you are, sitting or standing, take five full, deep breaths. Notice as you deepen and slow your breath, your heart rate slows and your blood pressure decreases. This is directly impacting on your stress response – you have the control! It sounds simple (and it is!) but it has also been shown to be clinically significant! As you take these breaths, bring your awareness to your body and notice if you are holding tension anywhere (neck, shoulders, jaw, …). As you exhale, consciously let go of this tension. Keep scanning your body as you breathe, from head to toe, relaxing every muscle. EXPERIENCE how different you feel after those five slow breaths. How can you do this both preventatively, and reactively? That is, how can you remind yourself to do this regularly throughout the day? Could you link it to an existing task (every time you go to the toilet!); or put a reminder somewhere you will see regularly? Practicing this strategy reactively means when you notice you are feeling stressed or anxious, practice the slow deep breaths. Notice how this helps to create a little gap between the stressful thoughts and the reaction – use this gap to remind yourself that you know what’s happening in your body, and there are other choices beyond the usual reactions. You are your best health coach. What are the three things that you are most likely to do when you are stressed or anxious? After taking 5 deep breaths, what would be three realistic alternatives? How can you remind yourself to practice these alternatives in the moment? Just like any changes, the more you practice, the easier it gets. Would you like to try a guided breath or mindfulness meditation? Try the free Calm app – available for download from iTunes or Google Apps. You can use it for two minutes or twenty minutes. Just like healthy eating and physical activity, practicing a little bit consistently, makes a significant difference.402ViewsSign in to react to this post14Comments
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