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.
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 Foundation
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 McKenna
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.
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/videos
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. :)
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.
Happiness? 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?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.
Nourishing Knowledge Blog Post Seven: Processed Foods
Image Source: www.naturallifeenergy.com Processed food has a very bad reputation when it comes to nutrition and health but what many people don’t realise is that processed food is more than just potato chips, drive-through hamburgers and Spam. It may come as a surprise but wholemeal bread, homemade soup and even a chopped banana are processed foods. While what most people know as processed foods should be eaten in small amounts many other processed foods have a rightful place in a balanced diet. The Processed Food Spectrum Processed foods such as milk and yoghurt are sometimes fortified with calcium and vitamin D and muesli can have added fibre or iron. Minimally processed foods such as pre-cut fruit and vegetables or pre-packaged spinach leaves are great convenience and create healthy options that are quick and easy. As you move along the spectrum, away from the pre-cut and bagged vegetables you need to be aware of the hidden sugar, salt and fat. Foods that are heavily processed have lost their key nutrients in processing, such as white bread. Ingredients such as salt, sugar and fat are added to processed foods to make their flavour more appealing and to prolong their shelf life, or in some cases to contribute to the food's structure, such as salt in bread or sugar in cakes. This can lead to people eating more than the recommended amounts for these additives, as they may not be aware of how much has been added to the food they are buying and eating. Reading nutrition labels can help you choose between processed products and keep a check on the amount of processed foods you're eating that are high in fat, salt, added sugars and depleted of important nutrients. Alternatives to highly processed foods: Cup of noodles - Make Your Own Just-Add-Hot-Water Instant Noodles Frozen pizza – Homemade Pita Pizza Bottled salad dressing – use balsamic vinegar and olive oil or lemon juice Bottled pasta sauce- canned tomatoes (avoid brands with added sugar and salt), dried oregano, dried or fresh basil and olive oil. Processed deli meat – Grilled chicken breast or roasted beef. Pre-packed microwave meals – Homemade Microwave Risotto Primavera What’s your trick to avoid highly processed foods? May you be Mindful message. Notice 5 things in your day that usually go unappreciated. These things can be objects or people – it’s up to you. The point of this exercise is to simply give thanks and appreciate the seemingly insignificant things in life; the things that support our existence but rarely get a second thought amidst our desire for bigger and better things. For example: electricity powers your kettle, the postman delivers your mail, your clothes provide you warmth, your nose lets you smell the flowers in the park, your ears let you hear the birds in the tree by the bus stop, but… Do you know how these things/processes came to exist, or how they really work? Have you ever properly acknowledged how these things benefit your life and the lives of others? Have you ever thought about what life might be like without these things? Have you ever stopped to notice their finer, more intricate details? Have you ever sat down and thought about the relationships between these things and how together they play an interconnected role in the functioning of the earth? Once you have identified your 5 things, make it your goal to find out everything you can about their creation and purpose to truly appreciate the way in which they support your life. Don’t forget to post your mindfulness stories to be in with a chance to win the May you be Mindful prize pack. References: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2016, Processed Foods: What’s OK, What to Avoid, http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/nutrition-facts-and-food-labels/avoiding-processed-foods, viewed May 2016 Better Health Channel 2016, Food Processing and Nutrition, https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/food-processing-and-nutrition, viewed May 2016 NHS Choices 2016, Eating processed foods, http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/what-are-processed-foods.aspx, viewed May 2016 Pocket Mindfulness 2016, 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today, http://www.pocketmindfulness.com/6-mindfulness-exercises-you-can-try-today/, viewed May 2016
