My friend, Lisa, just send me the BEST present ever: a holiday elf video clip that she made for us that is absolutely hysterical. The boys and I were completely cracking up this morning watching it and I think they made me watch it at least fifty times...
Check it out: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1453249490
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Long-Awaited Update
Since five different people -- within the span of five days -- have emailed and/or called me to say that they miss reading my blog updates and want to know how I am doing, I decided that it's time for me to come out of "hibernation" and actually post an update...
There are a number of reasons why I haven't written in weeks. The most simple and clear-cut is that life with kids (especially during the holidays) can be crazy busy, as many of you know. But I cannot blame my silence entirely on that -- I would be exaggerating to say that I haven't had one spare moment to write in the last 5 weeks and that it's entirely because of the kids. I think that the real reason I haven't written is more complicated and can, in part, be attributed to the fact that once my chemo treatment ended I was so incredibly ready to embrace a "normal" cancer-free life again and writing regularly in my blog didn't necessarily fit into that picture. While it definitely took a couple weeks after my final treatment for me to start feeling a sense of relief (it's hard to truly feel "relief" when you still feel completely lousy), once I started feeling well there was no holding back. I have embraced "normalcy" with every ounce of strength that I have: I am back to my old routine of dropping the kids off at school and picking them up every day, I try to work out 4-5 times a week, our house is beautifully decorated for the holidays and much of my Christmas shopping is done, I am immersed in a pro-bono marketing consulting project for the American Cancer Society and have also been talking to a number of other companies about paid consulting work (which I hope to start in February, but more on that later), and Pete and I (or just me when Pete is working late) are trying to pack in loads of fun holiday activities with the kids. All very "normal", all very time-consuming, and all a very welcome reprieve and distraction from thinking about cancer.
I don't mean to imply that everything is totally peachy-keen. While I am definitely feeling better than I did during my chemo weeks, I still have lingering symptoms which remind me constantly of what I have gone through. I also, unfortunately, have developed a few NEW symptoms recently, including non-stop tingling in my toes and feet. My nurse seems to think the tingling is probably nerve damage from the chemo drugs and it's unclear as to whether or not this issue will resolve or be permanent - only time will tell. But again, just another daily reminder that my body is still healing from a fairly traumatic year. Lastly, my first post-treatment CT/PET scan and my colon-part 2 surgery have both been scheduled (for January 2 and January 4, respectively.) I have known all along that these two "bridges" still needed to be crossed, but until recently, they seemed so far off in the distance. When I got the confirmation email from the surgeon's administrator this week, however, I realized with a wave of panic that these dates are only 3 weeks away! I am not ready to be back in the hospital for 4-5 days. I am not ready to feel run-over by a tractor again, albeit a smaller tractor than last time. I am dreading having to re-adjust once again to a new digestive system. I so desperately just want my old cancer-free body back.
And so, despite my attempts create a "normal" life in these past few weeks and to fill my days with a myriad of distractions, I know that my current life is not really a sustainable kind of "normal." It's more of a "this-is-really-fun-for-a-short-time-while-I-keep-my-mind-off- other-things" kind of normal. I don't have much desire to spend my days working out, lunching with friends, leisurely shopping, etc. This lifestyle works for some woman, but it's not for me -- and not just because it's not financially sustainable for our family, either. While I have enjoyed having these past few weeks to relax and recover physically, I have not necessarily found myself spiritually or emotionally fulfilled. I have been pre-occupied; I have been distracted; I have been happy; I have been having fun. But this is definitely not a sense of "normal" that is going to make me feel emotionally healthy and balanced (e.g., so that I do not immediately fall into a panic every time I have an approaching scan or similar test), nor will it make me feel spiritually happy or fulfilled long-term.
And so, therein lies my challenge for 2008: I need to figure out how to retain all the things that I love about my current state of "normal" (e.g., having time to spend with my kids, getting stronger physically) while also introducing new things which will give my life a greater sense of purpose and a greater sense of emotional balance. I was joking with a couple girlfriends of mine about the fact that, before my diagnosis, I was constantly struggling -- as every working mom does -- to figure out how to balance career and family. And as if that were not challenging enough, I have now added the additional requirement that the career piece must be meaningful and purposeful. Ugh -- this damn cancer experience has made my life exponentially harder! So creating a new purpose-driven, healthy, balanced, happy life is my goal for 2008. It's a heck of a New Year's Resolution, don't you think?
Anyway, my apologies to all of you who have faithfully and regularly checked my blog these past 5+ weeks and have been blinded by the silence from me. I desperately needed a break from cancer life for awhile and I appreciate your understanding and support during my "hibernation." With my surgery and tests approaching (and with my holiday shopping almost done!), I will definitely post more regular updates going forward.
There are a number of reasons why I haven't written in weeks. The most simple and clear-cut is that life with kids (especially during the holidays) can be crazy busy, as many of you know. But I cannot blame my silence entirely on that -- I would be exaggerating to say that I haven't had one spare moment to write in the last 5 weeks and that it's entirely because of the kids. I think that the real reason I haven't written is more complicated and can, in part, be attributed to the fact that once my chemo treatment ended I was so incredibly ready to embrace a "normal" cancer-free life again and writing regularly in my blog didn't necessarily fit into that picture. While it definitely took a couple weeks after my final treatment for me to start feeling a sense of relief (it's hard to truly feel "relief" when you still feel completely lousy), once I started feeling well there was no holding back. I have embraced "normalcy" with every ounce of strength that I have: I am back to my old routine of dropping the kids off at school and picking them up every day, I try to work out 4-5 times a week, our house is beautifully decorated for the holidays and much of my Christmas shopping is done, I am immersed in a pro-bono marketing consulting project for the American Cancer Society and have also been talking to a number of other companies about paid consulting work (which I hope to start in February, but more on that later), and Pete and I (or just me when Pete is working late) are trying to pack in loads of fun holiday activities with the kids. All very "normal", all very time-consuming, and all a very welcome reprieve and distraction from thinking about cancer.
I don't mean to imply that everything is totally peachy-keen. While I am definitely feeling better than I did during my chemo weeks, I still have lingering symptoms which remind me constantly of what I have gone through. I also, unfortunately, have developed a few NEW symptoms recently, including non-stop tingling in my toes and feet. My nurse seems to think the tingling is probably nerve damage from the chemo drugs and it's unclear as to whether or not this issue will resolve or be permanent - only time will tell. But again, just another daily reminder that my body is still healing from a fairly traumatic year. Lastly, my first post-treatment CT/PET scan and my colon-part 2 surgery have both been scheduled (for January 2 and January 4, respectively.) I have known all along that these two "bridges" still needed to be crossed, but until recently, they seemed so far off in the distance. When I got the confirmation email from the surgeon's administrator this week, however, I realized with a wave of panic that these dates are only 3 weeks away! I am not ready to be back in the hospital for 4-5 days. I am not ready to feel run-over by a tractor again, albeit a smaller tractor than last time. I am dreading having to re-adjust once again to a new digestive system. I so desperately just want my old cancer-free body back.
And so, despite my attempts create a "normal" life in these past few weeks and to fill my days with a myriad of distractions, I know that my current life is not really a sustainable kind of "normal." It's more of a "this-is-really-fun-for-a-short-time-while-I-keep-my-mind-off- other-things" kind of normal. I don't have much desire to spend my days working out, lunching with friends, leisurely shopping, etc. This lifestyle works for some woman, but it's not for me -- and not just because it's not financially sustainable for our family, either. While I have enjoyed having these past few weeks to relax and recover physically, I have not necessarily found myself spiritually or emotionally fulfilled. I have been pre-occupied; I have been distracted; I have been happy; I have been having fun. But this is definitely not a sense of "normal" that is going to make me feel emotionally healthy and balanced (e.g., so that I do not immediately fall into a panic every time I have an approaching scan or similar test), nor will it make me feel spiritually happy or fulfilled long-term.
And so, therein lies my challenge for 2008: I need to figure out how to retain all the things that I love about my current state of "normal" (e.g., having time to spend with my kids, getting stronger physically) while also introducing new things which will give my life a greater sense of purpose and a greater sense of emotional balance. I was joking with a couple girlfriends of mine about the fact that, before my diagnosis, I was constantly struggling -- as every working mom does -- to figure out how to balance career and family. And as if that were not challenging enough, I have now added the additional requirement that the career piece must be meaningful and purposeful. Ugh -- this damn cancer experience has made my life exponentially harder! So creating a new purpose-driven, healthy, balanced, happy life is my goal for 2008. It's a heck of a New Year's Resolution, don't you think?
Anyway, my apologies to all of you who have faithfully and regularly checked my blog these past 5+ weeks and have been blinded by the silence from me. I desperately needed a break from cancer life for awhile and I appreciate your understanding and support during my "hibernation." With my surgery and tests approaching (and with my holiday shopping almost done!), I will definitely post more regular updates going forward.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Cutting Room Floor
I just found out that the Good Morning America segment on Dr Rachel Remen aired LAST Thursday. Who knew! And apparently, not only did all of my oh-so-profound-and-witty comments end up on the cutting room floor, but so did the entire interview that they conducted with Dr Gullion about integrated medicine!
DARN, this was suppose to be my big break! Now I'm back to square one on figuring out how to launch my next big career move. Oh well! I still feel flattered that he chose me to participate and, besides, Dr Gullion sent me a certificate for a free "integrative healing service" as a thank you. Maybe I'll be divinely inspired about what to do next while I am getting massaged...
DARN, this was suppose to be my big break! Now I'm back to square one on figuring out how to launch my next big career move. Oh well! I still feel flattered that he chose me to participate and, besides, Dr Gullion sent me a certificate for a free "integrative healing service" as a thank you. Maybe I'll be divinely inspired about what to do next while I am getting massaged...
Yahoo Video
There was an interesting video on Yahoo yesterday regarding the chemicals that are being found in our bodies. The video supports much of what I have written about in prior blogs -- maybe my ramblings aren't so crazy after all! :)
Click here if you are interested in watching it:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/223/popup/index.php?cl=4978183
Click here if you are interested in watching it:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/223/popup/index.php?cl=4978183
Monday, November 12, 2007
I Finally Feel Like Celebrating
Not much news to report....As far as I know, my TV debut has not yet aired on Good Morning America and I am not sure when it will. I'm planning to call Dr Gullion's office tomorrow to check in and see if they have heard anything. I'll keep you posted. And if I can find someone who is more tech-savvy than me to help, I'll even try to figure out a way to include the clip as a video on my blog. No promises, but I'll see what I can do.
As for me, I am feeling better every day. I told Pete that, when everyone was sending me emails of congrats and flowers a couple Mondays ago, I was having a really hard time feeling "celebratory." I knew that I still had another 7+ days to go of feeling awful and it was hard to feel much like celebrating at that point. But now that a couple weeks have transpired and I am finally on the upswing and starting to feel better, I find that I am beginning to celebrate: my step is a bit lighter, my mood a bit happier, my smile a bit broader...I saw my friend, Amy, on Friday night and she said that she hasn't seen me this upbeat and chipper in months. I think that it's finally safe to say that the old Julie is coming back and that the Bitch lost this battle in a big fat way! :)
As for me, I am feeling better every day. I told Pete that, when everyone was sending me emails of congrats and flowers a couple Mondays ago, I was having a really hard time feeling "celebratory." I knew that I still had another 7+ days to go of feeling awful and it was hard to feel much like celebrating at that point. But now that a couple weeks have transpired and I am finally on the upswing and starting to feel better, I find that I am beginning to celebrate: my step is a bit lighter, my mood a bit happier, my smile a bit broader...I saw my friend, Amy, on Friday night and she said that she hasn't seen me this upbeat and chipper in months. I think that it's finally safe to say that the old Julie is coming back and that the Bitch lost this battle in a big fat way! :)
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
My Screen Debut
My television debut screening yesterday went great. I actually ended up playing a much bigger role than I imagined. I thought going in that I would just be an "extra" in the background while they interviewed Dr Gullion, but there were many times that the (enormous!) camera was directed solely at me. Yikes -- it was definitely nerve-wracking!
We basically staged a mock check-up appointment. Dr Gullion asked me questions about how I was feeling after my last treatment and he talked about next steps in my monitoring plan. We also talked about my experience regarding the integrative medical options that the cancer center offers (such as acupuncture, massage, guided imagery, etc) since this is really the focus of the work that Rachel Remen supports and which she has mentored Dr Gullion on establishing. Apparently, this is also the award that Dr Remen will be receiving -- it's an award that recognized the top six individuals who are leaders in the field of integrative medicine. During the interview, the reporter asked Dr Gullion if he ever could have imagined creating an integrative medical practice 40+ years ago when he was going through medical school at Columbia University. Dr Gullion said that the idea of combining Eastern and Western medicine and alternative therapies was completely unheard of in those days. He very much credits Rachel Remen and the other recipients (who, by the way, will also include Dr Andrew Weil, the nutritionist whom I have mentioned previously) in bringing integrative medicine to the forefront.
Anyway, the camera man taped us for about an hour, but of course, the whole segment is primarily about Dr Rachel Remen (they were leaving to go film her after us) and will probably only last about 15 minutes tops and so much of what they filmed with Dr Gullion and myself will inevitably end up being edited out. But who knows -- maybe my 2-seconds of coverage will launch my new career! Hee hee!
Anyway, the camera crew thought that the piece might be airing this Friday morning so if you have a chance tune in or TIVO it. Again, it's on Good Morning America. I'll let you know if I hear confirmation before then.
We basically staged a mock check-up appointment. Dr Gullion asked me questions about how I was feeling after my last treatment and he talked about next steps in my monitoring plan. We also talked about my experience regarding the integrative medical options that the cancer center offers (such as acupuncture, massage, guided imagery, etc) since this is really the focus of the work that Rachel Remen supports and which she has mentored Dr Gullion on establishing. Apparently, this is also the award that Dr Remen will be receiving -- it's an award that recognized the top six individuals who are leaders in the field of integrative medicine. During the interview, the reporter asked Dr Gullion if he ever could have imagined creating an integrative medical practice 40+ years ago when he was going through medical school at Columbia University. Dr Gullion said that the idea of combining Eastern and Western medicine and alternative therapies was completely unheard of in those days. He very much credits Rachel Remen and the other recipients (who, by the way, will also include Dr Andrew Weil, the nutritionist whom I have mentioned previously) in bringing integrative medicine to the forefront.
Anyway, the camera man taped us for about an hour, but of course, the whole segment is primarily about Dr Rachel Remen (they were leaving to go film her after us) and will probably only last about 15 minutes tops and so much of what they filmed with Dr Gullion and myself will inevitably end up being edited out. But who knows -- maybe my 2-seconds of coverage will launch my new career! Hee hee!
Anyway, the camera crew thought that the piece might be airing this Friday morning so if you have a chance tune in or TIVO it. Again, it's on Good Morning America. I'll let you know if I hear confirmation before then.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Good Morning America
I got a call from Dr Gullion last week that totally took me by surprise. Usually the nurses call me - I never get a call directly from him! It turns out he had a favor to ask of me. Apparently, his "life mentor" is Dr. Rachel Remen, the author of the book Kitchen Table Wisdom which I mentioned in prior blogs. I had no idea that Dr Gullion even knew her. I absolutely love her! Her book is one of the big reasons that I survived through all of the uncertainty and fear that clouded the first few months of my treatment. She is truly an inspirational and amazing person and an incredible writer. The stories in her book helped me tremendously as I grappled through mind-numbing fear to make sense of my diagnosis.
Anyway, she is apparently being honored with a very prestigious life-achievement award and Good Morning America is going to feature her in an upcoming segment. As part of the show, they want to include video footage of some of her proteges, including Dr Gullion. The favor that he asked me was to come and be the patient that he is "treating" while the video taping is going on. How fun! Of course I told him that I would be happy to help -- who wouldn't want to be on Good Morning America, plus I love the idea of being associated (even in this minuscule way) with Dr Remen. And so tomorrow morning I am off to my national TV screen debut taping. Hopefully I don't end up on the cutting room floor!
By the way, my dad thinks that it's good karma that Dr Gullion asked me. He thinks that Dr Gullion probably prefers a healthy, vibrant-looking patient who has a great chance at surviving, rather than some near-death, crawling-through-the-door patient. If that's the case, I am thrilled to be chosen and happy to oblige!
Anyway, she is apparently being honored with a very prestigious life-achievement award and Good Morning America is going to feature her in an upcoming segment. As part of the show, they want to include video footage of some of her proteges, including Dr Gullion. The favor that he asked me was to come and be the patient that he is "treating" while the video taping is going on. How fun! Of course I told him that I would be happy to help -- who wouldn't want to be on Good Morning America, plus I love the idea of being associated (even in this minuscule way) with Dr Remen. And so tomorrow morning I am off to my national TV screen debut taping. Hopefully I don't end up on the cutting room floor!
By the way, my dad thinks that it's good karma that Dr Gullion asked me. He thinks that Dr Gullion probably prefers a healthy, vibrant-looking patient who has a great chance at surviving, rather than some near-death, crawling-through-the-door patient. If that's the case, I am thrilled to be chosen and happy to oblige!
Finally Feeling Better
Well, it's safe to say that I am finally starting to feel better -- HALLELUJAH!
It's been such a long week -- I definitely got really, really knocked out by this last round of chemo. I had all the usual symptoms -- neuropathy, hot flashes, severe headaches, fatigue, etc. -- but it seemed like they were all more intense and lasted longer this time. I think that this cycle was harder from an emotional standpoint as well. Previously, I knew that I only got two weeks in between cycles and so I wanted every day to drag on as long as possible. I wanted to pack as much living in between my chemo appointments as possible, and so I definitely turned a blind eye to some of my symptoms and plowed forward. By comparison, now that I am done with chemo, I find that I am so impatient. I just want these next few days and weeks to fly by!! I am so tired of feeling yucky -- I want to fast forward to the point that all my symptoms have faded and I am back to my old self again.
But, as is the story of this whole journey, I need to just take things one step at a time...Ugh!
It's been such a long week -- I definitely got really, really knocked out by this last round of chemo. I had all the usual symptoms -- neuropathy, hot flashes, severe headaches, fatigue, etc. -- but it seemed like they were all more intense and lasted longer this time. I think that this cycle was harder from an emotional standpoint as well. Previously, I knew that I only got two weeks in between cycles and so I wanted every day to drag on as long as possible. I wanted to pack as much living in between my chemo appointments as possible, and so I definitely turned a blind eye to some of my symptoms and plowed forward. By comparison, now that I am done with chemo, I find that I am so impatient. I just want these next few days and weeks to fly by!! I am so tired of feeling yucky -- I want to fast forward to the point that all my symptoms have faded and I am back to my old self again.
But, as is the story of this whole journey, I need to just take things one step at a time...Ugh!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Further Next Steps
The other "next step" that I forgot to mention in my last blog entry is that, now that I am basically done with chemo, I get to move into "monitoring mode." This means that I go back to see Dr Gullion (chemo oncologist) and Dr Poen (radiation oncologist) in one month for my first post-treatment check-up. At that point, they will check my blood counts to make sure that everything is moving back toward normal and they will lay out a rough monitoring schedule going forward.
As Dr Gullion explained to us today, there are basically four possible scenarios of what can happen now:
1) The cancer could be completely gone and will never come back again. As far as I am concerned, this is really the only option, but for the sake of thoroughness, I'll share the other scenarios as well...
2) The cancer might come back in the same place. He explained that this is virtually impossible for me, though, since the tumor was basically gone by the time that I had surgery and also because Dr Garcia-Aguilar (my surgeon) removed all of the cancerous tissue plus much of the surrounding tissue during surgery. So Dr Gullion admitted that the chance of this scenario happening to me is "essentially non-existent." I love that!
3) Additional polyps might appear in other parts of my colon. He explained that it takes about 18 months for a polyp to appear and another 18 months for it to become cancerous. Hence the need for yearly colonoscopy appointments so that we can "nip these in the bud," so to speak, before they turn monsterous.
4) Future scans sometimes reveal metastatic cancer spots on the liver or elsewhere. For me, this would mean that somehow some of the cancer cells miraculously survived everything that we have thrown at them these past 9 months and migrated into the blood stream. This would obviously not be good and so, again, it's not an option, as far as I am concerned.
According to Dr Gullion, the most important years will be the next five. In general, if one of the last three scenarios is going to happen, it generally happens within five years for colon cancer patients (the same is not true for all cancers.) If I can make it to Thanksgiving 2012 without any reoccurance then my chances of the cancer coming back approach 0%. I love the fact that Thanksgiving will forever anchor the anniversary of my completion of cancer treatment since it's such an appropriate occasion for celebrating life.
As Dr Gullion explained to us today, there are basically four possible scenarios of what can happen now:
1) The cancer could be completely gone and will never come back again. As far as I am concerned, this is really the only option, but for the sake of thoroughness, I'll share the other scenarios as well...
2) The cancer might come back in the same place. He explained that this is virtually impossible for me, though, since the tumor was basically gone by the time that I had surgery and also because Dr Garcia-Aguilar (my surgeon) removed all of the cancerous tissue plus much of the surrounding tissue during surgery. So Dr Gullion admitted that the chance of this scenario happening to me is "essentially non-existent." I love that!
3) Additional polyps might appear in other parts of my colon. He explained that it takes about 18 months for a polyp to appear and another 18 months for it to become cancerous. Hence the need for yearly colonoscopy appointments so that we can "nip these in the bud," so to speak, before they turn monsterous.
4) Future scans sometimes reveal metastatic cancer spots on the liver or elsewhere. For me, this would mean that somehow some of the cancer cells miraculously survived everything that we have thrown at them these past 9 months and migrated into the blood stream. This would obviously not be good and so, again, it's not an option, as far as I am concerned.
According to Dr Gullion, the most important years will be the next five. In general, if one of the last three scenarios is going to happen, it generally happens within five years for colon cancer patients (the same is not true for all cancers.) If I can make it to Thanksgiving 2012 without any reoccurance then my chances of the cancer coming back approach 0%. I love the fact that Thanksgiving will forever anchor the anniversary of my completion of cancer treatment since it's such an appropriate occasion for celebrating life.
What Next?
So I went in for my eighth and LAST chemo session this morning. Ironically, it almost didn't happen! Apparently, my white blood count is low (despite the extra bonus week that I got and despite the Neupogen shots) and Dr Gullion said that my liver function is also a bit abnormal. He was not surprised by either of these results given what I have been through, and I got the impression that, had this not been my last cycle, he would have delayed me again. Luckily, he didn't and we pressed forward. Hallelujah!!!
I actually cannot believe that I made it through all eight cycles of chemo -- when I came out of surgery five months ago, I was so depleted that I literally could not imagine how the heck I was going to make it to this day. It seemed like such an overwhelmingly daunting climb. I think that I am still in a state of shock, to be honest. The reality of being done hasn't really sunk in yet. This is probably partly because I am not exactly QUITE done yet...there are still a couple more things that still need to happen before I can say that I am truly at the top of this crazy mountain. Specifically, I am technically still undergoing chemo as I write this -- I have my continuous pump of 5-FU attached and won't get "unhooked" until this Wednesday.
Also, I still need to have two more surgeries. One of the surgeries is fairly minor (I need to remove the "caribiner"/port that I had implanted many moons ago.) The other surgery I am calling "Colon - Part 2." While this surgery is not as minor as the port-removal will be, it is supposedly much less intense than my abdominal surgery in June. I'll spare you the details, but I basically need to have some final adjustments made to my colon so that everything works properly. I knew in June that I would need to have this "Part 2" surgery done at some point, but I just couldn't think about it (and so didn't write about it) until now. I think that my mind could only process small bits of the journey at once, and now that chemo is almost completely behind me, I can open my mind to this next -- and truly last! -- section of the climb.
My surgeon says that I can have the surgery done at any point after Thanksgiving (he wants my body to be able to heal from chemo until then), but I decided that I need a longer break. I don't want to even think about cancer during the holidays and I certainly don't want to spend any time in the hospital (apparently, I'll be in for about 5 days again -- ugh!) All I want to do for the next couple months is relax, work on healing my poor body, gain some weight back (what a perfect time of year to be trying to gain weight, don't you think??) and just enjoy the magic of the holiday season with my family and friends. And so, since there is really no rush, I decided to hold off on both surgeries until early January.
So this is where we are...Today was a milestone day, no doubt. I feel like the most difficult sections of my mountain are behind me and I can finally breathe a slight sigh of relief. The top of my mountain is clearly in sight now, and I have faith that I will be there very soon. But for now, I am completely and utterly exhausted -- both physically and mentally -- and so I am going lay down quietly on the side of my mountain, just shy of the top, and rest for a bit. And, as I lay here, I can look around with wonder at how far I have climbed and reflect on how beautiful the climb has been at times. I know that sounds crazy to say, but it's true. I remember my friend, Cathy, telling me early on that during my cancer journey "blessings will unfold before me that I might never have recognized otherwise" and this is so true. In much the same way that other parts of this journey have fallen miraculously into place (such as having Michael and Miranda as neighbors, meeting Isabelle and Denis in church, having my liver freckle open the way for me to have surgery at UCSF, etc), I think that it's also fortuitous that my treatment is ending shortly before Thanksgiving. I cannot imagine a more amazing thing to be thankful for than the blessing of life and the love of friends and family that I have been given this year.
I actually cannot believe that I made it through all eight cycles of chemo -- when I came out of surgery five months ago, I was so depleted that I literally could not imagine how the heck I was going to make it to this day. It seemed like such an overwhelmingly daunting climb. I think that I am still in a state of shock, to be honest. The reality of being done hasn't really sunk in yet. This is probably partly because I am not exactly QUITE done yet...there are still a couple more things that still need to happen before I can say that I am truly at the top of this crazy mountain. Specifically, I am technically still undergoing chemo as I write this -- I have my continuous pump of 5-FU attached and won't get "unhooked" until this Wednesday.
Also, I still need to have two more surgeries. One of the surgeries is fairly minor (I need to remove the "caribiner"/port that I had implanted many moons ago.) The other surgery I am calling "Colon - Part 2." While this surgery is not as minor as the port-removal will be, it is supposedly much less intense than my abdominal surgery in June. I'll spare you the details, but I basically need to have some final adjustments made to my colon so that everything works properly. I knew in June that I would need to have this "Part 2" surgery done at some point, but I just couldn't think about it (and so didn't write about it) until now. I think that my mind could only process small bits of the journey at once, and now that chemo is almost completely behind me, I can open my mind to this next -- and truly last! -- section of the climb.
My surgeon says that I can have the surgery done at any point after Thanksgiving (he wants my body to be able to heal from chemo until then), but I decided that I need a longer break. I don't want to even think about cancer during the holidays and I certainly don't want to spend any time in the hospital (apparently, I'll be in for about 5 days again -- ugh!) All I want to do for the next couple months is relax, work on healing my poor body, gain some weight back (what a perfect time of year to be trying to gain weight, don't you think??) and just enjoy the magic of the holiday season with my family and friends. And so, since there is really no rush, I decided to hold off on both surgeries until early January.
So this is where we are...Today was a milestone day, no doubt. I feel like the most difficult sections of my mountain are behind me and I can finally breathe a slight sigh of relief. The top of my mountain is clearly in sight now, and I have faith that I will be there very soon. But for now, I am completely and utterly exhausted -- both physically and mentally -- and so I am going lay down quietly on the side of my mountain, just shy of the top, and rest for a bit. And, as I lay here, I can look around with wonder at how far I have climbed and reflect on how beautiful the climb has been at times. I know that sounds crazy to say, but it's true. I remember my friend, Cathy, telling me early on that during my cancer journey "blessings will unfold before me that I might never have recognized otherwise" and this is so true. In much the same way that other parts of this journey have fallen miraculously into place (such as having Michael and Miranda as neighbors, meeting Isabelle and Denis in church, having my liver freckle open the way for me to have surgery at UCSF, etc), I think that it's also fortuitous that my treatment is ending shortly before Thanksgiving. I cannot imagine a more amazing thing to be thankful for than the blessing of life and the love of friends and family that I have been given this year.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Ten Thousand
Can I just point out a really amazing fact?? As of today, there have been more than ten thousand visits to my blog.
TEN FREAKING THOUSAND!!
That means that an about 40 people have visited my site every day since I started writing. Friends have visited to check in on me and see how I am doing, or to hear about my progress in my climb up the mountain, or to hear all of my learnings about how to live a healthier life, or just to hear my ramblings about life in general. And I cannot tell you how amazing this makes me feel; I am stunned beyond words. Ten thousand visits in nine months!
I have obviously watched my little traffic counter inch its way up each day, but I think the enormity of what it means truly hit me today. There are tears running down my face right now as I write and I can't help but be reminded of a Ray Carver poem that I published a couple months ago (and which I framed and gave to Bonnie before she died):
And did you get what you wanted
from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved.
To feel myself beloved on this earth.
I feel beloved. Because of the love and support from each of you, I can called myself beloved. And in the end, I think that is really all any of us can ask for in life. So thank you for taking this journey with me -- I could not have done it alone.
TEN FREAKING THOUSAND!!
That means that an about 40 people have visited my site every day since I started writing. Friends have visited to check in on me and see how I am doing, or to hear about my progress in my climb up the mountain, or to hear all of my learnings about how to live a healthier life, or just to hear my ramblings about life in general. And I cannot tell you how amazing this makes me feel; I am stunned beyond words. Ten thousand visits in nine months!
I have obviously watched my little traffic counter inch its way up each day, but I think the enormity of what it means truly hit me today. There are tears running down my face right now as I write and I can't help but be reminded of a Ray Carver poem that I published a couple months ago (and which I framed and gave to Bonnie before she died):
And did you get what you wanted
from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved.
To feel myself beloved on this earth.
I feel beloved. Because of the love and support from each of you, I can called myself beloved. And in the end, I think that is really all any of us can ask for in life. So thank you for taking this journey with me -- I could not have done it alone.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Chemicals in Children
Check out this CNN article about the high level of chemicals in children...It's scary!!
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/22/body.burden/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/22/body.burden/index.html
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Treatment Delayed
I just got a sweet note from my aunt wishing me luck tomorrow for my last chemo session and I realized "Yikes -- I need to update my blog!!"
You see, I am not going to do my last chemo tomorrow. I decided (in agreement with my doctor) to delay my treatment for another week. A small group of friends have been planning a family-friendly group getaway for next weekend and I really, REALLY want to go. It's a wonderful group of friends and I would be so sad to have to miss it! And if I do chemo tomorrow then next weekend will inevitably be a bad weekend for me and we won't be able to go. When I mentioned this to my doctor, he agreed that delaying my last chemo by a week would not jeopardize my success since he has given me the maximum dosage every time and I have only had one other delay. Therefore, I willingly and enthusiastically afforded myself a much-needed emotional, soul-healing break.
So, I told my aunt that I'll hang onto her prayers and good wishes for one more week and bring them with me when I go in for my last treatment next Monday (October 29th) at 8am.
You see, I am not going to do my last chemo tomorrow. I decided (in agreement with my doctor) to delay my treatment for another week. A small group of friends have been planning a family-friendly group getaway for next weekend and I really, REALLY want to go. It's a wonderful group of friends and I would be so sad to have to miss it! And if I do chemo tomorrow then next weekend will inevitably be a bad weekend for me and we won't be able to go. When I mentioned this to my doctor, he agreed that delaying my last chemo by a week would not jeopardize my success since he has given me the maximum dosage every time and I have only had one other delay. Therefore, I willingly and enthusiastically afforded myself a much-needed emotional, soul-healing break.
So, I told my aunt that I'll hang onto her prayers and good wishes for one more week and bring them with me when I go in for my last treatment next Monday (October 29th) at 8am.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
My Dad's Advice
My dad sent me the following email in response to my head lice posting:
Jules, Forgot to mention the other day...when I was a kid, parents treated lice by washing your head with kerosene. The luckiest kids were those who didn't get lice. The second luckiest were those whose parents didn't smoke. ~Pa
Ha, ha, ha!! My dad is a funny, funny guy! :)
Jules, Forgot to mention the other day...when I was a kid, parents treated lice by washing your head with kerosene. The luckiest kids were those who didn't get lice. The second luckiest were those whose parents didn't smoke. ~Pa
Ha, ha, ha!! My dad is a funny, funny guy! :)
Interpreting The China Study
Awhile back, I wrote about a book called The China Study which my oncologist, Dr Gullion, had recommended to me. In the book, the author (T Colin Campbell) shares research and a number of studies which support the hypothesis that a typical "Western" diet (which includes relatively high amounts of animal protein and fat versus a "Eastern" diet that is more typically dependent upon vegetables, fruits and grains) is linked to many of the diseases for which our culture is known, such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease. I found the book to be fascinating to read -- in particular, because the author references such a huge number of studies which all seem to point to the same conclusion, but also because Campbell seems, from all measures, to be a highly-credited and reputable nutritionist (unlike many of the other authors of diet books on the market today.) He has authored hundreds of scientific papers, sat on numerous government expert panels and has helped to shape national and international diet and health organizations, including the World Cancer Research Fund.
Despite all of these credentials, however, I have still been left with a lingering sense of doubt since reading the book...How can eating foods such as yogurt or eggs or chicken be that bad for us -- haven't people been eating these foods for hundreds of years? Is a strict vegan diet the only path to healthy living or is there some middle ground? There are obviously millions of people who eat animal-based products every day and yet live to be almost a hundred (including my Grandma and Grandpa and my Aunt Jo!) -- how can this be so if what Campbell says is true?
I have read two things recently which have helped me to make better sense of what The China Study suggests and so I wanted to share them here in case some of you are also left wondering how to interpret the book's recommendations. The first comes from a daily newsletter to which I subscribe. In it, one of the members wrote:
As a faculty member at Hawthorn University (a health and nutrition university), I have debated the validity of The China Study dozens of times with my students. I think the study has a lot of value, but I disagree with the interpretation of the data. The China Study compares apples to oranges as far as I am concerned. Comparing the rural Chinese diet, which was mostly home-grown, whole organic foods, plus a VERY active lifestyle to the American diet, which is mostly processed foods fed to sedentary people seems like a poor comparison. They did look at the difference between rural and urban Chinese, but they failed to take into account the loss of nutrients from having food transported rather than fresh, the increase in pollution, the decrease in activity, increase in processed foods. If you look at the data you will see that they found that that the rural people had higher nutrient levels in their blood.
My other issue with The China Study is that it does not take into account biochemical individuality. Each person is different, and will thrive on a different diet. There are many different diets around the world which are healthy. What they have in common is whole foods, organic foods, animal foods and foods rich in the fat-soluble nutrients. What I take away from all this is that combining a fresh, local organic diet containing some amount of animal foods and rich in fat soluble vitamins with an active lifestyle leads to vibrant health.
The second perspective on the risk of animal protein came from a book that I just finished reading called Living Downstream by Sandra Steingraber. I will write more about this book in a separate blog entry since I think that it's an extremely important book for every parent of my generation to read, but for the purposes of understanding The China Study recommendations, I want to simply share what the author says about animal protein:
Ecologically speaking, a food chain consists of a series of organisms who pass chemical energy through each other. Each link of the chain is officially referred to as a "trophic level." At the bottom are the producers: the green plants that transform sunlight into food, thereby making chemical energy available to everyone else. The primary consumers (e.g, insects) feed on the producers directly, the secondary consumers (e.g., birds, rodents, etc) feed on the primary consumers, and so forth. About 90 percent of the energy transfered from one trophic level to the next is dissipated as heat and because so much food energy is lost, fewer organisms can be supported at each succeeding level. In order to survive, therefore, each individual must consume many individuals from a lower level. Thus, as organisms continue to feed on each other, any contaminants that accumulate in living tissue -- such as pesticides -- are funneled into a smaller and smaller mass of organisms.
Because of this, we see why a diet rich in animal products exposes us to more pesticide residue than a plant-based diet alone, even though the plants are directly sprayed. For the most part, the flesh of animals we eat contains more pesticides than the grasses and grains we feed to these animals. Indeed, the largest contributors to total adult intake of chlorinated insecticides are dairy products, meat, fish, and poultry. Similarly, the FDA's Total Diet Study, which regularly monitors the concentration of contaminants in cooked, table-ready foods, continues to find traces of DDT (a pesticide banned more than 30 years ago!) in many types of food, but particularly those of animal origin.
As someone who has taken more statistics classes than I care to remember, I find that I agree whole-heartedly with the first perspective: while I think that Campbell is on to something important, I don't think that he is necessarily comparing apples to apples. You cannot compare a largely organic, locally-grown, highly-vegetarian Chinese diet to a largely non-organic, industrialized (and hence, not locally grown), non-vegetarian Western diet and reach solid conclusions. There are just too many variables! There is no way of knowing whether animal products are bad in and of themselves or whether they are bad because they are not locally grown or if they are bad because they are not organic (and hence, contain significantly higher levels of toxins than a vegetarian-based diet). Teasing apart these issues would require numerous, complex studies. Some of these are likely going on today, but I have not read about any yet.
And so we're left to draw our own conclusions. For what it's worth, my family still eats animal products, although much less than we used to. Furthermore, we try, whenever possible, to make sure that we are buying products from animals that are organic and/or grass-fed. What does this mean on a day-to-day basis? Well, our kids still enjoy butter on their toast every morning, although now it's organic butter; I still pack organic cheese sticks in their lunch; they enthusiastically wolf down hot dogs every couple weeks (albeit nitrate-free hot dogs made from healthy, grass-fed cattle that are hormone and anti-biotic free!); we regularly eat meals such as lasagna or mac & cheese; and 4-5 times a week we eat some sort of meat for dinner, although we tend to stick with wild fish or free-range chicken, rather than red meat (beef, pork, ham, etc.) Furthermore, our proportion of animal products to veggies/fruits/grains has changed quite a bit since I was diagnosed. As I mentioned before, animal products used to constitute about ~50-75% of our diet but now they represent only about 30% (about 10% for me.) Instead, we stuff our kids full of tons of fruits and veggies (I literally pack them 2-3 fruits and/or veggies every day in their school lunches) and loads of fresh whole grains (bread, pasta, muffins, etc -- all made with minimal, wholesome ingredients.) These are the things which now make up ~75% of their diet.
I'll be the first to admit that I don't know what the right answer is regarding The China Study recommendations; I am also struggling to figure out the right balance of foods to live a healthy life. But I feel comfortable that the way that my family eats now makes sense and is much healthier than how we used to eat. I learned the hard way not to take my body for granted, and from my new "no regrets" perspective, I feel like I can't go wrong by sticking with organic, whole foods that come from the Earth.
Despite all of these credentials, however, I have still been left with a lingering sense of doubt since reading the book...How can eating foods such as yogurt or eggs or chicken be that bad for us -- haven't people been eating these foods for hundreds of years? Is a strict vegan diet the only path to healthy living or is there some middle ground? There are obviously millions of people who eat animal-based products every day and yet live to be almost a hundred (including my Grandma and Grandpa and my Aunt Jo!) -- how can this be so if what Campbell says is true?
I have read two things recently which have helped me to make better sense of what The China Study suggests and so I wanted to share them here in case some of you are also left wondering how to interpret the book's recommendations. The first comes from a daily newsletter to which I subscribe. In it, one of the members wrote:
As a faculty member at Hawthorn University (a health and nutrition university), I have debated the validity of The China Study dozens of times with my students. I think the study has a lot of value, but I disagree with the interpretation of the data. The China Study compares apples to oranges as far as I am concerned. Comparing the rural Chinese diet, which was mostly home-grown, whole organic foods, plus a VERY active lifestyle to the American diet, which is mostly processed foods fed to sedentary people seems like a poor comparison. They did look at the difference between rural and urban Chinese, but they failed to take into account the loss of nutrients from having food transported rather than fresh, the increase in pollution, the decrease in activity, increase in processed foods. If you look at the data you will see that they found that that the rural people had higher nutrient levels in their blood.
My other issue with The China Study is that it does not take into account biochemical individuality. Each person is different, and will thrive on a different diet. There are many different diets around the world which are healthy. What they have in common is whole foods, organic foods, animal foods and foods rich in the fat-soluble nutrients. What I take away from all this is that combining a fresh, local organic diet containing some amount of animal foods and rich in fat soluble vitamins with an active lifestyle leads to vibrant health.
The second perspective on the risk of animal protein came from a book that I just finished reading called Living Downstream by Sandra Steingraber. I will write more about this book in a separate blog entry since I think that it's an extremely important book for every parent of my generation to read, but for the purposes of understanding The China Study recommendations, I want to simply share what the author says about animal protein:
Ecologically speaking, a food chain consists of a series of organisms who pass chemical energy through each other. Each link of the chain is officially referred to as a "trophic level." At the bottom are the producers: the green plants that transform sunlight into food, thereby making chemical energy available to everyone else. The primary consumers (e.g, insects) feed on the producers directly, the secondary consumers (e.g., birds, rodents, etc) feed on the primary consumers, and so forth. About 90 percent of the energy transfered from one trophic level to the next is dissipated as heat and because so much food energy is lost, fewer organisms can be supported at each succeeding level. In order to survive, therefore, each individual must consume many individuals from a lower level. Thus, as organisms continue to feed on each other, any contaminants that accumulate in living tissue -- such as pesticides -- are funneled into a smaller and smaller mass of organisms.
Because of this, we see why a diet rich in animal products exposes us to more pesticide residue than a plant-based diet alone, even though the plants are directly sprayed. For the most part, the flesh of animals we eat contains more pesticides than the grasses and grains we feed to these animals. Indeed, the largest contributors to total adult intake of chlorinated insecticides are dairy products, meat, fish, and poultry. Similarly, the FDA's Total Diet Study, which regularly monitors the concentration of contaminants in cooked, table-ready foods, continues to find traces of DDT (a pesticide banned more than 30 years ago!) in many types of food, but particularly those of animal origin.
As someone who has taken more statistics classes than I care to remember, I find that I agree whole-heartedly with the first perspective: while I think that Campbell is on to something important, I don't think that he is necessarily comparing apples to apples. You cannot compare a largely organic, locally-grown, highly-vegetarian Chinese diet to a largely non-organic, industrialized (and hence, not locally grown), non-vegetarian Western diet and reach solid conclusions. There are just too many variables! There is no way of knowing whether animal products are bad in and of themselves or whether they are bad because they are not locally grown or if they are bad because they are not organic (and hence, contain significantly higher levels of toxins than a vegetarian-based diet). Teasing apart these issues would require numerous, complex studies. Some of these are likely going on today, but I have not read about any yet.
And so we're left to draw our own conclusions. For what it's worth, my family still eats animal products, although much less than we used to. Furthermore, we try, whenever possible, to make sure that we are buying products from animals that are organic and/or grass-fed. What does this mean on a day-to-day basis? Well, our kids still enjoy butter on their toast every morning, although now it's organic butter; I still pack organic cheese sticks in their lunch; they enthusiastically wolf down hot dogs every couple weeks (albeit nitrate-free hot dogs made from healthy, grass-fed cattle that are hormone and anti-biotic free!); we regularly eat meals such as lasagna or mac & cheese; and 4-5 times a week we eat some sort of meat for dinner, although we tend to stick with wild fish or free-range chicken, rather than red meat (beef, pork, ham, etc.) Furthermore, our proportion of animal products to veggies/fruits/grains has changed quite a bit since I was diagnosed. As I mentioned before, animal products used to constitute about ~50-75% of our diet but now they represent only about 30% (about 10% for me.) Instead, we stuff our kids full of tons of fruits and veggies (I literally pack them 2-3 fruits and/or veggies every day in their school lunches) and loads of fresh whole grains (bread, pasta, muffins, etc -- all made with minimal, wholesome ingredients.) These are the things which now make up ~75% of their diet.
I'll be the first to admit that I don't know what the right answer is regarding The China Study recommendations; I am also struggling to figure out the right balance of foods to live a healthy life. But I feel comfortable that the way that my family eats now makes sense and is much healthier than how we used to eat. I learned the hard way not to take my body for granted, and from my new "no regrets" perspective, I feel like I can't go wrong by sticking with organic, whole foods that come from the Earth.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Good news!! An article on Yahoo today talks about the death rate for cancer dropping thanks in large part to the progress made in recent years against colorectal cancer. Yippee!!
Cancer death rates dropping fast
Good news on the cancer front: Death rates are dropping faster than ever, thanks to new progress against colorectal cancer.
A turning point came in 2002, scientists conclude Monday in the annual "Report to the Nation" on cancer. Between 2002 and 2004, death rates dropped by an average of 2.1 percent a year.
That may not sound like much, but between 1993 and 2001, deaths rates dropped on average 1.1 percent a year.
The big change was a two-pronged gain against colorectal cancer.
While it remains the nation's No. 2 cancer killer, deaths are dropping faster for colorectal cancer than for any other malignancy — by almost 5 percent a year among men and 4.5 percent among women.
One reason is that colorectal cancer is striking fewer people, the report found. New diagnoses are down roughly 2.5 percent a year for both men and women, thanks to screening tests that can spot precancerous polyps in time to remove them and thus prevent cancer from forming.
Still, only about half the people who need screening — over age 50 —gets checked.
"If we're seeing such great impact even at 50 percent screening rates, we think it could be much greater if we could get more of the population tested," said Dr. Elizabeth Ward of the American Cancer Society, who co-wrote the report with government scientists.
The other gain is the result of new treatments, which are credited with doubling survival times for the most advanced patients.
In 1996, there was just one truly effective drug for colon cancer. Today, there are six more, giving patients a variety of chemotherapy cocktails to try to hold their tumors in check, said Dr. Louis Weiner, medical oncology chief at Philadelphia's Fox Chase Cancer Center and a colorectal cancer specialist.
"I can tell you the offices of gastrointestinal oncologists around the country, and indeed around the world, are busier than ever because our patients are doing better," he said.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
No More Phthalates in California Toys! Yippee!
The bill passed!! The bill passed!! Governor Schwarzenegger signed legislation today that forbids companies from manufacturing, selling or distributing toys and childcare products in the state of California which contain phthalates (see the press release below.) You might remember, these are the chemicals which I talked about a while back which can be found in many flexible plastic products, including things like baby bottle nipples, bath toys, pacifiers, etc. Given how enormous the California market is, I have to believe that this legislation will make companies stop and take notice and hopefully change their practices across the board. Phthalates should NEVER have been used in children's products in the first place, but better late than never. It things like this that make me LOVE living in California!!
Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation to Protect Children from Toxic Toys
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation to protect the health of our state’s children by prohibiting the use of phthalates in toys and childcare products designed for babies and children under three years of age.
“We must take this action to protect our children,” said Gov. Schwarzenegger. “These chemicals threaten the health and safety of our children at critical stages of their development.”
AB 1108 by Assemblymember Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) will protect the health of our state’s children by preventing exposure to toxic chemicals. Specifically, this bill will prohibit the manufacturing, sale and distribution of toys and child care products intended for use by children under the age of three that contain phthalates. Scientific research has shown that these chemicals have a number of negative health effects, including links to cancer and reproductive defects.
Led by the Secretary for Environmental Protection, the Governor has called for the establishment of a Green Chemistry Initiative to develop policy options for implementing green chemistry policies. Instead of making chemical policy through the legislature on a case by case basis, the goal of this initiative is to work with scientists from California and around the world to evaluate the health effects of chemicals and possible alternatives in a comprehensive manner.
“A comprehensive and unified approach is needed to ensure good accountable policy and I encourage the legislature and all interested parties to participate in the development of this important initiative,” said Gov. Schwarzenegger.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Head Lice Treatment
I was just sorting through some of Luke's school papers and came across an information sheet about head lice. Anyone reading this who has children has undoubtedly had to at least think about these nasty little critters, since they seem to go hand-in-hand with the beginning of every school year.
What caused me to pause as I read the literature, however, is the fact that the only treatment plan to get rid of head lice that is recommended by our school district is a product called NIX. Luckily, Pete and I have not had to deal with head lice in our family yet, but I can assure you that if/when we do, I will not be dousing my children's heads with NIX!
The NIX website describes the product as containing "permethrin." A quick online search lead me to Wikipedia, which described permethrin as follows:
Permethrin is a common synthetic chemical, widely used as an insecticide, an acaricide and as an insect repellent. It belongs to the family of synthetic chemicals called pyrethroids and functions as a neurotoxin. Its use is controversial since, as a broad-spectrum chemical, it kills indiscriminately; as well as the intended pests, it can harm beneficial insects including honey bees, aquatic life, and small mammals such as mice.
And herein lies the problem with pesticides....they are designed to kill living, celled beings. They don't discriminate between the cells of a lice nit and the cells in your child's body. There have to be other options, I thought! Head lice has been around for years....what did parents do before the development of synthetic pesticides?
It took me another 10 seconds to research "natural treatment for head lice" and I came up with a number of options, the most compelling of which is to completely coat your child's hair with olive oil and let it stand for 30 minutes. The logic being that "The oil covers the lice and eggs, preventing them from breathing. Unlike pesticides, suffocation does not seem to be something lice can build up immunity against!" Granted, this particular treatment method requires multiple applications and so might not work quite as quickly as a product such as NIX, but in my opinion, getting rid of head lice quickly is not worth the risk of applying a known neurotoxin to my child's body.
Like I said, we have never had to actually deal with the problem of head lice in our home (and hopefully we never will!) and so maybe I am truly naive as to how horrible the problem of head lice can be, but from where I stand today and from all that I have read these past 9 months about pesticides, I would be extremely hard pressed to use NIX or any similar product on my child's body just for the sake of getting rid of head lice faster.
Definitely let me know if you have have tried other natural treatment options that have been successful so that I can pass the word along to fellow parents! And if you want more information about the olive oil option, click here.
Lastly, I know that there are a handful of teachers and administrators from Luke's school who are faithful readers of my blog...Please let me know how I can help to gather and disseminate information out to parents about ways to get rid of head lice in a more natural way! I want to help!
What caused me to pause as I read the literature, however, is the fact that the only treatment plan to get rid of head lice that is recommended by our school district is a product called NIX. Luckily, Pete and I have not had to deal with head lice in our family yet, but I can assure you that if/when we do, I will not be dousing my children's heads with NIX!
The NIX website describes the product as containing "permethrin." A quick online search lead me to Wikipedia, which described permethrin as follows:
Permethrin is a common synthetic chemical, widely used as an insecticide, an acaricide and as an insect repellent. It belongs to the family of synthetic chemicals called pyrethroids and functions as a neurotoxin. Its use is controversial since, as a broad-spectrum chemical, it kills indiscriminately; as well as the intended pests, it can harm beneficial insects including honey bees, aquatic life, and small mammals such as mice.
And herein lies the problem with pesticides....they are designed to kill living, celled beings. They don't discriminate between the cells of a lice nit and the cells in your child's body. There have to be other options, I thought! Head lice has been around for years....what did parents do before the development of synthetic pesticides?
It took me another 10 seconds to research "natural treatment for head lice" and I came up with a number of options, the most compelling of which is to completely coat your child's hair with olive oil and let it stand for 30 minutes. The logic being that "The oil covers the lice and eggs, preventing them from breathing. Unlike pesticides, suffocation does not seem to be something lice can build up immunity against!" Granted, this particular treatment method requires multiple applications and so might not work quite as quickly as a product such as NIX, but in my opinion, getting rid of head lice quickly is not worth the risk of applying a known neurotoxin to my child's body.
Like I said, we have never had to actually deal with the problem of head lice in our home (and hopefully we never will!) and so maybe I am truly naive as to how horrible the problem of head lice can be, but from where I stand today and from all that I have read these past 9 months about pesticides, I would be extremely hard pressed to use NIX or any similar product on my child's body just for the sake of getting rid of head lice faster.
Definitely let me know if you have have tried other natural treatment options that have been successful so that I can pass the word along to fellow parents! And if you want more information about the olive oil option, click here.
Lastly, I know that there are a handful of teachers and administrators from Luke's school who are faithful readers of my blog...Please let me know how I can help to gather and disseminate information out to parents about ways to get rid of head lice in a more natural way! I want to help!
My Boys!
Here's a great pic of my super-star hubby and my two little cutie-pies (taken at Half Moon Bay a couple weekends ago) ...
And one of the whole family taken at the stunning Ritz Carlton Resort at Half Moon Bay (and, no, we did not actually stay at this $600/night resort....we were merely squatters for the afternoon. But, boy oh boy, is it ever beautiful!!! If only I had an extra $600 to blow...Ha!)
And one of the whole family taken at the stunning Ritz Carlton Resort at Half Moon Bay (and, no, we did not actually stay at this $600/night resort....we were merely squatters for the afternoon. But, boy oh boy, is it ever beautiful!!! If only I had an extra $600 to blow...Ha!)
Lead in Lipstick
Not sure if you saw this article about lead in lipstick or not, so I thought I would pass it along....You can read the entire article by clicking here.
Lipsticks Contain Lead
ATLANTA (Reuters) -- Lipsticks tested by a U.S. consumer rights group found that more than half contained lead and some popular brands including Cover Girl, L'Oreal and Christina Dior had more lead than others, the group said.
If you want to see how your own lipsticks fare, check out the Skin Deep website.
Lipsticks Contain Lead
ATLANTA (Reuters) -- Lipsticks tested by a U.S. consumer rights group found that more than half contained lead and some popular brands including Cover Girl, L'Oreal and Christina Dior had more lead than others, the group said.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics said tests on 33 brand-name red lipsticks by the Bodycote Testing Group in Santa Fe Spring, California, found that 61 percent had detectable lead levels of 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm).
Lipstick, like candy, is ingested. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of public health, environmental and women's groups, said the FDA has not set a limit for lead in lipstick.
One-third of the lipsticks tested contained an amount of lead that exceeded the US Food & Drug Administration's 0.1 ppm limit for lead in candy -- a standard established to protect children from ingesting lead, the group said.
"Lead builds up in the body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels. The latest studies show there is no safe level of lead exposure," said Dr. Mark Mitchell, president of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice.If you want to see how your own lipsticks fare, check out the Skin Deep website.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Helpful Links
I added few new links to my blog (see Links to Helpful Websites to the right.) These are websites which I have found helpful in my quest for more information about healthy living. Check them out if you are interested...
p.s. The "Ideal Bite" newsletter is a great one! Don't be put off by the fact that you have to choose between the San Francisco and the Seattle newsletter versions -- about 75% of what they write in each newsletter applies to anyone, regardless of geography.
p.s. The "Ideal Bite" newsletter is a great one! Don't be put off by the fact that you have to choose between the San Francisco and the Seattle newsletter versions -- about 75% of what they write in each newsletter applies to anyone, regardless of geography.
Light the Night Walk
Because I will hopefully be feeling better next week, I have decided to take part in a fund-raiser for Leukemia & Lymphoma called Light the Night. Light The Night is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's annual fund-raising walk to celebrate and commemorate lives touched by cancer. Each fall, teams of friends, families, and co-workers gather in cities and towns across America where they walk in twilight, holding illuminated balloons - white for survivors and red for supporters. I will be participating in the 3-mile walk next Thursday, October 18 at 5pm in memory and honor of my good friend, Bonnie, who died of leukemia on August 9, 2007 at the age of 40.
As I said in an earlier blog, I feel strongly that I must continue to carry the torch for Bonnie. It's part of the "debt" that I owe for being allowed to step back from the edge, when so many other young moms affected by cancer cannot. And I know that this is what Bonnie would have done for me if our situations were reversed.
If you live in the Bay Area and are free to join me that night for the walk, please send me an email and I'll give you all the details. Or if you cannot join in the walk, but are interested in making a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by sponsoring me for this walk, click here. Please DO NOT feel obligated to donate, however -- REALLY!! The most important thing that you can do is to just keep me and Bonnie (and every other young mom affected by cancer) in your thoughts and prayers on October 18th.
As I said in an earlier blog, I feel strongly that I must continue to carry the torch for Bonnie. It's part of the "debt" that I owe for being allowed to step back from the edge, when so many other young moms affected by cancer cannot. And I know that this is what Bonnie would have done for me if our situations were reversed.
If you live in the Bay Area and are free to join me that night for the walk, please send me an email and I'll give you all the details. Or if you cannot join in the walk, but are interested in making a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by sponsoring me for this walk, click here. Please DO NOT feel obligated to donate, however -- REALLY!! The most important thing that you can do is to just keep me and Bonnie (and every other young mom affected by cancer) in your thoughts and prayers on October 18th.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Our Fortuitous Wedding Cake
I have never really been one for following tradition. I think this because I have a creative streak in me that makes me want to perpetually put my own personal stamp on things. Over this past weekend, one of the very fun things that Pete and I did was to bring along a box full of all our wedding photos. The intent was to finally (yes, TEN years later!) sort and organize all the photos, but instead we found ourselves caught up in re-living our wedding weekend and reminiscing about all the wonderful moments -- which was far more fun, albeit less productive! In the process, I came across a number of photos and memorabilia which reminded me of the many ways that I tried to creatively personalize our wedding. For example, I designed our programs myself (and I still LOVE them to this day!). I chose wildflower arrangements for our ceremony, rather than more traditional roses or such, since the wildflowers reminded me of the many springtime camping and hiking trips which Pete and I had taken together. We opted for an outdoor wedding in the beautiful Arizona desert as a way to celebrate our mutual love of the outdoors, despite the fact that the Catholic church would not recognize this as an official marriage. In fact, we were forced to have a small, private ceremony at a local church the day before in order to make the marriage "official" in the eyes of the church, but to this day, Pete and I still consider our outdoor ceremony to be our real anniversary. And lastly, I attempted to create a unique and meaningful cake. I remember looking at all the various traditional wedding cake pictures and yawning with boredom. I wanted a cake that reflected our lives and would be meaningful and memorable. And so I instructed the cake decorator to design a cake in the shape of a mountain with a trail winding up the side and two pairs of chocolate hiking boots at the top. And in looking at the photo ten years later, "memorable" is an understatement! Even I have to admit that it was not the most attractive cake! Ha! But at the time, a mountain seemed perfect.
The first vacation that Pete and I ever took was camping in Alaska. I remember being completely overwhelmed by how enormous the mountains were there (along with everything else in Alaska!) and how incredibly insignificant I felt surrounded by them. It was a life defining moment, to say the least. I also remember coming back from that vacation and telling a friend "I am going to marry that guy someday!" even though Pete and I had only been together for four months at the time. There are some things that you just know, and this was one of them.
And "mountains" have continued to play a large role in our relationship...We both have fond memories of camping in the Smokey Mountains before we were married; of vacationing in the rocky, mountainous terrain of the Greek islands; of honeymooning in the Dolomites and Alps of Italy; and of hiking the numerous, breath-taking mountains that surround our home today. However, our wedding cake perhaps most appropriately foretold the incredible mountain that Pete and I have climbed together this past year. There is no other mountain that has come close to this one and, hopefully, this will be the largest and hardest mountain that we ever have to climb.
Cancer is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for a marriage that is on the rocks. Given my experience and stories that I have heard, I have to believe that a cancer diagnosis either strengthens or breaks a marriage -- there is no room for middle ground. Luckily, Pete and I fall into the former camp. Pete is the most amazing guy that I have ever met and I still pinch myself today -- ten years later -- when I think of how lucky I am to have him as my husband and as the father of my children. He is extremely funny, incredibly smart, super disciplined in everything that he does, probably the most honest person I have ever known, and extremely determined when he sets his mind to something. I remember shortly after my diagnosis, he declared "This is my fight as much as it's yours and I have no intention of losing." I am truly blessed to have him in my life.
Someday, in the not so distant future, Pete and I will be at the top of this crazy mountain of mine and I know that we will look down with awe and wonder at how far we actually climbed and how steep and scary the mountain really was. It's been a monumental climb in so many ways, and I will be forever grateful that Pete was my climbing partner for I honestly don't think that I would be where I am today (or who I am today!) were it not for him.
And so, in hindsight, I think that our wedding cake was perfect. It was fortuitous and beautiful. It reflects the shared story of our lives.
Anniversary Weekend
Pete and I are safely (albeit sadly!) home from our romantic, anniversary getaway to the Sierra mountains. We had a fabulous time -- loads of relaxation; spa-ing (we both tried the famed "hot stone massage" and I'm happy to report that it's reputation as the "Mercedes of Massages" is well deserved!); work-outs; reading; movie watching (5 movies in 5 nights!); yum, yum YUMMMMY food; and breath-taking scenery.
As predicted, the weather was chilly (we actually woke up to snow the first morning!) but it made for a very cozy and beautiful weekend. And as you'll see from the pics, the contrast between the snow-capped mountains and the fall foliage was unbelievably gorgeous.
The resort was not super kid-friendly, which was just fine by us...As much as I love my little munchkins, kids and "relaxing romance" do not necessarily co-exist seamlessly (especially with a 2-year-old whose new favorite phrase is "No! I do it!" followed by hysterical theatrics.) So we wouldn't necessarily recommend Double Eagle Resort for a family vacation, but if anyone reading this is looking for an amazing, adults-only getaway within a few hours drive of SF, it's worth checking out.
Click here to see pics from the weekend.
p.s. We made it home late Monday night, relieved my weary parents of their babysitting duties, had a wonderful night sleep and then made it in for my second-to-last Folfox appt bright and early Tuesday morning. Seven down, only ONE more to go! YIPPEEEEE!!!
As predicted, the weather was chilly (we actually woke up to snow the first morning!) but it made for a very cozy and beautiful weekend. And as you'll see from the pics, the contrast between the snow-capped mountains and the fall foliage was unbelievably gorgeous.
The resort was not super kid-friendly, which was just fine by us...As much as I love my little munchkins, kids and "relaxing romance" do not necessarily co-exist seamlessly (especially with a 2-year-old whose new favorite phrase is "No! I do it!" followed by hysterical theatrics.) So we wouldn't necessarily recommend Double Eagle Resort for a family vacation, but if anyone reading this is looking for an amazing, adults-only getaway within a few hours drive of SF, it's worth checking out.
Click here to see pics from the weekend.
p.s. We made it home late Monday night, relieved my weary parents of their babysitting duties, had a wonderful night sleep and then made it in for my second-to-last Folfox appt bright and early Tuesday morning. Seven down, only ONE more to go! YIPPEEEEE!!!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Quick Update
Well, as it turns out, the downside of my feeling better is that my poor blog does not get updated as frequently! This is a "good" week and I have been feeling better since Sunday, so have been trying to pack lots of fun living into these past few days, including a trip to Half Moon Bay with Pete, the kids and my in-laws; a couple blood-pumping, chemo-circulating workouts; a very fun, ever-enlightening and laughter-filled visit from my old college roommate Ami; and a couple wonderful dinners with my in-laws and my parents (who have returned safely from visiting my grandma and my sister's family.)
And now I just finished packing like a crazy woman since Pete and I are heading off tomorrow for a 10th anniversary romantic getaway. We are going to a "adventure resort" (Double Eagle Resort) just east of Yosemite for 5 days of hiking, biking, spa-ing, and relaxing....ahhhh, I cannot wait!! This is exactly what I need to recharge my batteries before heading into chemo cycle #7 and exactly what Pete and I need to reconnect after many months of craziness. The only downside is that the HIGH temperature on Friday is projected to be 29 degrees - Yike! Oh well, I guess we'll just have to stay inside and snuggle! :)
Needless to say, you won't be hearing from me until next week, but know that we are off relaxing and enjoying life!
And now I just finished packing like a crazy woman since Pete and I are heading off tomorrow for a 10th anniversary romantic getaway. We are going to a "adventure resort" (Double Eagle Resort) just east of Yosemite for 5 days of hiking, biking, spa-ing, and relaxing....ahhhh, I cannot wait!! This is exactly what I need to recharge my batteries before heading into chemo cycle #7 and exactly what Pete and I need to reconnect after many months of craziness. The only downside is that the HIGH temperature on Friday is projected to be 29 degrees - Yike! Oh well, I guess we'll just have to stay inside and snuggle! :)
Needless to say, you won't be hearing from me until next week, but know that we are off relaxing and enjoying life!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Tokens of Support
There were two very different comments that friends posted in response to my last blog entry, and I want to respond to each separately since they are so different....
One of the comments was from my friend Cathy Youngling (aka, Tamwitch). She wrote:
Asking for some prayers. Glenn's Mom has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. They say it's inoperable, but they may still be doing some chemo. Ideas to help support her are welcome. Email cyoungling@pacunion.com.
When I read Cathy's posting, my heart sank. Before being diagnosed with cancer myself, I naively thought that all cancers were the same, kind of like all cases of chicken pox are the same. But one of the things that I have learned through this whole process is that each type of cancer is very different depending on where it originates and that each cancer involves unique treatment protocols and very different prognoses. Despite these difference, though, a few commonalities remain: chemo is still chemo and there is no getting around the fact that it sucks. And, regardless of the type of cancer, every cancer patient will, at some point, find themselves standing on the edge of the precipice staring mortality in the face, trying to make sense of death, and assessing their own life. And lastly, I have come to learn that cancer is a family disease. Yes, the cancer patient endures the brunt of the physical treatment, but the emotional aspects of cancer reach every member of a family in some way or another. And so, while I might not be able to relate to the actual treatment protocal that Cathy's mother-in-law will be prescribed, I know all to well the physical and emotional pain that her entire family is about to endure and it brings me to tears.
One statistic that I read early on is that 1 out of every 3 women and 1 out of every 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime (you can see the break-down by type of cancer by clicking here.) The best I can figure, there must be more than 500 people who have visited my blog since I started writing in early March and so I always suspected that someone I knew (either directly or indirectly) would end up being diagnosed with cancer during the course of my treatment. As it has turned out, there are four people whom I have learned of -- including Cathy's mother-in-law and my own mother's best friend, Joanie -- who have received the horrible diagnosis of cancer and, unfortunately, I am sure that these won't be the last. For whatever reason -- or probably for a multitude of reasons -- cancer is a reality in our society.
I called Cathy today to offer my condolences. I also shared with her a few things that have provided me the most comfort in these past 8+ months in the hopes that these might be of comfort to her mother-in-law as well. I decided to share my thoughts here as well, though, in the event that anyone else reading my blog finds themselves struggling to know how to comfort a loved one who faces a similar diagnosis:
1) Every time I go in for a chemo appointment, I bring my own blanket from home. Chemo appointments can last up to 8+ hours (mine are generally 3-4 hours) and so having a cozy, clean blanket to snuggle under can make the experience more manageable. As I mentioned before, there is a wonderful company called Kimbelina (www.kimbelina.com) which sells beautiful, soft blankets with angels embroidered on every corner. The owners of the company sent me and my family each a beautiful gift when they learned of my diagnosis and sometimes I take the blanket that they sent and sometimes I take a Land's End blanket that my good friend Rick sent me which has "BitchKilla" embroidered on the corner. Either way, I can't help but smile as I cozy up in the chemo chair every other week.
2) The single best book that I found about life, death and dying is "Kitchen Table Wisdom" by Rachel Naomi Remen. The other book which I found extremely helpful was "Fighting Cancer From Within," by Martin Rossman. If you have been reading my blog from the beginning, you have undoubtedly heard me quote from both of these books numerous times and have, perhaps, also been touched by the wisdom of these two authors.
3) The dinners that friends have provided each week have been invaluable. When you are going through treatment and feel completely crummy, there is nothing better than having someone else in charge of making sure that a healthy dinner is on the table, especially when there are other family members who need to be fed. When in doubt as to what the patient can/cannot eat, stick with vegetarian dishes -- you can't go wrong getting more healthy veggies into a chemo-filled body!
4) Just send a card or a quick email letting your friend know that you are thinking of them. I am sure that many people don't know what to say or are afraid that they will say the wrong thing in situations like this, but I can tell you there are a number of friends who write to me regularly and simply say "I'm thinking of you. I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better this week. Know that you are in my thoughts and prayers." And I can tell you that these small gestures mean the world to me!
There are many other, very meaningful gifts which friends and family have sent me -- stuffed animals, small dolls, boxing gloves, other books, inspirational pictures and magnets, etc -- but they are all very personal to me. By comparison, I think that the things I mentioned above are fairly universal; I cannot imagine any cancer patient who wouldn't appreciate receiving one of these tokens of comfort and support.
One of the comments was from my friend Cathy Youngling (aka, Tamwitch). She wrote:
Asking for some prayers. Glenn's Mom has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. They say it's inoperable, but they may still be doing some chemo. Ideas to help support her are welcome. Email cyoungling@pacunion.com.
When I read Cathy's posting, my heart sank. Before being diagnosed with cancer myself, I naively thought that all cancers were the same, kind of like all cases of chicken pox are the same. But one of the things that I have learned through this whole process is that each type of cancer is very different depending on where it originates and that each cancer involves unique treatment protocols and very different prognoses. Despite these difference, though, a few commonalities remain: chemo is still chemo and there is no getting around the fact that it sucks. And, regardless of the type of cancer, every cancer patient will, at some point, find themselves standing on the edge of the precipice staring mortality in the face, trying to make sense of death, and assessing their own life. And lastly, I have come to learn that cancer is a family disease. Yes, the cancer patient endures the brunt of the physical treatment, but the emotional aspects of cancer reach every member of a family in some way or another. And so, while I might not be able to relate to the actual treatment protocal that Cathy's mother-in-law will be prescribed, I know all to well the physical and emotional pain that her entire family is about to endure and it brings me to tears.
One statistic that I read early on is that 1 out of every 3 women and 1 out of every 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime (you can see the break-down by type of cancer by clicking here.) The best I can figure, there must be more than 500 people who have visited my blog since I started writing in early March and so I always suspected that someone I knew (either directly or indirectly) would end up being diagnosed with cancer during the course of my treatment. As it has turned out, there are four people whom I have learned of -- including Cathy's mother-in-law and my own mother's best friend, Joanie -- who have received the horrible diagnosis of cancer and, unfortunately, I am sure that these won't be the last. For whatever reason -- or probably for a multitude of reasons -- cancer is a reality in our society.
I called Cathy today to offer my condolences. I also shared with her a few things that have provided me the most comfort in these past 8+ months in the hopes that these might be of comfort to her mother-in-law as well. I decided to share my thoughts here as well, though, in the event that anyone else reading my blog finds themselves struggling to know how to comfort a loved one who faces a similar diagnosis:
1) Every time I go in for a chemo appointment, I bring my own blanket from home. Chemo appointments can last up to 8+ hours (mine are generally 3-4 hours) and so having a cozy, clean blanket to snuggle under can make the experience more manageable. As I mentioned before, there is a wonderful company called Kimbelina (www.kimbelina.com) which sells beautiful, soft blankets with angels embroidered on every corner. The owners of the company sent me and my family each a beautiful gift when they learned of my diagnosis and sometimes I take the blanket that they sent and sometimes I take a Land's End blanket that my good friend Rick sent me which has "BitchKilla" embroidered on the corner. Either way, I can't help but smile as I cozy up in the chemo chair every other week.
2) The single best book that I found about life, death and dying is "Kitchen Table Wisdom" by Rachel Naomi Remen. The other book which I found extremely helpful was "Fighting Cancer From Within," by Martin Rossman. If you have been reading my blog from the beginning, you have undoubtedly heard me quote from both of these books numerous times and have, perhaps, also been touched by the wisdom of these two authors.
3) The dinners that friends have provided each week have been invaluable. When you are going through treatment and feel completely crummy, there is nothing better than having someone else in charge of making sure that a healthy dinner is on the table, especially when there are other family members who need to be fed. When in doubt as to what the patient can/cannot eat, stick with vegetarian dishes -- you can't go wrong getting more healthy veggies into a chemo-filled body!
4) Just send a card or a quick email letting your friend know that you are thinking of them. I am sure that many people don't know what to say or are afraid that they will say the wrong thing in situations like this, but I can tell you there are a number of friends who write to me regularly and simply say "I'm thinking of you. I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better this week. Know that you are in my thoughts and prayers." And I can tell you that these small gestures mean the world to me!
There are many other, very meaningful gifts which friends and family have sent me -- stuffed animals, small dolls, boxing gloves, other books, inspirational pictures and magnets, etc -- but they are all very personal to me. By comparison, I think that the things I mentioned above are fairly universal; I cannot imagine any cancer patient who wouldn't appreciate receiving one of these tokens of comfort and support.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Different Generations ~ Different Perspectives
I have to give my parents and my in-laws a huge amount of credit: they have been incredibly patient and accommodating these past 8 months in listening to all of my diatribes about the various factors in our environment that cause cancer. Every day, they hear me rattled on about everything from pesticides in food, toxins in cosmetics, chemicals in plastic and -- my newest crusade -- toxic chemicals used in the production of fabrics and apparel. And, unfortunately (or fortunately, however you look at it) their proximity to me forces them to bear witness to my droning on and on about these issue until the issue finally gels in my head and I can write about it in a meaningful and accurate way in my blog.
I know that my parents and in-laws don't necessarily agree with everything that I have written. Or more accurately, I should say that they might agree, but just don't feel as strongly as I do about making changes. My mother-in-law and I have had a number of conversations about this in the past few days. She read my blog about plastics and then, ironically, saw an article in the Wall Street Journal later that day that reiterated much of what I wrote, but I don't know if she will change her habits or not. And, believe me, I totally get that!! Betsy and John are mid- to late-60's. They have been living their lives the same way for many, many years and, clearly, whatever they have been doing is working great for them. In fact, I will be thrilled to live a life that is as full and meaningful as theirs has been! And so I can completely understand why someone at their age is not as motivated to change.
I think that my situation is different, however, and Betsy readily agrees with me. There are two major factors that are motivating me to make changes for myself and my own family (aside from having had cancer!):
1) I have read soooo much that speaks to the fact that many of the toxins that exist in our environment today have come about during my lifetime.
Fact #1: According to many sources, our food supply has changed more in the past 40 years than it did in the 4000 years prior. The invention and introduction of genetically modified foods, preservatives, additives, and pesticides have all come about largely since the 1960's.
Fact #2: Prior to the 1950's, pesticides and insecticides were unheard of in cotton farming. Now, although cotton covers only 2.5 percent of the planet's arable land, 16 percent of global pesticides sales and 24 percent of global insecticide sales go into cotton production.
Fact #3: Today, cotton farmers worldwide spend a total of US$2 billion on agricultural pesticides every year. Of these chemical applications, at least US$819 million are toxic enough to be classified as 'hazardous' by the World Health Organization. Furthermore, these hazardous pesticides used during cotton production have been detected in apparel products, despite the many chemicals (such as bleach) that apparel manufacturers apply later in the production to "wash" out the pesticides.
Fact #5: Phthalates are the most commonly used plasticisers in the world and have been in use for about 50 years, primarily in combination with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make products soft and flexible.
And I could go on and on....
The issues that my generation faces today are radically different than those of our parents' or our grandparents' generations. When they were all our age, they didn't have to wonder whether the beef that they were feeding their family had been fed cattle by-products (industrial cattle farms didn't exist then -- cattle were all grass-fed), or whether the plastic bottles that they used to feed their babies contained toxic chemicals (they used glass bottles), or whether the cotton sweater that they bought at Macy's contained traces of pesticides (pesticides weren't used yet).
I am not trying to downplay the issues that their generation DID face -- some of them were quite serious and created long-lasting effects. For example, DDT (a pesticide used for commercial and residential pest control) was hugely controversial in the 60's and was eventually banned in 1972 once it was confirmed to present "unacceptable harm to human health." And, drugs like DES were commonly prescribed to prevent miscarriage and pre-mature birth until a study published in 1971 identified DES as a cause of a rare vaginal cancer and breast cancer in girls and young women who had been exposed to DES before birth (in the womb). But I don't think that anyone can argue that the changes to consumer products that have come about in the past 40-50 years are staggering. And I am almost 40 -- this is my entire lifetime! The only world that my generation has ever known is very different from the world that our parents and grandparents grew up in.
2) The second, possibly more important reason, that I feel incredibly motivated to understand the issues and to make the appropriate changes is because I have young children.
I think about the fact that someone who is my father-in-law's age (he'll be 70 this December) was in their 20's or 30's by the time many of the issues I noted above came into effect. By the time you are that age, your body is pretty much done growing. By comparison, pound for pound, children breathe more air, drink more water and consume more food than adults. The higher rate of intake means that children receive relatively higher doses of whatever contaminants are present in the air, water or food. In addition, infants have a relatively greater surface area of skin than adults, thereby increasing their potential absorption of certain compounds. Not to mention the fact that children put everything in their mouth and spend a disproportionate amount of time playing on the ground, where contaminants naturally settle or are tracked in from the outdoors.
Equally important, childhood is characterized by rapid physical and mental growth. At the beginning of life, an infant's entire biological system is relatively immature to that of an adult. Children absorb, metabolize and excrete compounds -- toxic or otherwise -- very differently than adults. Accordingly, organs which are still developing are extremely vulnerable to injury. So toxins in consumer products such as plastic bath toys, cotton pajamas or non-organic produce may have little or no effect on someone who is 70- or 50- or even 30-years-old, but might have an enormous effect on a little body that is still growing like crazy.
So, as far as I am concerned, there is no right or wrong way to incorporate all of the information that I have shared into one's life. I just keep doing what feels appropriate to me as a mom and as a cancer survivor, while recognizing that my path will not be right for everyone. I will never judge anyone for the changes that they do or don't make based on what I write -- it's not my place to judge something that is clearly so personal. I'll just keep writing (and being "Earth Girl" which is my friend, Elizabeth's, new nickname for me) and you can all just take the bits and pieces that work for your own life and ignore the rest.
I know that my parents and in-laws don't necessarily agree with everything that I have written. Or more accurately, I should say that they might agree, but just don't feel as strongly as I do about making changes. My mother-in-law and I have had a number of conversations about this in the past few days. She read my blog about plastics and then, ironically, saw an article in the Wall Street Journal later that day that reiterated much of what I wrote, but I don't know if she will change her habits or not. And, believe me, I totally get that!! Betsy and John are mid- to late-60's. They have been living their lives the same way for many, many years and, clearly, whatever they have been doing is working great for them. In fact, I will be thrilled to live a life that is as full and meaningful as theirs has been! And so I can completely understand why someone at their age is not as motivated to change.
I think that my situation is different, however, and Betsy readily agrees with me. There are two major factors that are motivating me to make changes for myself and my own family (aside from having had cancer!):
1) I have read soooo much that speaks to the fact that many of the toxins that exist in our environment today have come about during my lifetime.
Fact #1: According to many sources, our food supply has changed more in the past 40 years than it did in the 4000 years prior. The invention and introduction of genetically modified foods, preservatives, additives, and pesticides have all come about largely since the 1960's.
Fact #2: Prior to the 1950's, pesticides and insecticides were unheard of in cotton farming. Now, although cotton covers only 2.5 percent of the planet's arable land, 16 percent of global pesticides sales and 24 percent of global insecticide sales go into cotton production.
Fact #3: Today, cotton farmers worldwide spend a total of US$2 billion on agricultural pesticides every year. Of these chemical applications, at least US$819 million are toxic enough to be classified as 'hazardous' by the World Health Organization. Furthermore, these hazardous pesticides used during cotton production have been detected in apparel products, despite the many chemicals (such as bleach) that apparel manufacturers apply later in the production to "wash" out the pesticides.
Fact #5: Phthalates are the most commonly used plasticisers in the world and have been in use for about 50 years, primarily in combination with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make products soft and flexible.
And I could go on and on....
The issues that my generation faces today are radically different than those of our parents' or our grandparents' generations. When they were all our age, they didn't have to wonder whether the beef that they were feeding their family had been fed cattle by-products (industrial cattle farms didn't exist then -- cattle were all grass-fed), or whether the plastic bottles that they used to feed their babies contained toxic chemicals (they used glass bottles), or whether the cotton sweater that they bought at Macy's contained traces of pesticides (pesticides weren't used yet).
I am not trying to downplay the issues that their generation DID face -- some of them were quite serious and created long-lasting effects. For example, DDT (a pesticide used for commercial and residential pest control) was hugely controversial in the 60's and was eventually banned in 1972 once it was confirmed to present "unacceptable harm to human health." And, drugs like DES were commonly prescribed to prevent miscarriage and pre-mature birth until a study published in 1971 identified DES as a cause of a rare vaginal cancer and breast cancer in girls and young women who had been exposed to DES before birth (in the womb). But I don't think that anyone can argue that the changes to consumer products that have come about in the past 40-50 years are staggering. And I am almost 40 -- this is my entire lifetime! The only world that my generation has ever known is very different from the world that our parents and grandparents grew up in.
2) The second, possibly more important reason, that I feel incredibly motivated to understand the issues and to make the appropriate changes is because I have young children.
I think about the fact that someone who is my father-in-law's age (he'll be 70 this December) was in their 20's or 30's by the time many of the issues I noted above came into effect. By the time you are that age, your body is pretty much done growing. By comparison, pound for pound, children breathe more air, drink more water and consume more food than adults. The higher rate of intake means that children receive relatively higher doses of whatever contaminants are present in the air, water or food. In addition, infants have a relatively greater surface area of skin than adults, thereby increasing their potential absorption of certain compounds. Not to mention the fact that children put everything in their mouth and spend a disproportionate amount of time playing on the ground, where contaminants naturally settle or are tracked in from the outdoors.
Equally important, childhood is characterized by rapid physical and mental growth. At the beginning of life, an infant's entire biological system is relatively immature to that of an adult. Children absorb, metabolize and excrete compounds -- toxic or otherwise -- very differently than adults. Accordingly, organs which are still developing are extremely vulnerable to injury. So toxins in consumer products such as plastic bath toys, cotton pajamas or non-organic produce may have little or no effect on someone who is 70- or 50- or even 30-years-old, but might have an enormous effect on a little body that is still growing like crazy.
So, as far as I am concerned, there is no right or wrong way to incorporate all of the information that I have shared into one's life. I just keep doing what feels appropriate to me as a mom and as a cancer survivor, while recognizing that my path will not be right for everyone. I will never judge anyone for the changes that they do or don't make based on what I write -- it's not my place to judge something that is clearly so personal. I'll just keep writing (and being "Earth Girl" which is my friend, Elizabeth's, new nickname for me) and you can all just take the bits and pieces that work for your own life and ignore the rest.
Freegan-ism
My dear friend, Elizabeth -- who ranks as one of the funniest people I have ever been blessed to know -- sent me an email yesterday that said the following:
"Julie, I love that you are into all of these causes -- but if you ever become a 'freegan' I fear I'll need to host an intervention for you."
"What, dare I ask, is a 'freegan'?" I wrote back.
And, in response, she sent me the following link: http://freegan.info
Here is a portion of what you'll find on the website:
The word freegan is compounded from "free" and "vegan". Vegans are people who avoid products from animal sources or products tested on animals in an effort to avoid harming animals. Freegans take this a step further by recognizing that in a complex, industrial, mass-production economy driven by profit, abuses of humans, animals, and the earth abound at all levels of production (from acquisition to raw materials to production to transportation) and in just about every product we buy.
Sweatshop labor, rainforest destruction, global warming, displacement of indigenous communities, air and water pollution, eradication of wildlife on farmland as "pests", the violent overthrow of popularly elected governments to maintain puppet dictators compliant to big business interests, open-pit strip mining, oil drilling in environmentally sensitive areas, union busting, child slavery, and payoffs to repressive regimes are just some of the many impacts of the seemingly innocuous consumer products we consume every day.
Perhaps the most notorious freegan strategy is what is commonly called "urban foraging" or "dumpster diving". This technique involves rummaging through the garbage of retailers, residences, offices, and other facilities for useful goods. Despite our society's sterotypes about garbage, the goods recovered by freegans are safe, useable, clean, and in perfect or near-perfect condition, a symptom of a throwaway culture that encourages us to constantly replace our older goods with newer ones, and where retailers plan high-volume product disposal as part of their economic model.
Okay, while I fully admit that my blog entries of late do have an air of "anti-capitalisist freegan-ism" to them, and while I am all for recycling products which still have lots of life left in them, please trust me when I say that if any of you reading my blog ever witness me partaking in "dumpster diving," I completely endorse a massive, immediate intervention!! I'd like to think that I am creative and smart enough to actually figure out a way to deploy capitalism to help solve some of the mass-production economic ills we face, rather than resorting to "urban foraging." But who knows what these chemo drugs are actually doing to my brain, so I'll take all the back-up help I can get! :)
"Julie, I love that you are into all of these causes -- but if you ever become a 'freegan' I fear I'll need to host an intervention for you."
"What, dare I ask, is a 'freegan'?" I wrote back.
And, in response, she sent me the following link: http://freegan.info
Here is a portion of what you'll find on the website:
The word freegan is compounded from "free" and "vegan". Vegans are people who avoid products from animal sources or products tested on animals in an effort to avoid harming animals. Freegans take this a step further by recognizing that in a complex, industrial, mass-production economy driven by profit, abuses of humans, animals, and the earth abound at all levels of production (from acquisition to raw materials to production to transportation) and in just about every product we buy.
Sweatshop labor, rainforest destruction, global warming, displacement of indigenous communities, air and water pollution, eradication of wildlife on farmland as "pests", the violent overthrow of popularly elected governments to maintain puppet dictators compliant to big business interests, open-pit strip mining, oil drilling in environmentally sensitive areas, union busting, child slavery, and payoffs to repressive regimes are just some of the many impacts of the seemingly innocuous consumer products we consume every day.
Perhaps the most notorious freegan strategy is what is commonly called "urban foraging" or "dumpster diving". This technique involves rummaging through the garbage of retailers, residences, offices, and other facilities for useful goods. Despite our society's sterotypes about garbage, the goods recovered by freegans are safe, useable, clean, and in perfect or near-perfect condition, a symptom of a throwaway culture that encourages us to constantly replace our older goods with newer ones, and where retailers plan high-volume product disposal as part of their economic model.
Okay, while I fully admit that my blog entries of late do have an air of "anti-capitalisist freegan-ism" to them, and while I am all for recycling products which still have lots of life left in them, please trust me when I say that if any of you reading my blog ever witness me partaking in "dumpster diving," I completely endorse a massive, immediate intervention!! I'd like to think that I am creative and smart enough to actually figure out a way to deploy capitalism to help solve some of the mass-production economic ills we face, rather than resorting to "urban foraging." But who knows what these chemo drugs are actually doing to my brain, so I'll take all the back-up help I can get! :)
Monday, September 24, 2007
Six Down, A Couple to Go
I had my sixth chemo treatment today. Surprisingly, all of my blood counts were really good (well, "really good" for someone going into their sixth chemo cycle, anyway.) Interestingly, my red blood count was the highest that it has been since April! Something like 3.55 for all you medical mumbo-jumbo interpreters out there. Crazy, huh? I told the nurse that I was convinced that my red count would be really low given how tired I felt last week, but she said that anemia is only one of the many ways that chemo can deplete a person. Apparently, it's more complicated than that. Hmmmm...interesting. Anyway, my white blood count was fine and my platelets were back up to 119, so all was good.
When I told my friend, Kristen, last week that I only had three more cycles to do, she exclaimed, "That fantastic! Three qualifies as 'a few' and so you can legitimately say that you only have a few cycles left." She was right! And the beautiful thing is, now that my sixth cycle is done, I only have two left. And, since two qualifies as "a couple," I can honestly and enthusiastically say "only a couple more to go!" Ahhhh, music to my ears!
When I told my friend, Kristen, last week that I only had three more cycles to do, she exclaimed, "That fantastic! Three qualifies as 'a few' and so you can legitimately say that you only have a few cycles left." She was right! And the beautiful thing is, now that my sixth cycle is done, I only have two left. And, since two qualifies as "a couple," I can honestly and enthusiastically say "only a couple more to go!" Ahhhh, music to my ears!
My "Magic Potion"
I had lunch last week with my good friend, Randy. He is actually an old boss of mine from about 7 years ago (although he will probably argue that, in actuality, I was more his boss! Ha!) but we have stayed good friends since then and get together periodically to catch up on life. One of the things that I adore most about Randy is that he is extremely creative and one of the smartest people I know. Every time we get together, I find myself thinking about life in a different way -- which I thoroughly enjoy. Our lunch last week was no exception!
This whole time, I have been referring to my chemo drugs as "poison." It's hard not to, given how crappy I feel for days afterwards. But Randy suggested that I instead think of them as "potion." I love that! There is no getting around the fact that the word "poison" has only negative connotations. In fact, the dictionary lists the following description:
poi·son [poi-zuhn]
1. a substance with an inherent property that tends to destroy life or impair health.
2. something harmful or pernicious, as to happiness or well-being.
By comparison, "potion" is defined as:
po·tion [poh-shuhn]
1. a drink or draft, especially one having or reputed to have medicinal or magical powers. examples: a love potion or sleeping potion.
So much nicer, don't you think? And much more accurate, I believe. I trust my doctors...really, I do!! And as much as I kid around with them, I know that they are not actually trying to kill me (it just feels that way.) In fact, quite the opposite is true: the chemo drugs that they are giving me will ultimately save my life. But I feel like "saving my life" is just the beginning. This whole cancer experience has given me such a new outlook on life. I remember back in April when I was panicking about my surgery, I decided to go and see a therapist who specializes in treating cancer patients. During one of our sessions, she mentioned that, in Latin, the word cancer means "chaos." She uses this interpretation to help motivate her clients to think about their lives differently and to help them work toward making necessary changes at the same time that they are going through treatment. That way, when the treatment is over, their lives will ideally be better aligned with their values, etc than before. When she first asked me to think about my own life in this context, however, I really struggled. The thing is, before my diagnosis, I was really, really happy. I had a beautiful family, wonderful friends, an interesting and well-paying job, and great life/work balance. There was not much that I could think of changing. But, in these past 8 months, I have come to find that my eyes have been opened to a new way of looking at life. Cancer treatment has afforded me loads of time to think about what I really want to accomplish in life and what values I want to emulate for my children. And "standing on the precipice," facing mortality head-on, and then being afforded the chance to step back from the edge is a tremendous life motivator. The chemo treatments wipe me out physically, but somehow leave my mind fairly intact (although Pete might disagree with me on this point! Ha!) and so I find myself brainstorming all the ways that I can better combine my passions, my skills and my values so that, once I am done with everything, I can move seamlessly into a new, more fulfilling way of life. Just thinking about this "new" life makes my soul smile!
And so I believe that Randy is right: Poison could never bring about such wonderful transformation. The chemo drugs must be magic potion!
This whole time, I have been referring to my chemo drugs as "poison." It's hard not to, given how crappy I feel for days afterwards. But Randy suggested that I instead think of them as "potion." I love that! There is no getting around the fact that the word "poison" has only negative connotations. In fact, the dictionary lists the following description:
poi·son [poi-zuhn]
zən1. a substance with an inherent property that tends to destroy life or impair health.
2. something harmful or pernicious, as to happiness or well-being.
By comparison, "potion" is defined as:
po·tion [poh-shuhn]
1. a drink or draft, especially one having or reputed to have medicinal or magical powers. examples: a love potion or sleeping potion.
So much nicer, don't you think? And much more accurate, I believe. I trust my doctors...really, I do!! And as much as I kid around with them, I know that they are not actually trying to kill me (it just feels that way.) In fact, quite the opposite is true: the chemo drugs that they are giving me will ultimately save my life. But I feel like "saving my life" is just the beginning. This whole cancer experience has given me such a new outlook on life. I remember back in April when I was panicking about my surgery, I decided to go and see a therapist who specializes in treating cancer patients. During one of our sessions, she mentioned that, in Latin, the word cancer means "chaos." She uses this interpretation to help motivate her clients to think about their lives differently and to help them work toward making necessary changes at the same time that they are going through treatment. That way, when the treatment is over, their lives will ideally be better aligned with their values, etc than before. When she first asked me to think about my own life in this context, however, I really struggled. The thing is, before my diagnosis, I was really, really happy. I had a beautiful family, wonderful friends, an interesting and well-paying job, and great life/work balance. There was not much that I could think of changing. But, in these past 8 months, I have come to find that my eyes have been opened to a new way of looking at life. Cancer treatment has afforded me loads of time to think about what I really want to accomplish in life and what values I want to emulate for my children. And "standing on the precipice," facing mortality head-on, and then being afforded the chance to step back from the edge is a tremendous life motivator. The chemo treatments wipe me out physically, but somehow leave my mind fairly intact (although Pete might disagree with me on this point! Ha!) and so I find myself brainstorming all the ways that I can better combine my passions, my skills and my values so that, once I am done with everything, I can move seamlessly into a new, more fulfilling way of life. Just thinking about this "new" life makes my soul smile!
And so I believe that Randy is right: Poison could never bring about such wonderful transformation. The chemo drugs must be magic potion!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Elle Magazine Article
There is a very interesting article about the link between environmental factors and cancer in the latest issue of Elle magazine (the one with my favorite actress, the adorable Reese Witherspoon, on the cover). Here are some daunting statistics that the article points out:
> Scientists calculated that, among the 216 possible known carcinogens for breast cancer, 73 are found in consumer products or food (again, how the heck do companies get away with including these ingredients if they are "known carcinogens"? I don't get it!), 35 are in the air that we breath, and 29 are produced in this country in amounts exceeding one million pounds per year. And that's just breast cancer!
> The National Cancer Institute estimates that 90% of the roughly 200,000 annual breast cancer diagnoses are due to environmental and lifestyle factors, not genes.
The article also talks about the plastic toxins that I mentioned earlier and confirms everything that I wrote, and more. It's an interesting article -- definitely worth reading if you get a chance.
> Scientists calculated that, among the 216 possible known carcinogens for breast cancer, 73 are found in consumer products or food (again, how the heck do companies get away with including these ingredients if they are "known carcinogens"? I don't get it!), 35 are in the air that we breath, and 29 are produced in this country in amounts exceeding one million pounds per year. And that's just breast cancer!
> The National Cancer Institute estimates that 90% of the roughly 200,000 annual breast cancer diagnoses are due to environmental and lifestyle factors, not genes.
The article also talks about the plastic toxins that I mentioned earlier and confirms everything that I wrote, and more. It's an interesting article -- definitely worth reading if you get a chance.
Cast Your Votes
A couple months ago I bought myself a new sports bottle. The bottle was made by Camelback, a company which you may have heard of -- they are a fairly well-known maker of sports bottles and other sports equipment and are sold at stores like REI. I loved the design of my new bottle and figured that, by refilling the same bottle all day long I would be better able to better gauge how much water I was drinking. Our nanny, Anne, agreed and bought one for herself as well.
Well, it's too bad I hadn't finished doing my research on plastics before she and I wasted our money! I checked the bottom of the bottle yesterday and within the chasing arrows symbol was the number 7. As I mentioned earlier, 7 is not one of the "safe" numbers for plastics. I was so discouraged!! I love this bottle! I carry it everywhere! I still couldn't believe that it could be harmful and so I called the manufacturer directly to see if maybe there was some mistake. I was hoping that, even though it was labeled 7, maybe the designers had figured out a way to make my beautiful, handy bottle without the toxic chemicals I mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Not only was the bottle made using Bisphenol A, but the customer service rep acknowledged that the designers were aware that this is an issue. Why the heck did they make the product in the first place then??? Or, more importantly, why are they still selling it??
This is the part of business that I truly do not understand....How do companies get to the point that they justify continuing to make products even though they know that either the manufacturing process or the product itself will be harmful to people? Why aren't there more companies willing to say "Making products that are harmful to people or the environment are just not worth it. That is not what I want my company to stand for. No amount of profit is worth that price."?
There are obviously companies out there that have taken this stance: Patagonia, Ben & Jerry's, Bert's Bees, and Aveda to name a few. And I applaud them with all my might! The world needs more companies like this. We -- as a generation facing an ridiculously overwhelming amount of toxins in our lives -- NEED companies like this. Why are there not more?
Capitalism is a complex issue -- more complex than I can cover in one blog entry while suffering the mind-dulling effect of chemo. But I think that the high level summary of why there are not more companies like this is, until consumers start demanding products that are made in an environmentally sensitive and sustainable way and that are not harmful to our bodies, companies will continue to cut corners in order to make a profit. I am completely confident that McDonald's would be the first to jump on the "grass-fed, organic beef hamburger on organic whole grain bun" bandwagon if they thought they could grow market share by doing so! Unfortunately, at this point, "industrial-raised feedlot beef on a cornstarch bun" is cheaper. And until customers start complaining or start shifting their purchases elsewhere, McDonald's has no incentive to change.
I bought a little pocket-sized book recently called The Better World Shopping Guide. It's a great little guide that ranks companies across a number of product categories based on their social and environmental responsibility. I found the introduction to the book to be a fascinating eye-opener:
Wherever large amounts of money collect, so also new centers of power form. As trillions of dollars accumulate in the corporate sphere, we witness the growing power of corporations to shape the world. These new power centers are not democracies. We don't vote for the CEO's or their policies (unless we are shareholders), yet our destinies are increasingly in their hands. As these power centers shift, we must shift our own voices if we wish to be heard. As citizens, on average, we might vote once every four years, if at all. As consumers, however, we vote every single day with the purest form of power...money. The average American family spends around $18,000 every year on goods and services. Think of this as casting 18,000 votes every year for the kind of world you want to live in.
So, before I hung up with the customer service rep at Camelback, I cast my vote! I told him to please relay to his Sr Executives that I was throwing away my Camelback sports bottle and would not be buying any more Camelback products until they make ones that are completely safe. I told him that I have cancer and that I am not taking any chances for myself or for my family. The crazy thing is, the customer service rep then confided, "I have a four-year-old daughter and I feel the same way."
Well, it's too bad I hadn't finished doing my research on plastics before she and I wasted our money! I checked the bottom of the bottle yesterday and within the chasing arrows symbol was the number 7. As I mentioned earlier, 7 is not one of the "safe" numbers for plastics. I was so discouraged!! I love this bottle! I carry it everywhere! I still couldn't believe that it could be harmful and so I called the manufacturer directly to see if maybe there was some mistake. I was hoping that, even though it was labeled 7, maybe the designers had figured out a way to make my beautiful, handy bottle without the toxic chemicals I mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Not only was the bottle made using Bisphenol A, but the customer service rep acknowledged that the designers were aware that this is an issue. Why the heck did they make the product in the first place then??? Or, more importantly, why are they still selling it??
This is the part of business that I truly do not understand....How do companies get to the point that they justify continuing to make products even though they know that either the manufacturing process or the product itself will be harmful to people? Why aren't there more companies willing to say "Making products that are harmful to people or the environment are just not worth it. That is not what I want my company to stand for. No amount of profit is worth that price."?
There are obviously companies out there that have taken this stance: Patagonia, Ben & Jerry's, Bert's Bees, and Aveda to name a few. And I applaud them with all my might! The world needs more companies like this. We -- as a generation facing an ridiculously overwhelming amount of toxins in our lives -- NEED companies like this. Why are there not more?
Capitalism is a complex issue -- more complex than I can cover in one blog entry while suffering the mind-dulling effect of chemo. But I think that the high level summary of why there are not more companies like this is, until consumers start demanding products that are made in an environmentally sensitive and sustainable way and that are not harmful to our bodies, companies will continue to cut corners in order to make a profit. I am completely confident that McDonald's would be the first to jump on the "grass-fed, organic beef hamburger on organic whole grain bun" bandwagon if they thought they could grow market share by doing so! Unfortunately, at this point, "industrial-raised feedlot beef on a cornstarch bun" is cheaper. And until customers start complaining or start shifting their purchases elsewhere, McDonald's has no incentive to change.
I bought a little pocket-sized book recently called The Better World Shopping Guide. It's a great little guide that ranks companies across a number of product categories based on their social and environmental responsibility. I found the introduction to the book to be a fascinating eye-opener:
Wherever large amounts of money collect, so also new centers of power form. As trillions of dollars accumulate in the corporate sphere, we witness the growing power of corporations to shape the world. These new power centers are not democracies. We don't vote for the CEO's or their policies (unless we are shareholders), yet our destinies are increasingly in their hands. As these power centers shift, we must shift our own voices if we wish to be heard. As citizens, on average, we might vote once every four years, if at all. As consumers, however, we vote every single day with the purest form of power...money. The average American family spends around $18,000 every year on goods and services. Think of this as casting 18,000 votes every year for the kind of world you want to live in.
So, before I hung up with the customer service rep at Camelback, I cast my vote! I told him to please relay to his Sr Executives that I was throwing away my Camelback sports bottle and would not be buying any more Camelback products until they make ones that are completely safe. I told him that I have cancer and that I am not taking any chances for myself or for my family. The crazy thing is, the customer service rep then confided, "I have a four-year-old daughter and I feel the same way."
Monday, September 17, 2007
The Hazards of Certain Plastics
I don't know if it's specific to the San Francisco area or not (we tend to be on the forefront of environmental issues around here), but it seems that every time I turn around lately I keep hearing about the hazards of certain plastics. I am confident that rumors about plastics' detrimental impact on our health have circulated for years, but apparently, some recent studies have helped to tease apart the truth from the hype, which I am sure is contributing to the recent buzz.
There are basically two key health issues related to plastic that are important for every parent to understand:
The first issue is PVC. PVC is a chemical used to make many types of plastic products from shower curtains to hoses to IV bags. PVC is generally quite rigid (for example, it's commonly used in the construction industry to replace wood and metal) but can be made softer and more flexible by the addition of plasticizers, the most widely used being "phthalates" (pronounced thay-lates). While flexibility is obviously an attractive and necessary attribute for many products, the downside is that PVC contains the known carcinogen vinyl chloride and phthalates have been linked to reproductive birth defects, early onset of puberty, asthma, and reduced testosterone in boys. And when you begin think back and realize just how many products your children may have come into contact with which must contain these chemicals (think squishy bath toys, pacifiers, baby bottle nipples, teething rings -- yikes!) the thought is overwhelming.
The use of PVC and phthlatates for children's toys has been going on for years, but in January 2006, the European Union actually stepped up and placed a ban on six types of phthalate softeners used in making toys. The US government, unfortunately, has not followed suit. The city of San Francisco has, though: a ban on all products containing PVC, phthalates and bisphenol A which are targeted to children age 3 or under went into effect December 1, 2006. Chalk this up as one more reason why I love living in the Bay Area!
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is the second issue. Bisphenol A is found in hard, clear polycarbonate plastic such as Nagene bottles, many types of baby bottles, and other plastic containers. A laboratory study, reported in the journal Cancer Research in 2006, provided the first evidence of a direct link between low doses of bisphenol A and natural human estrogen exposures and cancer of the prostate gland. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Illinois at Chicago noted that bisphenol A was initially developed for use as a synthetic estrogen before it was later used in products. So, bisphenol A mimics the human body's natural estrogen, which alters the function of the endocrine system and can raise the risk of developing cancer. Bisphenol A leaches from food and beverage containers under normal use, but increasingly with temperature and with aging.
So, again, what is a parent to do?? Believe me, I am as overwhelmed by this information as the next parent. Plastic products were one of those things which I never really thought much about before being diagnosed with cancer. I assumed that if I was buying a baby bottle or a pacifier from a well-known manufacturer of children's products (such as Avent or Gerber) that I could rest assured these products would be safe. Isn't that the whole point of paying extra for an established brand, after all?? But now I feel like I really need to think about plastics so that I can understand the issues and make sense of the information. And I know from talking with other moms in my area that they feel the same way. So here is what I have learned so far:
1) Check the bottom of your plastic containers; many are imprinted with the "chasing arrows" recycling logo. Within this logo, you'll likely find a number, which classifies the plastic according to a recycling code. Codes 1, 2, 4, and 5 are OK, but 3 and 6 are not, and 7 usually is not, either. If the number is not specified, you can call the company to learn the type of plastic used or simply replace unaccounted-for plastics with known safe alternatives. I did this simple test and ended up throwing away a handful of products, including some plastic cups from my alma mater, Pottery Barn Kids!
2) If you must use plastics numbered 3, 6 and 7, know that the following habits increase the likelihood of toxins migrating to the surface of your plastic and posing a risk:
4) For recommendations on sippy cups and other travel mugs for kids, check out the following link: sippy cups.
5) If you are in the market for a new baby or kid's toy, check out the following website which carries only eco-friendly, safe toys: Planet Happy.
So that's what I know for now. If anyone reading this blog sends me more information (which is often the case!), I'll pass it along.
There are basically two key health issues related to plastic that are important for every parent to understand:
The first issue is PVC. PVC is a chemical used to make many types of plastic products from shower curtains to hoses to IV bags. PVC is generally quite rigid (for example, it's commonly used in the construction industry to replace wood and metal) but can be made softer and more flexible by the addition of plasticizers, the most widely used being "phthalates" (pronounced thay-lates). While flexibility is obviously an attractive and necessary attribute for many products, the downside is that PVC contains the known carcinogen vinyl chloride and phthalates have been linked to reproductive birth defects, early onset of puberty, asthma, and reduced testosterone in boys. And when you begin think back and realize just how many products your children may have come into contact with which must contain these chemicals (think squishy bath toys, pacifiers, baby bottle nipples, teething rings -- yikes!) the thought is overwhelming.
The use of PVC and phthlatates for children's toys has been going on for years, but in January 2006, the European Union actually stepped up and placed a ban on six types of phthalate softeners used in making toys. The US government, unfortunately, has not followed suit. The city of San Francisco has, though: a ban on all products containing PVC, phthalates and bisphenol A which are targeted to children age 3 or under went into effect December 1, 2006. Chalk this up as one more reason why I love living in the Bay Area!
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is the second issue. Bisphenol A is found in hard, clear polycarbonate plastic such as Nagene bottles, many types of baby bottles, and other plastic containers. A laboratory study, reported in the journal Cancer Research in 2006, provided the first evidence of a direct link between low doses of bisphenol A and natural human estrogen exposures and cancer of the prostate gland. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Illinois at Chicago noted that bisphenol A was initially developed for use as a synthetic estrogen before it was later used in products. So, bisphenol A mimics the human body's natural estrogen, which alters the function of the endocrine system and can raise the risk of developing cancer. Bisphenol A leaches from food and beverage containers under normal use, but increasingly with temperature and with aging.
So, again, what is a parent to do?? Believe me, I am as overwhelmed by this information as the next parent. Plastic products were one of those things which I never really thought much about before being diagnosed with cancer. I assumed that if I was buying a baby bottle or a pacifier from a well-known manufacturer of children's products (such as Avent or Gerber) that I could rest assured these products would be safe. Isn't that the whole point of paying extra for an established brand, after all?? But now I feel like I really need to think about plastics so that I can understand the issues and make sense of the information. And I know from talking with other moms in my area that they feel the same way. So here is what I have learned so far:
1) Check the bottom of your plastic containers; many are imprinted with the "chasing arrows" recycling logo. Within this logo, you'll likely find a number, which classifies the plastic according to a recycling code. Codes 1, 2, 4, and 5 are OK, but 3 and 6 are not, and 7 usually is not, either. If the number is not specified, you can call the company to learn the type of plastic used or simply replace unaccounted-for plastics with known safe alternatives. I did this simple test and ended up throwing away a handful of products, including some plastic cups from my alma mater, Pottery Barn Kids!
2) If you must use plastics numbered 3, 6 and 7, know that the following habits increase the likelihood of toxins migrating to the surface of your plastic and posing a risk:
- Using scratched or worn plastic containers
- Heating food in plastic containers
- Placing hot food in plastic containers to cool
- Heating foods covered in plastic wrap
- Washing plastic containers in the dishwasher
4) For recommendations on sippy cups and other travel mugs for kids, check out the following link: sippy cups.
5) If you are in the market for a new baby or kid's toy, check out the following website which carries only eco-friendly, safe toys: Planet Happy.
So that's what I know for now. If anyone reading this blog sends me more information (which is often the case!), I'll pass it along.
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