Medical Conditions Archives - Me Him and The Cats

Do you know the symptoms of ovarian cancer?

Sep 302010

Until recently, ovarian cancer was known as a “silent killer” because it usually wasn’t found until it had spread to other areas of your body. But new evidence shows that most women may have symptoms even in the early stages, and awareness of symptoms may hopefully lead to earlier detection.

Here are some symptoms:

Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling or bloating
Urinary urgency
Pelvic discomfort or pain
Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea
Unexplained changes in bowel habits, such as constipation
Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate
Loss of appetite or quickly feeling full
Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist
Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
A persistent lack of energy
Low back pain
Changes in menstruation

If you have seen your doctor about any of these symptoms but have not felt any relief please consider getting a second opinion. We just found out that Tony’s mom has Ovarian Cancer and will undergo a Hysterectomy in two weeks. She had some of the symptoms for a while but didn’t think much of it, and neither did her doctor. She recently went for an MRI on her back to confirm that she had a bulging disk, and they happened to see the cancer on the MRI.

What can increase you chance of getting ovarian cancer?

Women who have the BRCA1 (Breast Cancer gene 1) mutation have a 35 to 70 percent higher risk of ovarian cancer than do women without this mutation, and for women with a BRCA2 (Breast Cancer Gene 2) mutation, the risk is between 10 and 30 percent higher.

Women with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer are also at a higher risk for Ovarian Cancer, although the risk is lower than if you had one of the BRCA mutations.

Having a family history of ovarian cancer increases your risk of the disease by 10 to 15 percent

Ovarian cancer most often develops after menopause. Your risk of ovarian cancer increases with age through your late 70s.

Women who have had at least one pregnancy appear to have a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer. Similarly, the use of oral contraceptives appears to offer some protection against ovarian cancer.

Women who are obese have a greater risk of ovarian cancer.

I am not being compensated in any way for this post – I just want my readers to know the symptoms and risk categories so they can hopefully catch ovarian cancer in themselves or family members before it spreads to other areas. I obtained information from mayoclinic.com for this post.

Will you Join? Be The Match Bone Marrow Registry (UPDATED)

Medical Conditions 1 Response »

Jul 282010

Be The Match Foundation is the new name for The Marrow Foundation.

A friend of ours was diagnosed recently with Leukemia. She has been so strong through all of it and is almost ready, once the leukemia goes into remission, for a bone marrow transplant. Every day is one step closer to remission. She recently posted on facebook how we can all register to be bone marrow donors by registering online. Even if we aren’t a match to her, we might have the chance to help someone. She had said that you could even donate painlessly through blood! Through blood? I had always heard it was a really painful procedure involving needles going into your hip area!

I headed over to the website www.marrow.org/ and read the FAQ.

Q: What is the donation process like?

A: Adult donors may be asked to donate in one of two ways:

Bone marrow donation is a surgical procedure in which liquid marrow is withdrawn from the back of the donor’s pelvic bones using special, hollow needles. General or regional anesthesia is always used for this procedure, so donors feel no needle injections and no pain during marrow donation. Most donors feel some pain in their lower back for a few days afterwards.

Peripheral blood cell (PBSC) donation involves removing a donor’s blood through a sterile needle in one arm. The blood is passed through a machine that separates out the cells used in transplants. The remaining blood is returned through the other arm.

They also have an informative Myth vs. Fact section. Below is some of the interesting stuff I learned:

MYTH:

All bone marrow donations involve surgery.

FACT:

The majority of donations do not involve surgery. Today, the patient’s doctor most often requests a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, which is non-surgical.

MYTH:

Donating is painful and involves a long recovery.

FACT:

There can be uncomfortable but short-lived side effects of donating PBSC. Due to taking a drug called filgrastim for five days leading up to donation, PBSC donors may have headaches, joint or muscle aches, or fatigue. PBSC donors are typically back to their normal routine in one to two days.

Those donating marrow receive general or regional anesthesia, so they feel no pain during donation. Marrow donors can expect to feel some soreness in their lower back for one to two weeks afterward. Most marrow donors are back to their normal activities in two to seven days.

My parents and myself are all registered organ donors. My mom and dad both donated blood and platelets until they were disqualified due to their own health issues. My mom and I give blood as often as we can. I would love to be able to take this next step and be able to donate bone marrow to someone, anyone!

When you sign up you answer some basic medial questions as well as provide your SSN and drivers licence number as well as your current address and phone number. It may seem like a lot of personal information to give out but they need it so they can get a hold of you if you ever match someone on the registry waiting for bone marrow.

Next they send you a free kit that instructs you how to take a cheek swab. Then you mail back your samples in a postage paid envelope. They will test your samples and enter you into the donor registry. They will contact you if you ever match someone in need.

If you are not comfortable registering as a potential donor, at least consider donating. It costs $100 to add a new donor to the registry. The donor does not pay anything to register. They will put your contribution to work by growing the Be The Match Registry, providing financial assistance to help patients throughout their transplant journey and advancing medical discovery to help patients live longer, healthier lives. Please visit the Be The Match Donation Page if you wish to donate! You can donate as little or as much as you would like, and it is tax deductible.

Stay informed!
Follow them on twitter @BeTheMatch
Facebook www.facebook .com/BeTheMatch
Their Website www.marrow.org

UPDATE
My tissue-typing kit came in the mail yesterday and I mailed it back this morning. In about 6 weeks they should be done testing and I will be added to the registry!

My cheek swabs ready to be packed up and mailed back!

Sarcoidosis? Whats that?

Medical Conditions, Sarcoidosis 3 Responses »

Jun 222010

When my mom told me she was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis I had no idea what it was. That was probably about 10 years ago and I’m still a little foggy about what it really is.

According to http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/ :

Sarcoidosis (pronounced SAR-COY-DOE-SIS) is a potentially fatal inflammatory disease that can appear in almost any organ in the body. Although the lungs are affected in more than 90% of patients, the disease often attacks the heart, eyes, central nervous system, liver and kidneys. Once thought rare, sarcoidosis is now known to be common and affects people worldwide. The cause remains unknown and THERE IS NO CURE.

Often, the effects of sarcoidosis in an organ are so mild that there are no symptoms and the organ continues to function well. Some symptoms could be: dry coughing, trouble breathing, wheezing, feeling tired or fatigued, itchy skin, irregular heart beat, anemia as well as many others like the ones listed here. One or even a few symptoms alone wouldn’t make you think you really had something wrong. That is why it is so important to get regular check ups and let your doctor know anything you have been feeling!

What causes Sarcoidosis?(From: http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/sarcoidosis/diseasefacts.htm)

No one knows exactly what causes sarcoidosis, but it is probably due to a combination of factors. Some research suggests that bacteria, viruses or chemicals might trigger the disease. Although such triggers might not bother most people, it is possible that in someone with the right genetic predisposition they provoke the immune system to develop the inflammation associated with sarcoidosis.

The fact that a person is more likely to develop the disease if someone in his or her close family has the disease strongly suggests that genetics plays a role. Researchers have not discovered the genes for sarcoidosis yet, but it seems likely that more than one gene is involved.

I know at one point research was indicating that bat guano had a link to those with Sarcoidosis. Sure made us think back to all the caves ( Carlsbad caverns, Lurey caverns, Howe caverns) we visited when I was growing up. My mom also grew up down the block from some sort of factory and there has been a lot of discussion lately that perhaps they were dumping chemicals into the ground. A few other people on the block also have rather rare diseases. Two of her cousins also have Sarcoidosis which supports the theory that it is genetic.

My mom constantly has kidney stones that form from calcium . Calcium is probably the one thing most recommended to women over 50 – and she has to severely limit her intake of it! That is because Sarcoidosis can cause the body to overproduce vitamin D which allows the body to absorb too much calcium. She can’t have any leafy green veggies either. She often has multiple kidney stones at once that are too large to pass so she has to have them blasted. Five mm and smaller is considered passable but shes has them get as large as 9mm! I had one once and I don’t know how big it was, but for all the pain it caused it looked pretty damn small – like a grain of sand. I couldn’t imagine having multiple stones banging around that are physically too large to pass! Her heart is also greatly affected. Sarcoidosis messes up the electrical timing of her heart from about once a year sending in to A-Fib. If it doesn’t fix itself in a day or so she has to have it shocked back into a normal rhythm. Sarcoidosis also causes 3 of the 4 valve’s in hear heart to leak “moderately to severe”.

I urge all of you to get a yearly physical, most insurance plans will cover it. While you are there discuss anything you have been feeling lately with the doctor, even if you think it is insignificant. Also make sure you know as much as you can about your family history. If you think you might forget something write yourself a list. Everytime I go in for my physical or any other sort of check up I bring a list of any symptoms – even if I don’t actually feel “sick” as well as my family history.

Raynauds? Whats that?

Medical Conditions, Raynauds No Responses »

Jun 222010

Please vote for the Raynaud’s Association! Chase is donating a total of $5 million to 200 local charities. The Raynaud’s Association helps the 5 to 10% of the population that suffers from Raynaud’s cope with this widespread but little known autoimmune condition. To get our share of the $5 million Chase is giving away, you must vote now! Vote Now!

I fall into that small percentage that has Raynauds. Raynauds causes an interruption of blood flow to the extremities when a spasm occurs in the blood vessels of these areas. Spasms are caused by exposure to cold or emotional stress. The affected area usually turns from white, to blue and then bright red. During the attack the affected are often tingles, swells or experiences painful throbbing. The attacks may last from minutes to hours. In severe cases, the area may develop ulcerations and infections, which can lead to gangrene. Luckily mine is not severe and I have never developed ulcers or infections.Many people who suffer just assume they have poor circulation or are just really sensitive to the cold and never mention the symptoms to a doctor, or anyone for that matter.

Raynaud’s is named for the French physician Maurice Raynaud, who first recognized the condition in 1862. Although it’s been over 100 years since Raynaud’s was recognized, little is still known about the condition, its cause, or its cure. Researchers are not sure if it is hereditary but my father had it, and so did his father. My dad’s sister has Lupus which can sometimes trigger Raynauds.

I knew something was wrong one day when I walked into work in the summer holding an iced coffee and my fingers were throbbing. I looked down and my fingers were completely white. As blood flow returned to normal the pain was almost unbearable. My hands and feet had always been cold, and I have always hated a fan blowing right on me. I brought it up to my doctor and he printed out tons of information for me. There are also studies that show a link between Migraines and Raynauds but they aren’t sure if one causes the other or if it is merely coincidental. My doctor sent me for a full range of blood work to rule out any other diseases that have Raynauds as a symptom. Scleroderma, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis all have Raynauds as a component of the disease. Luckily I had no other condition so I was diagnosed with “primary” Raynauds. If you have another condition as well as Raynauds then they consider you to have “Secondary” Raynauds.

I encourage you to read this great FAQ that the Raynauds Association has put together. Click here to read the FAQ

In the coming days I will be posting reviews of products I have found that help cut down on Raynaud attacks. The reviews are not sponsored, and I paid for them with my own money. The companies did not ask me do do the reviews, I just want to help other sufferers ( or people who just have cold hands/feet) find products that work!

My ValueRays® Mouse Hand Warmer Review