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Many patients with advanced breast cancer develop lymphoedema either after surgery or as a result of cancer itself. It is swelling on the arm, back or chest on the side of the breast surgery, and can occur at any time after diagnosis, even years later. There are four phases of lymphoedema, ranging from almost completely asymptomatic to debilitating, where it can cause severe pain and reduce a person’s inability to work or perform normal activities. The good news is that oncologic physical therapy can reduce or prevent lymphoedema in the first place. Even in patients with severe lymphoedema, it can be controlled, with complete elimination of pain and complete recovery of movement and strength.
Many patients with advanced breast cancer use herbs and supplements, as well as other treatments like relaxation and massage, to relieve symptoms. However, many patients are taking herbs or supplements that may be harmful or interact with their cancer medications. Most cancer drugs and most foods, herbs and supplements are broken down by the same liver enzyme pathways; a particular example is grapefruit, which therefore interacts with trastuzumab and paclitaxel (among many others). Two supplements that don’t appear to interact with any medications are melatonin and omega-3. Patients should always tell their doctors what supplements and herbs they are taking (and don’t forget to mention grapefruit!). However, it’s a ‘two-way street’, as doctors also need to remain open-minded or their…
BCAC’s Marion Barnett recently attended ABC7 online, an international conference on advanced breast cancer. Here is her report on a talk about integrative medicine given by German breast cancer researcher Rachel Würstlein. Integrative medicine is the combination of medical treatments for cancer and complementary therapies to cope with symptoms and side effects.
Want to get into the Christmas spirit, but tired of giving and receiving stuff that no-one really needs? The Good Registry takes the stress out of gift giving, and gives you an opportunity to help BCAC, by offering gift cards that can be redeemed as donations to a select group of charities, including us. Get your Christmas gift-giving all sorted now by clicking here.
Here’s an easy way to get Christmas gifts organised well in advance and to help BCAC at the same time. By clicking here you can buy gift certificates for those friends and family who already have everything they need, but would get a great feeling knowing they are helping women with breast cancer. The Good Registry is a great volunteer organisation set up by some Wellington women who are passionate about doing good.
When you’re caught up in the flurry of medical activity after a breast cancer diagnosis, it’s easy to lose sight of ordinary life. Things that were important, like our relationships and our sex lives, get put on the back burner. Turning our focus back onto those things, and even knowing where to start again, can be difficult.
Christmas is coming! But don’t panic – BCAC’s partnership with The Good Registry can make gift-giving easy this year. By clicking here you can buy gift certificates for those friends and family who already have everything they need, but would get a great feeling knowing they are helping women with breast cancer. The Good Registry is a great volunteer organisation set up by some Wellington women who are passionate about doing good. They issue gift certificates which can be redeemed by donating to one of their charity partners – like BCAC! By donating to BCAC this Christmas, your friends and family can help us to keep supporting, informing and representing kiwi women with breast cancer.
BCAC is now one of the charities that runners in the Auckland Marathon can support. If you have entered the marathon, or know someone who has, why not support women with breast cancer by doing a bit of fundraising on the side! Just go to this webpage to register, fundraise or just make a donation. Thank you!
New Zealanders have had a gutsful of restricted access to medicines. That’s what My Life Matters campaign organiser Malcolm Mulholland has concluded from his pre-election whistlestop tour of the country over the last 5 weeks. In meetings from Whangārei to Invercargill, patients and their families shared their experiences of being denied cancer and other medicines that they would receive free in other countries. BCAC and our members understand this struggle all too well. New Zealand still trails behind other countries badly, with 18 breast cancer medicines that are recommended in international guidelines not publicly funded here.
Breast cancer was well represented at this morning’s launch of the My Life Matters campaign. Twenty patient advocate organisations turned up representing over 1 million NZ patients needing unfunded medicines. With the tagline ‘You are one diagnosis away from moving to Australia’, the campaign is a call to action that aims to raise awareness, promote policy changes and engage politicians to ensure there is equitable access to essential medicines for all kiwis. The campaign will hold a series of events throughout the country over the next few weeks.
