You’re a cancer survivor: Now what?
The National Cancer Institute says that in 2016, 15.5 million adult Americans were alive after a diagnosis of cancer. That number will hit 20.3 million by 2026. And a report from the Institutes of Medicine, “From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition,” found that while 62 percent of cancer survivors had their cancer diagnosed within the previous 10 years, 19 percent of female cancer survivors were diagnosed 20 or more years ago. Eight percent of male cancer survivors were diagnosed that long ago.
Clearly, there are a lot of folks dealing with the physical and emotional repercussions of cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. If that’s you or a loved one, it’s vital that the emotional toll it can take is addressed and managed, just like you manage ongoing medical care by getting regular exams/screenings to check for recurrence or another health issue.
You do that, right? Unfortunately, you don’t all attend to the ongoing medical supervision that’s so essential to head off any developing problems or recurrence. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center found that one year after surgery for breast cancer, 13 percent of the women had not had a follow-up mammogram. After five years, only 50 percent of the women had had at least one mammogram each year.
What everyone needs to understand is that challenges to your emotional well-being also challenge your physical health. Stress fuels inflammation, immune system problems and heart disease, and may make you reluctant to get those follow-ups.
It’s estimated that up to 58 percent of cancer survivors deal with depression and up to 23 percent experience bouts of anxiety. According to a 2014 study by researchers from Wake Forest School of Medicine, “Cancer diagnosis and treatment may be accompanied by profound physical, emotional, social, occupational and financial stressors, as well as associated increases in anxiety and depressive symptoms.”
Many folks also contend with what the Harvard Mental Health Letter calls the “Damocles syndrome”: Like a sword hanging over your head, you may worry about recurrence. That makes every checkup scary and every insignificant skin bump or gurgle in your gut seem like a bad sign of something.
That’s why it’s important to embrace the following three ways to help you make surviving a time for thriving:
1. Upgrade your lifestyle habits. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends you stay away from tobacco (including second- and third-hand smoke); limit alcohol intake, eat lots of fruits and vegetables; maintain a healthy weight; and be physically active.
2. Stay in touch with your docs and get all recommended followup and screening tests.
3. Practice stress-management techniques like meditation, guided imagery or deep breathing, etc., at least once a day. Consider group or individual talk therapy.
There are patient- and counselor-led groups at medical centers, such as the Cleveland Clinic’s 4th Angel Mentoring Program, an initiative begun by figure-skating champion and cancer survivor Scott Hamilton, to provide patients with free, confidential, one-on-one advice and support from a trained volunteer. Online, CancerCare.org offers support groups lead by oncological social workers, with “Caring for a Loved One Who Is Post-Treatment Support Group”; “PostTreatment Survivorship Support Group; and “Young Adult PostTreatment Survivorship Support Group.” Some institutions, such as the Penn State Cancer Center, also recommend creative writing or art classes to help you express your feelings.
There also are adjunct activities that help ease emotional distress, like a reflection program (many cancer centers have setups) where you can experience reiki, reflexology, oncology massage, plus facials and makeup lessons to help deal with appearance-related side effects of treatments. In addition, some hospitals offer shared medical appointments for patients after breast, prostate and other cancers (these are covered by almost all insurance programs). In six or seven sessions, you’ll learn survivorship behaviors.
Programs like this exist all throughout the U.S. and Canada, but you have to ask about them. Take advantage, survivors!
The salmon burger for strength building
There are a lot of you out there — more every day, it seems — who are finding out that you’re either intolerant of or allergic to lactose (the sugar in milk) or cow’s-milk protein. Lactose intolerance causes digestive woes ranging from gas to nausea and diarrhea. And according to our friend Dr. Andrew Weil: “Casein (a milk protein) can irritate the immune system and stimulate mucus production, worsening allergy symptoms. This … is why cow’s milk consumption is associated with recurrent childhood ear infections, eczema, chronic bronchitis, asthma and sinus conditions. People who have autoimmune diseases or digestive problems may find that their symptoms improve when they eliminate cow’s milk and milk products.”
Now, we recently wrote that whey powders are a great source of protein for seniors who are sidelined by an illness or injury and need to regain muscle mass. And for many of you that’s true. But if you’re saying “no whey!” (some whey powder contains a bit of lactose and sometimes cow’s milk protein), we have a great alternative for you.
Dr. Mike has always been an advocate of salmon burgers — he loves having them for a protein blast (and their supply of omega-3 fatty acids). As he says in his book “What to Eat When” (out Dec 31): “Stop stereotyping foods: Have a salmon burger and beans or maybe a salad with chicken and veggies for breakfast.” You can look up Dr. Mike’s favorite salmon burger recipe at DoctorOz.com/recipe/salmon-burger.
Q: I got the shingles vaccine in 2016 and thought I was done. Now I hear there’s a new one that’s better. Should I get it?
A: For most people 50 and older, the best way to avoid getting shingles is to have this new vaccine, even if you’ve received the previous inoculation or have had shingles before. The latest version of the vaccine is called Shingrix; the version you received in 2006 is called Zostavax. Both protect you from the varicella zoster virus, which is the same virus that gives you chickenpox. (If you got the old vaccine within the past five years, it shouldn’t be a deterrent to getting this new one, but ask your doc.)
Zostavax is a live attenuated vaccine that’s given as a single injection. Shingrix is a “non-live” vaccine. It takes two doses of Shingrix — the second comes two to six months after the first. It’s smart to schedule your follow-up shot right after you get your first one, because this is a very popular vaccine. After it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2017, the manufacturers could barely keep up with demand. Some folks who waited to schedule a follow-up injection had to wait past the recommended six-month followup period, and it meant that they didn’t get the optimal protection they could have. (You can find a vaccination source at Shingrix.com or vaccinefinder.org.)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Shingrix vaccine is safe and 89 to 97 percent effective for adults over 50 (that’s more effective than the earlier one). But there have been side effects reported in about one out of six people that “prevented them from doing regular activities.” The side effects usually fade after two or three days, and they beat the heck out of the alternative — battling shingles.
Shingles causes a painful rash that can last for months and be debilitating. Before this vaccine, it was estimated that as many as one in three people would get it at some point, so do yourself a favor, and check with your doc to schedule the new, more effective inoculation.