Many persons with cancer feel anxious, afraid, and sad. They feel a sense of loss of their health and the life they had before they learned they had the disease. Even when finished with chemo, chemotherapy or radiation, one may still feel sad. This is a common response to any serious illness and these feelings might include fear, sadness, anxiety and depression. It’s also natural to also feel upset and frightened sometimes. Albeit, being positive and thinking positively can help one cope with cancer.
Tennessee’s high cancer rates are expected to claim 14,530 lives in 2024. Numerically, there are 25.7 cancer cases in DeKalb County out of 100,000 persons per year. And, I have several friends in these totals. Bet you do too.
The top cancers in DeKalb County, by order are lung, female breast, prostate, colorectal and urinary/ bladder. Exponentially, prostate cancer occurs only in men; breast cancer is applicable to both sexes; colorectal cancer can be detected with a colonoscopy; and, urine/bladder cancer can be determined microscopically by a urine check. Also, lung cancer can be detected by a chest x-ray. The presence of blood in any of the above organs is a very serious cancer sign and needs to be checked by a medical professional immediately, wrote The Mayo Clinic.
Today, doctors are able to cure many cancers. “But some cancers can return many years later following the first (sic) treatment,” expressed www.cancerresearch.com.
“Like much of the rest of the south, Tennessee continues to see high rates of lung cancer. Cigarette smoking causes about 30% of all cancer deaths nationally, but drives 40% of all cancer deaths in parts of the South and Appalachia,” wrote www.tennesseelookout.com. Just last week, Angie Meadow’s minister, Bobby Layne Hale of Liberty, TN, died from lung cancer.
In a recent report from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the summation is as follows: “In 2020 in the United States,1,603,844 new cancer cases were reported and 602,347 people died of cancer. For every 100,000 persons, 403 new cancer cases were reported and 133 persons died of cancer.” The year 2020 is the latest year of complete and tutelary record-keeping. In continuation, “Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States exceeded only by heart disease. One of every five deaths in the United States is due to cancer.” While documented, a person can live with cancer symptoms for 10 years before complications begin and it is diagnosed. This is true for pancreatic and ovarian cancers, both of which have already spread throughout the body before each can initially be medically detected.
Now the good news. According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 40% of all cancers can be preventable. The ways to help prevent cancer are:
· Get your Vitamin D level tested. It is very important in preventing cancer. 41% of all adults are Vitamin D deficient.
· Skip the second (or third) beer. There is a 50% increase of breast cancer by not stopping.
· Limit shift work if you can. Working the night shift has a higher risk of obtaining breast cancer.
· Cut back on the BBQ. Barbecuing or frying causes cancerous carcinogens.
· Feed the good bacteria. Bacteria, fungi, and other microbes in the digestive system are now thought to increase cancer risk.
· Just stand up! People who spend most of their day sitting are at a higher risk of developing colon and endometrial cancer than folks that move around and exercise daily.
· Practice safer sex. This doesn’t apply to me. However, certain strains of HPC, a sexually transmitted virus can cause vaginal, vulvar, cervical and throat and mouth cancers.
· Check your indoor air quality. About 1 in 15 U.S. homes have elevated levels of radon – a colorless, odorless natural gas that seeps up from the soil and can get trapped indoors. There are radon detectors available for sale, much like smoke detectors.
· Skip television tonight. Women who watch more than two hours of television per day have a 69% chance of getting colon cancer before age 50.
· Hit Starbucks in the morning. Antioxidants in coffee and green and black tea have been shown to protect cells against DNA damage that can lead to cancer.
In DeKalb County, the number one symptom of cancer is “extreme fatigue that doesn’t go away.” The hardest cancers to detect are “pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, and ovarian cancer.” Additionally, most cancers cannot be detected in routine blood work. In Tennessee, Cumberland County (Crossville) has the highest yearly number of cancer cases.
Locally, the former Federal Mogul (Nuturn) plant once emitted asbestos fibers into the air, but now has been stopped by Tenneco and replaced by a non-toxic chemical. Additionally, pesticides are used in the growth and protection of nursery stock grown throughout the county and within adjoining Tennessee counties – The Nursery Capital of the World. Spraying chemicals for tobacco, etc. also are in these same categories. It is a proven fact that asbestos and pesticides are cancer triggers, wrote WebMD.
The words “cancer” and “chemotherapy” follow each other. I wondered, “How does chemotherapy treat cancer.” The answer follows: “Chemotherapy is a systemic medication, which means travelling through the bloodstream and reaching all parts of the body. There are many types of chemotherapy treatments – intravenously (IV), pill, capsule or liquid, by injection (shot), or a skin cream. A highly-trained medical team will work together to give a person the best possible care – from oncologist (physician qualified to treat and diagnosis tumors) to nursing. Chemotherapy is accomplished by injecting a needle into a vein or by using a temporary injected port, allowing strong healing chemicals to enter the body. Insertion of the port keeps one from being “stuck” for the many additional chemotherapy treatments. One physician expressed that the treatments today were much better than yesterdays – having more effective nausea medications, supportive care, extra caregiver times and jobs, help with finances, and allowing additional help at work.” The time for most cancer treatments depends on the types, location and severity of the disease at any given time.
Chemotherapy weakens your blood system and also may make you tire more easily.” By drinking lots of fluids, you’ll be moving the drugs through your system faster. Following your treatment, it will be time to return home. “Sometimes, chemotherapy treatment is ongoing as a maintenance therapy,” wrote www.cancernet.com.
In summation, chemotherapy is the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy works by keeping cancer cells from growing, dividing, and making more cells. Radiation is another form of cancer treatment. This treatment uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy almost always uses direct X-rays. But other types of radiation therapy exist, including protein radiation. Modern methods of radiation are precise. The chemical beams are aimed directly at the cancer, while protecting healthy tissues from high doses of radiation. It is used to treat every type of cancer. The overall bodily systems with radiation are hair loss and skin irritation at treatment site and fatigue. You must lie still during treatment, which includes a machine that encircles your body with radiation, thus the treatment lasts from 10 to 30 minutes. The above information was taken from www.mayoclinic.com. Additionally, the radiology beams impact strength is the same as general x-rays. It does not hurt, sting, or burn when it enters the body. On the other hand, chemotherapy treatment is known for inducing several side effects.
The following is a prayer for all cancer patients:
“Dear Lord,
We ask with all our heart, please touch these special lives. Bless them with courage and hope, and may all find solace in your loving embrace. Heal them in body, mind, and spirit. Let their hope shine a hallowed light that burns forever to honor their spirited fight.”
Cancer services in DeKalb County, Tennessee are:
· Tennessee Oncology, Smithville Clinic
Dr. Dana Thompson, specialist in medical oncology (cancer) and hematology (blood).
518 West Main Street
Smithville, TN 37166
(615) 597-6775
Open weekdays: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
· Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital
Offers various cancer services,
520 West Main Street
Smithville, TN 37166
(615) 215-5000
Open: 24 hours daily, including weekends.
