Cancer Thoughts

Cancer...the word is becoming all to common in today's society. Honestly, ask yourself how many individuals do you know that have or have been affected by cancer. In my world, that number is all too high given the number of clients that come in and out of our doors and that's not including those individuals that I am not aware of. I think the last estimate that I read was 3-4 out of 10 individuals are affected by cancer in some fashion. That is 30-40%, which may be a low estimate.

A couple of weeks ago, I had to report to my doctor for my yearly cancer re-evaluation. I was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2006 and have been in remission since then. This would be year number 6 in remission if all went well. Those affected by cancer directly know what it is like going in for this annual or bi-annual examination. The fear, the worry, the sleepless nights the week before wondering what the findings would be. I have to admit that I do have one advantage in that I am able to evaluate myself throughout the year if I felt a problem was present. I had no problems the year prior and all my own testing was normal. I had no reason to fret, but yet I still did. Sitting in the lobby of the doctor's office was difficult as well as the time spent waiting in the exam room. The triage nurse had commented that my blood pressure was slightly elevated. Gee...I wonder why?
The funny thing is that I soon found peace as I was awaiting the doctor. How? I realized that we literally create what we fear. I changed my mindset and focused on a good outcome, which I knew was reality. The peace then followed and soon I was scheduling my next yearly exam with a clean checkup.

When I was diagnosed in 2006, it was a traumatic event for everyone involved in my life. I look at my diagnosis as a positive turning point in my life, which interestingly enough I am not alone in feeling this way. Many cancer patients report that their cancer diagnosis was a "wake up" call and a life changing event, resulting in positive outcomes on different levels. Out of everything bad comes something good. My change was that I realized how much emphasis I was placing on work and so little on my family. I realized how the stress in my life was impacting me physically and mentally. I realized that a change was in order. My diagnosis also led me to the development of our Cur-OST line of products, which were based on a formula that I developed to aid in my own recovery. We learn so much throughout our lives and I am just pleased to share what I have learned with others.

The topic of cancer is its own blog and too lengthy to get into here. There are a few interesting points that I'd like to make if possible. I encounter several individuals (humans) with cancer as they come in with their pets or horses. The one thing that I have noted with the majority of them is that their doctors are not discussing the importance of their overall health in their recovery. This includes diet, reducing environmental stressors as well as exercise. The patients literally feed off of every word their doctors says and follow their instructions explicitly. Too much is known about the influences of stress, poor health and poor diet on cancer development to ignore. The patients are exposed to deadly chemotherapy and radiation, but little is done to aid in that patient's recovery. It is sad to me to hear the patient's stories as they visit our clinic and my words of advice are often ignored. In end, no matter what your illness or diagnosis...I firmly believe that you have to be your own advocate in your treatment. Research your condition until you are exhausted. Investigate the treatments, their side effects as well as success rates. Look into alternative therapies and consider all your options.

We owe it to ourselves as well as those in our family to do everything possible to ensure our optimal health. I just recently discussed this topic with a client that was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma. I visited his farm to care for his horses and noted that he was not the individual I had remembered from the fall. He was winded and overall tired, not to mention pale. We discussed his condition and the fact that his doctors had attempted various treatments with no results. In the end, I believe he felt he was left with no options to improve his condition. He had made the comment that his doctors didn't seem to care or offer any suggestions. That is a tough pill for me to swallow as a caregiver myself.

I hope and pray that cancer has not affected you, but if it has, think things through. Do you have thoughts on cancer?? I'd love to hear them. Email me!

More thoughts on cancer to follow...

Yours in health.

Tom Schell, D.V.M.
tschelldvm@gmail.com