Cancer for Breakfast

Nine Lives

Amy’s survived her surgery much to her charming anesthesiologist’s surprise. Stef’s onto a new treatment regimen, and so far it’s NOT a tough pill to swallow. In letters we’ve hit the gold mine…( or maybe we just mined it?): when a listener is feeling cornered by the calendar, we’re once again asking, where is the comfort in NEAD? In RATS we ponder if it’s nature, nurture or maybe a sweet synthetic compound? Could cancer actually be cured and we’re just the last to know? (Spoiler: Even the Lyme experts say that’s not true.)Dr Andrea Love’s Immunologic newsletter: https://news.immunologic.org/p/no-one-is-hiding-cures-for-cancer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Raccoon Hat

New Year, new health insurance? Amy’s finally getting that free boob job people are always talking about, but does she even want it? And hey—you know what else has no co-pay? Your letters! We want to hear about your insurance woes. In hair news, Stef’s contemplating wigs while Amy’s reunited with her long lost barber. An e-mail tease named Chad offers up his list of ways to support folks with MBC, and after losing a friend to ALS, Stef gently reminds us that support for anyone with a life-limiting illness isn’t a one-and-done. Let’s talk about medical aid in dying as a human right. The Christmas RAT’s last gasp is that benzo deep dive we promised listener Gabrielle. Happy Holidays, ya filthy animals! •Here are all the links about benzos and cancer:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5731963/https://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/association-benzodiazepine-increased-cancer-risk-is/https://www.aacr.org/patients-caregivers/progress-against-cancer/medication-used-in-cancer-care-may-be-linked-to-worse-outcomes/•Here is Al & Hannah’s documentary: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GESVph-1RYY•And here is the Death With Dignity website for those in the USA: https://deathwithdignity.org•Here is information on MAID (Medical Assistance In Dying) in Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-services-benefits/medical-assistance-dying.html•Here is Chelsey Gomez (AKA ohyouresotough) on NPR: https://www.npr.org/2024/12/18/nx-s1-5179011/cancer-ghosting-survivorship-young-survivors•And here’s where you can listen to her pod: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tough-friends-collective/id1764862769 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Treat Yo’self?

Did you catch the NPR article about us? Cancer people, that is. Or…one cancer person, whose life was—get this—changed by cancer. Amy’s also noticing that the Health section of the newspaper is…well, extremely healthy. Those of us with uninspirational stories would like some media representation, if you don’t mind! A listener—ahem, our new best friend—says it’s hard to mask as a muggle when all you can think about is the big C. And when anxiety gets the best of you, will the benzos betray you with heightened recurrence risk? What a rip. We dip a toe into the convo and promise to come back with more. Then, Beata-fying a scientist is exactly our jam. RATS herald the unlikely hero who cooked up her own treatment in a virology lab. The votive candles are already in production. NPR’s article: https://www.npr.org/2024/11/11/nx-s1-5172234/cancer-survivorship-young-patient-profileMakers Making Change: https://www.makersmakingchange.comRATS: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03647-0 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in the Cubicle

Ring ring! It’s Stef on line 2. Treatment line, that is. Sorry to leave you on hold, but we’re finally picking this thing back up. Speaking of being backed up, you may wish we’d stayed gone when Stef explains what happens when your digestive system clocks out early. Someone get this massage hating woman a massage already. Lately Amy’s been trying to side-step some side-effects, but “Not on my watch!” says…well her watch. And it’s been a minute since we complained about hormones—or Trump Supporters—but those topics are evergreen in our book. We’ve missed you, too. Throw some MSG on it and get dialed in—this episode is ready! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Walnut Colon: If I Did It

Ding dong, The Juice is (still) dead! Of cancer! But speaking of juice: how do steroids work? Afterschool specials didn’t prepare us for this. A letter asks how to find a cancer bestie when you’re a queer 40-something cancer person. Have we mentioned lately that we have a Facebook group? If you need a pal, we have some excellent candidates. Is an over sharing Cancer Kathy justified in feeling so burned from her radiation techs? See you tomorrow…or next Tuesday, maybe? In still more letters, let’s talk partner probs. Lesbianism makes its second appearance in this episode, and this time it’s a suggestion. Damn it, dental probs are contributing to colon cancer! Is Amy in a strange water-pick cult? Not again!Here’s the article on plaque and colon cancer: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07182-wand an overview of flossing vs waterpik just for fun: https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/waterpik-vs-flossing#flossingWe looked into the steroid thing: https://www.goodrx.com/classes/anabolic-steroids/roid-rage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.