By Genie AliceCausey

Nate Causey of Tupelo, Miss., was treated for TMJ and tension headaches before doctors found the real cause. At age 34, he was diagnosed with a central neurocytoma on May 7, 2010. Unexpected and rare complications left him with several disabilities, but with hard work and determination, Nate is beating the odds every day.

His wife, Genie Alice, wants to share her experiences as a caregiver to encourage others no matter where they are in the process of fighting cancer.

This post is part of our Caregiver Week series, November 12-16.

Caregivers —despite our differences —it seems there’s one thing we all have in common: guilt.

Well-meaning friends, doctors and strangers always tell us the same things, “Take care of yourself.”

It sounds like a great idea, right? But it’s not always practical or realistic.

We feel guilty. Everyone tells us that doing these things will make us better caregivers. But whenever we take time for ourselves, we feel guilty that we aren’t doing something else.

Early on in my caregiving journey lots of people told me how important it was for me to take a night off and go spend time with my friends. The problem was, when I actually did that I was so consumed with guilt and worry that it made my stress levels worse.

As a fellow caregiver, I want to share some simple, real ways that helped me learn what it means to “take care of myself.” I’m no expert, but I’ve been there, and this is what has worked for me.

Continue reading What it means to take care of yourself, from one caregiver to another.

By Halit Uster

In 2006, Halit Uster was diagnosed with the most common primary brain tumor, a meningioma. Thorough research led him to MD Anderson and he underwent surgery. Today, he is tumor-free and credits his expert neurosurgeon and the professional, friendly staff at MD Anderson. He advises others to not take life for granted.

In December 2006, I scheduled a simple visit to my ophthalmologist to check a potential non-vision-related concern. As it is the usual practice, my vision was tested before the doctor’s exam. The vision test showed blurriness in my left eye. The ophthalmologist thought it was normal vision deterioration and, since I was not even aware of it, said there was not much to be concerned about.

A month later, I became concerned with the vision issues in my left eye and decided to get a second opinion. The optometrist said she could do nothing to correct the blurred vision and referred me to another ophthalmologist. He performed a few tests, then said I needed to get an MRI.

Well, that did it. The ophthalmologist said I had a pituitary tumor that was pressing on my optic nerve. This also explained my headaches, which I had attributed to my busy work schedule.

Continue reading My brain tumor taught me to see life’s blessings .

By Johnny Rigg

MD Anderson is one of a few cancer centers with a strong and growing ophthalmology section. We talked to Stella Kim, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery, about eye problems that may occur as the result of cancer treatment.

How often do patients undergoing cancer treatment encounter problems with their vision?
Many people experience ocular symptoms during cancer treatment. Such symptoms may include ocular irritation, dryness, redness, pain, tearing, sensitivity to light and blurred vision.

Fortunately, most eye problems during cancer treatment are relatively minor and can be managed. There are, however, very serious problems that may affect vision irreversibly. These include severe infection, inflammation, bleeding, or swelling in or around the eye.

Unfortunately, symptoms alone cannot predict what types of ocular problems the patient may be experiencing, so it’s good to have an evaluation by an ophthalmologist.

Continue reading Protecting your eyes during cancer treatment.

By Brian Rose

Brian Rose has battled melanoma for nearly three years. He has experienced multiple rounds of biochemotherapy, surgeries and radiation therapy, and participated in clinical trials. With a positive perspective and the support of his family and friends, Brian continues his journey one day at a time. He blogs about his cancer experience at www.howsbrian.com.  

A cancer diagnosis at any age presents a seemingly impossible amount of instant adversity. As a young adult, however, a cancer diagnosis can open a floodgate of scenarios that can quickly back you into what feels like a very lonely corner of the universe.

When I was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma at age 32, I was overwhelmed with fear. I don’t think it’s possible for a person to hear the words “you have cancer” and not immediately begin to consider the inevitable reality that affects all living creatures, but for you, it could come sooner than expected. On top of that, I had no health insurance and was limited financially.

Continue reading How to navigate cancer as a young adult .

By Linda Ryan

I thought I had checked cancer off my list. Having just ran my first marathon it was hard to imagine that my cancer had returned after seven years. Cancer chose the wrong woman. I was ready to battle the disease for the third time with health, laughter and friendship.

As I look forward to the approaching holidays, I feel excited and overwhelmed as most people do at this time of year.

My holidays will be very different this year. Last year, I was involved in the battle of my life. As a 43-year-old mother of two, I was battling recurring cervical cancer. I spent last Christmas in bed, sick from the effects of chemotherapy.    

Ten years ago I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, eight years ago with cervical cancer and last year, recurring cervical cancer.

When I was diagnosed last year I was in the best shape of my life. Four weeks before finding the suspect lymph node in my neck, I ran the San Diego Marathon.

Continue reading Three-time cancer survivor takes friendship to finish line.

By Andrew Griffith

Andrew Griffith has mantle cell lymphoma and had auto (2009) and allo (2011) stem cell transplants. He lives in Canada and is married with two young adult children. He blogs at www.lymphomajourney.wordpress.com, has published “Living with Cancer: A Journey,” and can be followed on Twitter @lymphomajourney.

Some lessons emerge from the experience of having cancer, all of which contribute to our overall attitude toward life and living.

In contrast to my dualities, which helped me understand what I was going through and how I was reacting - and should react - to my lymphoma treatment, a number of themes or general lessons were important to me over the longer term.

These first occurred to me about a month or so into my diagnosis, and I kept coming back to them, during good days and bad, as reminders of what I wanted to take away for the future. Thinking about these lessons during treatment, and having them to refer to in the future, is my way of ensuring that I continue to reflect on what matters as I return to “normal” life.

While my relapse threw into question whether my life would ever be “normal” again, my perspective on these lessons has remained, at least so far, remarkably consistent with my first thoughts on the subject two years ago.

Time changes
After a cancer diagnosis, one’s mortality becomes more imminent, no matter how good - or bad - the prognosis. The question of how to best use one’s time in the short, medium and long term becomes more important.

Continue reading Lessons from living with cancer.

By Brandie Sellers

Brandie Sellers teaches yoga, meditation, nutrition and cooking. She paints, writes, runs and plays with her children. She is a two-time breast cancer survivor and a divorcee.

Brandie is crazy about her three children, and is blessed with a slew of sister friends who pick her up when she’s down, keep her honest with herself when she’s full of it, and make her laugh until she cries. Follow her at http://simplelifeyoga.com/.

Cancer survivors laugh a bit at this cancer awareness stuff. Nobody is more aware of cancer than we are. It’s either in us or has been in us, and it’s all around us in the form of friends and all those ribbons of various colors.

There is a difference between awareness and marketing. Using cancer to sell products is shameful. If I see one more carcinogenic product made in China in the color of breast cancer pink I might throw up.

I don’t think there is a cancer donation police checking to make sure those companies really donate a percentage to cancer. And even if they do, they’re probably causing more harm with those awful products than good with whatever meager money they donate.

Those products are increasing awareness of their brand, not cancer, and trying to link themselves to cancer and capitalize on that. That burns me up.

Continue reading What cancer awareness really looks like.

The last thing on 64-year-old Art Hill’s mind while hiking Machu Picchu this fall is the microvascular muscle flap on his scalp.

But for Jesse Selber, M.D., assistant professor in MD Anderson’s Department of Plastic Surgery, it’s a reminder that robotics may one day improve outcomes in reconstructive plastic surgery.

Hill was diagnosed in March 2011 with melanoma at the peak of his scalp. When surgeons went deeper and wider to remove more surrounding tissue, it was vital to cover the palm-sized area.

Not only did Hill want to get back to his family and business in Boerne, Texas, but he also needed radiation treatment.

Hill is among the first patients anywhere — not just MD Anderson — to have portions of his latissmus dorsi (the large muscle under the arm that wraps around to the back) harvested robotically and transplanted microsurgically.

Continue reading Robotics could take reconstructive plastic surgery to new heights.

By Erica Quiroz, MD Anderson staff writer

Although Jamie Gilmore’s cancer has relapsed three times, she’s hoping the fourth time will be the charm to finally beat it.

Gilmore was first diagnosed at 14 years old with acinic cell carcinoma (ACC), a rare salivary gland cancer. But her most notable experience with ACC happened when she was 20.

She had pain on the left side of her face — the exact spot where she had a mass removed six years earlier — and was scheduled for surgery.

A happy surprise
“This time the tumor was all around my facial nerves,” Gilmore says. “The surgery was going to be five to six hours for removal of the tumor and then another five to six hours for reconstructive surgery.”

As Gilmore’s husband and family waited, the anesthesiologist noticed her hormone levels were elevated.

“My mom had me on a lot of natural remedies, and I thought that was why,” she says. “When the anesthesiologist came in and said I was pregnant, I was shocked.”

Continue reading Fighting cancer with hope.