I Plead With You to Stop Smoking

Ever since I was a little girl, I have disliked smoking. During student days, I used to feel miserable looking at fellow students smoking. During post-grad, I was part of a project on anti-smoking. And today, I write here in the hope that someone may read this and give up smoking for good. The reason: I recently lost someone very dear to me, to throat cancer.

 

My father’s close friend was a great guy! He was family to us and I liked him immensely. He was always very cautious about eating healthy. He walked daily for exercise. Was very social and was loved by everyone. Was extremely sensible. Had a vast experience and gave sound advice. The only thing he did not do right was smoking.

He had begun smoking early in life and was a chain smoker till he was diagnosed with advanced throat cancer. Showing a will of steel, he gave up smoking completely, for the first time. He fought hard, underwent radiation, made all the changes required and was declared cancer free. But a few months ago, his cancer came back. And this time the severity was too much for his frail body. Cancer had reached his brain. He passed away.

 

Smoking does you no good. It is going to stab you in your chest today or tomorrow.

 

I can understand that my father’s generation and men before that, smoked. There were no warnings. Not enough knowledge that tobacco could kill. The advertisements of cigarette companies were enticing. But today, we know the dangers of tobacco and smoking. The product packets themselves carry the warnings. We are seeing people die due to smoking. And still people continue to smoke.

 

 

Please allow me to say a few things about smoking.

 

• If you have a child in your house, the child smokes when you smoke. Passive smoke also causes cancer.
• If you smoke, your chances of impotency go up. Ouch! No man would want to invite that in his life.
• If you decide to have children and are smoking, you are passing on unhealthy genes to your unborn child. Let us call that killing your unborn child.
• With pollution levels going up in most parts of the world, we all are at risk of lung cancer. Why drive more nails in our coffin by smoking? The smoke needs to be reduced not increased.
• With every puff of tobacco, you are killing some of your tiny little body cells. That is murder. Those cells work ceaselessly to keep you up & about, and you are murdering them.
• Smoking kills you SLOWLY. Death will come one day to each one of us. There is no point in sketching our death to be slow and extremely painful. Cancer IS slow and painful.
• Your family needs you. Your loved ones need you. Live a healthy long life for them.
• Even if you are alone or don’t care about your family, a slow and painful cancer death is not what you would want in your life.

 

Smoking does you no good. It is going to stab you in your chest today or tomorrow.

 

Smoking causes 16 types of cancer. They are, Cancer of the:

Lungs

Mouth

Nasal cavities

Pharynx

Larynx

Stomach

Kidney

Bowel

Liver

Pancreas

Ureter

Oesophagus

Cervix

Bladder

Ovaries

Myeloid Leukaemia.

 

According to various studies:

• Lung cancer is THE MOST PREVENTABLE FORM of cancer.
• Smoking causes 80% - 90% of the lung cancer.
• Smoking causes 84% of deaths from lung cancer, and 83% of deaths from chronic obstructive lung disease, including bronchitis.

 

 

• Smoking is THE MOST PREVENTABLE CAUSE of cancer.
• All you have to do is STOP SMOKING! And your chances of cancer go down.

 

There are so many types of cancers, whose causes are not known. There is very little control that we have over these cancers.

 

But Smoking is a known and preventable CAUSE of cancer.

 

Throw away that cigarette packet in the dustbin and go for a run.

Laugh with your friends.

Sit in Meditation.

Go watch a movie.

Get out of the house and go sightseeing.

Breathe in some air. But please do not breathe in smoke.

 

I fold my hands and plead with you, give up smoking today.

 

Smoking does you no good. It is going to stab you in your chest today or tomorrow.

 

 

What Causes Cancer? How Can We Prevent It?

Cancer is still a dreaded word even though it has been around for a long time. We still do not have a complete understanding of this disease. Suddenly I am hearing of cancer cases all around me. Family, distant relatives, families of friends, colleagues, acquaintances of acquaintances, etc. Cancer is arriving everywhere. When I had a cancer scare, it seemed to have finally come home. Fortunately, it turned out to be a benign tumour eventually, but cancer has not left my thoughts.

 

Recently I lost someone very dear to me, to throat cancer. He had fought resiliently and survived it the first time, four years back. But then 4-5 months back, the cancer came back, this time with vengeance and utter ferociousness. Despite being tired and weak this time, he tried his best to fight it but he could not cope up and cancer consumed him. Another relative is slowly being consumed day by day and all that the family can do is pray. Doctors have already expressed their helplessness.

 

What really is happening? Cancer spread seems to be accelerating with each passing day. What is causing this? I have been trying to find this answer and have been scouting the Internet and reading whatever I can on this subject.

 

I have come across a lot of material. Here I am going to list a few websites that I thought had good information. And what is the point in knowing the causes of cancer without knowing the ways to prevent it? So I am also going to list some websites where I found information on this.

 

What Causes Cancer?

 

1. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/

 

This page lists out the major causes of cancer with detailed explanation.

2. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/generalinformationaboutcarcinogens/known-and-probable-human-carcinogens

 

This page mentions the known and probable carcinogens. Some of these chemicals are well known to us and some are unfamiliar. But it does give us an idea of what we can avoid to reduce our risk of cancer.

 

Can We Prevent Cancer? How Can We Prevent Cancer?

 

1.       http://www.rd.com/health/conditions/how-to-prevent-cancer/

 

Excellent resource for ways to reduce our risk of getting cancer. From foods-to-eat to lifestyle changes that help, are all listed in brief.

 

2.       http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/cancer-prevention/art-20044816

 

The seven important steps to take to prevent cancer.

 

1.       http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2012/05/01/cancer-survivors-heres-how-to-prevent-it-from-coming-back/#b20a3865319d

 

2.       http://www.cancer.net/survivorship/follow-care-after-cancer-treatment/healthy-living-after-cancer

 

These two links help with ways to prevent a recurrence of cancer once you have survived it.

 

1.       http://www.redefineyourreality.com/what-is-cancer.htm

 

This is a video link that a friend had sent. The concise three tips appear harmless if you practice them.

 

In brief, the steps that you can take to reduce your risk of cancer are:

 

1. Give up tobacco & limit alcohol (I will say, give up tobacco AND alcohol too)
2. Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes
3. Eat fruits and vegetables; drink green tea; drink smoothies
4. Reduce processed foods
5. Do deep breathing exercises
6. Reduce your stress; meditate; sleep properly
7. Limit your exposure to Sun
8. Go to a doctor if you suspect anything; have regular check-ups

 

I wish Good Health and Happy Life to all of you.

Cancer: Importance of Regular Check-ups for Early Detection

Any disease, if detected early, can be treated more easily. Even a sore throat can be dealt with faster, if detected and treated just when it is beginning. In case of serious diseases, early detection becomes more important.

Many types of Cancer can be treated easily, if detected early. But unfortunately, many cancers are hard to detect by their very nature. They come to light only when it is too late. And that is why cancer is often called ‘Silent’. It grows silently and stealthily inside without notice.

Then how do we do the regular check-ups of something that we don’t even know might exist in us?

Many early detections of cancer are ‘chance findings’. A routine visit to the gynaecologist may throw up a finding of a suspicious looking lump. It could be a cancerous tumour. A routine blood test for haemoglobin may indicate raised white blood cells. It could be blood cancer. So, never miss your routine check-ups.

Many cancers have symptoms common to not-so-serious diseases. For eg, the most common symptoms of Ovarian cancer are:
1. Abdominal discomfort
2. Abdominal bloating/ swelling
3. Pelvic pain
4. Frequent urination
In themselves, these symptoms do not look serious. Right before our periods start, many of us experience them. I had the first three, right from the time my periods first started. They were routine for me. What took me to a doctor was a rubber-ball feeling I had when I once touched my lower abdomen. I could have ignored it because it had no other suggestion. But there was a gut feeling that the ball that I felt had no business being there. On the third day, I was in a general physician’s office. My CA-125 levels were raised, my ultrasound (sonography) report pointed at a ‘solid’ mass with some fluid in cul-de-sac and other worrying indications. My CT Scan report said that the mass was malignant. On the 15th day from the day I first felt the lump, I was in an operation theatre with a gynaecologist-oncologist (gynaecological cancer specialist). I was lucky that later the biopsy said that it was an endometriotic cyst. But what if it had been cancer as the reports had said? I usually do not go a doctor easily but this time, luckily, I had not wasted time after I first felt that something was amiss. The point is, do not ignore your symptoms even if they look not-so-serious. Go to a doctor.

Our bodies have a survival mechanism in-built in them by Nature. When something goes wrong somewhere, our bodies send us signals. When we eat something poisonous, as soon as the body identifies it, it tries to expel it from the system. We throw up. When we overdo a physically taxing activity, our body pulls at us by aching. It tells us to stop before serious damage starts. Similarly, when cancer starts inside, our body tells us that something is wrong. I am not a doctor so I do not know what those exact hints are from the body but I know from experience that our bodies do talk to us. As I mentioned earlier, I used to get abdominal bloating/swelling before the start of my periods. But for last two years, this bloating stopped reducing with the end of periods. I thought that I was growing a paunch due to lack of exercise. My period cycle changed a year and a half back; it shortened from 28 days to 22-24 days. I thought that my age was changing my hormones. But when I first felt a lump in my lower abdomen, I realised that for some time now, my body had been telling me something. I didn’t catch those hints. Listen to your body, its subtle voice, its hints and its nudges. It will tell you that something is going wrong.

Many cancers, unfortunately, are detected only when they are advanced and difficult to treat.

Some common symptoms of cancer are:
Unexplained weight loss
Loss of appetite
Fatigue

Other than these, there are specific symptoms for cancer in women, in men and for specific organs. These may include bleeding, swelling, lumps, pain, frequent fevers, continuous coughing, etc…etc.
Most symptoms are quite common and occur in many other diseases. But…at the cost of being repetitive I will say… Listen to your body, its subtle voice, its hints and its nudges. It will tell you that something is going wrong.

If you have a family history of cancer, the importance of watchfulness and regular check-ups cannot be emphasised enough!

Cancer can be fought and won over. Many have survived even from fourth stage. But I hope no one has to reach that far to start treatment. Some cancers, like Ovarian cancer, are easy to treat but hard to detect. Only 20% cases of ovarian cancers are detected in the first stage. If only the remaining 80% women had been able to detect it in time! If after reading this, you decide to be more vigilant towards your body, go for check-ups and take care of your health, then my work will be done.

Ovarian Cyst Surgery; Laparotomy: Part II

After a cut and open abdominal surgery for removing a cyst or tumour on your ovary, you will be kept in the hospital for 6-8 days. This post is about the period after that and till the eighth week post op. For the period of the first week post-op, please refer my previous post, OvarianCyst Surgery; Laparotomy: Part I.

 

On my discharge from the hospital on the eighth day after surgery, I was given some instructions:

1. Eat normal, regular food.
2. Wear the abdominal belt for three months. Loosen it, if required, while eating.
3. Do not sit on the floor.
4. Do not sit/ sleep on furniture below a height of 13-14 inches.
5. Keep the sutures dry. If sweat accumulates, pat-dry it.
6. Walk. Do not lie on bed all the time.
7. No bending forward for three months.
8. No lifting heavy weights for three months.
9. No climbing stairs for three months. Climbing 6-7 stairs was ok.
10. Do not do any activity that may strain the abdominal muscles.

 

On discharge from the hospital, I was asked to come back for dressing change after 5 days.

 

At home, I took rest most of the time. But I walked whenever I could. Walking is the best exercise you can give your body at this time. It also aids in your healing. I would walk around our building in the morning and at night after dinner. During the day I would walk in the house whenever I felt like it and for the time that I was comfortable with.

 

I continued to take sponge baths.

 

Laughter is best medicine but laughing hurt a lot at this time! If at all you laugh, snugly put your arm around the abdominal belt to further support your tummy. I did this but the insides still hurt.

 

On the fifth day after coming home ie. thirteenth day post-op, I went to the hospital for the scheduled dressing change. After checking me the doctor said that I did not need dressing now. I could also take shower without any plastic tapes on the sutures but then I was to pat-dry the sutures and continue to keep them dry during the day. I was told to apply Neosporin or Betadine powder on the sutures. And to keep wearing the abdominal belt.

 

I took my first proper shower the next day and it was such a feeling of luxury! It felt good and fresh. When I took bath from a bucket, I sat on a chair in the bathroom. Within the next few days, the sutures started to dry up and their bits and pieces started falling off. Around the end of sixth week, all the sutures had dissolved/ dried and fallen.

 

Sitting and standing for long durations were difficult for me. My abdomen would swell if I did. My back would hurt. The abdominal swelling would then reduce gradually after lying down. Also, the sutures felt sore most of the time and more so after prolonged sitting or standing. Even if my clothes brushed against the sutures, they would feel bruised. This got better after the sixth week.

 

My abdomen looked completely out of shape after surgery. The cyst was on the right ovary and was big; 11cm X 9.5cm. The right side of the lower abdomen, just to the side of the incision, looked like a pouch bulging down. I had spoken to my doctor about it on the day of last dressing check and was told that the shape would come back with time once the muscles were exercised fully. Today I am eight weeks post-op and so far the bulge is the same.

 

I must mention something important here. I felt very weak in this period. I would be out of breath and exhausted with something as small as talking. I spoke to my General Physician about it and he said that I had just had a major surgery. Weakness was understandable and it would go with time. Today after two months post-op, I still feel breathless and weak most of the time.

 

I ate my normal food in this period but focussed on getting protein and iron. I also ensured to drink lot of water and juices to avoid getting constipated.

 

My first period also came during this period. It lasted for fifteen days! And I am still spotting. After the surgery, my surgeon had advised me to see a gynaecologist for taking treatment for Endometriosis as my tumour had turned out to be an endometriotic cyst. I was advised the hormonal injection Depo-Provera by the gynaecologist. The surgeon and the gynaecologist had both told me that my first few periods may be unpredictable. So I am waiting for things to settle down in this reference.

 

From my experience I would say that you will need assistance for the following once you are at home. So please make arrangements accordingly:

 

1. Washing your hair for the first three weeks post-surgery. This is because you cannot bend forward and bending your neck backwards and washing your hair yourself is a strain on the abdomen.
2. Cutting your toe nails.
3. Getting up from the bed. Getting up from the chairs should be no problem.
4. Pushing heavy doors.
5. Shopping. I avoided going to the market completely for the first six weeks as it is a risk to go in the crowd and also because it causes exertion.
6. Lifting anything heavy. For the first three weeks, even a water bottle was ‘heavy’ for me so I used to lift it with both hands to avoid too much pull on the abdomen. With time, you should be able to lift a few things at a time but listen to your body; it will tell you when something is too heavy.
7. Picking up something that has fallen on the floor. I learnt to use my toes for this! But then bottles and pillows are too big for your tiny toes to catch hold of, so ask for help.

 

I wish speedy recovery to everyone who has undergone any surgery. The first few weeks will be tough but keep your spirits up. Decide that you want to live. Decide that you want to get well fast. And you will!

Ovarian Cyst Surgery; Laparotomy: Part I

In this post I will share my experiences of an open cut Endometriotic Ovarian Cyst surgery. Information shared by many other women has helped me during my recuperation and I hope this post can be of help to others.

 

Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgery whereas Laparotomy is a cut & open surgery. I had a cut & open surgery to remove a cyst over my right ovary because prior to the surgery, my tests had come positive for malignancy. Also my cyst was partly solid and quite big; 11cm X 9.5cm. In case of cancer, the surgery is not Laparoscopy but Laparotomy because the surgeon needs to inspect all the surrounding organs to check the damage and remove whatever is affected. Thus, Laparotomy gives them a better view and ease of movement. My surgery was done by Dr Hemant Tongaonkar, a Gynaecologist-Oncologist & Urologist, at Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai.

 

Post-surgery, my ovarian lump turned out to be an Endometriotic cyst and it was not cancer but the surgery that I went through was the same that someone with ovarian cancer would have gone through.

 

When I woke up after the surgery, I had severe discomfort & pain in my abdomen. I was given an instrument where I could press a button to release an immediate shot of pain killers in case the pain became unbearable. I have to admit that I pressed it many times. I was given a vertical, mid-line incision. Single thread running stitches were used to stitch me up. The sutures were dissolvable. The discomfort caused by the big incision and the surgery was very troublesome for around 2-3 days.

 

I had a nasogastric tube in my right nostril, a catheter in my urinary tract and a drain pipe on the left side of my abdomen. Medicines and food was given to me intravenously. The anaesthesia and strong antibiotics caused vomiting even though I was not taking anything from my mouth.

 

The doctor kept asking if I had passed gas. I finally passed it on the third day. When you are given general anaesthesia for a major surgery, your intestines also go to sleep. Passing gas means they are waking up and now you can be given something through your mouth. On the third day, the nasogastric tube was removed and I was given some water to drink but I kept vomiting. You may experience nausea and vomiting till the effect of the anaesthesia starts to wear out.

 

I was also given an abdominal belt to wear on the third day. This belt protects your sutures and incision from any sudden impact and injury. It also supports the internal sutures and organs. I was told that I will have to wear this belt for three months.

 

On the same day, I was also made to rise from the bed and walk a little. For support, I was given a walker. And it was still a nightmare! A nurse and my brother helped me get up but I felt so giddy that I was not even able to balance my neck. They made me sit on a high-seat sofa with back rest for some minutes and then helped me get up for the walk. When you get up on your feet for the first time after this surgery, you will feel that you are never going to walk again but hang on; it will get better each day.

 

I was unable to stand erect because of the pull and tug I felt in my abdomen. I would suggest to you that don’t force yourself to keep an erect back. It is ok. Your abdomen is wounded and weak and wants to stay curled. Let it be. With time, the posture will correct gradually. The walk that I took was exhausting even though it was a small walk. I was given thin lentil-water to drink that day. So I was started on liquid food from today.

 

By the fourth day, my vomiting had stopped but I developed diarrhoea. This was again due to the strong intravenous antiobiotics and painkillers.

 

I was given a spirometer for exercising my lungs. I was too weak to do it so the doctor said that I could start it after a few days. I then made the mistake of completely forgetting about it for a long time. If you are given a spirometer, please use it. It helps your lungs come back to their normal capacity.

 

On the fifth day, my catheter was removed. That was a relief. And removing the catheter was a moment’s job and painless. I had started taking semi-solid foods now. The diarrhoea was still on. Every time I would eat or drink anything, I would have to ‘go’. I was so scared of eating that even though I felt hungry, I would eat only a little. The doctor told me that I should not worry about the diarrhoea; it was harmless. But staying hungry was harmful.

 

There was a big crepe-bandage kind of bandage pasted across my abdomen after the surgery. This bandage helps to keep your sutures (stitches) and the abdominal muscles together. On the fifth day, this bandage was removed. My sutures were cleaned and I was given a dressing of gauge bandage and tape. Up till now, I was being given sponge baths. Today I was given a big plastic tape to cover my abdomen and was asked to take a shower. I poured water on my lower body but sponged my upper body as I was scared that some water might seep into the tape somehow. The sutures have to be kept dry so you have to be careful. I continued to have loose motions. On the fifth day, I was also given solid food.

 

By now, I was walking around without the walker. I was advised to increase my walking time and frequency which I did but did not force myself too much.

 

On the eighth day, my drain pipe was removed. After the surgery, a drain pipe is inserted in your abdomen to drain out the fluid that collects near the surgery site. This fluid keeps seeping out from the drain pipe and collects in a plastic pouch. This drain is not removed till the daily fluid collection comes down to less than 5ml. My daily fluid collection was 200ml – 180ml and reduced slowly. On the seventh day it came down to 5ml. While removing it, the doctor asked me to take a deep breath and hold it in. Once my abdomen was inflated like this, the doctor pulled out the pipe in one swift pull. It did hurt but only for that one tiny second.

 

Once the drain pipe is removed, you will feel very relieved. It is easier to go to the toilet now, to move, to walk and also to take bath. The hole from where the pipe was pulled out was immediately covered in bandage. My suture dressing was also changed. And I was given discharge in the evening.

 

This post was about the first week after the surgery. My next post will be on the period starting from second week till eighth week, ie. the two month period after surgery. This is the period that you will be spending at home. The instructions given to me for home care are also discussed in the next post, Ovarian Cyst Surgery;Laparotomy: Part II.

A River Runs Through It

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.

I am haunted by waters.”

― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

These are the haunting words from where the title of this blog, Everything Merges, is derived. Ever since the book was published, readers have mulled over these words trying to decipher their depth. I loved them from the first time I heard them. And this post is a tribute to these words and the book.

To me the river represents Time; the constant; the eternity. Eventually, we all realise that everything is the same. It is the same Earth that runs from the mountain tops to the river beds, across all continents and oceans. All things merge into one. It is the same Universe that fills our cores. Everyone's. It is all a flow.

Sunrise.. It’s a New Day.



I woke up today morning and stood at my window, feeling not particularly cheerful. The Sun was just beginning to rise beyond a high rise building and I decided to capture the colours in my camera.

I kept looking at the colours. I noticed that gradually my mood started to improve. Sunrise is often used as a symbol of hope, new beginnings and motivation. So perhaps it was the mind’s conditioning that made me feel better. Or perhaps my muscles and cells slowly came out of their sleepy grogginess and started to feel alive. Or perhaps it was just the Vitamin D I had started absorbing from the light! Whatever it was… I felt good looking at the Sunrise.

I stood there motionless but the Sun kept moving. Millimetre by millimetre. Time kept advancing. Millisecond by millisecond. The Earth’s rhythm was being manifested right in front of my eyes. Within some minutes, the Sun was almost up. Time really does not wait for anyone!

The birds went about their chores; their biological clocks in sync with the nature. The morning walkers became visible. The number of vehicles on the nearby road started to increase. I remembered a few things that I had been postponing for last few days and decided to attend to them today itself. I closed my eyes, still facing the Sun, and the bright pink & orange hues of the sky filled my closed eyelids! The Sun was up now.

The whole of my previous day had passed and now I pondered whether my health had been better yesterday compared to the day before? Whether my abdominal surgical stitches had pained less yesterday? Whether I had done yesterday whatever I had meant to do? What was it that I intended to do today? I felt that sunrises are benchmarks of our life and another milestone of a new day was just beginning.