Burning Under Eyes

This morning I woke up with burning sensation under my eyes, right where the crust forms from the Sandman. What began as itching has turned to burning. I washed my whole face and put lotion in that area and felt relief real quick.

About a year ago, when I was getting a Taxotere infusion, one of the nurses and I discussed its side effects. She asked how my eyes were and I said runny. She asked if I felt any burning under the eyes like some of the patients were experiencing. Apparently the chemo was coming out via the tear ducts and burning the skin under the eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing back then but I think that is what is happening to me now. I’ll discuss it with the Onc when I see her in a couple of weeks.

Do you know what's lurking in your cosmetics?

I'm not a girly-girl. Meaning, I'm not all that frilly and prissy. A little... to be sure. I am definitely a woman who enjoys her femininity. But I'm not too fussy about it. Like many women, I like to look nice and to smell nice. It makes me happy. It makes me feel attractive. And it connects me to my sexier nature. I'll be honest, I'm not usually feeling too pretty when I'm bumming around in sweats and a t-shirt with no make-up and no smell-good on. I may be confident but I'm not feeling my absolute best. (and sadly... I've been spending far too much time bumming around)

But, at the end of the day, my confidence shoots up when I have my face made up well, my skin is well-moisturized and smelling sweet and tasty. Sexy looks good on me...

Since my diagnosis, I have been wondering about the additives that are in lotion, nail polish and make-up. During chemotherapy, my oncologist advised me not to use certain things on my body like hair dye and nail polish. My oncologist and my radiation oncologist suggested certain lotions that I could use to help with my skin changes and that wouldn't irritate my post-chemotherapy sensitive skin.

Cosmetics is a huge industry in this country. Women and men spend billions of dollars every year in order to look better, feel better, smell better... and for the most part, we don't give a second thought to what's in our products. I think on the one hand, we're sort of ignorant about what is actually going into our products. But also, we rely on our government, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) specifically, to protect us from harmful additives.

If you'll review the chart below, you will see a lot of words that are probably in the items in your bathroom. I don't know why companies are allowed to continue to use these items -- I'm guessing because they extend the shelf-life of the products which is a plus to the profit line. Check it out for yourself... and then consider using items that don't include these ingredients.

PS... I had to shake my head. Musk? C'mon son! How's a girl supposed to get her sexy, sultry on and musk is linked to cancer? Sheesh!

C'mon son!

The Connection Between Cosmetics and Breast Cancer (pdf)

Did you know... these famous african-americans battled breast cancer? Pt. 3

Ernie Green, retired fullback for the Cleveland Browns, business manufacturer. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005.

Shirley Horn, jazz singer and pianist. Passed away from breast cancer in 2005.

Danitra Vance, actress. Known for work on Saturday Night Live. Passed away from breast cancer in 1994.

Angelena Rice, music teacher, science teacher and mother of Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1969. Passed away in 1985.

 Margaret Walker, poet and writer. Known for the poem For My People. Passed away from breast cancer in 1998.

June Jordan, teacher, novelist, poet and journalist. Passed away from breast cancer in 2002.

Patricia Roberts Harris, first african-american woman ambassador, former Secretary of House and Urban Development, and Health, Education and Welfare. Ran for mayor of Washington, DC. Passed away from breast cancer in 1985.

Did you know... these famous african-americans battled breast cancer? Pt. 2

Robin Roberts, news broadcaster. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007.

Hattie McDaniel, actress, singer, song-writer. First african-american to win an Academy Award (Gone with the Wind). Passed away from breast cancer in 1952.

Minnie Riperton, singer. Best known for her 5 octave singing range. Passed away from breast cancer in 1979.

Naomi Sims, model, businesswoman, author. Known as the first african-american super-model. Passed away from breast cancer in August 2009.

Shirley Graham Du Bois, author, playwright, activist. Wife of W.E.B. Du Bois. Died of breast cancer in 1977.

Audre Lorde, writer, poet and activist. Died of breast cancer in 1992.

Lorraine Hansberry, playwright and author. Best known for her play, A Raisin in the Sun. Passed away from breast cancer in 1965. (aged 34)

So Long to My Taxotere Nails

My new nails have grown in aprox 60% since getting off Taxotere. Now I’m anxious to get rid of the remaining fattened and discoloured portions. I haven’t had any real discomfort in my finger nails for a few months now ... until last week. They started to feel a tender in the nail bed so I thought I better soak them BURO-SOL Powder TCD. I just don’t want to get an infection this late in the game.

I believe my finger tips are a more sensitive because of the new nails are coming in flat but the existing nail has become bowed up cause of the build up of old nail cells underneath. This crumbles away as I trim the old nail as the new nail grows in. I know... it looks gross.

Here is a pic what the top edge of my nails look like.

Obesity and breast cancer... what's the real deal?

Since my diagnosis I have repeatedly heard about the link between obesity and breast cancer. Of course, since I'm a curvy girl, this news was difficult to hear. Honestly, it freaked me out. I've spent most of the past 1.5 years in active treatment for my breast cancer and not focused on weight loss in any way. Shoot, there were many days, weeks and months when I was just happy to have an appetite and the ability to keep down what I ate.

Ahh... those days are gone now.  I can eat quite a bit now... though I do have my days when I don't want to eat. I think that is more mental anguish than physical discomfort. I lost somewhere around 30 pounds total during my chemotherapy days. It looked good on me too. (laughs) The weight loss... not the pallor. But thanks to the other parts of my treatment, the weight has come back and now I'm back to being a curvy girl like before. Not all of the weight came back, but enough.

Being a curvy girl didn't bother me so much before cancer but since I've been hearing repeatedly that obesity is linked to causing breast cancer, I've been very concerned about my weight. I don't want to do anything that may contribute to the recurrence of this cancer.

The herceptin that I had to take for a year, along with the tamoxifen that I will have to take for five years have contributed to my weight gain. These drugs work to suppress my estrogen levels. The effect is that my metabolism has slowed down significantly and... I've gained weight.

(shrug) So what? I'm still cute.

Imagine my surprise when I sat down to write this post and decided to do a little quick research about obesity and breast cancer and I see multiple reports that link obesity to post-menopausal breast cancer. Hmmm?  No one thought to make this distinction before? The link between breast cancer and obesity occurs with post-menopausal women. In pre-menopausal women it seems that obesity isn't much of a factor at all.



Not off the weight-loss hook just yet.

Understanding that obesity does have a strong link to heart disease and since heart disease is a leading killer of women. I still have work to do. Also keeping in mind that my treatment has placed some stress on my heart (but I'm doing fine, so don't worry)... losing weight still has to remain a priority for me.  However, one stressor has been lifted a bit. My curves are not likely the reason why I got breast cancer in the first place.

That's good news.

It seems that while breast cancer doesn't strike young women (pre-menopausal) as frequently as it strikes older women... when we do have to deal with it, it seems to be a different sort of issue altogether. That's good news in a way... but the problem is most of what you hear on television and in the news about breast cancer relates to the ways that older women deal with the disease.


Alright then... time to eat. :)  Told you that my appetite was back.

Did you know... these famous african-americans battled breast cancer? Pt. 1

Edward W. Brooke, Alaina Reed Hall, Diahann Carroll, Edna Campbell, Pam Grier, Richard Roundtree and Ruby Dee.... all have what in common?

Breast cancer. Scroll down for more....

Edward W. Brooke, Former Republican Senator from Massachusetts. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002.

Edna Campbell, retired professional basketball player. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002.

Diahann Carroll, actress and singer. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998.

Ruby Dee, award winning actress. Breast cancer survivor of more than 30 years.

Richard Roundtree, actor and former model. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993.

Roxie Roker, actress. Passed away from breast cancer in 1995.
(mother of musician Lenny Kravitz)

Pam Grier, actress. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1988.

Fannie Lou Hamer, civil rights activist. Passed away from breast cancer in 1977.

Alaina Reed Hall, actress. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. Passed away December 2009.