Move Beyond the Guilt When Caring for a Mesothelioma Patient

In the days and weeks following Dad’s diagnosis, I found myself looking around at other people who weren’t dealing with mesothelioma and feeling jealous. I remember thinking that they were able to live their lives uninterrupted, unchanged, when my whole world had just been turned upside down. Then, I began to question things; how will I ever be able to smile again, how will I do my job again, how will I ever be able to do anything “normal” again?

The answer took me a long time to realize, but it was quite simple. You just do. At that point in my life, I would have loved to trade places with anyone else who hadn’t just found out that their father had cancer. I wanted to run from it and pretend that it never happened. But those things weren’t possible. It was time to “be a big girl” and face my new reality head-on.

There was so much to do and figure out, especially once we decided to go to New York City. Planning and being in a strange place seemed to distract me enough to focus my attention on what was important. Prayer brought me comfort and solace. My family and friends brought me strength. God brought all these things to me.

Once the surgery was over and we were back home, I wasn’t sure how to move on from all the trauma that my family had experienced. Adjusting to a new lifestyle was difficult. It’s easy to let yourself fall into a pattern of guilt. Why do I get to continue with things “business as usual” when Dad has been faced with this disease? How do I continue to live three hours from my parents while they are in such a tough spot?

Again, these answers took me a long time, and it was a more complex response. First, Dad wanted all of us to get back to our normal lives and not dwell on the mesothelioma, just as he wanted to move on from it. Secondly, you cannot let your life be completely consumed by a diagnosis.

Do I worry about Mom and Dad every day? Absolutely. Do I help with anything they need as much as possible? For sure. Do I feel guilty for living my life? Sometimes, but by and large, no. I was an emotional wreck for quite a while, and I really think that me getting back to my normal life was a huge relief for Dad. Mom and Dad know that I would drop everything for them at any moment and help them with whatever they need. That is what’s important. The love I have for my family, and they for me, is amazing.

I have said previously that before you can take care of someone else, you have to take care of yourself. That remains true in this situation. Be happy, be there for your loved one, and be present in every moment. Don’t feel guilty for living the life that God gave you – that’s what He intended it for!

Mesothelioma Patient Manages Memory Loss and Forgetfullness

Many years ago, I read somewhere that having anaesthesia caused the death of brain cells, especially those associated with memory.

Unfortunately, over the years since I turned 30-years-old, I have undergone quite a few surgeries. Five to treat endometriosis, including a hysterectomy, and then my gall bladder was removed. For mesothelioma it was three surgeries, one which had me out for some eight to nine hours.

Now, the latest findings report that chemotherapy can also cause memory loss and forgetfulness. Some people call that “chemo brain.” I have had 13 doses of chemotherapy, not as many as some, but more than others. On top of that, I take morphine and pregablin, both of which can adversely affect your memory.

I used to pride myself on being able to remember dates, events and information that was important to my job and things important to my friends. I would multitask at work without thinking. Today, things have really changed. No longer do I bounce between three different programs, do what I need to and take a telephone call at the same time. I have to focus my full attention on just one thing at a time. If I do talk to someone on the telephone when I am in the middle of doing a task, I forget completely what the task was. And once I go back to what I was doing I forget what I was asked to do on the telephone!

Emailing: how can you possibly forget things when you email? But when you have email accounts for work and various personal accounts, you forget which one you have used or whether your emails are in Outlook, Gmail or Windows live! You spend more time searching for things than you do reading them.

This happened the other day. I received an email requesting information on mesothelioma. I opened it on my iPad and thought I would answer it on my computer. Because I had opened it on the iPad it didn’t show up as unread mail on my computer, and I never answered it. Two months later I am clearing my emails into folders and I found it. I had to apologise profusely for not answering sooner.

My husband thinks my memory loss is quite good because he can get away with things. If he has forgotten something on the grocery list, for example, he says I never told him. Of course I can’t say I did because I am never sure whether I told him to add things or not.

These are just simple trivial things, but seriously this memory loss can be bad. It isn’t just long term memory that comes and goes but short-term as well. I was asked to ring a friend as I was leaving the room, I passed the telephone but the thought had completely gone. An hour or two later my friend rang and said, “I thought you were ringing right back, what happened?” If this had been an emergency, it could have had serious consequences.

The other strange thing is your memory does start coming back. Unfortunately for me, just as I start to improve, I have found that I am back on chemotherapy and the memory problem resurfaces.

I guess what I am trying to say is to you that this is your “new normal” if you have undergone surgery and/or chemotherapy. Maybe you will be lucky and it does not have an effect on you, but if it does, all I can tell you is to try and remember to make notes, and then keep your note pad in the same place!

Two Gene Therapys Brings Hope to Mesothelioma

University of Hawaii Researchers’ Glowing Bunnies May Someday Bring Genetic Therapy to Mesothelioma Patients

Fluorescent protein taken from a jellyfish DNA and injected into a rabbit’s embryos has produced a litter with several glow-in-the-dark bunnies. Although to many, this may seem like science fiction, to researchers, scientists and physicians this means more effective medicines and cures for diseases like hemophilia, Alzheimer’s, and cancers such as mesothelioma, may be on the horizon.

According to a press release, a team of researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the University of Istanbul in Turkey used transgenesis to take a genetic marker from one animal and introduce it into another that did not originally have the gene – in this case, from the jellyfish to the rabbit. Although two of the newborn bunnies were left with an eerie glow when seen under black lights, they are otherwise perfectly healthy and are expected to lead full rabbit lives.

Now, the researchers are awaiting the birth of glowing lambs anticipated to be born in November. The same experiment was conducted in the larger mammal to forward the process towards work with humans.

Unfortunately, this type of work is controversial in the United States, and the experiments are being conducted in Turkey. In an interview with KHON2 of Hawaii, Dr. Stefan Moisyadi, lead researcher from UH, said, “At home, there is this hysteria that transgenic animals should not be used for anything.” But he adds, “The benefits in doing it [the experiments] in large animals is to create bio-reactors that basically produce pharmaceuticals that can be made a lot cheaper.”

Gene therapy has been touted as the “new frontier” in medicine and is offering hope to patients and doctors alike that once untreatable diseases, including mesothelioma, may now be cured. The cost, however, is often extremely high. Dr. Moisyadi told Independent.co.uk, “we can make those enzymes a lot cheaper in animals with barrier reactives rather than a factory that will cost billions of dollars to build.”

Tracking Asbestos and Other Environmental Pollutants

Mesothelioma is just one of the diseases that is caused by exposure to environmental pollutants. The National Cancer Institute explains that when asbestos fibers are breathed in, they may get trapped in the lungs and remain there for a long time. Over time, these fibers can accumulate and cause scarring and inflammation, which can affect breathing and lead to serious health problems. Mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis are all associated with asbestos exposure.

The research with glowing animals can also be used to help track pollutants as they travel through the body. Researchers from the University of Tennessee have developed transgenic bioluminescent zebrafish that were engineered exclusively to emit a glow when elevated levels of ammonia or nitrate are present in the aquarium and enter the fishes’ bodies. These “environmental reporters” can lead the way to produce other processes that can detect a large number of chemicals or toxins, potentially screening processes.

While all of this research still requires many more years of studies and work in the labs, genetic research appears to be pointing to many promising breakthroughs in the medical field.

About the Researchers

UH Emeritus Professor Ryuzo Yanagimachi who is the founder of the UH Manoa Institute for Biogenesis Research helped set up the initial experiment with the Turkish researchers. Yanagimachi, according to UH, is “recognized around the world as the scientist whose early work with animals laid the foundation for the development of in vitro fertilization in humans.” He also invented the now common technique used in fertility clinics for inserting sperm into an egg. Dr. Stefan Moisyadi, associate professor, then took over the experiment and is the lead researcher on the project.

Know more about Mesothelioma here.

Sources:

University of Hawaii at Manoa
http://www.uhm.hawaii.edu/news/article.php?aId=5906
Independent.co.uk
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/team-of-scientists-create-cloned-glow-in-the-dark-rabbits-8756928.html
KHON2 of Hawaii
https://www.khon2.com/news/local-news/researchers-study-nature-of-sharks-in-hawaii-waters_2018030911381013/1025616452

Mesothelioma Patients Encouraged to Take the Time to Celebrate Life

For every person, not just those impacted by mesothelioma, each day is a cause for celebration. It is a chance to do things that you enjoy and be with people that you love. I once heard someone say that each day is another chance to “get it right.” What a profound statement! God gives us such a beautiful world full of things that we take for granted on a daily basis. It’s time that we really celebrate life!

Throughout Dad’s journey with mesothelioma, every milestone has been celebrated in some way. When he arrived home from his surgery at NYU Langone he came to our house first. We were greeted with a full refrigerator, dinners, gifts and visitors. At his home, there were balloons, cards and visitors.

When his chemotherapy was finished, there were cards. At the end of his radiation treatment, there was a party (that was sort of foiled when Mom and Dad arrived home a day earlier than planned) with cake and family. Every day, no matter the situation, you can find something to celebrate!

They say that getting life changing news, such as a mesothelioma diagnosis, can make or break you. Don’t let it bring you down! Every trying situation is an opportunity to better yourself and to find a valuable lesson in it. ’m not saying that every single day of your life will be rainbows and sunshine, but there can be good found in every obstacle. Trust God, rely on your faith, and He will bring you through!

NC State Research Could Lead to New Method of Treatment for Mesothelioma

The science around microRNAs is in the news again after North Carolina State University researchers report they have discovered a way to identify cancerous cells that could lead to “new methods of disease detection and treatment.” This comes on the heels of a fast-tracked Australian mesothelioma clinical trial that manipulates microRNAs to treat the cancer.

microRNAs, or miRNAs, are tiny molecules found within cells that serve a function in primary biological processes such as organ development, fat metabolism, cell proliferation and death. When miRNAs function properly, a person remains healthy. However, “disregulation” of miRNAs can lead to diseases, including mesothelioma and other cancers.

Directing Cancer Treatment Through microRNAs

Although other researchers have conducted basic DNA mathematical computations in test tubes, NC State researchers set out to attempt DNA-based logic computations to detect the presence of specific microRNAs in living human cells. According to a press release from NC State University, by performing these Boolean computations, when two miRNAs are present in a cell, the scientists could direct the output to release a “fluorescent molecule.”

In practice, however, instead of creating a glowing cell, “we could attach therapeutic agents that are released to treat the disease itself,” said NC State chemist Alex Deiters and co-author of the study.

When two conditions are met, as shown by the result of an “AND” Boolean computation when two specific miRNAs are present indicating cancer, the result could be “to release a drug that could kill a cancer cell,” said James Hemphill, Deiters’ graduate student and co-author of the study, according to the News & Observer.

How Can This Benefit Mesothelioma Patients?

Mesothelioma, the signature cancer of asbestos exposure, is difficult to treat due to its aggressive nature which often fights off even the strongest of medicines. Although chemotherapy is the primary treatment modality for the cancer, it has shown to be chemo-resistant at times, eventually rendering the treatments ineffective. One way oncologists can combat resistance to treatments is to target them specifically to the person’s unique genetic characteristics and the unique characteristics of the mesothelioma.

Ricki Lewis, PhD, geneticist and author of The Forever Fix, said in an email interview, “Cancer isn’t just one disease, it is many, and even within the same patient, a cancer’s characteristics change over time.”

http://blogs.plos.org/dnascience

One reason cancer is dynamic is because of microRNAs. “microRNAs orchestrate the turning off of certain genes as a cancer grows, invades, and spreads,” said Ms. Lewis. In fact, due to their intricate role in gene regulation, many leading scientists refer to miRNAs as the “master maestros of the genome.”

When asked about the importance of NC State’s study for mesothelioma, Ms. Lewis said, “Detecting patterns of microRNA deployment and tagging them to delivery of a treatment would be a rational and personalized way to treat mesothelioma.”

Targeting therapy for mesothelioma patients optimizes the potential for success of the treatment and offers mesothelioma treatment options that may not otherwise have been considered. Close to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. There is no cure for the disease.

The NC State study can be found in the June 24 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

http://pubs.acs.org/action/cookieAbsent

Mesothelioma Help Cancer News