The Cameron Method - Newsletter Archive
31 July, 2001 - A Good Bug
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A GOOD BUG
Recently, while a close friend of ours was cleaning up in a basement area, a bug bit her several times up her left arm and, lastly, on the side of her breast. She never saw the bug, but it left double incision marks at each swollen site. Probably some sort of spider.
I mention this because of an important result that could help you or someone you love. As she was scratching and rubbing the various bites, she also rubbed the one on her breast. As she rubbed over it, she noticed a little lump right next to it. She thought it might be from the bite… but it didn’t go away.
She went to the doctor and nothing could be seen in two mammograms. They wouldn’t give up, however, because the doctor had felt it too. They finally found it with ultrasound, and then she was referred on to a surgeon.
The surgeon had his own ultrasound machine so he could find it. He asked her how in the world she had, however, since it was so small.
She told him the bug story.
The results of the needle biopsy were positive so they scheduled surgery and the tumor was removed. It turned out to be only 3 mm (or 3/10 of a centimeter), the size of a BB. Usually, a lump is not discovered until it is a centimeter (5/8 inch) in size.
Without the bug bite, it might have been a year before it was noticed.
Some important new things were learned in her experience. She found that doctors use procedures now that are much less invasive than even a few years ago. For only the past 2½ years, in certain hospitals, they have used the removal and testing of one or a very few “sentinel” lymph nodes to find the spread of the cancer into the lymph system. They use a radioactive dye injected a few hours before the operation to find the specific nodes that drain from the tumor.
Doctors found no invasion into any of our friend’s lymph nodes. After surgery, she consulted with the oncologist, and after he consulted again with the surgeon, it was decided that they wouldn’t recommend radiation in her case.
The oncologist explained that radiation specifically targets an area where cancer is known to have reached. It is an attempt to kill it at the edge of where they have found it has gone. It can be useless if they don’t have an area where it is spreading. Since the development of lumpectomies in the 1970s, radiation has been used almost religiously in tandem.
Nowadays, by working to save the lymph system as much as possible, doctors can support the body’s ability to fight cancer and any other disease. She and they will, of course, watch carefully for any future lumps.
One other thing was prescribed to prevent cells from developing into cancer cells. That is Tamoxifen. The body perceives it as a hormone, but it shuts down estrogen receptive growth at the cellular level.
Finally, there is another improvement in the treatment of breast cancer she learned. They used to use the term “radical” to refer to an extreme form of mastectomy. They seldom use the term or that extensive procedure anymore. Also, if there is breast removal, reconstructive surgery is performed immediately.
These days, you don’t have to die, and you don’t have to be mutilated.
Now, if you are a woman, or you have a woman you care for, please let her know of this article. Note that the mammogram never could detect the lump. Mammograms are helpful, but nothing can beat noticing a lump yourself before it becomes a greater hazard.
It was a little bug that helped our friend find this one. Don’t wait for such an unusual occurrence. And, don’t be afraid that a lump will necessarily foretell disaster.
So that’s the story. Please take care of yourself. Don’t be afraid to find a lump in your breast if you are a woman, and men should do the same for testicular cancer. You can detect even a little lump sooner than any mammogram. Don’t let anything or anyone delay you from finding out what it is. Arm yourself with the facts.
Finally, you can support your mind and your courage in the process of finding the physical facts and the possibilities you deal with. Use the Releasing Strategy, described in the book Designing Your Heart's Desire: The Releasing Strategy, by Sharon Cameron. Repeat these statements aloud just until you can say them easily.
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