Cancer Shop USA is Featured in the Sun Sentinel

Written on 11-25-2011 by:

 

Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel

 

When a friend has cancer, the last thing she needs is flowers or chocolate, says Dr. Melanie Bone, a Palm Beach County physician.

Bone should know: She is a Stage 3 breast cancer survivor who received lots of flowers that died and food she couldn't eat from well-meaning friends.

There were many items she could have used but weren't readily available: Shirts with easy access to the chemotherapy port in her chest, moisturizers to soothe her dried-out fingernails, a plastic covering to help her shower without dislodging her incisions and drain tubes. And CancerShopUSA.com was born.

CancerShopUSA helps cancer patients

The website offers 300 products designed to ease the suffering of patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, with part of the proceeds going to the Cancer Sensibility Foundation, founded by Bone, which seeks to change the perception of cancer from deadly to treatable.

"We need to teach people what I refer to as cancer etiquette," said Bone, 51, a gynecologist in Atlantis. "When I had cancer, people looked at me like I was already dead. They didn't call on the phone. I wondered what happened to all my friends."

Bone thinks the products can be given comfortably to friends seeking relief from cancer's pains and treatments' side effects. A friend went with Vickie Evans, of Lake Park, to Cancer Shop USA's West Palm Beach warehouse to find Queasy Drops, a ginger-flavored, anti-nausea candy.

"I didn't want to take drugs, and was trying holistic things to help the nausea," said Evans, 49, a pancreatic cancer patient. "I went to so many stores but nothing worked. I was super-stunned to find these, and I keep them with me at all times."

While there are numerous websites offering T-shirts, pink ribbons and bumper stickers urging the defeat of cancer, CancerShopUSA is one of a small number of sites devoted to helping patients in treatment cope through healing products. Others are TLCDirect.org, an affiliate of the American Cancer Society, and MaddoxOncology.com, also started by a former cancer patient.

Besides assisting with recovery, some of the products at CancerShopUSA offer cosmetic solutions. Joy Williams, of Palm Beach Gardens, in remission from ovarian cancer, designed Chemo Port Covers ($23.95 for three), colorful flowers that clip to the straps of a shirt.

Williams, 66, said she loves to wear tank tops but wanted to cover her chest port. She bought artificial flowers at a craft store and attached clips and felt.

Finding ways to look better has fostered her recovery, Williams said.
"I lost my hair, my eyebrows, my eyelashes," she said. "There are things you can do to look better and feel better. It's something else to make a woman feel pretty."

Go to CancerShopUSA.com, call 866-700-6262 or visit the warehouse at 2501 Bristol Drive, Suite A-12 in West Palm Beach.

Do the Rich Have an Edge for Organ Transplants?

Dear Dr. Bone: Could you settle an argument? My friend says that Steve Jobs "bought" his liver by paying money or donating to the hospital where he was treated. I think that no matter who you are they decide about giving you an organ based on how sick you are, not the money. Who is right? We also wonder about treating cancer in the liver with a transplant. Is that routine? - J.P., West Palm Beach

Dear J.P.: Both of you and neither of you are completely right. It is true that you cannot "buy" an organ by donating a wing to a hospital or paying off a surgeon, but there are ways that the very wealthy have an advantage when trying to secure an organ.

Each state has an organ donation waiting list. In order to qualify for a transplant, you must register with the state and commit to being able to travel to the hospital within a certain period of time, usually within 4-6 hours, after an organ becomes available.

Not too many people can do that. If you can afford to maintain a private plane and a pilot "on call" to take you to your destination in time, you are ahead of the game. I am certain Mr. Jobs was on transplant lists in states other than California where he lived, because the lists were shorter. That is why he went to Tennessee and was able to get his liver quicker than somebody else.

Ultimately, he had to wait his turn after it was determined that he was a candidate for transplant, but he got to the top of the list quicker because the list was shorter.

The second part of your question is much tougher. Mr. Jobs had cancer that started as a neuroendocrine tumor in his pancreas. Eventually it spread and he underwent a Whipple procedure to remove his pancreas and part of his intestine to control his cancer.

Eventually it recurred in the liver. His physicians must have felt confident that the cancer was contained there and not spread to other parts of his body. One of the concerns about transplanting a liver in a cancer patient is that the cancer might already be elsewhere. For that reason certain cancers are a contraindication to liver transplantation. Also, the drugs to prevent rejection of the liver weaken the immune system and might contribute to cancer coming back.

The upside is that liver transplantation in appropriate patients can take a bleak prognosis and convert it to a good one. Before transplants, liver cancer patients had a zero percent five-year survival and now that number can be as high as 80 percent.

Dear Dr. Bone: My oncologist told me not to use lavender because it can act like estrogen and stimulate any remaining cancer cells. Your foundation uses a lavender ribbon and many lavender products. Do you think this is a responsible thing to do? - Anti-lavender

Dear Anti-lavender: First let me explain the lavender ribbon. The color lavender represents all cancers and general cancer awareness. I did not invent that. My foundation, Cancer Sensibility Foundation, is about all cancers. We use the lavender ribbon because we want everybody to know that we represent all cancers.
As for lavender and breast cancer, let me explain what I know.

A study done on three prepubertal boys in England showed that they had early breast development, probably due to using hair and skin care products containing tea tree oil and lavender oil. Theoretically, lavender contains some molecules that can act as phytoestrogens - or natural plant estrogens. Having said that, I could not find a single study that showed lavender to be harmful to breast cancer patients.
Actually, there were a number of studies emphasizing the beneficial antioxidant effect of lavender along with its calming effect. It reminds me of soy. For years women have worried about consuming soy for fear it might increase their risk of a recurrence of cancer. The most recent analysis of the data by Harvard demonstrated no negative impact at all.

I revert to my standard approach, one of moderation. Temperate use of lavender essential oils is safe and may help to soothe and calm anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis. Daily use of high-dose lavender is probably not a good idea. If you love the aroma, then enjoy it occasionally. If you are indifferent, then stick with a scent that works for you.

Dr. Melanie Bone is a cancer survivor and gynecologist who practices in West Palm Beach. Visit Cancer Shop USA where you will find more than 300 specialty items to help patients with the side effects of chemo and radiation.

Veterans and Cancer Survivors much alike

A few years ago Eric and I were strolling along Fifth Avenue in New York City. A commuter bus passed us displaying an advertisement on its side that was unforgettable. It was a picture of three bald heads. Under the first was the word MILITARY. Under the second was the word FASHION. Under the third was the word CANCER. Neither Eric nor I could recall what organization ran the ad - he thought it was the American Cancer Society but I wasn't so sure - but it was a powerful image. Eric remembered that it was about breast cancer during October; he thought the first two heads were male and the third was a female, making it even more poignant.

Dr. Melanie Bone's Family

To this day my memory is not what it was before chemotherapy (or is it my age?), and I'd forgotten completely about that bus until I found myself back in Manhattan for a weekend getaway. I thought the weekend after the marathon would be perfect. Not as hectic and still not too cold to walk in Central Park. Somehow it escaped me that it was Veterans Day weekend. We planned out our day to visit Occupy Wall Street and make it back uptown in time to catch the parade. A veteran in uniform marched by. He had a shaved head. Out of nowhere, a memory of the bus flashed into my head.

Instead of thinking about the image as an advertisement for cancer, I tried to think about it from the perspective of the veteran. After all, veterans and cancer survivors have a lot in common.

Going to war as a soldier and "fighting" a battle against cancer are analogous. The experience, often scary and overwhelming, is one not easily understood if you have not been through it. Soldiers develop a camaraderie during war in much the same way that cancer patients do. They are subjected to difficult and challenging situations and always are aware of the imminent threat of loss of life or limb.

There is a certain mysteriousness to the "secret lives" of soldiers and cancer patients. They are assumed to see, hear, feel, and do things that most of us would never see, hear, feel, or do. At the other end, most are left with strong memories, be they good or bad, and some with nightmares that can be long-lasting.

Having survived war or cancer earns you the title of "veteran" or "survivor." With these titles come an identity and certain expectations. Many vets and survivors forever remain identified by their status. They hold onto it for a multitude of reasons.

Some are empowered to use their status to raise awareness and others to help those that come after them. Some just feel that they are forever changed and are at a loss to reinvent themselves as anything else. Post-traumatic stress disorder abounds as does guilt that they have made it and other soldiers or cancer patients died.

I am certain there are many veterans who have returned home and moved on just as there are cancer survivors who are cured and moved on. Why don't we remember them as often? Because their status as veteran or survivor is now a part of their persona, but not the central, identifying component of it.
I am known for trying to take the war and battle analogy out of the cancer experience. I support the concept of approaching cancer sensibly and thoughtfully. In war there are winners and losers. Even the winners suffer.

With cancer, many patients are cured. They are the winners, but are always left with scars. For those that die or live with cancer as a chronic disease, is it right to label them losers? I don't think so. Unlucky yes, but the connotation of the word loser is not one that should be associated with people who are not cured of their cancer.

As we boarded the Jet Blue plane home, I had one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. There on the wall of the jetway were the exact pictures of the bald heads we'd seen a few years earlier. What are the chances of that happening?! One read SOLDIER, the second STYLE, and the third SURVIVOR. They were being used as part of a bank advertisement. Eric and I looked at each other with disbelief. I knew this column was destined to be!

Please take a moment to visit Cancer Shop USA It's a great resource for cancer patients and professionals.

Sugar Overload Stimulates Cell Growth

Dear Dr. Bone: What is the connection between sugar and cancer? I love chocolate but am worried that it might be risky. - Chocoholic Delray Beach

Dear Chocoholic: I thought your question was especially good to answer this time of year . Sugar is the basic molecule that provides energy to all the cells in the body. It feeds both normal cells and cancer cells.

You cannot starve a cancer of sugar because you cannot starve the body of sugar. If you stop eating sugar, your body will make it by breaking down muscle cells and fat cells.

However, if you eat too much sugar, it can cause problems because it leads to excess insulin production. Insulin is a growth stimulation hormone. Too much insulin can stimulate growth in both healthy and cancerous cells. Moderation is the key. Limit too much sugar and try to get sugar from natural sources like fruit as opposed to candy.

Having said that, I see no problem with indulging in a piece or two of candy.

Dr. Melanie Bone is a cancer survivor and Gynecologist who practices in West Palm Beach. To send questions for her Q&A column, go to www.cancersensibility.org. You can also visit Cancer Shop USA for the best doctor approved products that can help you deal with the treatment of cancer.