DEAR DR. BLONZ: After receiving a diagnosis of cancer -- caught early, during a routine physical -- I was told it had not spread and that the odds were in my favor. The therapy was immediate and intense, including chemo, radiation and local surgery.
It worked, but it ripped my life apart and devastated my family. My close friends stepped up, but many on social media were unsure of how to deal with me; some friends cut back on staying in touch after their initial expressions of sympathy.
I have been cancer-free now for more than five years. My message is to encourage others to be there for friends and family who have had cancer or another life-altering condition. Support research on treatments, especially to make them available to those who lack resources. Be there to help with meals, errands or transportation, or just to socialize. Do your best to understand the short- and long-term physical and emotional stresses involved.
While taking solace in the fact that I am living out my favorable long-term prognosis, I've never been the same, never regained my "pre-C" energy and I have fears every time I go in for a checkup. -- M.Q., Chicago
DEAR M.Q.: The battle against cancer is a challenging process, as it represents fighting aberrant cells that have deceived our body's natural defenses into being treated as though they belong. Cancer cells grow more efficiently because they lack the metabolic guardrails found in normal cells, sapping our strength as they steal essential resources needed by healthy cells.
One tool to treat cancer is chemotherapy -- the careful administration of one or more metabolic poisons at levels designed to affect the fast-growing cancer cells while sparing the normal cells as much as possible. Targeted radiation is another therapy. But cancer treatments can also affect our fastest-growing normal cells, such as the ones that line the digestive tract from the mouth down. Our hair and skin cells are also impacted. Finally, of course, there is surgical removal. But regardless of the options chosen, treatments can exhaust the body, much in the way our energy is drained when we are injured. This is because cancer can fool the immune system into treating it as "self." And of course, all of these treatments come with side effects.
It's a terrible script. However, with modern tests, treatments and surgical techniques, successes are increasing with many types of cancer. The lesson here is that healthful living is a critical investment in life; it's not something we should put off until after something goes wrong. Early detection increases good outcomes. It takes time and talented medical artists to diagnose and help you nurse your body back to a standard of health, and your life may never be exactly the same. Be there, with patience and understanding, for anyone you know who finds themselves in this alien land.
For more on cancer, see b.link/qgteebb7. Also, if cancer affects someone in your life, seek guidance on ways to approach them; see b.link/d7tnxfsy for an example.
Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.