The digital age and medical peace of mind

Not long ago I would have searched online to find

• Great recipes
• Places to dine
• Vacation packages
• Best selling novels
• Check my Facebook page

Recently I have used the full resources of this digital age to search the internet for information on Cervical Cancer and Diabetes to help me with my medical piece of mind. Within the last few months several people close to me have been diagnosed with serious medical condition, one with cervical cancer and the other with type 2 diabetes.

These two medical conditions are deemed silent diseases due to the fact that the person may not know that they have the condition until it is too late. This is why most physicians’ suggest that women get annual pap smear and that everyone have a routine physical with blood work.

Thankfully with my online research I have found that both medical conditions are treatable when detected early, although both have vastly different types of treatments. Cervical cancer can be treated with surgery, radiation and if spread to the other areas of the body chemotherapy while type 2 diabetes can be regulated with medication and diet. Yet if left untreated either of the two diseases is left untreated they can result in a loss of life.

Some of the credible sites that I found to learn more about these two diseases are the American Cancer Society and American Diabetes Association. The American Cancer Society’s website deals with all forms of cancer while the ADA only discusses diabetes. Both sites provide explanations of the disease, research taking place, success stories, and support group services as well as hyperlinks to other sites that can provide additional information.

So what does surfing the web have to do with medical peace of mind?

Think back to some of the clichés that we use in modern society. Knowing is half the battle, forewarned is forearmed, live and learn, failing to prepare is preparing to fail and so on. What does this mean? That by knowing what is happening a person can determine what needs to be done to conquer any or either of these two diseases.

The Fan Page and more…

Many of you many have read my previous weeks blogs and Tweets know that I was in the process of creating a Fan Page on Facebook. The Fan Page has been activated and was named Cervical Cancer: Radiation Patients Unite.

This Fan Page was my way of inviting others to see some of the equipment and to learn more about what women with Cervical Cancer endure during radiation treatment. To also provide a platform for those diagnosed with Cervical Cancer along with their friends, family, and associates to talk about the disease and create a virtual support group.

During the research process for finding electronic / digital links to post on the fan page I found that there were a lot of sites dedicated to breast, lung and skin cancer yet very few that spoke about Cervical Cancer. This seems add since the statistics show that 13,000 women each year are diagnosed with the disease. One group that looked to be more Web 2.0 savvy was the CDC (Center for Disease Control) they have a Pod Cast that discusses how getting regular Pap tests can save a woman's life.

The next step…

So let’s see I have blogged, tweeted and created a FanPage on Facebook. The next step is a video for YouTube. When I was speaking to my sister she thought that a it would be nice to see a video that she could watch that would life her spirits not be a doom and gloom presentation. Why not, I created the presentation in power point added some music I purchased and tried to upload. What was I thinking; this was the wrong type of presentation, no PPT or PPX allowed only WMV

This is when I thought that I was going to have to pay to convert the presentation and was wondering what I had gotten myself into. My normal perky attitude had abandoned me, as I scoured the internet to find out how to change the file from PPT to WMV, in its place was the pouty expression of exasperation. Thankfully I found that the wonderful IT person who loaded my computer software had included Windows Movie Maker. I made the changes and uploaded the video. Yahoo we are back in Perkyville!

Enjoy:

Please note that the images were either taken by myself or obtained free of charge from royality-free internet sites. The music was from the CD I purchased "A Tribute to Lurther Vandross" and is not intended for reproduction but merely to enhanace the presentation.

This is one tattoo no one wants…

Have you every thought about getting some ink on your body?
Would it be a butterfly, ship, disney character or perhaps a heart with your loved ones name? What about freckles that triangulate a direction?

Several weeks ago my sister received a new tattoo. It was located on her abdomen. It was inked in blue and looks like freckles on her body. These freckles are to show the physicist where to administer a radiation treatment. This unwanted ink will be a permanent mark to remind her of a disease that she didn’t want and is working hard to eradicate from her body.

This was the beginning of her external radiation treatment to cure Cervical Cancer

They tell her that External Radiation is used in the first phase of her Cervical Cancer treatment. A machine directs high-energy rays at the cancer site. The treatments are usually painless and take less than 30 minutes. She will have a team the helps her during her treatments.

The Radiation Team usually consists of the

• Radiation Oncologists – This is the doctor who determines the type and amount of radiation for your treatment.
• Physicist - This is the person who sets the machine to disperse the correct amount of radiation
• Dosimetrist - Helps your doctor calculate the right amount of radiation
• Radiation Nurse - This is the nurse who you get to know quite well. This nurse tells you what you are going through and is there to help you through the process.
• Dietitian - Helps you to manage the side effects that can affect your diet
• Social Worker - Helps to arrange for community and at home services that may be needed
• Service Coordinator - This is your own personal concierge. This person greets you when you arrive, helps you to register and schedule future for your appointments, and points you to the right person to answer all questions.

How’s does digital age or social media help cancer patients?

Having cancer treatment can be a stressful time, getting together with others who are also having treatment is helpful. National Cervical Cancer and HPV Coalition has an online support area that connects patients, families, friends and caregivers for support and inspiration. One November 14th Facebook will have a Fan Page for Cervical Cancer Radiation Treatment Patients who will be able to connect with others who are going through cancer treatment or receive support from the virtual Facebook community.

A Web 2.0 Project – My Facebook Fan Page in the Making…

It began with a class assignment of what to do for a Web 2.0 Project that could be distributed to the masses. It became an assignment of the perservance and hopefully of triumph…

What could I do? What would have meaning? What has affected my life that should be heard? I could think of only one thing that had dramatically affected my life in the last month and of those of my family, the diagnosis that my sister had been stricken with Cervical Cancer.

Many do not know my sister; she is a tell-it-like-it-is person with a brash attitude and a straighter shooter vocabulary. She likes to be informed about all of the details and hates those people who can never give a person a straight answer. Her gruff manner and direct conversation mask her sensitive and caring personality that many have witnessed and been recipients of her let-me-help nature. Those who do know her soon realize that she has the one of the biggest hearts in the U.S.

So now you are asking what has this to do what digital communication. My sister is one of those people who does not have a traditional social life. Yes she goes out to dinner and to see my brother when his band is playing. Yes she enjoys shopping and talking with friends. Yes she is in a wheelchair and many of those people she knows and speaks / communicates with are online.

Although difficult for me and my sister to reveal information about a very personal situation our hope is that through social media we can inform others about this cancer and how with proper detection this cancer can be detected early thus making it curable. Also, that we create a forum for those who are undergoing treatment to speak with others and learn that they are not alone.

This brings me to my Web 2.0 project. I, with my sisters blessing, choose to create a Fan Page on Facebook that discusses the radiation treatment that my sister is undergoing to cure this cancer. This Fan Page will have links to sites that will help define Cervical Cancer, different forms of treatment used to cure the disease and sites / places where those affected by this cancer can go to seek answers.

Early next week I will be posting this Fan Page on Facebook with a link to my blogg and Twitter account. I hope all of you who read this blog will help me by sending the link to others so that together we can inform women of the importance of yearly exams and let those who are undergoing treatment know there are others out there who understand exactly what they are enduring.