Cancer for Breakfast

Amy’s survived her surgery much to her charming anesthesiologist’s surprise. Stef’s onto a new treatment regimen, and so far it’s NOT a tough pill to swallow. In letters we’ve hit the gold mine…( or maybe we just mined it?): when a listener is feeling cornered by the calendar, we’re once again asking, where is the comfort in NEAD? In RATS we ponder if it’s nature, nurture or maybe a sweet synthetic compound? Could cancer actually be cured and we’re just the last to know? (Spoiler: Even the Lyme experts say that’s not true.)Dr Andrea Love’s Immunologic newsletter: https://news.immunologic.org/p/no-one-is-hiding-cures-for-cancer

New Year, new health insurance? Amy’s finally getting that free boob job people are always talking about, but does she even want it? And hey—you know what else has no co-pay? Your letters! We want to hear about your insurance woes. In hair news, Stef’s contemplating wigs while Amy’s reunited with her long lost barber. An e-mail tease named Chad offers up his list of ways to support folks with MBC, and after losing a friend to ALS, Stef gently reminds us that support for anyone with a life-limiting illness isn’t a one-and-done. Let’s talk about medical aid in dying as a human right. The Christmas RAT’s last gasp is that benzo deep dive we promised listener Gabrielle. Happy Holidays, ya filthy animals! •Here are all the links about benzos and cancer:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5731963/https://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/association-benzodiazepine-increased-cancer-risk-is/https://www.aacr.org/patients-caregivers/progress-against-cancer/medication-used-in-cancer-care-may-be-linked-to-worse-outcomes/•Here is Al & Hannah’s documentary: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GESVph-1RYY•And here is the Death With Dignity website for those in the USA: https://deathwithdignity.org•Here is information on MAID (Medical Assistance In Dying) in Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-services-benefits/medical-assistance-dying.html•Here is Chelsey Gomez (AKA ohyouresotough) on NPR: https://www.npr.org/2024/12/18/nx-s1-5179011/cancer-ghosting-survivorship-young-survivors•And here’s where you can listen to her pod: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tough-friends-collective/id1764862769

Did you catch the NPR article about us? Cancer people, that is. Or…one cancer person, whose life was—get this—changed by cancer. Amy’s also noticing that the Health section of the newspaper is…well, extremely healthy. Those of us with uninspirational stories would like some media representation, if you don’t mind! A listener—ahem, our new best friend—says it’s hard to mask as a muggle when all you can think about is the big C. And when anxiety gets the best of you, will the benzos betray you with heightened recurrence risk? What a rip. We dip a toe into the convo and promise to come back with more. Then, Beata-fying a scientist is exactly our jam. RATS herald the unlikely hero who cooked up her own treatment in a virology lab. The votive candles are already in production. NPR’s article: https://www.npr.org/2024/11/11/nx-s1-5172234/cancer-survivorship-young-patient-profileMakers Making Change: https://www.makersmakingchange.comRATS: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03647-0

Ring ring! It’s Stef on line 2. Treatment line, that is. Sorry to leave you on hold, but we’re finally picking this thing back up. Speaking of being backed up, you may wish we’d stayed gone when Stef explains what happens when your digestive system clocks out early. Someone get this massage hating woman a massage already. Lately Amy’s been trying to side-step some side-effects, but “Not on my watch!” says…well her watch. And it’s been a minute since we complained about hormones—or Trump Supporters—but those topics are evergreen in our book. We’ve missed you, too. Throw some MSG on it and get dialed in—this episode is ready!

Ding dong, The Juice is (still) dead! Of cancer! But speaking of juice: how do steroids work? Afterschool specials didn’t prepare us for this. A letter asks how to find a cancer bestie when you’re a queer 40-something cancer person. Have we mentioned lately that we have a Facebook group? If you need a pal, we have some excellent candidates. Is an over sharing Cancer Kathy justified in feeling so burned from her radiation techs? See you tomorrow…or next Tuesday, maybe? In still more letters, let’s talk partner probs. Lesbianism makes its second appearance in this episode, and this time it’s a suggestion. Damn it, dental probs are contributing to colon cancer! Is Amy in a strange water-pick cult? Not again!Here’s the article on plaque and colon cancer: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07182-wand an overview of flossing vs waterpik just for fun: https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/waterpik-vs-flossing#flossingWe looked into the steroid thing: https://www.goodrx.com/classes/anabolic-steroids/roid-rage

Scans abound in Cancerland. What’s up with Stef? (Is a question many ask unrelated to cancer, but this time it’s relevant!) Then, is Diet Coke the new menthol cigarette? Let’s ask Amy’s nurse. That blasted jerk Glioblastoma has a new foe, as does melanoma. How do we know? Three little birds told us! In Letters, a listener asks what’s up with Olivia Munn’s confusing cancer characterization. Can Luminal B stand on its own when you’re dealing with the big C? You know what else is confusing? Colon cancer screenings. Why doesn’t someone make it easier? Guess what?? Someone did. Glioblastoma news:https://news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2024/06/06/new-glioblastoma-treatment-reaches-human-brain-tumor-and-helps-immune-cells-recognize-cancer-cells/ (https://news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2024/06/06/new-glioblastoma-treatment-reaches-human-brain-tumor-and-helps-immune-cells-recognize-cancer-cells/)Melanoma news: https://www.moffitt.org/endeavor/archive/new-breakthrough-therapy-for-metastatic-melanoma-receives-fda-approval/ (https://www.moffitt.org/endeavor/archive/new-breakthrough-therapy-for-metastatic-melanoma-receives-fda-approval/)Breaking down the molecular subtypes of breast cancer so Olivia Munn doesn’t have to: https://www.breastcancer.org/types/molecular-subtypes (https://www.breastcancer.org/types/molecular-subtypes)Colon cancer screening: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna143066 (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna143066)Bob Marley’s melanoma story: https://www.skincancer.org/blog/bob-marley-should-not-have-died-from-melanoma/ (https://www.skincancer.org/blog/bob-marley-should-not-have-died-from-melanoma/)

Extra! Extra! Stef’s coming out of the Emetophobia closet—just as Amy’s out of the bathroom holding the dreaded bowl. In even more disgusting news, we’re telling you about the Portland pathologist whose benign results are anything but. Grab your barf bags for this news report. (Note: the count is now up to 12 patients.) Then, Letters hurls us into the guilt, recurrence fear, and uncertainty of survivorship. One thing is certain, though: RATS have infested Amy’s (other) ducts and the only thing stinkier? Getting a second cancer when you’re trying to outsmart your first. Take a ride with us, but buckle up. Is CAR T cell therapy safe enough? About the Providence pathologist: https://www.kptv.com/2024/02/29/providence-patients-plan-sue-over-lab-errors/?outputType=ampCAR T cell therapy black box warning: https://www.onclive.com/view/fda-requests-class-wide-boxed-warning-for-car-t-cell-agents-regarding-secondary-t-cell-malignancy-riskCancer for Breakfast is hosted by Amy Dials and Stefanie LeJeunesse and produced by Nathan McGehee. Theme music is by Vyvyvyr. RATS theme song by Jessica Boudreaux.

Alert! Alert! This is NOT a test of the emergency cancer broadcast system. Tumour has it that the worst club with the best members has a new recruit from across the pond and we’re having a chin wag about it. The gals share differing opinions on keeping an illness under royal wraps, but we can all agree that nobody’s hiring Kate’s PR team. What do other cancer commoners think about all this? Well, we’ll tell you. From triggered to intrigued, our listeners’ responses run the gamut. And what’s the Olivia Munn of it all? We stan a queen who uses her platform to educate. So pull up a tuffet, grab a crumpet, and stay out of the comments sections, babes. Cancer for Breakfast is hosted by Amy Dials and Stefanie LeJeunesse, and is produced by Nathan McGehee.Our theme music is by Vyvyvyr. RATS theme song is by Jessica Boudreaux. Want to support the podcast? We’re on BuyMeACoffee and Patreon. We appreciate it so much when you rate, review or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, you can do that RIGHT HERE! Follow us on Instagram @cancerforbreakfastpodEmail us at cancerforbreakfast@gmail.com

It’s time for another Second Opinion! This one features friend of the podcast Flora, a metastatic PNET patient with an unexpected new living situation. First, hear the real deal about PNETs (Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor). She’ll tell us just how this wacky cancer functions, where you’ve heard of it, and why it’s an insidious foe. Then, put the mirrors on the ceiling and pop some pink champagne on ice! Flora generously tells us how surprising it is when hospice is (literally AND figuratively) just what the doctor ordered. What is happening to Flora is sad, for sure, but this is not a sad episode; it’s a closer look at the human condition, spirituality as medicine, and a chapter of life we will—ready or not—all face. With her humor and wisdom, she’s a sage for the ages. May we introduce you to a chaos goblin better known as Flora (and sometimes Fler)? Here is the Vermont organization Flora mentioned, which helps cancer people access cannabis: https://www.highly-rooted.com/vccnCancer for Breakfast is hosted by Amy Dials and Stefanie LeJeunesse, and is produced by Nathan McGehee.Our theme music is by Vyvyvyr. RATS theme song is by Jessica Boudreaux. Want to support the podcast? We’re on BuyMeACoffee and Patreon. We appreciate it so much when you rate, review or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, you can do that RIGHT HERE! Follow us on Instagram @cancerforbreakfastpodEmail us at cancerforbreakfast@gmail.com