One day shortly after I had a mastectomy, I was talking with friends about how swimming was helping the range of motion in my arm which had been compromised by the surgery incision. All of a sudden and with great sincerity a women said to me “how do you swim with only one breast”? Knowing full well what she meant I chose to tease her by responding with “Well, I just swim with the one that is left”. What she was really asking was; how do you fill out the other side of your bathing suit with a missing breast? It was/is a really great question and one that is not easily answerable. You see, if one has had a mastectomy and has chosen to wear prosthesis, then one is faced with several new challenges.

For example, the “everyday” prosthesis that I bought cost $300.00 and is not pool friendly. Evidently, the pool chemicals would destroy the “breast”. So, it cost another $100.00 to buy a pool friendly “breast”. That would have been irritating enough but I am here to tell that that sucker must weigh 10 lbs not to mention how weird it looks when I am floating on my back. As nature takes its course with my very-own-god-given-still-attached breast, which only s-e-e-m-e-s to disappear when I am lazily floating on my back, the hard shinning new chemically friendly 10 pound boob sticks straight up for all the world to see. To say that I looked lopsided, while floating on my back, would be a kind understatement. Consequently, I am endeavoring to learn the unique art of face down floating. While I am in training for that feat, I thought that I would share a much simpler solution with those of you who understand the implicit ironies of this situation.

There is a product called Water Push Up Pads which cost approximately $5.56 for a package of two and can be purchased at local stores such at K-Mart or Wal-Mart. They come in sizes A-B or B-C. Not a problem if they are not large enough for you, simply turn one A-B or B-C facing up and one facing down then stitch them together and viola you have a “no-breast” bobble or boobble (Boob Bobble) that is inexpensive, lasts a long time, is chemical friendly (or at least they do not readily fall apart), may be purchased in any city should you forget yours while away from home and/or buy several at this price.

These inserts look much more natural in a swim suite than does the expensive, not readily available, strange looking ten pounder. See, I keep telling you, it’s not the mastectomy that is problematic; it’s the lack of “no breast bobbles” and information thereof. Oh yes, and please do not attempt the floating face down exercise, it scares the life guards.

©2006 Dawn Novotny

Dawn DeLisa Novotny LMSW, MTS
mailto:July4@tenforward.com July4@tenforward.com

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Tags: mastectomy

Barrett’s esophagus is a disorder in which the lining of the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach, known as the esophagus, is damaged because of stomach acid that leaks back into and irritates the esophagus. This acid damage is also referred to as heartburn, gerd, and acid reflux.
Acid reflux is a result of stomach acids used to digest foods coming back into the lower esophagus area. This occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter muscle gets weakened or functions improperly. The burning sensation is due to the fact that the esophageal lining is unable to withstand the rising acidic levels.

Barrett’s is uncommon, only about 5 percent of people with GERD develop Barrett’s esophagus. However, if Barrett’s is diagnosed, there is a 30- to 125-fold increased risk of developing esophageal cancer. The cancer can spread to lymph nodes and other organs. Esophageal cancer arising from Barrett’s esophagus can lead to the second fastest growing type of cancer in the United States. The scary thing is that Barrett’s esophagus itself does not cause symptoms. The heartburn or acid reflux that causes Barrett’s esophagus results in symptoms of chest pain or indigestion.

One of the most important things you can do to prevent your Barrett’s esophagus from turning into cancer is to manage your heartburn. The allopathic treatment for heartburn usually involves taking antacids. Antacids are usually taken 30-60 minutes after eating. Prescription drugs have also been shown to control acid reflux. If you suffer from this condition, be sure to ask your physician what your best options would be for treating problem. Many also choose to seek natural cures for treating acid reflux. Some popular treatments include digestive enzymes at the beginning of meals, chewable calcium tablets, and herbal combinations including marshmallow root, DGL, and aloe vera.

Be sure to call your health care provider if heartburn persists for longer than a few days, or you have pain or difficulty swallowing. Also, call your provider if symptoms worsen, do not improve with treatment, or if new symptoms develop in a person with Barrett’s esophagus. Diagnosis and treatment of acid reflux may prevent the onset of Barrett’s esophagus.

If you would like to learn more about Barrett’s Esophagus, follow this link treatbarretts.com treatbarretts.com

Jeff Wendland is the owner of the website jeffshealthyliving.com jeffshealthyliving.com

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The credit score is an indication of a person’s financial creditworthiness. It is used to verify whether the person qualifies for a loan, or other credit, based on whether he has repaid his last loan satisfactorily. A credit score is used by banks and other lending companies for estimating how risky the borrower is. It helps them to know how large a loan can be given and at what rate of interest. In other words, a credit report is a reflection of the past credit history of an individual.

In the US, the credit score is based on the FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation) score that is calculated using mathematical and statistical techniques. There are also other versions of calculating credit scores such as the kind that Beacon and Empirica use. A FICO score is based on various factors including: punctuality of payment in the past, capacity used (ratio of current revolving debt to total available revolving credit), length of credit history, types of credits used and recent credits obtained. FICO scores range from 300-850, wherein a score below 600 is considered “bad”, and a score above 720 is considered “good”.

Every person has free access to credit scores from three credit bureaus: Experian (Experian/Fair Isaac Risk Model), Equifax (BEACON®) and TransUnion (EMPIRICA®). Apart from these, lenders can have their own credit scores from other credit bureaus or their internal systems. Free credit scores and reports can be obtained from these three bureaus, one from each, once a year, under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). All three reports can be ordered at the same time. The reports can be obtained by visiting the website: www.annualcreditreport.com or by mailing an Annual Credit Report request form to the Annual Credit Report Request Service. Certain information has to be submitted for accessing the free reports: name, address, social security number, and date of birth. A free report can also be obtained more than once within the same year in certain situations, for example, if a person is on welfare, or if the report is inaccurate because of fraud, or if the person is unemployed and is looking for a job. If a company takes adverse action against the applicant such as denying an application for credit, insurance, or employment, one can request a report within 60 days.

e-FreeCreditScore.com Free Credit Score provides detailed information on Free Credit Score, Free Online Credit Scores, Free Credit Report And Score, Free Credit Score Services and more. Free Credit Score is affiliated with i-FreeCreditCheck.com Free Government Credit Checks.

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Have you recently been diagnosed as having breast cancer? If your doctor recommends that you undergo a radical mastectomy, then you may want to consider having breast reconstruction surgery afterwards. However, this surgery is not for every woman because of a number of factors that will be presented in this article.

There is really no reason to rush into breast reconstruction after having a mastectomy because you can have the reconstruction done at a later time. You will be using a plastic surgeon if you opt for this operation.

Reconstruction surgery doesn’t just involve one method — but there are several methods of choice for you that are available. If you choose breast reconstruction, you may want to have an implant inserted in your breast that consists of saline or silicone material. You need to be aware of the fact that silicone implants have been known to leak.

Fat and muscles from other parts of your body can also be used for your breast reconstruction surgery. This will be harvested from your back or lower abdomen or your buttocks. Your plastic surgeon will collect this fat and muscle tissue to make a breast-shaped implant to insert where your breast was removed. Your doctor may create a flap in order to create a new breast. He will need to stretch your skin so that the implant will be permanently placed under your gradually stretched skin. After surgery has been performed and your body has healed, the finishing touches are done by tattooing the skin over the implant to simulate a natural breast.

However, as in every other kind of surgery there are dangers involved. Here are some factors to consider before you decide to have breast reconstruction performed.

1. The rebuilt breast will never feel normal again.

2. Like every other surgery, infection is a very real possibility.

3. You may or may not be satisfied with the final results of your breast reconstruction surgery.

4. There are going to be scars no matter what.

5. The donor site on your body may be adversely affected and the changes will probably be permanent.

6. You may require more than one surgery.

7. Because your body may suffer lasting negative effects from choosing to have breast reconstruction surgery, you may wind up regretting having had it done.

However, you may be very pleased with the results and breast reconstruction could be a great benefit in helping you to feel more normal for the rest of your life.

You and your doctor have to decide if breast reconstruction surgery is worthwhile in your case and if you are likely to be pleased with the final permanent results.

Learn how to take care of yourself or ease the suffering of a loved one after

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Tags: breast cancer, mastectomy