Read 100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It Online
Authors: Florence Strang
Tags: #Health; Fitness & Dieting, #Diseases & Physical Ailments, #Internal Medicine, #Oncology, #Cancer, #Medicine & Health Sciences, #Clinical, #Medical Books, #Alternative Medicine, #Medicine
Perk #26
Cancer Made Even My Most
Embarrassing Moment Seem Trivial
A
fter having my saggy boobs examined, poked,
prodded, and squashed, few things in life
can embarrass me anymore, as I learned soon after
meeting Shawn. Hey, I may have been forty-four,
but no matter what the age, new love is a magical
time, and a time when we want our new partner
to see only the very best of us. This came as a bit
of a dilemma for me when, just six months into
our relationship, all of my hair fell out. Let’s just
say, the honeymoon was far from over. How could
I possibly keep that magic alive while looking like
Uncle Fester? Why, of course, a wig. And might I
add, a “red hot” wig! That would keep the spark going for sure.
My relationship with Shawn was a long-distance one, but thanks to the
Internet we were able to connect every day through video on Skype. We usu-
ally planned our Skype dates in advance, which allowed me time to put on
my hair and makeup, and make myself presentable.
One day Shawn surprised me by ringing in when I was in full chemo
attack mode. Not a pretty sight. However, I did manage to rush into the
bathroom and hastily pull on my wig and apply a swipe of lipstick before
answering his video call.
Much to my relief, while I could hear Shawn on my computer, I couldn’t
see him. Turns out he was calling from his office computer, which does not
have a camera. I thought,
Great he can’t see me,
since my wig was lopsided,
and I was wearing orangey lipstick.
“That’s okay, Honey,” I said to him, while tearing off my wig and throw-
ing it across the bed. “We can still talk, even if we can’t see each other.”
I then proceeded to use my computer screen as a mirror, tugging and
I 108 J
Perk #26: Cancer Made Even My Most Embarrassing Moment Seem Trivial
109
pulling at my face to see how I would look with an eye lift, a nose job, or
maybe a chin tuck. (Come on now, we’ve all done it!) You can only imagine
my horror when Shawn said, “Florence, do you realize that
your
camera is
still on and I can see you? I thought it best to tell you that before you start
to pick your nose or something.”
With a forced smile I replied, “Of course I knew it was on. I was just
checking to see if you were paying attention.”
Life is serious enough, with or without cancer.
Learn to laugh at yourself.
HEALTH TIP #26
Force a Smile and It Will Stick
C
onsider this: A four-year-old smiles 400 times a day, while
an average adult smiles only 14 times. Kids just find reasons
to giggle. Let’s face it; it doesn’t take much to get them going.
Coincidently, most kids also seem better able than adults to cope
with the stresses of life.
Hmmm
. Maybe they’re on to something.
There is some truth to the old adage “laughter is the best medi-
cine.” Laughter and smiling are simple and easy ways to reduce stress
in your life and may lead to an increased immune response that can help
combat illnesses like heart disease, ulcers, and cancer, just to name a few.
Smiling does more than just show your teeth. The simple action of form-
ing your mouth into a smile:
●
uses fourteen facial muscles
●
sends a message to your brain that says, “Everything is okay.”
●
sends a message to those around you that you are approachable, improv-
ing your inter-personal interactions
●
reduces your stress response
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100 Perks of Having Cancer
Now, if you are looking for some really heavy-duty physiological
responses, just L-O-L. Laughing does the following:
●
exercises your lungs, chest, and the tiny artery muscles that regulate blood
pressure
●
releases chemicals in your brain that improve your mood
●
improves your immune system (when done regularly)
●
reduces your stress response
No one knows the healing benefits of laughter more than Dr. Patch
Adams. An actual medical doctor, Dr. Adams learned during his medical
training that laughter was the key to speedy recoveries, especially with chil-
dren. It was not unusual to see him in the hospital adjusting
Take notice of how
his honking red clown nose and carrying a rubber chicken
many times you smile
instead of a stethoscope. He currently teaches medical school
today. Increasing
students and other professionals about the use of “high-
your “smile time”
dose laughter” when practicing medicine. Check out some
just may decrease
hilarious and heart-wrenching videos by searching “Dr. Patch
your “sick time.”
Adams” on YouTube and rent
Patch Adams,
a wonderful
movie with Robin Williams that tells his story.
One oncology nurse I spoke to said she tells her chemo patients to smile
if they are feeling nauseated. More times than not, she’s seen it help relieve
nausea when nothing else did.
The interesting thing is that it really doesn’t matter if you have some-
thing to smile about or not. Your body cannot tell the difference between
a forced smile or a nervous laugh and the real thing. You still get the great
physiological and mental benefits from both.
I used the smiling technique to help me cope with several painful med-
ical procedures during my cancer treatments, and it definitely helped. It also
threw the doctor off completely. “Okay, Susan, this is going to hurt a bit.”
“Great doc!” I would say with a smile.
The simple act of smiling or laughing can be done anywhere at any time
and is one of the easiest health tips there is.
Perk #27
Cancer “Shaved” Ten Minutes
Off My Shower Time
B
eing a mother, I have had to hone the ability to shower, wash, and con-
dition my hair, plus shave various body parts, all in under twenty min-
utes. However, while I was on chemo, I no longer had to bother myself with
hair care or removal of unwanted body hair, and my shower time was cut
in half. Having shorter showers was a definite perk of having cancer, and I
made use of the extra grooming time by stepping up my skin care. Even
though cancer treatments can wreak havoc on your skin, my skin had never
looked better!
If your shower routine is shortened, don’t give
extra bathroom time to your kids. Rather, use
those precious grooming minutes on skin care.
HEALTH TIP #27 Skin Care 101