| The most unnatural thing is this
world is to hear that your child or any child has cancer. But to catch
it early can be the difference between life and death (a great resource
from the American Cancer Society can be found at http://www.cancer.org/).
Cancer is a collection of a lot
of different diseases. A disease in which cells grow in an uncontrolled
way is considered a "malignancy" or cancer.
Normally, the cells of our body
grow, divide and eventually die. Cancer cells keep growing and
multiplying. When they gather in one area, they create "tumors". These
tumors can then attack normal tissue, and destroy it. When a tumor
invades the bloodstream, it can spread cancer cells to the rest of the
body. This is called "metastasis".
How can you tell if your child
has signs of cancer? Sometimes it can be as simple as your child telling
you that he/she knows there is something wrong. Other times, signs of
the disease may be noticeable to you. If your child has any one of the
following signs, have your child seen by his/her doctor right away:
- Sleeping all the
time...exhaustion
- Complaints of persistent
headaches
- Complaints of problems
seeing (blurry vision)
- Inability to walk normally
- Lumps in the neck or in
the abdomen
My daughter has leukemia.
Will she have to have a lot of painful procedures?
No. With today's drugs, most,
if not all procedures should NOT be painful. Specific doctors, such as
Pediatric Intensivists or Anesthesiologists can give your little girl a
5-30 minute (or longer) sleeping medicine, which can take away all of
her pain, during any test or procedure. Also, these medicines help ease
children's anxiety, and make them forget the whole procedure. By
forgetting the procedure, they have less to fear the next time they see
a doctor, or need another test. There is no reason for a child to suffer
with today’s medicine.
My doctor wants to test my
baby for cancer. What will he do?
The most common test is usually
a blood test to check that all the normal blood cells are present, and
make sure there are not any cancer cells. X-rays, CT scans, and MRI
tests help to determine if there is a tumor present. Sometimes, a bone
marrow aspiration is done. Bone marrow is normally found on the inside
of leg bones, and can sometimes hide cancer cells. By examining the bone
marrow, your doctor can determine if there are any cancer cells in
there.
Why do some children with
cancer get chemotherapy and others do not?
Good question. It depends on
the cancer. Some tumors can be taken out surgically, and then not need
any further treatment. Some tumors, which are in delicate locations, can
be treated with radiation therapy first, which may help to shrink them.
Chemotherapy is primarily aimed at blood cancers, e.g. leukemia, and any
cancer that may have spread to another part of the body (find out more
about chemo at http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/cancer/cancer_p5.html).
What will happen to me when
I get chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is a drug or
collection of drugs, which kill cancer cells. Unfortunately, these drugs
can affect your normal body, too. You may get sick and throw up because
you feel nauseated. You will probably not have the energy you normally
do. Because the chemotherapy kills normal cells, your hair cells will
temporarily be "frozen" and you can lose your hair. As you complete your
course of chemotherapy, you will start to regain your strength and your
appetite. Your hair will eventually grow back, also.
Childhood cancer has come a
long way. By getting your child to the best specialists early, you give
you and your child all the tools in the world to fight and kill this
disease.
Dr. Mike (Pappas) is the former
Director of Sedation at Mercy Children's Hospital. He has been involved
with the care of children with cancer, and supervised the administration
of medicines to relieve their pain.
Dr. Mike is available for
consultations at his Toledo office at 4607 W. Sylvania, Suite 202 (phone
419 841 0772). Send questions to
http://www.intensivecaring.com/AskDrMike.htm.
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