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HOW MANY OTHER
WOMEN HAVE HAD PPD AND HAVE GONE ON TO ALSO HAVE BREAST, SKIN AND OTHER CANCERS?
The story of Mary Jo, wife of New Jersey's Acting Governor Richard Cody - highlighted her having had breast cancer
post PPD. Is PPD just in a woman's mind? With mine and other women's health histories including both - I feel it
is highly unlikely. Look to N.J. to set the stage for bringing about R.E.A.P. in women's mood disorders. Thank
you so much for sharing Mary Jo - you are a great inspiration to so many!
PMS RECOGNIZED BY SOCIETY - PPD
IS NOT
How is it that Post Menstrual Syndrome, PMS, was seen as a problem by doctors, but PPD is not.
Both have their basis in the etiology of hormonal imbalance.
Perhaps the answer lies with gender bias where men have dominated past research on women's
hormonal issues. And, the fact that subjects used in the studies done were men and/or animals; women
were seen as unreliable subjects by researchers because of the very nature of their hormonal imbalances. This is very
illogical seeing that this is what the research was all about in the first place.
Men, not experiencing pregnancy nor new mother status, example -
Tom Cruise, may not have as much of a vested interest regarding prenatal and postpartum research as women would.
STUDIES
DONE CONNECTING THOSE HAVING SKIN CANCER WILL GO ON TO HAVE "OTHER" CANCERS - Breast, lung, etc.
Having
fought to eradicate skin cancers since the 1980’s, I was accustomed to hearing the word “cancer”. It was not any less scary when hearing the words, “you have breast cancer” in the Fall of 2003.
I went through several surgeries and finished chemotherapy in July of 2004.
Two
years later I am still having to have physical therapy for what they call Axillary web syndrome (after axillary (lymph
node(s) dissection. A plastic surgeon (who does breast reconstructions) suggested that I give P.T. another 6-8 months
before considering breast reconstruction. The saga continues ....
BREAST
CANCER "PICNIC" COMPARED TO PPD/PSYCHOSIS
At my breast cancer support group picnic in July '05, I
was amazed to find yet another woman who had been through intense PPD and then went on to have BREAST
CANCER. The same woman who shared with me at our breast cancer support group picnic also agreed that even though breast
cancer was a scary thing, at least she knew there was a medical protocol to treat the cancer; when having PPD there was nothing
offered to her to bring relief. We both agreed that our negative experiences in
PPD greatly outweighed those of having had breast cancer. Now that speaks volumes!
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