100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (28 page)

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