The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 23, 1985 - Page 3 HEALTH & FITNESS 'U' support group aids breast cancer patients By LAUREN SINAI When surgeons wheeled Linda Van- derpool into the operating room at St. John's Hospital in Grosse Pointe four years ago, she had read little about preast cancer and didn't know what would be done to her body. L She expected a biopsy to reveal that the lump in her breast was benign. When she awoke, she learned that doctors had found the lump to be nalignant and removed her entire $reast, along with several affected lymph nodes. "I HAD been married for seven months. I had been treated for fibrous ystic disease for three months. Then suddenly, my doctor told me I had to have a biopsy the next week, as the third mammograph showed a change in the density of the lump...A let's wait and see attitude changed to it i ust be done right away," Vander- pool recalled. "I was 31 years old at the time," the Union Lake resident continued. "I thought that having cancer meant you Were going to die." W Although she had doubts about the operation, Vanderpool said she and her husband never thought about get- ting a second opinion and were not given any other options. . THE UNIVERSITY'S Breast Can- cer Education/Support Group helps women like Vanderpool through the traumatic post-operative period. Vanderpool's lack of knowledge about her disease may be considered K nusual by today's standard medical ractices. Nonetheless, the support group aids victims of breast cancer by supplying them with peer support and education they may not have received in the hospital or doctor's office. Formed three-and-a-half years ago by nurse clinician Dian Sommerfield and women who were undergoing chemotherapy at the time, Ann Arbor women now meet weekly for eight weeks at the Simpson Memorial In- titute Library. Three eight-week sessions are offered each year, and ages of members range from women in their early 30s to 70s. STAFFED BY oncology social worker Claudia Kraus and Sommer- field, the sessions focus on such issues as sense of self, fear of the future, family relations, and personal anxieties. Speakers, including nutritionists, physical therapists, and surgeons, are often invited to the meetings to an- swer questions. "The group gives women more of a sense of control," Kraus said. "Breast cancer is a disease under a great deal of research...Women have to choose from a lot of different options, and the group gives members a sense of comraderie." THE INITIAL group has been so successful that another started for those who have "graduated" from the eight-week session, Kraus said. This group meets monthly and has no time restrictions. Now a peer counselor, Vanderpool said that the group provides her with emotional support. "When I went through it I was all alone, had no literature, and had nobody to talk to," she said. Vanderpool said that she finally ob- tained extensive literature about breast cancer when she went to the University's outpatient clinic two months after her operation. UNLIKE VANDERPOOL, breast cancer patient Kate Rosevear, 42, said she had plenty of time to consider her options before she had a modified radical masectomy in December, 1984. Rosevear said she realizes the medical advances in the past five years have gone a long way in infor- ming and educating women like Van- derpool and herself of their options. "Five years ago, all they did were radical masectomies (total breast removal) right then and there," Rosevear, of Plymouth, said. "There are still a few doctors who don't know any better, but now there are something like 26 different options open to women." "NOW, I THINK that doctors are I used to be very moody. I could cry at a sunset ! It takes a great deal of effort to remain positive...I'll probably be fighting this thing the rest of my life, but I always have to know that I can beat it (the can- cer).' -Linda Vanderpool, breast cancer patient of her priorities have changed as a result of her illness. "I'm not working anymore. I used to work at a bank and was kind of caught up in a rat race. But now I realize the importance of family and friends. "Many people can get caught up in things that mean absolutely nothing...They don't know what they're missing." ROSEVEAR, a self-employed real estate broker, did not drastically change her lifestyle. She said the operation also did not cause her to miss much work. "At first it's pretty devastating. But I'm a practical person, and a realist...You make up your mind that this is the way it is - it's something that happened and you do what you can." Rosevear added that she has a sure method for ending her feelings of remorse. "Probably one of the most true-to- form things is in an article I read titled 'First to Cry.' That's the normal reaction - the process of thinking : What if I lose my nipple? What if I lose my breast? What if I lose my life? Af- ter considering the third question, you sober up pretty quickly." r Action SportsWear ACTORY CLOSEOUTS SWIMSUITS acknowledging that women can take care of their own destinies," she said. "I've talked to women who have had plenty of time to consider their op- tions." Both women stressed the importan- ce of family and friends. "My husband was always there," Vanderpool said. "I cannot imagine going through all that without him." BUT VANDERPOOL added that not all woman were as fortunate as she was. "In the room down the hall from me, there was a woman whose husband did not visit her once. On the day of her discharge, he waited in a car outside of the hospital for her to come down. She was devastated. If I had been able to, I would have told him exactly where he could go..." Rosevear said that, along with family support, cards from women who had already experienced breast cancer were the most reassuring form of support she received. "I think that was the most helpful support I could have gotten," she said. "You only seem to know about the failures. Here, I discovered all the successes.'' THE BACKGROUND of breast cancer still seems to be a mystery to both researchers and victims. For Vanderpool, a North Carolina native, discovering she had cancer was quite a shock. Her grandmother had been the only family member inflicted with the disease. "I have never really been sick. Then, in one day - six hours later - my whole life had completely changed," Vanderpool explained. Rosevear 's family did have a history of cancer. But she, too, said up until the lump was discovered, she felt "fit as a fiddle." ROSEVEAR links the American diet to breast cancer. She said she feels that a low fiber and a high fat and protein content in her diet led to a higher risk of breast cancer. Both women, despite a fear of how the disease may act upon their body in the future, emphasized that they have not let it destroy their passion for life. "I used to be very moody," recalled Vanderpool. "I could cry at a sunset! It takes a great deal of effort to remain positive... I'll probably be fighting this thing the rest of my life, but I always have to know that I can beat it (the cancer)." VANDERPOOL ADDED that many from -Speedo -Arena 419 E. LIBERTY (2 blks. off State) I GE N E S I S Fitness * Easy weight loss through balanced diets and exercise programs. * Complete training programs for runners of all levels. The shape of things to come... 668-1566 rARIEL STAURANT & DELI Research links estrogen, cancer HAPPENINGS Highlight The University's Family Law Project will be conducting a bucket drive throughout the city. Family Law Project is a non-profit student organization that provides free legal services for victims of domestic violence. Films MTF (Invitation to The Dance), 7 p.m., Singin' in the Rain, 9 p.m., Michigan Theater. Women in the Arts - Anonymous Was a Woman, Kenojuak, Georgia O'Keefe, 7:30 p.m., Angell Aud. B. Performances Radio Free Wolverine - WCBN radio comedy, 8 p.m., RC Auditorium, East Quad. U Club - Laugh Track, Tim Slagle, 9 p.m. Speakers Russian & Easr European Studies - Eric Duskin, Yvonne Howell & Steve Sullivant, "Adventures Abroad," noon, Lane Hall Commons Room. Afroamerican & African Studies - Mark Orkin, "Divestment & Social Change: Implications of What Black South Africans Really Think," noon, 111 W. Engineering. Biological Sciences - Bill Fink, "Evolution of Shape & Diet in Piranhas," 4 p.m., Rm. 2, MLB. Communication - Frank Beaver, "Movies, Censorship & Politics," noon, Marsh Seminar room, Frieze Building. Electrical & Computer Science - Kurt Skifstad, "Statistical Approach for Solder Joint Inspection," 5 p.m., 2076 E. Engineering. Industrial & Operations Engineering - Robert Kleinbaum, "Predic- ting the Unpredictable Bilinear Time Series Model with Heterogeneous Errors," 4 p.m., 241 IOE. Jerome Lecture Series - Irving Lavin, "Equestrian Monuments: The Indomitable Horseman," 4 p.m., E. Lecture Hall, Rackham building. Near Eastern & North African Studies - Mary Boyce, "Zoroastrianism: The First Creedal Religion," 5 p.m., Rackham. Meetings Order of Omega - 10:30 p.m., Pendleton Room, Union. Michigan Gay Union -9p.m., 802 Monroe St. Dissertation Support Group - 1:30 p.m., Rm. 3100, Union. Science Fiction Club - 8:15 p.m., League. Ensian Yearbook - 7 p.m., 420 Maynard St. Baha'i Club - 5:30 p.m., Union. Miscellaneous UAC - Workshop, Impact Jazz Dance, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Ballroom, Union. Yearbook Portraits - Walk-in sittings, 9 a.m. to noon, 1to 6 p.m., 420 Maynard St. Guild House - Beans & rice dinner, 6 to 7:30 p.m., 802 Monroe St. Muslim Student Association - Islamic coffee hour, noon, Rm. 3, League. Chemistry - Seminars: Nikolas Chaniotakis, "Determination of (02 & C02) in Interstitial Waters," 4 p.m., Rm. 1200; James Rigby, "Synthetic Studies on Hydroazulenic Natural Products," 4 p.m., Rm. 1300, Chemistry Building. WEEKLY SPECIALS * 8-pack Coke (bottles)... $1.99 * 6-pack Coke (cans).... $1.99 * 10% off all Vitamins " 30%/ discount on all make-up " Ariel Restaurant Health Food Middle East Food ALL YOU CAN EAT from $3.75 4-8 P.M., Mon.- Sat. 330 Maynard-Directly Across From Nickel's Arcade BOSTON (AP) - The risk of uterine cancer among women who use estrogen during menopause remains significantly higher than usual for at least a decade after they stop taking the drug, new research shows. The study, which contradicts a widely held belief that the cancer risk returns to normal soon after women give up estrogen, recommends that these women be watched closely for signs of the disease. ESTROGEN IS widely used to relieve the hot flashes and other un- pleasant symptoms of menopause. In the late 1970s, experts noticed that the hormone appeared to increase the risk of cancer of the lining of the uterus known as the endometrium. At the time, researchers came to the reassuring conclusion that the elevated risk went away as soon as women stopped using the drug. "These findings, if true, cast a dif- ferent light on the matter altogether," said the director of the new study, Dr. Samuel Shapiro of the Boston Univer- sity Drug Epidemiology Unit. OVERALL, the study found that the cancer risk is 3% times higher than usual among women who take estrogen for at least a year. But the risk increases the longer the medicine is used. It was three times normal for those who used estrogen for one to four years, 5 times for five to nine years of use and 10 times for 10 or more years of use. There was no sign that the risk eventually went down, the resear- chers wrote, and "the risks of en- dometrial cancer remained significantly elevated even after the estrogen-free intervals of over 10 years." An estimated 37,000 new cases of endometrial cancer are diagnosed annually in the United States. The disease is highly curable if detected early. It causes about 2,900 deaths each year. THE LATEST study was based on a survey of 425 victims of uterine can- cer and a comparison group of 792 women who were free of the disease. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. PAIA TREE RESTAURANT Another co-author of the study, Dr. Robert Knapp of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said that women who took estrogen during menopause should have gynecological exams every six months. He urged that doctors take biopsy samples from the endometrium to check for cancer if these women ex- perience bleeding after menopause. The biopsies take about five minutes and can be done in a doctor's office but are painful. KNAPP NOTED that estrogen also prevents brittle bones, or osteoporosis, a common condition that causes fractures in older women. And he said the benefits of estrogen outweigh the risk for many women. Birth control pills have long com- bined estrogen with another hormone, progesterone, and there's evidence that this actually lowers the risk of uterine cancer. Knapp said many gynecologists have begun prescribing similar combinations to menopausal women in an effort to diminish the chance of cancer. A Danish study, also published in the journal, suggests that smoking causes estrogen to be removed more quickly from the bloodstream. The research was conducted on post- menopausal women who were taking combinations of estrogen and progesterone. GROCERY AND HEALTH FOOD STORE Open Mon.-Sat 8 a mA2 a.m. Sundays 8 a.m.-1 p.m. ARIEL RESTAURANT Open Mon.-Sat. 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Iii -THIS WEEK'S SPECIALS at MCI WHITE MARKET Nabisco Doo Dads Snack Mix Zesty Cheese, Original or Cheddar 'n' Herb 10 oz1.49 HALLOWEEN PUMPKINS perfect for lack O'Lanterns 609 E. William 663-4253 Hours: M-F 8-7 Sat. 8-6 CONTACT"S LOOKING ' If you're looking