drgeeta

Today is the culmination of the International Breast Feeding Week.
I want to take your focus away from the goodness of breast milk and feeding, about which a lot has been said already. When my colleague’s young sister, who is nursing her two month baby, casually mentioned a lump in the breast, my colleague did not make too much of it. She has had similar lumps during the past pregnancy, which went away on their own.

When she said she had started feeling the lump in the latter half of her pregnancy, my colleague was quick to get her investigated and a biopsy confirmed his worst fears… it was breast cancer!

Pregnancy associated breast cancer is a known entity, presenting often late, as most of the changes in the breast are attributed to pregnancy and lactation. It is here, that we need to up our ante and not ignore any new lump that surfaces during pregnancy and breast feeding. 9 out of 10 times, it would be something innocuous, but for that one which may turn out to be cancer, one needs to visit a breast surgeon and get the lump investigated and seen to it’s natural conclusion.

While you enjoy your pregnancy and bond with your child over breast feeding, do not forget to be breast aware. Your awareness will surely save your day and be a blessing to your family!

Teej Celebrations at Max Hospital Patparganj….this is where the Breast Support Group blossomed 8 years ago and gave wings to the aspirations of many of these courageous Champions.

COVID kept us away from each other for the longest that we have stayed apart but now it was time to come together to celebrate yet again, the way only Champions know how!

TEEJ, it was! The tastefully done decor enhanced the festive atmosphere, beautifully While very possible shade of green you could imagine was there, what struck us most were the widest smiles and the return of the Jadoo ki Jhappi! The enthusiasm was infectious and they all sang and they all danced like there was no tomorrow.

The energy that suffused the space could have put a Thunderbolt to shame! ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Thank you Champions for living up to your name and filling the new entrants with the hope that tomorrow will be as bright for them as it is for you, today!

A huge thanks to Dr. Kousar Shah, Senior Vice President Operations, Max Patparganj for encouraging us with his presence and reaffirming that We Care beyond Cure! And to the wonderful marketing team, especially Mansi Jhamb for delivering more than the expected!

And to the fabulous Oncology team – doctors, nurses, coordinators, staff, who delighted all with their Presence, Performance and Pizzaz!!

The celebrations have only begun!!!

I am often asked why does breast cancer happen? And the only honest answer I come up with is ‘I don’t know. There are risk factors but there is no absolute association of breast cancer with these risk factors! Not a very confidence inspiring answer but that is the reality. The truth is that in a developed country like USA,1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime while in India,1 in 25-30 women in the urban population and 1 in 65-70 women in the rural areas will be diagnosed with the same. That may seem reassuring but in absolute numbers we are way ahead of America.

The western world has a well-oiled mammographic screening program to detect breast cancers early. We do not have one and probably the incidence as of now, does not justify such an exercise. The real worry, however, is that in India and other developing countries, more lives are lost to breast cancer compared to the west. So what is it that they are doing right which we are not? Some things are quite obvious, that they have better access to uniform healthcare and they are quite mindful and aware of the problem of breast cancer. Our cup of woes is overflowing- the larger population has no access to primary healthcare let alone tertiary care.

With every passing day, the problem of breast cancer is growing and it is imperative that we do what we can to turn the tide. It is rather unfortunate that about 50-60%of breast cancers in our country are detected in advanced stages. It is therefore not surprising that more than 50% of patients diagnosed with breast cancer would succumb to the disease. For a country like ours, the only useful tool to tackle breast cancer would be –EARLY DETECTION! It is a known fact that the only method to improve outcomes in breast cancer is by catching the disease early. For us, becoming familiar with our own breasts and making others around us breast aware is the need of the hour.

Breast Self Examination

Breast self examination (BSE) is an extremely simple procedure to carry out. You don’t need to set aside a special time to execute it. You can do so while you are taking a bath. Examination is so much simpler when your hand slips over the breast and you can detect any abnormal area in the breast quite easily. Breast self examination should be performed once a month, a week after your periods or if you are postmenopausal, on a fixed day every month which could coincide with your birthday or anniversary. Some breasts may be extremely lumpy and bumpy. You may perceive this as abnormal when you start examining yourself but a trip to a breast surgeon can allay your fears. The lumpy breast is your normal. What a regular breast self examination achieves is quite remarkable: it familiarizes you with the usual undulations in the breast in the same way as you are completely aware of all the speed breakers, curves and kerbs we encounter on our way from work to home even on a dim lit road.

Early Detection is the Key

EARLY DETECTION IS REALLY THE KEY! Any new finding in the breast needs to be seen, investigated and seen to its natural conclusion. PERIOD!! To remain healthy and disease free is what we all want, but to detect a problem and procrastinate can have serious consequences.

A woman, without doubt, is a multitasker- balancing her home and her work with dexterity unique to her. It is impossible to overemphasize the role a woman plays in the lives of the many who depend on her for their day-to-day needs. In the process, she often pushes back her needs. Her health almost always takes a backseat as she always has better things to do – FOR OTHERS!

Let us all pledge to become breast aware and inspire at least 10 other women to do the same. We certainly owe this much to ourselves and to all our loved ones………

Learn the technique of Breast Self-Examination @ https://youtu.be/49Usr5ASo8g

My young colleague’s husband has started his career as a Surgical Oncologist and has started feeling the pressure of external ‘expectations’
His idealism is intact and he wants to offer his services with utmost integrity, empathy and skill. However, the world of touts and middlemen, take it upon themselves to paint a bleak future for him, by not complying to their roadmap . The conversation veers around sending patients to XYZ diagnostics, sending a cut to the referring practitioner, appeasement parties for people around who matter etc. Their prediction-Non compliance to these measures, could spell doomsday for his early career.

These pressures are real, leaving you with two options-to succumb to the pressure or to stand ground.

My advice to this young colleague is to stand ground- ‘It may be a difficult choice but the gratification of doing the right thing without compromising on your ideals, is unmatched. Recognition will take time to come but the wait will be worth its weight in gold. Honesty cannot hide under swathes of lies and will always find its way to shine through. So, keep doing the good work honestly, diligently and remain that doctor who becomes the most sought after, one who is available, accessible and able because even patients can sense the genuineness in your conduct and service. They, alone, are your true ambassadors! Success will be left with no choice but to seek you out.’

Most doctors make this choice of standing ground and are not poorly for it. Enticements are for the faint hearted but that we are not!

Wish you well my friend and many with and after you!

HAPPY DOCTORS’ DAY!!

We have been waiting for this day for almost two years. Breast Support Group meetings used to happen every month before COVID struck and since then, we had no choice but to migrate to the Zoom mode. We adapted well but nothing like an -in-& person meeting.
The Champions came back to enliven our space and brought with them the energy that one can experience only by being there. The ones who have recently crossed paths with cancer looked up at those who had done the journey and were living lives more enriching than before. Some thanked cancer for transforming their lives and others felt blessed that cancer had touched their lives, as it had changed the very lens through which they were looking at life.
Their laughter rang true, their singing had everybody pitch in, their superlative attempt at dancing with the leader and their unbridled enthusiasm made it an event to remember!!

Thanks to all my colleagues at Max Institute of Cancer Care who pitched in and to the Management who helped us put this together.??

Gratitude to Susheela, Shreya, Divya and Abhishek for pitching in selflessly!??

We will come back with more as we know for sure that HAPPINESS COMES IN MANY COLOURS!!!!???

Thank you, Murari Bhaiyya!

The time on the clock is 2.00pm and surely the gastric juices searching for food can only grumble and growl in the stomachs of surgeons who have been relentlessly operating since morning. My team is no different.

In between cases, lunch happens and the provider is a gentle, well mannered, Murari Bhaiyya, so full of empathy that doctors may like to pull out a leaf from his book. He takes it upon himself to ensure that his flock of doctors, nurses and the support staff in the theatre are provided for. He personally loads his trolley of food and serves everyone with a smile taking care of each one’s needs, pickle for one, green chilly for another, chutney for yet another and so on. He will always insist that you go for a second helping, like mothers do. And all this and more, without expecting anything in return. I carry food from home, but he will always ask me to try something from his fare.
If he gets to know that some of his flock are operating, he will keep food aside for them and ensure that they don’t go hungry, if it is past lunch time. The positive vibes he adds to the food makes it a treat to relish.

The passion for his work is unmatched. I don’t know how much he gets paid for his services but what he makes of his job, is priceless!!

May the Divine bless him abundantly!!

Six years ago, I underwent surgery for my spine. Before it materialised, I had lived with pain for almost 16 months. The pain would come on every time I got up from bed or from a chair and it would be only after a few deep breaths that I could walk. If I wanted to do better than that, I would have to pop a pain killer every now and then, to keep me functional. I continued to operate and carry on with my work as usual. My bag had very little else other than a plethora of analgesics, muscle relaxants and antacids.

The pain would squeeze my gluteal muscle on the left and travel down to the back of my thigh- Sciatica, it was. I tried every trick in the book to get rid of the pain but it stayed with a vehemence. Finally, after much coaxing from my husband, I got my first MRI done in August 2015. There was a posterior prolapse at L4-5 impinging on the nerve roots and also got a soft signal that surgery seemed to be the likely answer. I was not ready. Spine was a worrisome point for me and the stories of things going wrong were uppermost in my mind than the success stories. Quite the layman’s perspective but I stuck it out for 6 more months.

On a Sunday morning, when I was trying to get off the bed, I could not. The pain had got a vice like grip on my back and every movement I made, had me in a sweat. After a couple of analgesics, I managed to get up and my decision was made. A repeat MRI showed that there was a slight worsening of the prolapse. I met up with Dr Bipin Walia at Max Saket the next day, on the recommendation of my friend who had had similar surgery and had recovered well. He saw me and was certain that only surgery would help me. I went under the knife 4 days later and a minimally invasive Microdiscectomy was done. My life changed. And I was back to work in 2 weeks time.

With all this pain and then the surgery, my mind would go back to the question, Can I do all that everyone else does? I love to walk, run, climb, dance and wear stilettos. I did all of that after a few months of surgery but I was not sure if my back could hold the rigor of a trek. I am writing from Meghalaya and I did one of the most arduous but also the most scenic and awe inspiring Bamboo Bridge trek on the Khasi Hills, yesterday. It took me three hours to complete it. I was, besides myself with joy, as my back held up well. I had scaled the barrier of my mind which had held me back. This is certainly one of those things that one lives for!

Gratitude only! Bipin Walia BISWAJYOTI HAZARIKA Mousumi Phukan Kalpana Saikia North East Nomad Bazinga for making it happen!

A memorable day unfolded on a splendid sunny morning on the lawns of a magnanimous host at Chattarpur, on Sunday. The guests were special too as they are our Champions who have braved the stormy weather inflicted on them by a chance encounter with breast cancer.

Doctors and staff of Max Institute Of Cancer Care at Max Hospital, Patparganj and Vaishali, jived alongside them, played in tandem, enjoyed sumptuous freshly cooked food, posed endlessly, laughed and made merry. The inhibitions melted away and each one participated in full gusto.

The common purpose behind this fun filled get together, happening after a mighty long time was to Celebrate Life and to the fullest. And that is exactly what we did!
A Big Salute to the spirit of our Champions!!

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For the larger part of the 20th century, breast removal surgery was the only surgical option for breast cancer treatment. In India, it continues to be the surgical option offered to about 70-80% of women suffering from breast cancer. It is tough, I am sure, as women from various sections of society, grapple with the loss and try to complete their feminity with newspaper rolled into the bra or rags or cotton or a piece of rolled cloth or nothing, recoiling in acute embarrassment, when having to put these unsightly contraptions away, prior to a physical examination. This Shame has to end!!

They don’t ask for fear of not getting a useful answer and we, as caregivers, in our rushed existence, don’t want to know if it matters to them. The truth is, it matters! To be physically complete, either with an external prostheses or reconstructive surgery, is important, to restore confidence. While there are expensive external prostheses made of high quality foam and silicon, there is an option which comes as a boon to many women who want a comfortable, easy maintenance option …. All for FREE!! KNOCKERS, it is !!

At a webinar on KNOCKERS, for the Max Breast Support group meeting today, there was much gratitude and a sense of awe for the amazing work being done by SAAISHA. Spearheaded by Jayashree ji and assisted by her team of dedicated, selfless volunteers, SAAISHA provides knitted or crocheted breast forms ( Knockers) made of Mercerised cotton for FREE. You can hand wash it, use it with your normal bras with pockets stitched onto it, add pouches of coins if you need to increase the weight and have a pair of them delivered home. The volunteers knit them for those who need them, with lots of love and affection. Great concept and suffused with the warmth of selfless givers.❤️❤️

With Knockers, no one should go Breastless after mastectomy. Spread the word and if you wish to volunteer for SAAISHA, please get trained under them and become a part of this wonderful movement.

For those interested, please contact Jayashree ji @ 7700-990212 or email at saaisha.india@gmail.com for your pair of Knockers today!!

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Four years hence and five Breast fellows later, I am a happy soul. We are a super charged unit, sharing professionally, egging each other on, holding hands when the chips are down, laughing and enjoying our small successes, sharing our joys and sorrows alike, completing each other with each ones strengths, learning from each other and keeping pace with each other come rain or shine. We are making steady progress. The ones who came earlier are doing well in their current spaces and the ones with me keep adding value to this amazing journey!

Thank you Mallika Agarwal, Sandhya Gupta, Naresh Guthula, Hina Afsar and Shreya Sardana for believing in me and running alongside me. Proud of you!!

Cheers to our first alumni meet (missed you, Mallika)and may our clan grow bigger!

Yesterday, I got a call at 7.00 in the morning. It was from a city about a 100 kilometers from Delhi. The gentleman at the other end, in a panic stricken voice was saying that his mother who had undergone a breast removal surgery for a right breast cancer a week ago, had a bout of vomiting and suddenly, the drain box attached to the operated site filled up with blood. I quickly remembered that this patient had had poor tolerance to chemotherapy and the chemo had been interrupted to perform surgery. She was a hypertensive and diabetic. It was 7 days from surgery and rather unusual for a bleed to happen. However, I asked him to Whatsapp me pics of the drain box and my worst fears were confirmed. She was bleeding and needed urgent attention.

I urged him to go to the nearby nursing home, get her vitals checked, get her started on iv fluids and seen by the local surgeon. He went to the best place there but no one there was forthcoming. The panic in the son was building to a crescendo, as his mom’s restlessness was only getting worse. I was constantly on the phone trying to guide him but when he saw that things were not moving at all, he quickly shifted his mom to his car and decided to drive down to my hospital. It was risky for someone who was bleeding to cover a 100+ kilometers. I pleaded with him to get an intravenous line inserted and fluids started. He said he was not getting anywhere and he would take the risk of driving her down to me.

He must have driven at breakneck speed. He was in the Hospital in 2 hours and in the next half hour, my surgical team, the anesthetist, nursing teams and the coordinators set about doing their jobs in a calm but brisk manner. The Blood Bank had been alerted and the samples sent. The patient was alert but getting to be a bit drowsy. She was wheeled into the Operation theatre, the wound was opened, a bleeder identified and taken care of, drains inserted and the wound sutured back. Two units of blood was transfused and her blood pressure slowly returned to normal and the pulse started to settle. The color was returning to her face and she was sent to the ICU for monitoring and another unit of transfusion.

At the end of it all, there was a sweeping sense of gratitude for the hospital I work in. She had been to a ‘best’ hospital in her city but there, first aid was hard to come by. There was no urgency to save a life. Here, at my hospital, a well orchestrated multidisciplinary team effort ensured that she got timely care and is now, on her path to recovery. I dread to think what may have happened, had they got stuck in a traffic jam and reached later than what they did.

There is no substitute to what you can achieve in the comfort of a well equipped hospital with a team of experienced professionals.

GRATITUDE ONLY!!

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She is only 23 years but her wisdom belies her age. When I interacted with her for the first time, my mask hid my that-is-not-at-all fair expression well…she was telling me all about her disease, her research project, her fiancé, her mother who had dealt with breast cancer and was fine and so on. She knew what triple negative breast cancer was all about, the impending chemo, the side effects, the prognosis… I was caught off guard at the end of the discussion. The roles were reversed…she was filling me in with all the information unlike the other way round.

She had her chemo and her resilience through it all was remarkable. Her mother and fiancé stood solidly by her throughout.

When it was time for surgery, even before I could start discussing the surgical options, she very matter-of-factly said that she wanted a double mastectomy without reconstruction as she had tested positive for a gene mutation.

She is done with surgery and has radiation to go through and while at it, she applied for post graduation to a university in UK and her application has been accepted. Whoa! I just love this super girl. And she is not done yet… her fiancé is having a lot of trouble convincing his parents about getting married to her. They will go ahead anyway. Superrrrr!!??

Now that is UNCONDITIONAL LOVE… they are fully aware of what may happen but then life is about half chances. You win some, you lose some. Fear of what may happen, should not be allowed to win!!!

Best of luck, my Supergirl!!! Am truly proud of you!!

Darr ke aage hi jeet hai!!!

Newer Posts

Older Posts

Breast feed you must, but what about that lump in the breast?

The Champions Rocked It!!!

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION TO THE GROWING BREAST CANCER PROBLEM IN INDIA?

BEING A DOCTOR IS A REWARD IN ITSELF!!

HAPPINESS COMES IN MANY COLOURS!! 🌈

Thank you, Murari Bhaiyya!

The Many Miracles Of Life

DAY OUT WITH THE CHAMPIONS

KNOCKERS IS A KNOCK OUT – A Blessing for Patients after Mastectomy!!!

Who is running alongside me?= Happiness!!

The Comfort of A Well Equipped Hospital – Gratitude Only!!

Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai!