Another Potential Cure And A Stressor

I do not know if I should be elated or frustrated or what. Here is another potential miracle 'cure' for cancer. No, I am not reading the back pages of some magazine but from a very reputable source. I realize these 'breakthroughs' happen all the time but they do cause stress to us cancer people.

I am not sure how much other people realize the amount of stress the constant barrage of potential news telling us about potential cures - with the supposition that it should be positive and provide hope for us. However, there are two problems with this.

The first one is that not all potential 'cures' ever pan out into something real. Second the amount of time to find out if it will actually work - usually more than a decade.  For people diagnosed with late stage cancer often do not have that long to wait. Think about those facts for a moment.

Its like you are chasing a carrot on a stick that keeps on being pulled away from you. Always just out of reach. And flitting away at the last minute. Eternally unavailable. This is incredibly stressful.

I started following all the breast cancer stuff in 2007, a decade ago. Now I am finally seeing some progress from new breakthroughs which were announced then. That was a long time to wait. The only personal benefit I have seen so far is the announcement that I get to stay on Femara (an aromatase inhibitor for probably ten years total). I have seen some other advancements in radiation given differently and for shorter periods of time.

My attitude is to ignore all these advancements. I like the ideas behind  this advancement. But I can't waste time getting hopeful about this one.

"Esculin is a chemical that naturally occurs in the horse chestnut and is beneficial to circulatory health.

Researcher Dr Jan Grimm said: ‘The possibility of developing a topical application from the gel makes this innovation an attractive potential improvement to current techniques of cancer imaging.’"

That is a very short version of the breakthrough. Use the link above to read more. But for me its another carrot on a stick that is held constantly just past my fingertips. I will ignore it until in 20 years it turns into a real advancement to keep my stress level down.