‘My hands and feet turned black, my hair fell out’

KARACHI: Pink ribbons and Facebook campaigns belie the ugly face of breast cancer. “My hands and feet turned black and my hair fell out. It took two years for my nails to grow back,” says Zara, a 65 year-old working woman who has endured every stage of suffering that a breast cancer survivor can fear: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

Zara discovered a lump in her breast through self-examination, and was diagnosed with breast cancer two months later. Spending hours in doctors’ waiting lounges with a mind swarming with fear and questions contributed to her mental agony. The worst of it, Zara says, was the physical deterioration of her body. “It was a horrendous ordeal,” says Zara. “If the cancer relapses, I am at an age where I would rather die than put my mind and body through that suffering again. I’m telling you, it was a nightmare… I don’t think wearing a pink ribbon will be of much help to a cancer patient, unless it is contributing funds or telling people what they may be for. What we really need are support groups where people can discuss their problems. There are so many questions to be asked and so much time is wasted waiting in hospital lounges.” Zara also suffered from depression while she battled cancer.

While the chemotherapy period may be a painful one for most cancer patients, it is important to remember that undergoing treatment is part of the big picture - the fight for survival. Zara goes for regular check-ups in case the cancer relapses, but doctors have given her a clean bill of health. Her body has not yet recovered completely from the reeling effects of chemotherapy, but she is active and grateful to be alive.

The reality of a mammogram scan

A mammogram machine is an expensive piece of equipment. At a government-run hospital, patients are likely to wait in line at the registration desk, and are taken in one at a time to a room where the scan takes place. Hospital officials at one public hospital said that the machine conducts between eight to 15 scans per day and usually heats up after 10 scans, preventing more patients from undergoing screenings. The scan is conducted when the patient’s breast is compressed between paddles in the machine to determine the presence of unusual lumps. Although it is not a very painful procedure, the patient is likely to feel some discomfort as the paddles apply pressure to the breast to get an accurate scan.

The Pink Ribbon Campaign (PRC) in Pakistan in collaboration with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) is conducting a three-day free screening programme at hospitals all over Pakistan starting Oct 25 to Oct 27.

“With early detection, the chances of surviving breast cancer are more than 90 per cent,” says Samar Nigar, a PRC programme manager.

Karachi Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine (KIRAN Hospital) and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) are conducting the mammogramme scans that can show unusual masses or breast lumps. “Patients should get a mammogram scan as a routine check-up, regardless of whether or not they have found a breast lump through self-examinations,” says Dr Shaheen Zareen, Head of Nuclear Medicine and Breast Care Clinic in-charge at PAEC. If a mamogram is “suspicious”, a doctor will advise the patient to undergo a biopsy to determine if the lump is malignant.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2010.