Marking Milestones: Completing Treatment During Cancer Journey
- CNN news anchor Sara Sidner, 52, shares what radiation can do to your skin and how it feels after wrapping up 25 rounds of treatment. She hopes that giving insights into her personal experience will help ease the fears of other cancer patients expecting radiation treatment.
- Sidner was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. So far, her treatment journey has included chemotherapy, surgery in the form of a double mastectomy (removal of both breasts), and radiotherapy.
- Radiation therapy uses ionizing energy, which travels through the body and essentially damages DNA. Normal tissue can repair that damage, while cancer cells can’t.
- Many women undergo radiation as part of their treatment, especially if they opt for a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy.
Popular CNN news anchor Sara Sidner, 52, is marking a milestone in her stage 3 breast cancer journey after completing 25 rounds of radiotherapy. She turned to Instagram to share what multiple rounds of radiation did to her body to ease the fear associated with this type of cancer treatment.
“I just want people to understand that it is just one more part of your journey, and it will not be the worst part,” Sidner said.
Read MoreWATCH: Radiation Is Simply Ionizing Energy
Sidner showed the upper portion of her breast. Her skin was darkened, almost sunburn-like in appearance. She hoped that showing the result of radiation and sharing it would not hurt; it would encourage cancer patients not to be scared of the treatment option.
“Radiation therapy is actually ionizing energy, where energy goes through your body, essentially causes DNA damage,” Radiation Oncologist Dr. Subhakar Mutyala explained to SurvivorNet.
“It is a treatment where you don’t feel the treatment itself. Now, sometimes, you might feel the place where we place the tumor. If we’re placing applicators in the cancer, you might feel that. Or if you’re lying on a table and we’re holding you still, you might feel that. But the actual treatment is just ionizing energy,” Dr. Mutyala continued.
Sidner’s cancer journey has brought with it multiple rounds of grueling chemotherapy, a double mastectomy (removal of both breasts), and, most recently, radiation therapy.
Helping Patients Prepare for Radiotherapy
- “No, You Won’t Be Radioactive” & 4 Other Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Around Radiation Treatment
- Benefit Of External Beam Radiation: It’s Non-Invasive
- CyberKnife Targets Radiation with the Same Effectiveness as Traditional Treatments
- High-Dose Radiation: The Benefit May Outweigh The Risk
- Radiation Simulation: Preparing for Radiation Treatment
- What Does Radiation Feel Like?
- What Type of Radiation Can I Get?
Sara’s Journey
Sidner is an award-winning journalist who covers major news events in the U.S. and abroad. She was covering the unrest in Israel last Fall when she learned she needed a biopsy after getting a mammogram, which screens for breast cancer. The biopsy discovered a lump that turned out to be stage 3 breast cancer.
Since her diagnosis, Sidner has taken her cancer journey in stride and brought along loyal news viewers for the ride.
“Thank you for your courage in teaching us through your testimony! You are adored and loved ❤️! From your sister in the news!” fellow journalist April D. Ryan commented on Instagram.
Sidner’s cancer treatment began with chemotherapy.
“For me, the first couple of infusions, I was fine in ways I could not have imagined. I actually asked my doctor if this s—t was working. I felt like superwoman,” Sidner recalled.
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@SaraSidnertv
This past winter, Sidner shared video clips of herself doing intense exercise routines. However, by her fourth round of chemotherapy, the side effects started to take their toll.
She had already started cryotherapy, which involves wearing cold caps or special cooling caps before, during, and after each chemotherapy treatment to help prevent hair loss.
“Normally, 60% to 80% of your hair goes after your second infusion and, if you’re lucky, into your third. I was prepared for it [hair loss],” Sidner said as she held up a strand of hair she’d lost so far.
WATCH: What is a scalp-cooling device?
Scalp-cooling devices have recently been approved by the FDA, first for breast cancer and then several other cancers. The cold caps, which are tightly fitting and strap-on helmet-style, are filled with a gel coolant that’s chilled to between -15 and -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Essentially, the caps “cause vasoconstriction, or a narrowing of the blood vessels bringing blood to the scalp,” Dr. Renata Urban, gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington, explains.
By constricting the blood flow to the scalp, the caps limit the circulating chemotherapy that reaches the hair follicles, protecting them from some of the chemo’s damaging effects.
The cold also decreases the activity of the hair follicles, slowing down cell division and making the follicles less affected by the chemotherapy medicine.
Sidner finished 16 rounds of chemo for treatment before breast cancer surgery.
Throughout Sidner’s journey, she says she’s learned the value of self-care because although she’s managed the rigors of treatment better than she expected, some days were still hard to get through.
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“This is a lesson about real self-care, and real self-care to me is drinking enough water, going for a run, working out, letting yourself be mad, and letting yourself cry,” Sidner continued.
Remarkably, throughout Sidner’s cancer journey, she’s been able to keep working and reporting the news during much of her cancer journey.
Continuing to Work During Cancer Journey
“We always encourage people to continue to work if they can,” says Sarah Stapleton, a clinical social worker at Montefiore Medical Center.
Stapleton adds that if you can work, you’ll be busy, and you may not worry about how your treatment is going.
Sometimes, cancer can make you feel isolated and lonely, and being around people for work can alleviate feelings of loneliness.
It would be best to talk with your doctor before continuing to work during treatment. Ask your physician what you can and cannot do to avoid disrupting ongoing treatment.
Remember, sometimes cancer treatment can cause fatigue, leaving you unable to fulfill your duties as you once could.
Fortunately, some on-the-job accommodations can make working during cancer treatment much more manageable.
It’s important to remember people with job problems related to cancer are protected by the Rehabilitation Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) may also benefit others. This law allows many people with serious illnesses to take unpaid leave to get medical care or manage their symptoms.
Your human resources department should be able to share with you your options.
In some situations, employers must accommodate a qualified applicant or employee with a disability unless the employer can show it would be an undue hardship to do so. This could mean making changes to work schedules, equipment, or policies.
What To Ask Your Doctor
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may have questions about keeping your strength through treatment. Here are a few questions to help you begin the conversation with your doctor:
- What treatment will I be receiving?
- What side effects are associated with this treatment?
- Are there steps I can take daily to help minimize these side effects?
- What physical activity routine do you recommend for me during treatment?
- Do you have recommendations for someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy exercise?
- Can you recommend a dietician who can help me with healthy eating tips and weight maintenance?
- I’ve been having trouble sleeping. Do you have any treatment recommendations?
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