... The fear of getting breast cancer is every women’s nightmare and actually having it is certainly a devastating and life threatening experience. I have had close calls myself and can totally relate to this feeling.
My mom was no different. Although she was in her eighties and had some memory loss, she was devastated with the fact that she had a huge lump that was painful and also that could be breast cancer (which it was).
She was so extremely worried about this condition that (according to her doctor) she was wanting to talk to everyone around her about it. Talking to others about your fears would seem like a fairly normal thing to do, but apparently not an acceptable practice when you’re in a care home. And their solution? Give her drugs to “shut her up”.
I took mom to her surgeons appointments, to the hospital for biopsy, and then for surgery to remove the cancer. She was always very cooperative and in spite of her age and condition she got through it all quite well.
The one thing that mom did not want was radiation and chemo. She was fully cognisant of what radiation could do and stated that it could “hurt her insides” (her exact words). This was confirmed as a possible side effect by the surgeon when I related this to him.
My mom, in her life had seen many people go through cancer (including my dad, who died from the disease) and she never believed in radiation or chemo and was quite emphatic about it. Her “choice” throughout life was to follow a “natural” course in dealing with malady, and she went to a Naturopathic physician for many years. Again these were her “choice's”.
In the research I have done on anti-psychotic drugs it is clearly stated that they are not to be given to women that have had breast cancer. This is because the drugs increase the hormones that would contribute to breast cancer growth. This would also make you wonder if in fact these same drugs could then cause breast cancer as well, for the same reasons. When I brought this up in the care homes, I was just given a nasty look and ignored.
Now we can fast forward as mom's story has already been told in my previous blogs, as to what transpired with her in care homes and hospitals.
The important point I have to make here, is that I informed Abbotsford Regional Hospital (including the doctor in charge) of my mom's past history with breast cancer and that anti-psychotic drugs are not to be given to women with a history of the disease (something you’d think they would know!) This fact and the fact that she had already had some small seizures on the drugs did nothing to dissuade them from continuing their drugging regime!
Not only did they strip Mom of her natural "Choices", which are part of
basic Human Rights, but with flagrant disregard for her health and well
being, they forcible drugged her with medications that are:
- a) Not to be given to anyone with dementia (black boxed in US)
- b) Not to be given to someone who has had seizures
- c) Not to be given to women with a history of breast cancer
