Jane Biehl Ph.D.

Jane is a ten-year survivor of a very rare form of cancer Myelodysplastic Syndrome. She has enjoyed several exciting careers including a librarian, counselor, teacher, and writer. She loves to write about surviving cancer, overcoming hearing loss, and her hearing ear service dog, Sita.

I, like most people, enjoy hearing birds sing and watching them fly. My parents had birdfeeders in the yard, and we would watch them all the time. However, I never knew how intelligent they were until I toured a bird sanctuary.

The shelter took sick and injured birds from all over the country and rehabilitated them. The presenter convinced me that birds are way more intelligent than given credit for. Scientists are studying them and what interested me the most, was how social they are and how they help each other out. I am one of those people who constantly say I like animals better than some people and now I can add birds to that list.

There is a unique type of bird that is mostly found in the southwest U.S. including Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, and Texas. The Harris Hawk is a very sociable animal and hangs out in small family groups. They hunt together, keep watch for predators and even band together to raise the younger birds — it takes a village!

What I found most interesting is that they are what is known as “back stackers.” This movement can be compared to the pyramid setup in cheerleading. They stand on each other's backs if there isn’t enough room to perch, and three or four of them on top of each other look out over the arid desert watching for predators.

I think about how these creatures serve and help each other, and then I think about people. Admittedly there are some not so nice people in the world but as a cancer survivor, I have had many “stackers” to help me. I have stood on the backs of people who risked clinical trials to be sure the various chemotherapy treatments I received were safe. I have stood on the backs of the great doctors and nurses who sacrifice everything, even amid a dangerous pandemic, to help me. I have stood on the backs of other cancer survivors to inspire me. And I certainly have stood on the backs of family and friends and church people who support me. I also have attempted to provide a back for others to stand on too.

So, cancer survivors, when you get down and discouraged as we all do, think of these birds that assist each other and the people who have helped you along your journey. It may make life just a little easier on those down days.

Then there are the days others need us. Look at the view like these great hawks do and help each other!

Articles

There are some amazing studies that show how certain birds help each other in times of need. For us cancer survivors, we should be like these birds and help each other more. 

Cancer Survivors, Be Like the Birds and Help Each Other

During my long 10-year cancer journey I have had the pleasure of meeting many cancer survivors. Honestly, this is one of the few plusses from having this insidious disease. I have watched people survive unbelievable assaults on their bodies ranging from surgeries, to radiation, to chemo, to bone marrow transplants.

Somehow, they keep on going, putting one foot in front of the other and spend a lot of time (which they know is precious) reaching out and helping others. I also go weekly to the infusion floor for shots at the cancer center. Some patients are obviously very ill, but still manage a cheery greeting to the nurses and me.

I wonder how they do it. Then, I remember a favorite professor in my rehabilitation counseling classes for my master’s degree. She taught a favorite class called “Psychosocial Aspects of Disability.” I learned an incredible amount about working with people with disabilities.

The first lesson she taught us involved four simple words: DO NOT PITY THEM. She explained the difference between empathy and sympathy. She instilled in us we were not training as counselors to “help” people, but to teach them how to help themselves.

After I graduated and worked in a vocational agency for people with disabilities, I would tell my clients that this was like a baseball game. My agency would provide them with the tools to succeed like training, job coaches, special computer equipment and devices. But it was up to them to hit a home run or strikeout and try again. Landing and keeping the job was up to them.

Another thing I remember this wise professor teaching us was that people with disabilities (or cancer) are like a bumblebee. There is no scientific way a bumblebee should be able to fly, but it does. And no one understands how.

Aerodynamically a bumblebee should not be able to fly, but it doesn’t know this, so it keeps on flying anyway. A.S. Waldrop has written an amazing poem, “The Bumblebee Cannot Fly,” on this topic.

But the bumblebee doesn’t know this fact,

losing faith or hope God’s proof that the

When I read this poem, I think of all the people I have been privileged to know with disabilities and cancer. Today, many people are coping with COVID-19 and terrible losses. And yet, they somehow manage to go on and fly. They may not know how, but they do. I appreciate all the people I worked with who had horrible disabilities, and all the people with cancer I have met who are true survivors.

Thank you all for teaching the rest of us to fly!

Cancer survivors are like bumblebees in that they continue to go on and fly despite the countless obstacles they face. 

What Do People With Cancer and Bumblebees Have in Common? 

The emotions people all over the world have experienced as a result of COVID-19 have been the same, regardless of race, color or creed. Sadness, depression, uncertainty, insomnia, anxiety, and on and on. Counselors, psychologists, and social workers are busier than ever before.

However, as a professional with a doctorate in counseling, the most significant emotion I witness is fear.It is the invisible, ever pervading, always permeating, insidious, and unpredictable terror of a virus.

I have friends and family who haven’t left the house in months. People diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder have every single symptom magnified. We wash, disinfect, avoid strangers and clean more than ever before. I joke (but not really) that for the first time it is socially acceptable to be like the famous television detective Monk. Just listen to the song by Randy Newman “It’s a Jungle Out There” which opens the show.Here is an excerpt:

“It’s a jungle out there. Poison in the very air we breathe Do you know what’s in the water that you drink? Well, I do and it’s amazing. People think I’m crazy because I worry all the time. If you paid attention you’d be worried too. You better pay attention, or this world we love so much might just kill you.”

WOW – how appropriate this old television program is right now.

I too am afraid. However, I am just too social to never leave the house. I always check with my oncologist who knows me well. She grounded me from cruises, which I am terrified to take now anyway. She told me I cannot fly right now. Outside patios are OK if I’m socially distancing. And I know every patio in the area, because my retired service dog is 16 years old and we have eaten outside for a long time. There are many things she cannot do because of severe arthritis but she loves sniffing the air while I eat.

There is another feeling deep down that I think all of us cancer patients experience – this is déjà vu. We have been through this before. We know the terror of realizing we have a potentially fatal disease. The type we have doesn't matter because even if we are in remission, or supposedly cured, or being treated or not, we have a sword over our heads. We realize the next bone marrow biopsy, CT scan, MRI, blood work or another biopsy can change our prognosis forever. The sleepless nights, unremitting fear and uncertain future is happening all over again. Like the novel coronavirus, the “big C” is invisible, unrelenting, and always surrounding us.

However, in some ways, maybe because we went through this before, we are emotionally better equipped.

Please know I am not mitigating the virus, because I have lost friends from this horrible pandemic and know people who have had it. However, I told a friend of mine one time that my cancer is not reversible. I have already lived longer than anticipated. I am trying not to worry about it while in remission until it gets worse, and then I will worry. If I stew now it just takes away the pleasures of everyday life. When it worsens, I will need to make decisions about which treatments to undergo such as bone marrow transplants, blood transfusions, and other risky interventions. I will worry when the time comes. I do not want to take away from the pleasures of today.

Underneath my bravado, of course, I still think about it. Both COVID-19 and cancer can be fatal for me and I know that. For the first time in my life, I have frequently had insomnia and know it is the underlying anxiety that I am trying to conquer.

We know not to anticipate and fear because we have learned to survive cancer. Our bouts of insomnia, the days we wake up feeling sad with no apparent reason and the terrifying following of the news about COVID-19, like our relentless research of our type of cancer, are triggers for us. But through our previous cancer lessons, we know that the future cannot be predicted. All we have is now and we cherish every single minute! We are just doing it all over again.

Like the novel coronavirus, cancer is invisible, unrelenting, and always surrounding us.

Dealing with Cancer and COVID-19 is Similar in Many Ways

I have been hesitant to write a blog on the probable relationship between dental health and cancer, mostly because I found so little research on it. I did, however, find research refuting the myth that root canals cause cancer, which was believed at one time.

Some research has been done on the link between pancreatic cancer and periodontal disease. Some articles talked about poor dental hygiene being a precursor to cancer. But this was not what I was looking for at all.

® VOICES contributors sharing how some experienced increasing dental problems after diagnosis and treatment. That led me to want to share my story.

I have always experienced dental problems. I have worn hearing aids for more than 60 years, and the ear molds caused serious temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, which according to the Mayo Clinic can cause pain in the jaw joint and surrounding muscles.

After experiencing excruciating headaches, I had braces for two years as an adult, which helped some.Throughout the years, I have had several root canals and a couple of cracked teeth pulled. One horrible time I even had a splintered bone migrate to my sinuses resulting in daily antibiotic IVs for several weeks because of infection and fever.

Then the tsunami hit. I had five root canals in one year, causing financial devastation. My gut told me something else was wrong and a few months later I was diagnosed with MDS.

When it comes to my dental health, the years after that have been horrible. Tooth after tooth had to be extracted, including five last year. By now I was losing patience!

With a doctoral degree, I am familiar with research and decided to dig even deeper. I finally found an article by Dr. Jason C. Campbell that explains 

It explains how when a patient is receiving radiation or chemotherapy, the salivary glands are altered. Since saliva is effective in protecting against tooth decay, cavities and related problems often occur.

BINGO – I was right! The author talks about the very cures of treatment causing devastation to the teeth. He laments his patients losing thousands of dollars first for cancer treatment, then for dental bills, just to be able to eat in post-cancer life.

The problem is how rarely the patient is informed about the association of these two problems. I finally confronted my oncologist and dentist. They did their own research I am sure, and they told me that cancer and treatment do weaken bone structure including the teeth. I wish I had been told this earlier.

I truly am encouraged that some research is being done, and there will be more in the future. Meanwhile, there are some steps to take. Several of these articles, including many from the American Dental Association, encourage cancer survivors to connect and consider their dentist a huge part of their care team.

All the articles encouraged basic dental care such as brushing your teeth, flossing regularly, avoiding crunchy foods, and drinking too much alcohol, which can dry your mouth. There are several other suggestions on how to alleviate some of the problems, like making sure your oncologist and dentist work together, gently brushing your teeth twice a day, and avoiding dry mouth.

There are special mouthwashes to assist in preventing dental decay and helping with the saliva. Special kinds of toothpaste are available, but they are more expensive. I also need to wear a splint at night to prevent the damage bruxism has caused. A dentist can help you with these steps.

And like anything else, beware of a new person entering your medical world. I was referred to an oral surgeon to remove two teeth at once. He immediately told me I should have implants. I had been cautioned by my dentist against this, because my bone structure was not strong enough. This oral surgeon became insistent and I refused to schedule them, which upset him.

When I returned to my dentist, I found out he could have done them and did not suggest these to me, because he knew what was best for me. I trust him completely and this is what we all need on our care team. I am very lucky to have my dentist and oncologist, who advised against any kind of implants.I have an immune deficiency, so it was extra important to contact them.

In summary, do not jump into anything. Do your research and build up a good relationship with all your doctors, including your dentist. Understand that the results will never be perfect, since we can lose some teeth, but steps can be taken to help us eat and drink more comfortably. And we all love to eat!

I confronted my oncologist and dentist about the research I found. After doing their own research, they told me that cancer and treatment can weaken bone structure including teeth. I wish I had been told this earlier. 

Author | Jane Biehl Ph.D.

New content coming soon, please check back later.