DENTON---Mary Martinez endured surgery, chemotherapy and a month of radiation treatments to survive breast cancer. But, more than a year after her initial diagnosis, medications prescribed now cause her to gain weight---sometimes several pounds in a day.
So, the Lake Dallas resident is fighting back again. This time, it's with the assistance and encouragement of Denton Regional Medical Center's new The Pink Essentials program for breast cancer survivors of all ages.
Part support group and part weight management program, The Pink Essentials is offered exclusively by Denton Regional's registered dietitians and focuses on teaching breast cancer survivors proper nutrition, lifestyle modifications and exercises specifically tailored to help them regain strength and become healthier.
Since The Pink Essentials was introduced quietly in mid-April, membership has grown to 35 survivors and participants come from as far away as Irving to attend. Meetings, offered at no charge, are at 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays in the Education Building on Denton Regional's campus at 3535 S. I-35 East.
Members range from those just out of treatment to 20-year survivors. Most are women between the ages of 40 and 80.
"Many breast cancer survivors who take a drug know as tomoxifen complain about gaining weight while on this drug sometimes 20 pounds or more," said Brandi Matous, director of food and nutrition services at Denton Regional. "In fact, many women talk about suffering from ravenous appetites, a lack of energy, weight gain and difficulty maintaining a healthy weight.
"Our meetings last about 30 minutes or so, and each participant is weighed and their successes are acknowledged. Then, we offer an education program focusing on nutrition, behavioral strategies, stress management and fitness."
Denton Regional stresses portion control and understanding proper serving sizes. Recent sessions have included discussions about what to look for when choosing fruits and vegetables, hunger triggers, goal setting and upper body exercises.
Each cancer survivor's recommended diet is based on her own caloric needs for weight loss or weight gain, her height and her individual nutritional needs.
"Typically, breast cancer survivors need more fruits and vegetables because that's where all the good antioxidants, vitamins and minerals are," Matous said. "We encourage them to eat a well-balanced diet with more of an emphasis on fruits and vegetables."
The Pink Essentials members tend to lose weight slower than on other programs, but the goal is to ensure they are losing weight sensibly and for the long-term, Matous said. In the first eight weeks, participants lost 123 pounds total and, as of August 19 an additional 84 pounds had been lost.
"You have to eat to lose weight," Matous said. "If you starve yourself, your body will go into starvation mode. In addition, we hope to avoid cancer recurrence and the research shows that maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle helps decrease that dramatically."
The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer during her life is about 1 in 8, according to new statistics from the American Cancer Society. Right now, there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors.
Martinez has lost a few pounds since joining The Pink Essentials. More importantly, she's gained strong relationships with other cancer survivors.
"The support and encouragement you receive from the women in the group helps you keep going and keeps you focused on doing something good for yourself," Martinez said. "Going to Pink Essentials meetings every week is a chance to be with people who understand what you've been through."
The first members of The Pink Essentials came from fliers distributed by Texas Oncology in Denton and through the assistance of Judy Jeanes, chairperson for the Denton Area Chapter of the American Cancer Society and the director of cancer services at Denton Regional.
However, in the last few weeks, other cancer survivors have found the program via word of mouth from those in other cancer support groups.
If the group's membership continues to grow, Matous said another session may be added.
Nancy Roberts, a 19-year breast cancer survivor from Krum, said what she's learned at the meetings helped her lose six pounds the first month and helps her continue to lose weight.
"I don't eat anything with flour at all, and that's all I used to eat," Roberts said. "I've cut down on how much processed food I eat," Roberts said.
She's also begun working out and takes advice from Lauren J. Monroe, a local Stott Pilates instructor and Matous' sister, who volunteers her time to The Pink Essentials. For those who are not used to working out, small lifestyle changes, such as parking cars a little farther away when shopping, taking the stairs when possible and walking to the mailbox, are suggested to be tried first.
"Everyone is different and we aren't going to encourage anything that a patient's doctor has not approved. Everyone can do something that will help her fitness needs," Matous said. "A breast cancer survivor not only can be a survivor, but they can also be healthy survivors."
For more information about Pink Essentials or to contact Matous, call (940) 384-3438 or go to http://thepinkessentials.wordpress.com/.
About Denton Regional
Denton Regional is a 208 bed, full service hospital that serves the growing population of Denton, Wise, Cooke and Montague Counties. Offering the full-spectrum of healthcare including advanced open-heart surgery and oncology programs, Denton Regional's more than 850 employees and 250 physicians are constantly striving to offer the highest quality service to north Texas.
Denton Regional is part of the HCA North Texas Division Hospitals which includes 12 hospitals and related health-care entities serving North Texas and surrounding areas. To learn more about this hospital and others in the division, visit http://www.hcahealthcare.com/ and http://www.dentonregional.com/. For more information, please contact Denton Regional Marketing at 940-384-3251.
