Life after treatment
Getting a bit ahead of myself as only halfway through treatment, but wanting ideas on diet after treatment as I'v
e been doing a bit of research which suggests a raw food diet, no sugar or alcohol. I eat pretty healthy and am prepared to give up alcohol, with an occasional glass of red wine for special occasions. What are other's thoughts and suggestions for vitamins to take after treatment. I have looked at a few options and would like to find a good naturopath for advice also. I want to do as much as I can to prevent a recurrance whilst still enjoying life.
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Hi Angie,I too spent lots of quality time researching what I could do to add to the mix that might help keep a recurrence away.I stayed supplement free except for vitamin d during chemo to ensure nothing got in the way of that doing its work, but once that was over (March), I hit my naturopath, and then my oncologist to run it by him, and get his approval.So, each day I rattle with 5 x 1000IUs of vitamin D (discoverd I had a low rate of 39 at time of diagnosis, managed to hit 72 during chemo thanks to the supplements, and am aiming for a high of 100 as low Vitamin D levels are linked with a higher rate of reccuence).,Also approved by my oncologist, CQ10, high dose vitamin C, iron tablets, fish oil to help with the post Femera/instant menopause stiff joints, and a multi vitamin. My naturopath also has me continuing to drink liquid chlorophyl each day (mixed with water and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice it almost tastes like lime cordial!) to help my liver get over the toxic shock of chemo. I was shocked to discover the link between alcohol and breast cancer upon diagnosis and have gone from being a very regular drinker to not touching the stuff at all except for special occassions like my wedding anniversary and my birthday. Ironies of ironies, don't miss it. Don't think about it. Didn't go through any sense of withdrawal. Oh how I wish I'd done that when it might have made a difference to me developing this dreaded disease in the first place (alochol causes oestregen levels to spike because the liver is to busy getting rid of the alcholo poision to process the oestregen hence the link with breast cancer and why it is fuel to the fire for anyone with oestergen postivie cancer).Oh, and also wish my naturopath and my oncologist's approval, I have one tablespoon of linseed meal on my cereal in the morning. The reason for caution is that whilst it's been shown to work against oestregen and destroying breast cancer cells in experiements, the jury is out on its impact in us oestregen positive types, so they recommend we have some, not lots....whereas pre developing cancer they believe it works really well at stopping you getting the dreaded thing in the first place.Like you, my diet was pretty healthy too, but as well as abandoning alcohol (sob ;-) ), I am working to cut back on sugar drastically...and that's not the added kind but the hidden in food kind as I'm not a coke drinker/three sugars in my coffee kind of girl. Also eating red meat as a treat here and there (again nothing new here), and as alwasy only eating organic free range eggs and chicken.Foods to ban are those packed with nitrates, a known carcinogenic (just think every delicious piece of bacon, pncetta, sausage etc you have ever had). Oh, and my naturopath has also instructed me to remove as much plastic from my life as possible (so no more takeway container micorwaving!), as there are components in a lot of plastics which mimic oestregen which I need to banish from my person as much as possible.But having written all of the above, life is about living too, so rather than being a total food nazi, I have adjust my already good diet a bit more, and I don't break out in a anxiety rash if I'm out to dinner and their are lamb shanks with pancetta on the menu. One meal such as this is the past seven months is hardly going crazy!And I know at this stage of my life, I am not ready to go vegan and can't imagine ever being ready to go vegan. As my naturpath (thank goodness) says...she knows lots over very, very unhealthy vegans!What city are you in? If in Sydney PM and I can shoot across some naturpath recommendations to you if you like.One thing I am struggling with is the raw food thig. I like to cook dammit ;-). But working on it.x0
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Great post dawngirl! Like you,I did alot of research after my first bout of bc and I have to say that I would place"peace of mind"above diet and exercise.I think prolonged stress can make us sick.Our cortisol levels rise which,inturn weakens our immune system.If our immune system is compromised then it might miss mopping up a rogue cancer cell.For 5 years after my first bc,I ate well,took flaxseed tablets instead of Tamoxifen,exercised and delt with any stresses in my life-and I stayed cancer free.However,I broke my ankle and sufferred a series of dodgy operations,disability for 18 months,a medical negligence battle and +++stress.I was stressed at work.I couldn't exercise and stopped paying attention to my diet.As a consequence,cancer came back in the same breast(7 years after the first bc).Maybe it was just bad luck but as soon as I got through bc for a second time,I made big changes to my life to reduce stress. I'm working on the diet and exercise bit but don't deny myself the once a week chocolate hit and glass of red -which,I might add,are quite good for you.I'm on Tamoxifen and dare not stop this time.It's been 3 years now and so far so good. Being proactive about our health helps us feel in control.However,I don't like being fanatical about food but rather take an everything in moderation approach.I take a Blackmores multivit most days and a vit d when I think of it.I try to avoid packaged,chemical added foods and preserved meats with nitrates.I otherwise eat a good,varied diet with red meat only occasionally. Good luck with the rest of your treatment Angie.
Tonya xx
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I have made changes to my diet and lifestyle but I've relied on my own reading and online research rather than a naturopath (not a big believer in them to be honest). In particular I've used the following books to modify my diet: The Whole Food Guide for Breast Cancer Survivors by Edward Bauman and Helayne Waldman, The Pink Ribbon Diet to lower Breast Cancer Risk by Mary Flynn and Nancy Barr and Fight Now: Eat & Live Proactively Against Breast Cancer by Aaron Tabor and Lillie Shockney.As a result of reading these books and also quite a lot of online research I too have dramatically cut back on alcohol from 3-4 times a week to special occasions only (once a month max). I eat a lot more vegetables (proabably the most important thing you can do), use olive oil only for cooking, avoid margarine & seed oils, white bread and all types of processed food as much as possible. I try to include lots of wholemeal foods, walnuts, pomegranite juice, green tea, oats and of course broccoli. I think you're best off getting as many nutrients as possible from fresh, unprocessed food but I do take some supplements. I stopped taking a multi-vitamin as I read that the copper and iron that they contain are not good for cancer patients. I also take vitamin D (about 3000ui a day in total), I take gingko biloba for my memory which I think has been impaired by chemo. I take calcium with the extra minerals, a fish oil pill for general health and a hair, skin and nails pill.I also take a product called Breast Balance which I obtain online form the US. It's main ingredient is diindolylmethane - a derivative of cruciferous vegetabls which is thought to break down excess estrogen in the body. There is currently a study underway at the University of Arizona to determine whether taking diindolylmenthane with tamoxifen works better to prevent recurrance than taking tamoxifen alone. This product also contains some of my vitamin D as well as selenium and iodine, all of which have been found to be deficient in women with breast cancer.I also try to exercise vigorously 4-5 times a week - also important to prevent recurrance - and I too avoid using plastics to some extent (don't drink out of plastic bottles or microwave foods in plastic). I do my best to stick to these guidelines but I'm not perfect either. I do have a weakness for bacon so I let myself have some every so often. And I'm not that vigilent about sugar - I have dark chocolate most weeks - but I think when you aim to eat whole fresh foods and avoid processed, the sugar is automatically reduced from your diet. My oncologist doesn't have a problem with anything I am doing. Good luck with your treatment. Janet.0
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Like you have done a lot of research myself, but find it good to bounce off the professionals too. Thanks for tip on the supplements from the states. Will look into that. As for vegetables and whole foods, my local free grocer and health food store have never been happier ;-). Being arnemic is not good for cancer either so such a fine balance at times... but sometimes we need that supplement boost when are bodies are so depleted post chemo. But couldn't agree more that getting our nutrients through good food is the way to go :-). It's all pretty much good sense. And treats along the way so should be allowed! Oh and exercise ... yep ... also an important part of the armoury against.
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Thanks for the reply girls. Some great info & advice there. As I'm triple negative (oestregen and hormone neg) & node positive I want to beat this damn c as I've got a lot of living left to do at 37. Plus I have my 7 & 9 year old children to keep me positively fighting. A
ny extra ideas of switching off thoughts of cancer & trying not to think too far ahead? (Easier said than done with an active mind) I'm trying the gratitude list and a bit of meditation (coming from being very physically active I still need to put more time into this practice.) I know Positive affirmations are good also. Louise L Hay has a book 'You can heal your life' that I've been working through off and on over thd past 12 months. I live in south west Victoria and will try a highly recommended naturopath in Geelong to see what he suggests.0 -
Thanks for the reply girls. Some great info & advice there. As I'm triple negative (oestregen and hormone neg) & node positive I want to beat this damn c as I've got a lot of living left to do at 37. Plus I have my 7 & 9 year old children to keep me positively fighting. A
ny extra ideas of switching off thoughts of cancer & trying not to think too far ahead? (Easier said than done with an active mind) I'm trying the gratitude list and a bit of meditation (coming from being very physically active I still need to put more time into this practice.) I know Positive affirmations are good also. Louise L Hay has a book 'You can heal your life' that I've been working through off and on over thd past 12 months. I live in south west Victoria and will try a highly recommended naturopath in Geelong to see what he suggests.
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Thanks for the reply girls. Some great info & advice there. As I'm triple negative (oestregen and hormone neg) & node positive I want to beat this damn c as I've got a lot of living left to do at 37. Plus I have my 7 & 9 year old children to keep me positively fighting. A
ny extra ideas of switching off thoughts of cancer & trying not to think too far ahead? (Easier said than done with an active mind) I'm trying the gratitude list and a bit of meditation (coming from being very physically active I still need to put more time into this practice.) I know Positive affirmations are good also. Louise L Hay has a book 'You can heal your life' that I've been working through off and on over thd past 12 months. I live in south west Victoria and will try a highly recommended naturopath in Geelong to see what he suggests.
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Hi all, what does the research suggest about eating flaxseeds, miso and tofu while taking femara. I don't seem to be able to find any up to date infocheersKeren0
