The difficulty of choosing optional treatment

Hi Catherine,

I was diagnosed Sept 18th (only last year) and a double mastectomy on 27th Nov. My growths were very early stage and slow growing.

Lifestyle changes, hmmm …..

I would share a bottle of wine every night with my husband beforehand. My oncologist (and follow up research) said no way,  a small amount every second night would be fine. So I have cut down big time. 

Maintaining an ideal weight was also emphasised. I knew that I was a little over my ideal weight but it is/was  do-able for me, so that is also  a commitment I have made.

I also listen to the research about the effects of exercise on recurrence of breast cancer. So I now ensure that I actually DO exercise on a regular basis, rather than my previous life of "yeah, that’s enough, I’m fit.”.

I’m very aware that I’m still in early days so am not in a position to comment of the effectiveness of my decision. Another question I asked my oncologist was along the lines of if "I had a recurrence, would I know that it was because I didn’t have chemo?” Onc’s response was “absolutely not… there’s no way of knowing.  She also emphasised that chemo wasn’t a 100% guarantee either that there wouldn’t be a recurrence.  I needed to hear that before I could make my decision. 

I’m not 100% about anything and don’t for a minute assume that what I have done suits everyone. I’m 58 years old and might feel very differently now to what I might have when my kids were little. Having said that I’m gonna be a first time grandma within a few weeks and really want to be around for a long time! So, I’ll be jogging, eating healthy food and drinking less wine to help that happen! 

Thinking of you at this time

Pauline xx