What health or lifestyle changes have you made since diagnosis

I think the first change I made was to realise my life was not over.This was helped initially by Cancer Council “Cancer Connect “ who found a delightful lady for me to talk to who was 10 years post bc.

From that I garnered the courage ,with gentle nudges from a couple of friends , to find a local bc support group - it was a revelation to see these women out an about in my community shopping , having coffee etc generally doing normal life.I also joined this blog and found wise counsel and kindness from fellow travellers on the bc journey.

I learnt on the blog and from the local support group of the free Encore hydrotherapy course run by the YWCA which I enjoyed later that year as well being provided weekly with a 1 hour seminar on topics like Lymphoedema, post mastectomy clothing , Otis foundation - I realised there was much help around for me if I sought it.

I started to gain confidence and commenced walking daily for an hour.It was winter when I started but did much to help me relax and have some me time away from a busy family.I also joined a local gentle exercise class which basically worked through every joint/ muscle in my body.My family was astonished as fitness had not been part of my health until then .It helped a lot with joint pain and stiffness from hormone therapy but mainly it helped psychologically in dealing with my diagnosis.

I found myself rejoining my former life with recurrence fear in the background rather than the foreground of my thoughts except for waiting for mammogram results during regular oncologist appointments that we call scanxiety.

Am not much of a pill fan.Apart from my daily hormone therapy (Letrozole) I take a Krill oil tablet as per suggestion of my oncologist.
I have 6 monthly Prolia injections as am osteoporotic and also take one vitamin D3 daily.

My diet - well I am inclined to have sweet tooth especially when stressed and that’s not changed as I have twin 18 year old boys. I am inclined to not eat much meat but that’s always been the case.Re alcohol never been keen as grew up with an alcoholic.

My basic message is to get back out there into life step by step. You may need to practice life a bit at the start as you have had your confidence badly knocked.Exercise helps with how you feel emotionally as does being with family and friends just doing life.There is much support around for us - take advantage of it .There are many of us in this boat - you are not alone - we get it and you can gain much including friendship by contributing on the blog.

Hope my ramblings help a bit . xo

You are so right @Pinkcloverss when you say the road to recovery is a long one. It is 6 years in May since my diagnosis and I have made a lot of changes to my lifestyle, but they have been very gradual. That one step at a time that gets you through treatment has continued through recovery and beyond with me.

The aim for me was to improve my quality of life. I improved my diet and started daily exercise (something I was never consistent with before bc). My daughter bought me an exercise diary and I now have 6 of them - one for each year since treatment. The variation and increase in exercise is so motivating to look back on. 

The biggest challenge though was to simplify my life so I could feel less stressed. I wanted to spend more time doing the things that make me feel good and give me energy. That has been challenging but so worthwhile. I am really happy with where I have got to so far. 

Take care and I hope you get through treatment and find a way to recover and enjoy life too. xxx

I have cut back on alcohol, at most one drink a week and then sometimes can’t even be bothered with that.  I have swum more since my diagnosis than in all of my life prior.  I am not a swimmer at all, but have gradually worked up to a slow 500m.   At the moment doing that daily (how insane for non athletic person like me) as visiting family in Arizona and in the hot weather,  indoor swimming then dangling in the water up to my chin for 10 minutes afterwards to let things settle, together with Kinesio taping seems to help.  I expect to go back to a few times a week once I get home.  At the moment I can’t do anything that causes me to heat up without getting swelling in side of chest/armpit and breast, so trying to thread that needle of exercise but at just the right intensity/length.  I had a pretty good diet from years of trying to manage migraines, but since the diagnosis I probably am less careful with my diet.  I really really really need to reduce stress, but visiting family is setting that way back - hoping to get back on track when I return home. 

Hi @Pinkcloverss, I continued to go to gym & work through chemo. My oncologist told me shopping centres & public transport were the biggest risk for germs. I didn’t get sick at all, may be just lucky. Check with your oncologist to see what they recommend.

Did anyone continue to go to the gym during chemo? Im just wondering how cautious i have to be with germs etc as my blood work came back this first round saying i now need neulasta injections

Nutrition is my focus (it always was) but I ficus also on brain health, joint support and hydration. 
Exercise I struggle with since treatment. But I keep trying.

I have made changes but sadly not round the consumption of Easter eggs...

I have also switched to natural cleaning products,

I have cut way back on alcohol,I try to do something active each day even if just a walk, I think stress contributed to my cancer so I try to be relaxed. I try to eat healthily,but I’m not perfect at any of those, just balance. It put a lot of things into perspective so I left a position at work which looking back I found really stressful and took on one less demanding. 

I’ve made some pretty big changes, mostly to help my peace of mind. If it comes back, I want to know that I’ve done everything in my power to prevent it.

i’m a Dietitian/Nutritionist and thought I had a pretty good diet before. But when I really looked at it, there were lots of areas for improvement. I read lots of studies on breast cancer and diet, and decided a vegan whole foods diet was my best bet (I was mostly vegetarian before).

I only drink wine on special occasions - could easily get through 1-2 bottles a week before. I thought I would miss it more than I do.

I drink 1.2 L of green tea (caffeine free) per day. I cold brew each 300ml for 2 hours for maximum catechin levels.

I have a smoothie for breakfast everyday with 1.5 cups of kale, 1 cup of berries, flaxseed meal, mushroom powder, turmeric and almond milk. 

i also started running again. I have a toddler and I had slacked off with exercise since giving birth. So I decided to run everyday in the month before my surgery so I could going into treatment as fit as possible. I exercised throughout chemo, but wasn’t able to run everyday. I still don’t run everyday now, but will get in around 20km per week. On the days that I don’t run I make sure that I move as much as possible. This helps with the menopause symptoms too, and helps with stress.

Looks a bit crazy with it all posted out! I was I only diagnosed in March 2018, so who knows how long I will keep it all up for.

Everything I do is based on scientific evidence, and I try to see everything I’m doing like another bit of medicine, which helps when my brain slips into ‘it’s going to come back and I’m going to die’ mode.