Hi Loocie
yes, the thoughts about diets have concerned me. I have read a few books and really have come to no conclusion - a lot of the books contradict themselves and many are based on no scientific evidence.
I skim read through Jane Plant’s book and think that a lot of what she says is possibly true, but very scary. I don’t think I could stick to the type of diet and lifestyle which she suggests. I don’t think I can give up dairy products (no more cheese!) or give up meat entirely.
I already eat a balanced diet with loads of fruit and veg, small amounts of meat and quite a bit of fish and I still got breast cancer. I don’t eat ready meals or junk and try to keep processed food to a minimum. I’ve also eaten soya products for years after I lived in Malaysia and got to like them. I don’t eat them to excess, though, nor do I take supplements. I do, however like cake, sweets and all things bad for me!
The issue on soya really interests me as the medical profession is very split on it, my breast surgeon basically said don’t change what you eat - don’t eat more or less. One conclusion that I have come to is that supplements are bad - whatever they are (except basic minerals). Much better to eat the food that contains the good stuff in the first place than all these tablets and drugs which are sold as so called ‘health foods’ from places like Holland and Barrett - that shop is basically selling drugs, not health foods. The supplements which could really help me with the hot flushes are soy isoflavone supplements and things like black cohosh and I am just avoiding them - who knows what they could do.
Anyway, I’ve come to the conclusion that I will eat loads of veg and fruit, lots of fish, especially sardines which contain bones to help with calcium. I will cut back on dairy products and will supplement them with soya milk. I’ll eat tofu as I always have done and will try to eat more sprouted grains such as mung beans and fresh soya beans. I’ll eat more wholegrains such as porridge. But mostly I will lose weight and get fit and hope that helps - the biggest risk factor is being overweight (not that you seem to have a problem with that, Loocie). Giving up any foodgroup always causes further problems in missing minerals and essential elements - it’s important we eat enough calcium and vit D to avoid osteoporosis in later life.
I wish we knew what were the causes so we could avoid them, it’s quite scary knowing that I have an increased risk and having no idea what to do to minimise it. Bring on more research to find a cause and hopefully a cure. My cancer is slightly more unusual being lobular and I am taking part in research to find a possible genetic cause or predisposition to it which I find very interesting.
As for tamoxifen, I’ve read the side effects and also the tamoxifen threads and also feel pretty scared - five years of all that! I have discussed it with the docs and they say most people are ok with it, so it is worth a go. If the side effects are too bad, they can put us onto an aromatase inhibitor such as arimidex, which we probably will go onto after 2 years anyway, if we are menopausal. The side effects for that is different again. My plan is to start the tamoxifen and then see how it goes - best go into it with an open mind as it is the best drug developed against recurrence. My plan was to do chemo as a possible alternative to tamoxifen - and if I did the chemo then struggled with the tamox then I could give it up. Better four months of hell than five years! Not sure this plan was the best one with hindsight!
Remember that most people on these threads are here to moan and get support - we rarely hear about the people with no problems who are just getting on with life - let’s hope we are one of them!
Rads tomorrow - quite looking forward to it really! I’ll let you know what it’s like, I’m expecting a complete anticlimax!
Snowing here again today, but also the ice is melting.
How many people are now finished with the chemo?
Helen.