Advice for a desperate husband?

I posted this in the wrong spot so have moved it here. Apologies. Could the administrator remove it from the Hormone Therapy board please.

 

Ladies,

my wife received a positive diagnosis for bc earlier this week and as you can imagine I am trawling through books and the internet to find ways to help in her recovery.

 

We are told she has a grade 2 tumour but will later today be told if it is an oestrogen feeder (no chemo) or other type of tumour that will require chemo. We will also get the results of her bone scan, but other scans suggest no spread to other organs or lymph glands. (Fingers firmly crossed)

 

MRI yesterday to determine the actual size but Surgeon thinks it is about 20 to 25 mm which will allow him to operate next Thursday. Any bigger and he will treat to shrink the tumour before removing it.

 

I do all the cooking at home and am looking at ways to improve diet. I am currently rushing through the Jane Plant books and have reviewed the pros and cons of the diet both on this forum and on other websites. The frustrating thing is we already eat well; lots of pulses, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, possibly a bit too much meat and alcohol. We only reintroduced dairy into our diet recently due to a health condition I have.

 

I have researched selenium, zinc and brewers yeast as possibly beneficial supplements and this led me to a product called Biobran that looks a bit too positive and more studying is required to make sure it is not a scam.

 

My wife has been advised to stop her HRT and the breast nurse suggested Black Cohosh as an alternative to stop the nighttime hot flushes that plague her, others have told us this has potential side effects that could worsen her condition and Sage has been suggested instead of the Black Cohosh.

 

The wife is one of the most positive people I know and she sees this as just a burden that she will overcome, so if positive outcome can help, she has it in bundles.

 

Our consultant has been very helpful, very positive and has given us lots of hope.

 

we are at the beginning of a road well trod by you ladies here and any suggestions, help, direction would all be greatly received.

hi gracey,
Sorry you find yourselves on the forum, but there’s loads of support here.
You sound like you are a brilliant support & doing all the right things. Like you my husband is the cook in the house, we eat healthily, so really just do things in moderation & we do enjoy a glass of wine.
As Lb says, be aware of food products claiming wonderful things, there is a lot of misleading information out there, just carrying on as you’re doing is fine.
I’m not sure about sage or cohosh, there seems to be some conflicting info on this, maybe another member can advise.
ann x

Hi Gracey,

 

I have just been diagnosed and one of the first things I did, was to see what I could do to improve my chances.

 

The most interesting sites I came across were the myths concerning cancer - I found these very informative as they were backed up by science.

 

To eat sensible and to be healthy, was the message repeated in everything I read.

Hi again, Gracey,

Just a thought, the NICE guidelines for breast cancer management (national institute of health & clinical excellence) is worth a look, from what I remember, there is something on there about the evidence for use of supplements such as sage etc.

ann x

Hi Gracey,

How wonderful fof find a supporting man! 

I would support the messages the other ladies have left. Unfortunately there are many people and companies out there claiming all sorts of things - only to make money of people who are in distress and worried.

Mind you - Black Cohosh, Red Clover, Sage, Soya, Linseed…it would be a good idea to check with the oncologist rather than the breast care nurse. I understand from your post that your wife’s cancer is estrogen positive.

All of the above contain high amounts of phytoestrogens - i.e. natural ingriedients, which mimick estrogen.

My cancer was estrogen receptive, too - and I have been striclty advised to stay away from any supplements and foods, which contain high levels of these.

This is a link to the Cancer Research UK site re Diet and breast cancer, it may be of some help to look at foods to be more careful with and perhaps others to increase.

cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/breast-cancer/about/diet-and-breast-cancer 

Furthermore - as you are researching so carefully - it might be an idea to research support supplements for the adrenal gland. Estrogen is mostly produced in our glands and from our bodyfat. As your wife is going to be on estrogen ‘killers’, should it prove to be estrogen positive, it can be of great help to support the adrenal gland to help with possible side effects, such as tiredness, fatigue, mental fitness, etc.

100% pure Ribose, Rhodiola Rosea Extract, high absorption CoQ10 and Acetyl Carnite are supplements I have started taking now post operatio, chemo and radiotherapy.

Calcium intake and Vitamin D will be important moving forward, however the doses need to be discussed with your oncologist/GP, once you know the exact treatment plan.

Any supplement should be checked against required medication to ensure there  are no contra indication.

I do hope it may be of a little help and also that all of the results will be the best they possibly can be.

Keep in touch with us - on the relevant threads, as your wife moves through treatment…perhaps encourage her to join us?!

We are here to support you both as best as we can.

Hugs

Sue x