Hi can anyone shed any light on diet and nutrition post op. I led a pretty much of a healthy lifestyle before my diagnosis, exercising 6 days a week, eating healthily, not much junk food or take outs, always made home cooked meals, didn’t drink or smoke and a good healthy weight.
So what do I change about my lifestyle post op ??
I have been reading up on different websites from cancer nutritionists who advise on healthy eating and meal plans. Has anyone signed up to one of these programs and what are the benefits? If someone could please shed light on this for me. I feel I need to be getting advice on diet and nutrition but I’m not sure if they will tell me something I don’t already know?.
I am 5 weeks post opp from a mastectomy with diep reconstruction. How long do I need to wait before I can go back to my regular hit classes and running? ATM I’m doing some yoga an stretching.
I just spotted this post after replying to your post on Tamoxifen
I too was someone who always lead what I considered to be a relatively healthy lifestyle prior to diagnosis and have been left wondering why me? What did I do “wrong”? I’m bit further down the journey than you so I’ve had a bit more time to think about this.
My conclusion is nothing, it’s not my “fault” I don’t know why I got BC and I probably never will: I just happened to pull the wrong card from the pack.
I was diagnosed at a similar time to Julia Bradbury and I’ve followed her story on Instagram and was intrigued by her quest to find out why me? Seemingly one of her risk factors was her height!
You will find lots of people offering to advise you but as you have already identified they probably aren’t going to tell you anything you don’t already know, and if you’d like another person to follow on Instagram to provide sensible no nonsense advice then Dr Liz O’Riordan (a former breast cancer surgeon and a very fit triathlete who has had two primary bc diagnosis) is your lady; she has recently been posting about what she calls “nutri-b*****ks” ie claims that diets can prevent cancer.
I’ve concluded that to give myself the best chance of no recurrence is to keep doing what I’m doing and not stress about it as the stress could be another factor (ie do what I can to continue to eat healthily take regular exercise and not worry!)
You sound like you were doing pretty well before your diagnosis, I was the same, it feels a bit frustrating doesn’t it as we were seemingly being preventative and yet still here we are.
I am very fortunate to have a friend who has done an MSC in oncology nutrition and she has given me some excellent top tips to improve my diet. My best recommendation would be to follow Zoe nutrition on instagram and Tim Spector. They talk a LOT of good sense, the main thing is to increase your fruit, veg, grains, seeds, herbs and spices. Aim for 30 a week (this includes grains eg lentils, quinoa etc) and try and eat the colours of the rainbow as they contain lots of different phytonutrients. Even different coloured carrots / peppers contain different nutrients to the same vegetable - if you know what I mean.
I had been training for my first triathlon at the point of my diagnosis but couldn’t do it cos of my surgery. I have only been able to walk every day which has been enough, but I have built it up throughout each cycle gradually trying to walk faster and further later in the three week (or four weeks when i have had delays). I tried running just a tiny bit and my lungs nearly exploded so I have given up on that and just not pushed it. Frustrating on these beautiful winter mornings!! I may try going on my bike as that be more less brutal on the body, but not had a go at that yet. I think you just have to try and be gentle with yourself, give something a go and be prepared to stop if it hurts or you feel uncomfortable. I had two ops and after the axilary clearance of lymph nodes, aggravated the wound with some over enthusiastic stretching! it got a bit leaky, but did calm down again.
Yoga definitely helps, I am trying to do that more regularly now my wounds are all closed up. It might be worth looking to see if your local breast cancer support group has any exercise classes, there is one near me who are doing pilates, I haven’t been yet, but might give it a try if I get on ok with my docetaxel which I have just started.
Wishing you all the best and hope you don’t get too frustrated!
I have definitely eaten more carbs/comfort food than I normally do, and not being as active isn’t helping!! But I will get back to it… I hope!!
Hi Sab, have just seen your post and wondered if you had made any progress with your diet post diagnosis as this is something I’m interested in too? Like you, I was pretty healthy and am racking my brains to see what changes I need to make. I have read that a dairy free, plant based diet can help but unsure what to do at present and am considering about contacting a nutritionist. Any advice would be welcomed! Hope everything is good with you, many thanks.