Hi, I’m not looking for any advice but would be really interested in hearing other’s experiences. I’ve been diagnosed with IDC five weeks ago. I was never overly unhealthy, but I’ve made the effort to improve my diet further. I feel a bit hyper aware now whenever I eat anything that isn’t healthy! I’ve been on unrelated medication for a couple of weeks that’s making me feel very sick if I eat fresh fruit, so I’ve had to stop the fruit until the medicine is out my system, so today I’ve eaten a scotch egg from the butchers and ice cream from a local farm shop instead 
Does it ever become possible again to eat a healthy diet without feeling each time you sniff a chocolate you’re nailing down your coffin lid a little further? 
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Hi @floss2 . I went through the same thoughts as you when diagnosed… I’ve never been super healthy, or super unhealthy, but all of a sudden I panicked and wondered what I should be doing. I was diagnosed in November, and I have chocolate every night.
Firstly I think what we’re going through, it would be wrong to deny ourselves a little treat. I mean how sh*t does it have to get!! Secondly I’ve been doing a bit of digging (not much), and it seems that as long as your diet is varied then you can’t go too far wrong.
I actually joined a really informative ’speakers live’ session run by these guys the other day about diet. The main things I took away from it is that you dont have to cut out sugar, aim for 30 different fruit/veg/legume a week (even 2 types of mushroom can be counted individually), make sure you’re getting enough protein, avoid processed foods and be sensible.
Enjoy that chocolate even more, knowing that it makes you feel good… 
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I think it does get easier. I was diagnosed with bilateral IDC last summer and boy was I regretting my Bridget Jones-style decades of drink and cigs.
My consultant was clear that I shouldn’t go down that rabbit hole since there’s no knowing exactly what causes some people to get cancer while others with the same lifestyle don’t.
He did say to me that the three factors to be aware of going forward which he said were known risk actors were alcohol (I gave up on diagnosis and haven’t drank a drop for nine months), sedentary lifestyle and obesity particularly after menopause.
I’m really careful with what I eat now and try to eat healthily but I don’t beat myself up if I have chocolate etc. xx
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@leelee1 that sounds similar advice to the road I’d slowly been going down pre-diagnosis, with adding all the plants, although I did want to cut out more sugar now, and was doing well but then Mother’s Day happened and I got biscuits and chocolate. I do find I enjoy sweet things a lot less though, like if I take my daughter out for hot chocolate which I loved before, now it’s a chore to drink. This is good though because I’m down to my pre baby weight which I never thought would happen again!
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@lynnc123 that’s such an interesting comment. I keep looking at people drinking, smoking, overweight, living on crap etc and thinking about my relatively healthy lifestyle and wondering why me - which I know is silly, but seriously, why me 
I’ve never used synthetic deodorant, always natural, so I didn’t develop breast cancer. That went well…
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I was always the healthiest eater at work. While my colleagues were tucking into their fast food takeaways, I was walking to the salad bar or heating up my home made soup. I was lucky enough to live a mile from the office, so I was walking 2 miles a day.
I do sometimes wonder “why me” but I don’t dwell on it
I am now on Tamoxifen and all I want to eat is chocolate but as I also have IBS it doesn’t agree with me!
I do believe in a varied diet, and “everything in moderation”. Life has to be enjoyable doesn’t it?
Lynne xx
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Yes actually my taste has changed quite a bit too.
We’ll never get away from chocs for Mother’s Day, Christmas, birthdays, so best not upset those who have gifted them to us, and try realllllly hard to get through them one at a time… 
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I also got the ‘rabbit hole’ speech! I used to have a serious alcohol problem and, with help, stopped drinking a year before diagnosis. I’m convinced booze caused my cancer, or at the very least made it come earlier, but was told to not go there. They didn’t want me to blame myself (I don’t, I wasn’t well at that time in my life and nobody intentionally does that to themselves), but it kind of makes me feel a sense of responsibility for not doing things that are within my control which may make it come back if that makes any sense at all?!
So, in line with all of that, I don’t drink, I gave up smoking, I exercise to the recommended levels religiously, drink all the green tea and eat plenty of the good stuff. But, there have to be some pleasures. Mine are excessive amounts of doughnuts or the majority of a tube of Pringles watching the telly. As @lynne123 pointed out the big three are alcohol, inactivity and being overweight. I figure if I keep those three in check then I’m doing alright. x
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@southwest123 your experience does sound like mine. I think I frightened myself that my boozy past may have contributed so as I said I gave up on the spot after diagnosis.
I was always fit and walked miles every day but have still lost 2.5 stones since diagnosis, despite the letrozole, and upped my running and weight training so at least I’ve done everything in my power.
I do have a soft spot for chocolate so fit in some every day! xx
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I did make an effort to improve my diet after diagnosis but it’s kjnd of gone by the by now - which I know I need to address . I rarely drink and stopped smoking 23 years ago now. My feeling is that stress was a big factor for me as well as being tall childless , late menopause and yes overweight but most importantly I was in the peak age group . None of us of can help what happened in the past and you may never know for sure why you got it and someone else didn’t. Basically 1 in 7 women get breast cancer . When I go to my support group we are all shapes sizes also some younger women and a couple of men - and we all eat cake together. Xx
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I never eat cake not got a sweet tooth but I do enjoy red wine and cheese and the odd beer with crisps . At 67 and six years on from diagnosis I take hormone blockers and have to wear a compression sleeve every day. I eat tons of veg and have a healthy diet but life is too short not to have the odd treat . I have friends who never drank and had children who still got BC. We shouldn’t beat ourselves up . Frankly it is a lottery
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I can’t help look at my sister who is a couple of years my senior at nearly 50. She’s fit and active but drinks quite a bit, overweight her whole adult life, and seems to me to eat a lot of sugar. Yet I’m fairly slim, non snacking on sugar, lifelong disliker of the taste of alcoholic drinks and it’s me that has it. Not that I wish it was the other way around, of course - but now I have it I really want to say to her lose the weight and stop the drinking, thinking can’t she see what she’s risking? I’m planning to use a bit of critical life cover money to buy a puppy on health grounds, as I lost one elderly dog two years ago and my other is in her last days or weeks. If a little bit of what you fancy does you good, then that’s excuse enough for me to buy one! Been planning to get a third for years, all this makes you wonder what you are waiting for. Might have a bar of Lindt too…
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Hiya, After finishing treatment, i rang the bell, and a nurse took my photo on my phone. When i saw the pic, i realised how bloated and ill i looked. I was 15.7 stone then. I started eating healthier foods and going for walks. I am only 4ft 11ins and was grossly obese. It’s now just over a year later, and i now weigh 9stone, so I have lost 6.5 stone and feel 21 again. By the way, im 66. The GP has stopped a few of my regular meds as no longer need them. I feel really good about myself and have done what i can to improve my health. As long as you feel good about yourself. Thats the main thing. Wishing you love and hugs and am sure you will be fine xx
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Hi @floss2. Sorry to hear your diagnosis. Firstly, your diet didn’t cause the cancer and your diet can’t cure it. But being as healthy as you can be will help prevent a recurrence and help you cope with the treatments too. I’d say try not to feel guilty about treating yourself as treats can help you emotionally. Also, if you need chemo, its likely that you’ll go off many healthier foods and favour certain unhealthier ones. For me, i craved salty and savory foods, but fruit and vegetables, sweet foods were unappetising. You could try to make a plan for healthy meals and have a couple of treat days across a week where you plan in a favourite meal or dessert or go for cake with a friend. These moments will boost your morale. I didn’t gain weight during my treatment but i certainly found it hard to lose weight. However now chemo is over, I’m back at the gym and eating better. I guess what I’m trying to say is that making healthy choices is important, but if ever there’s a time for treats then it’s now. Don’t feel guilty, instead remind yourself that when this is all over you can get back on track. All the best X
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@floss2 I think all of us will go through some degree of blaming ourselves. I was overweight at diagnosis and that was the point I focused on-I’ve never smoked, rarely drink, eat well, exercise and still got it at 43. I was so angry I had looked after my body and it had let me down. Not long after finishing treatment I was at a wedding and went to have a glass of wine and then said no as it would make my cancer come back-until my husband pointed out ‘you barely drink and you still got it so have a bloody glass of red’. I went through stages of being completely irrational - I had started drinking Diet Coke, was that it, was it due to weight gain due to having my daughter. I mentioned my weight to my Consultant and he looked me dead in the face and said ‘children get cancer, Chris Hoy has cancer and he’s a Gold medal winning Olympian’. It’s taken a while but I’m now of the 80/20 mindset. Most the time I’m sensible with what I eat, I’ve lost some weight but also managed to enjoy treats. It definitely takes time to get your new normal after cancer as we’ve all had our worlds rocked….mine is def a work in progress!
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I guess I am the opposite. After surgery and Radiation I started on Letrozole. I knew it caused horrible side effects. I received a free nutrition class by Rachel beller (one of the perks of having cancer). I started eating plant based and cleaning up my diet. I think it’s fine to have dark chocolate every night. We all need a treat.
When I went back to my Oncologist, she thought I started a statin but I didn’t. My Cholesterol went DOWN. I am also trying to avoid taking any of the drugs for osteoporosis. So far, my bone scans are normal. I found healthy treats in her cookbook, called Spice Rack. It feels good to know that I am working on lowering my estrogen and eating a healthy diet. of course I go out and cheat but it feels good to eat healthy. I would recommend her cookbook.
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I feel your pain. I have been comsuming sugar for YEARS. Sugar is my nicotine, unfortunately. I was 1st diagnosed in 2018 with IDC stage 3. After a lumpectomy, radiation I was clear of all cancer. This is where I screwed up. There is no excuse for my action going forward, except for not taking my health seriously. I did not go on ANY of the prescribed cancer meds. I hate pills. Even the ones that save your life, evidently.
2023 came, I had a mammogram and it was back. This time, with a vengeance. I have had 7 surgeries in the past 1.5 years. Had a bilateral mastectomy w/ Latissimus reconstruction (which I HIGHLY recommend not doing), since I’ve had an excellent surgeon my body is not acclimating to the change & have chronic pain in my back along with a seronma which doesn’t want to go away. From the stories I’ve heard from friends who had this procedure, I’m one of the lucky ones.
So, long story short, I have read SO many research papers, etc on the effects of sugar & hormones and IDC breast cancer. My mind is boggled by the misinformation I’ve come across. I’ve had a full hysterectomy and only have 1 ovary left and from that 1 ovary, it produces estrogen at a rate of a 33 year old from what my Oncologist stated. Again, is it because of my sugar levels which directly impact your estrogen production? Who knows! I just read somewhere that sugar levels do not impact hormonal levels??
3 of 15 lymph nodes were cancerous & removed. So every 6 months I have a Pet scan to see.if cancer spread. I was on Anastrole along Verzenio & I had a lot of side effects from those medications, so I stopped taking. I’m awaiting to get my labs done so my Oncologist will put me on something new.
All I can say at this point, is ask ALOT of questions & read on your cancer and hormone inbalance.
I learned the hard way from this experience and will never take my health for granted again because this has disrupted my life so much and to think it was preventable is almost to much at times.
If you have or need anyone to ask/talk to, I’m here! You are not alone.
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Hi Floss2!! My advice to you is eat what you want when you want. Your diet didn’t cause your cancer and it’s not time to go on a diet either. Just enjoy each day as it comes, without the guilt and enjoy life!!
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@circa70 sorry to hear you have been going through the ringer. I’ve been curious about the impact of sugar since before diagnosis. I’ve just read a good book by Liz O’Riordan and was surprised how laid back about diet and sugar consumption she was (just the more generic eating healthy advice). I know it’s newer research and ways of thinking. It has made me feel better about having treats though, especially with Easter coming up. I’m not missing out on a Lindt Easter egg or Easter desserts, but I do intend staying away from sugar more going forward. But her point about eating a pastry won’t cause another mutational nail in your coffin is a good one!
I am afraid to admit thet when i first got diagnosed - i was so angry and envious of others who “didnt have cancer”. I know these sentiment doesn’t cover me in glory! Thankfully these feelings dissipated!
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