What do you think may have caused your breast cancer?
What do you think may have caused your breast cancer? I thought this might be a good discussion to see how you all feel as to what may have caused your breast cancer.
I, for one, think 99% that it was HRT that caused mine. I was on it for 10 years and I was given the implant that was inserted into my bum (with a couple of stitches) every 6 months. Not just one dose either, I had TWO!!! I could actually feel my body changing within 24 hours of having the implant…I have no cancer my my family, ate right, exercised, had 2 kids when reasonably young, breastfed and did everything do stay fit…yet the big C got me.
Has anyone else got views of how they got cancer?
HRT Hi Roz
HRT was definately the cause of mine, took it for 8 years following hysterectomy at 42. No side effects at all whilst taking it, but boy did I suffer when I came off it. Wow the night sweats kicked in, I cannot explain how they felt and am still getting them now but not so ofter. I would wake up wet through and sometimes had to change the sheet.
My onclogist was certain that the was the main contributary factor as like you had no history in family and excerised and ate well, yet still its found its way into my body… All I would say that it has made me a better person, sounds strange I know but I definately look at life differently…live for the day, and hope theres plenty of those more to come.
Did you manage to find the site where I could give you my email address please let me know…
Hope to speak soon
Elaine
extreme stress i think mine was caused by stress , and maybe my first hubby assaulting me and bruising my boob years ago. but who knows? this desease can effect anyone even those with a carefree life style, maybe one day research will give all the answers. theres no breast cancer in my family but my mother died of stomach cancer and a sister had cervical .so maybe they are conected somehow. my oncologist didint think so .take care love lynn x
I think it was just bad luck. Some one had to get it - why not me.
Though my mother had cervical and skin cancer, while her father and brother both died from bone cancer.
Oncologist said that’s different nothing to do with my bc
Glo
Hi Elaine I am thinking hard how to get to give you my email address…I am working on it though…are we allowed to give our mobile numbers on here? I am not sure about how this site works, I belong to a lovely site but it is a closed site, would you be interested in joining us ladies if I manage to get you in??? Love Roz xx
Hi Elaine i have asked the same question on the Cancer Compass website, go into the message boards and into breast cancer and you will see my similar posting. You can reply to me on that and perhaps give me your email address so we can get in touch. Love Roz xx
reply I am 60 years old and was diagnosed at 59 after a routine mammogram. My cancer is oestrogen receptive. I have never been on the pill, was never on HRT. I have one son now 25 years of age but unfortunately could not breastfeed due to inverted nipples.
There is a history of cancer in my family but not breast cancer. I was a smoker but gave up over 5 years ago after about 30 years.
I am not what I would call a health fanatic, enjoy my food, try to eat reasonably healthy and like a drink when socialising or a glass of wine at home.
I have come to the conclusion that you are predisposed to cancer through your biological make up, mine so far through my hormones which have always been slightly haywire.
We all know the definite causes of some cancers, but I think finding the cause of some others still have some way to go, but medical research seems to be moving quite quickly in the right direction.
Love
Thistle
Don’t know think part could of been the same as Lynn’s…abusive ex and stress,…maybe being on the pill, do have history of cancer in family…grandmother had throat cancer, auntie had breast cancer 17 yrs ago and dx with secondaries in bones 2 yrs ago, grandmother, mum and sister all had breast lumps removed which were benign???
had hysterectomy at 40 but kept my ovaries and my cancer is ER+ ???
karen x
TAKE YOUR PICK Have given this a little thought but who knows.
Mastitis with both kids (now 22 and 18)
Stress (but who doesn’t have stress?)
Hysterectomy 2.5 years ago (1 ovary left)
Been on antidepressents for 2 years
Recent weight gain (new partner and lots of eating out)
Alcohol - not excessive, probably the recommended limit
Not enough exercise
More stress!
No family history
So lots of boxes ticked. I just don’t know.
So once I get through this chemo lark, will take more exercise, eat healthier and cut down on the alcohol and not worry so much!
Anita
Interesting thread, Roz,
I never had children, breast-fed etc., so I think that might have done it for me. Plus I was on the Pill without a break for a long time (for other health reasons) which probably didn’t help, and I could have eaten more healthily - gosh, the list seems endless.
Or maybe I was just unlucky. Suppose I’ll never know.
love,
Jacki xx
My body, and particularly my breasts, have always been sensitive to hormonal fluctuations.
I could never take The Pill - made my boobs ache and swell up like melons.
Periods - severe PMS, again with the melon breasts.
Pregnancy - breasts increased two cup sizes within the first 2 months. Pain like you wouldn’t believe.
Susprise, surprise, then, that my tumour turned out to be strongly ER/PR positive.
I discovered the lump five months after giving birth. Like the previous poster I couldn’t breastfeed due to inverted nipples. I don’t like to say it as it implies I’m saying my daughter caused my breast cancer but I’m convinced it was all those pregnancy hormones.
Lola
Is it lifestyle? Hi,
I am 41 and have recently been diagnosed with bc and have been questioning my lifestyle so far ever since!
Have been a smoker since age of 16
Stress and money worries for last 20 years really (but who doesnt?!!)
Was on and off the pill (mainly off the pill)
Breastfed one of my children
Am a bit of a worry-freak (but always been like that so nothing new there)
Been married 20 years to kind/caring man
Had a traumatic experience when my mum died suddenly and unexpectedly about 8 years ago and due to shock was put on Prozac.
Went on to have a sleep problems ever since (wondering if that didn’t help)
Alcohol - yes, mainly when socialising or occasional bottle of wine with hubby when can’t get out due to babysitting probs!
I keep thinking if only this, if only that, but at the end of the day there are many women with bc who have not smoked, not drank alcohol, managed their stress levels and have led healthy/fit lifestyles but still get the bc - maybe it’s just bad genes or bad luck - hopefully soon we will know the answers.
In the meantime, am looking forward to changing my lifestyle once chemo/surgery/rads is over - keep imagining myself running the marathon! lol…keep smiling! x
Morgaina xxx
Rays I had TB when 5, then had x-rays to my chest up to the age of 18.
that probably contributed to my breast cancer when I was 52.
My sister had breast cancer, so that might also have been a contributory factor.
There are several causes of breast cancer, so it might not be due to just one factor, but a mix of different causes.
The usual reasons given do not apply to me. I did not have HRT, have periods, or start my family late. I think we may never really know how we got it.
David
i had boobs … and faaaar to much oestrogen!
i had a hyster in march so nooo periods, moods, or stress - marvellous, (no ovaries, womb or cervix) just wished i had been neutered earlier!
i was a volunteer secretary about 3yrs ago and it was too stressful by far!
s’funny, stress is a factor tho and mised with hor’moans’ makes for too much to cope with!
i give up!
:O) x
I do believe that everyone has cancer in their genetic make up and it just takes a ‘trigger’.
I have no doubt that mine is as a result of IVF drugs and then pregnancy hormones accelerating it…
Well, that’s all I can think of anyway…oh and of course the wonderful Pill for many years…grrr!!!
Clare
A few possibilities - but just don’t know! Hi Roz
Started my periods at 14, had dreadful pain and swollen, lumpy breasts. Was on the Pill for 7 years.
I had weekly progesterone injections for 7 months out of 9 during each of my three pregnancies because of hormone imbalance after having a miscarriage.
My dad died very suddenly without having been ill.
I tend to worry and stress far too much about things. Wish I could turn back time and instead of bottling everything up could have the guts to verbalise my feelings and stop being a push-over.
I do no excercise other than gardening.
Even though I thought my diet was fairly healthy I now realise how much sugar/high GI useless food I ate that at best just piles weight on and at worst contributes to more serious conditions. I’ve read so many articles that state that excess sugar weakens the immune system, as does prolonced stress, thus creating a chink in our armour plating immunity allowing cancerous cells to gain a foothold and also that cancer feeds off sugar.
At the end of the day I don’t know how I came to be in this situation. There’s no family history and I breastfed each baby for twelve months. What I do know is that I am so looking forward to changing my lifestyle. I feel I’ve been given a second chance.
Love
Jibby x
Hi, Like David I had T.B. I was aged 6 and was X-rayed until I was 16, but have always had weak lungs, mom was born with T.B spot and her grandmother died of T.B…neither of these have or had Breast Cancer, the difference is me…having extensive x-rays, i went into this on the internet, and it says with out a doubt in trails of TB patients trail aged 10/14 are massively likely to suffer BC after the third decade, me to a Tee…also it says that this is widely known by the medical proffession but not admitted, not sure if they think maybe we would want to sue them?? don’t think so, at that time for me in the 60’s I was critically ill they did what they thought was right but i had a chest x-ray monthly for a very long time, then 3 monthly then 6 then yearly…I went on the John Hopkins ask the expert site …and they said they would never have given lumpectomy but mast, and def no rads so I gave this info to my onc he was not happy said there was more risk from the BC than anything else, last year i had e-cmf chemo and two months after finishing that discovered new lump, which turned out to be a new primary so had mast then am on taxotere and after I finish that have to take the chance on rads…but it is very scary and the time is apraoching within 6 weeks. Two primaries in one breast after having chemo in such a short time was a big problem my onc said…I asked my onc how many people he had experienced with BC and rads who had TB as a child( the statistics show it is not rellevant to adults TB and radiation through x-rays) and he said none, that he was aware of as it was up to the individual patient to declaire this information…not really satisfactory to me but I now have no real choice as have BC now and have to worry about the future …in the future…
Thank you ladies for giving your opions There has been some interesting information on this thread. Jax, I never knew that having chest xrays over a considerably long time for TB can cause BC, and I quite understand that the powers that be will deny it.
I definitely think that stress is the main factor in everyone’s postings. I also think that a great deal of my cancer was caused by stress from having 2 dreadful marriages with abuse and affairs. It was a long time ago and I have been married to a lovely man now for over 25 years but I do think all the stress when you are younger builds up and explodes forming something like cancer etc. I may be out of line here but it is what I think. So I think mine is caused by HRT combined with years of stress. Roz
Cause??? Personally I blame being on the pill since I was 16 (I was a month short of being 40 when diagnosed) and I havent had any children.
There were no symptoms, warnings, nothing in the family, either side. and all of a sudden it just appeared. As I am “hormone receptive” I blame the pill and probably not having kids.
But then again, it had to happen to someone. I’m just glad that when it did hit me I was strong enough to deal with it and that i have come through the other side. A year previously and i dont think i would have been so positive and strong. I had a lot to deal with and was being treated for depression so i am just so glad I was at the other side of that.
Heres hoping all my bad health problems are over and now I can finally get on with my life.
Donna X