What are your dietary changes???

[Xena75]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply, definitely given me some food for thought. I wish there were more follow up info courses on life after bc!

I've been training and just run my first ever 5K! Hope to continue running and get that weight down now!!!

Hope you are all doing well x

[Chick1]

Hello Mishy18,

You sound like you went through the ringer too.  Respect to you for losing weight and making your changes.

Wishing you all the best x

[Mishy18]

Post i was eating rubbish and junk food all the time i have now lost some weight feel better for it but do still enjoy a treat
A little of what you fancy every now and then cant do any harm!!!!!

[Mishy18]

Chick i agree with you the medical terminology can scare the pants off you but as you say it doesn't matter on type grade stage etc also my inc did tell me that aggressive cancers responses to chemo are excellent, so after my wobbly moment in onc app i decided to move forward with positivity and like i said making small changes to my diet to encourage a healthier lifestyle i forgot to mention in my last

[Chick1]

Hello Zena,

Regarding your response below  Well what an insensitive arrogant Onco.  He should  have explained things better!  Maybe you can contact him and ask him about it.  Fair enough if he did not want you leaving thinking there was no chance of it coming back but he could have done it in a more professional and sensitive way. Medical people, like the rest of us do strange things.  I remember the breast surgeon on delivering my diagnosis looking and sounding very happy that it was Er and Pr positive when I was trying to ponder on the fact that I had just found out I definitely had cancer.

 My cancer cells were also classed as grade 3 and Her2+ after a second test and thus also described as "aggressive".  I just take it that if left to it's own devices it would have sprouted and spread a lot quicker and yes, it may be more susceptible to develop recurrence.  Look on the bright side, I think chemo can be more effective on an "aggressive" cancer.  My Onco was very excited when I was classed as having a complete pathological response after chemo.  He seemed much more excited than me. 

No one can say for definite whether or when  it will return or not if  we are stage 1,2,3 or grade 1,2,3,4 or with lymph node involvement or not, whether we had chemo or not, mastectomy, lumpectomy, radiotherapy or blah blah.

You sound like you have your head in the right place looking at lifestyle changes.  Hope it is going well x

[Mishy18]

Xena thats interesting i was stage 2b grade 3 was told there was possible vascular invasion too had the surgery with 6 nodes removed for the 1node with cancer 😨 chemo which was a disaster in terms of tolerance allergic reactions and change of drugs then the rads to breast and axilla
my onc at follow up was very confident that this cancer was gone and that i was definitely above 50% for it to remain that way, then he also said it can recur TN is more likely to in 1st 3 years and that indeed if it did i have a lower rate of survival depending on site of recurrence (not breast) 😨 as its aggressive in nature!! Very mixed messages for me there!!! Needlessly to say i burst into tears saying thats what i don't want to hear his reply was i think you need to go to Maggies for some support 👍 i already do, i am modifying my diet to a much healthier version of before i have the odd chippy tea, but no longer indulge in biscuits cakes and chocolate bars! Opting for homemade granola bars made with honey instead of sugar or honey biscuits and banana and honey loaf, i have cut down on red meats eat more fruit and veg, water instead of juice with ni fizzy drinks, switched bread to wholemeal and look forward to the odd treat of a meal out, aside from this nothing else i am going to start cbd oil, what really struck me re the dietary stuff is that the nutritionist at my local cancer centre has been diagnosed with bc im sure she knew all the theories and facts re food and cancer but it didn't stop her getting it xx
Hope you all make the decisions which are right for you and your wellbeing i suppose by making some changes we are doing something xx

[Xena75]

Hi Chick 1, to answer your question of how my onc convinced me my cancer would return, its his unpersonable manner. 

In the post chemo review meeting where we discussed my treatment and type of cancer, the fact I had to change chemo meds as my heart couldn't tolerate one of the two meds, my mother was being positive about the future, saying we don't know if it will return and to be positive and don't dwell on things that may not happen, and he rounded off the meeting and followed those positive words with  "yes,but it is a very aggressive cancer" !!! Literally his last words as I was about to go out the door!

[Alibobs]

Sorry it's bobble not noddle!!!! 💗💗

[Kate21]

Hi Alibobs, finished the book, agree, it’s a great little book and a very easy read. Liked her comment that people accept making lifestyle changes if diagnosed with heart disease, so why not with cancer! x

[Kate21]

There is a Radical Remissions website too! x

[Alibobs]

I will check that book out too. Thanks for the info xx

[Kate21]

Hi Alibobs,

Thanks for letting me know about the water bottle, not sure I know what it is but will investigate!

I have that book, and someone else has posted about it over the weekend, I only got it recently after it popped up on Amazon when I was buying Radical Remissions, still reading RR but really liking it. It was recommended to me by a GP (not my own) who thought it was ‘up my street’! I add turmeric to everything, my kitchen and everything in it is gradually turning orange!! Kxx

[Alibobs]

Turmeric is great for us ladies and also for other illnesses and ailments!!💗💗💗

[Alibobs]

Hi Kate I haven't yet bought a water filter as such but I do use a water bottle that has a filter inside it!! I fill that first then take any water I use from that during the day. It's a large 'noddle' bottle which is also bpa free. Annie I also found a book on Amazon called ' take breast cancer off your menu '. Loads of dietary advice and a very interesting read. Never knew before my diagnosis how much our diets actually affect oestrogen levels in our bodies!!

[Anniej]

Hi Xena, I'm overweight so have made a very conscious effort to lose some! After all, the larger I am the more oestrogen there is knocking about for my type of cancer to feed on. I bought two great recipe books from a well known on line store. One is the Royal Marsden cook book, and the other is the Maggies cook book. What I like about these is that foods are highlighted to help us in various situations. Feeling a bit nauseous, lethargic , loosing too much weight ( I wish!) There is also some sensible reading material at the front of both books relating to different cancers. Not scary or foody fanatical, but good tips. I use a lot more turmeric in my cooking now, putting it into soups as well as the usual curries. Mangoes,pineapples and pomegranate seeds are a staple on my shopping list. If possible ( the price being right - and I'm good at the reduced counter)  I avoid things that have been fed on oestrogen or other hormone based feeds. I do feel a lot better having lost weight and gone down a dress size . Unfortunately, what I'm saving in fresh home cooking I'm spending on clothes! 

Theres a great on line site that someone has already mentioned here that gives advice on foods good and bad for those of us on aromatise inhibitors. That's worth a look, I think. X

[Kate21]

Tut tut Xena! 😉 It made me smile when I saw it, that was so me, still is at times! 

[Kate21]

Hi Alibobs,

Loved reading your post! Can I ask you, do you have a filter on your water supply? I’m looking into this at the moment as a better water filter will be my next purchase, I do filter my water but need a better one. Immediately after getting my diagnosis I wouldn’t take supplements but that’s all changed, like you I take magnesium and D3 plus quite a few more! I was initially prescribed Adcal but stopped taking it and now take my own, which my Onc is happy about. Do you take fish oils? Well done re the smoking, couldn’t have been easy!

Kate x

[Alibobs]

Well I have cut out all sugar I have changed to almond milk. I try to eat fresh food but occasionally lapse due to having to feed my ravenous hubby!! Man likes meat!!!! I eat more fruit,salads,veg,nuts;seeds and try to use herbs and garlic when I cook. I have pomegranate seeds every day and drink alkaline water with lemon and bi-carb. I take supplements too such as magnesium and vit d3. I also use chai seeds on my sakes and in My organic oats for breakfast. I do feel much better for my dietary changes and combined with my exercise routine, walking,spinning, body pump I have lost over a stone in 4 months. The main thing I did was stop smoking before my surgery back in November and I have not had one since. I struggle with the alcohol ban as I do enjoy a few drinks with hubby and friends in our local. I have cut down a lot though because us girls used to cane those bottles of prosecco!!!! Lol!!😂💗💗

[Chick1]

Hello Zena and all,

Zena, I am intrigued.  You say your Onco:

" has convinced me through his bedside manner that it will return!".

How did he convince you that it will return?  Did he say this to you directly? 

I won't be making any dietary changes.  Before diagnosis, I had very willingly taken early retirement four years previously, went to the gym most days for weights, yoga, other classes and swimming, walked miles per week (hardly used transport), had a bmi of 21.5, drank very little alcohol, ate little red meat, lots of fruit, veg, nuts, seeds, spices and where possible organic produce - and all I can say is that it leaves me with no where to go after diagnosis so to speak.  Horror of horrors though - I  took a couple of sugars in my hot drinks and will continue to do so because I really don't think it is that big a deal and I am also very partial to a packet of crisps. I am nore partial to a glass or red wine and sweet sherry these days and I will not rebuff the occasional chipper supper.

I think lifestyle can increase the risks for cancer and other conditions but I don't think it is the be all and end all.  However, I also think we should take responsibility fo ourselves and try and look after our health as much as we can and that includes a "healthy diet".

I am getting a bit fed of headlines that go on about unhealthy lifestyles and cancer.  These articles need to make sure they point out that it may also be due to other things as well.  As for breast cancer, I thought the two biggest risk factors were being a woman and increasing age.  Not things we can do much about if we are older women!  (Please note that I am not saying younger women and men do not get breast cancer!).

I will continue to pursue a healthy lifestyle, where possible as I did previously.  However, 20 months since diagnosis and treatment have really affected my physical ability.  I am now more reliant on transport as I can't walk down the street without resting, walk at a snail's pace and feel I need oxygen if I walk up a hill.  This has been going on since my fourth chemo and subsequent treatments and surgery have just added to the crap effects.  I use to wake up to the idea that things will get better in time but to be honest I may be better thinking that I need to learn to live and manage  with what I have got rather than waiting for something that may never happen. 

Regards to all,

[Xena75]

Great thank you, I will defo check it out. (Note time again!😬)

[Kate21]

Hi again Xena,

I can see from the time of your post that you’re not someone who goes to sleep early! That was me, I could start cleaning out a cupboard or something at midnight!! I found going to bed earlier a struggle at first but, even though I have lapses, generally I’m much better now. If you haven’t heard of him already a GP called Dr Chattergee has recently had a book out called The 4 Pillar Plan, one of the “pillars” is sleep, the others being stress, exercise and diet, it’s a more general lifestyle book and not directed at cancer. He also does podcasts and has a website, which does have some info about sleep, might be worth a look or listen if you need any pointers. 

Kxx

[Xena75]

Both really great view points. Thank you so much for your replies and also the links. 

I think I feel I would like to make some changes but as you have both said, what works and fits with my life. I definitely feel I should be getting more sleep though! Always a night owl and its such a habit, shall tackle that first I think. 

[Kate21]

Hi Xena, I don’t think there are many things that divide cancer patients more than lifestyle and mainly diet! My thoughts are that most cancers are a result of several things/circumstances and I’m firmly in the ‘I made changes camp’ as I feel much better for it and got an NED scan 3-4 months after being diagnosed straight to stage 4. Also my mum who had a very aggressive cancer (not breast) lived a good quality of life for much longer than had been expected compared to the few other patients with the same diagnosis the regional cancer hospital had previously had, so it already made sense to me. Both my mum and I ate reasonably healthily but we both had a sweet tooth, both of us were very active, never overweight or smoked, but we were both very much night owls. I had a stressful job, my mum had experienced much stress following the death of two younger brothers. Anyway, I believe making the changes I did helped me a lot, my scans remain NED and blood test results are always good. I’m not vegan, my diet is plant based though, and I eat organic whenever I can, I still don’t eat processed sugar but I don’t miss it now, that said I started eating medjoul dates when I gave up sugar and love them! I rarely eat meat but that isn’t a problem for me, and use non dairy or goats milk, and now prefer it, which proves to me your taste buds do change. I’m no longer a night owl and avoid stress as much as I can. I’d recommend the canceractive website, foodforbreastcancer.com and nutritionfacts.org if you haven’t found them already, and make changes that feel right for you. My thinking isn’t that this will cure me but it works for me, and my aim is to keep myself as healthy as possible for whatever lies ahead! Best wishes, Kxx 

[Jobey68]

Hi Xena,

There is so much information about what we should and shouldn't be eating and drinking and not enough hard evidence in my opinion to back any of it up, super fit clean living people get cancer too, I bet if we looked at everyone on this forum we would all have different lifestyles, fitness levels , diets etc but we all still got breast cancer. 

Personally I eat quite healthily because I always have done, been a slimming world member for years and adapt what I eat around that plan, I drink probably more now than I did before I was diagnosed but life would be no fun without a G&T in my opinion! 

Im all for being fit and healthy but as to whether it has any bearing on us getting cancer or not I'm still to be convinced! Xx Jo 

[Xena75]

So I've had my surgery,chemo and rads. I've been signed off and pretty much left to it. Never been given any kind of diatary advice,even before treatment, but found out quite a bit through the lovely ladies on here.

I was diagnosed with a stage 1, grade 3 BC. My onc has convinced me through his bedside manner that it will return! Obviously I'd like to do what I can to help myself stay healthy while trying to not give the cancer a body to thrive in.

I'd like to get fit, lose a stone in weight and adapt my diet. Dietary wise I would like to be healthier, perhaps eat less red meat and more fruit and veg. I guess still allow myself to a treat here and there.

I have read about vegan diets being best,no alcohol or sweet stuff...then I also think I wouldn't enjoy living like that??!! Ultimately I don't want to feel guilty having the odd glass of wine either!!!

My question is, what changes to your diet have you made and what did you base these choices on??? Thank you x