Topic: CALLING ALL SURVIVORS .... AND THAT MEANS ALL OF US

I no longer smoke, have been smoke free for 2 yrs, Have been NED for 2 yrs too lol,.......I try to healthier, I try to avoid soy.....Being ER/PR+ Her2-  I really try to avoid phytoestrogens.......I walk when I can I exercise everyday but that is part of my job  or at least htat is the way I feel about it since I am on my feet 8 hours and do a lot of lifting and moving all day........I developed diabetes, and now I am on 8 different meds whereas before I was only in 1....So I have cut out a lot of sugar from my diet.......

MaryJo  where can I find Brassica Tea with SGS?   I would like to try it, too. I currently drink green tea and decaf coffee......

I really haven't done anything differently since diagnosis and treatment.  I had a very healthy lifestyle before.  That's the real kicker for me.  I ate right, exercised and was not overweight until going through chemo, dexamethasone, and chemopause.  I did everything right before.  There is nothing to do differently.

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Vitamin D3, C, Fish oil,

Fruits and veggies

exercise with water aerobics and gym

 starting to lose weight 

 I signed up to do the Avon walk in San Fran.  i am training and wow...that is going to be big. 

I am three years out Feb 10.....Yahoo! 

For me, I used to exercise 3 days a week my entire life. Now, I will 5 days a week(  this will be hard at first to discipline myself..). I have eaten healthy for the past 11 yrs... I will continue that.. and add the supplements Mary Jo has shared... plus I added folic. I am not the type of BC that the drinking of alcohol was addressed... ( Mine was not hormonal and I am not post menopause)... but I have stopped drinking wine with dinner through the week. I only drink on Fri-Sat... and will not do more than that... but because I will still enjoy my wine on the weekends.. I have added the Folic just in case they find out my kind of cancer can be fueled by Wine.... I now have 2-3 fruits in a juicer a day... and I used to eat 2-4 servings of veggies a day... now it is 5-9... I eat most all veggies raw. I will never again eat fast foods... and red meet used to be once a week for me.. now it is once a month... I never was ito sugar... but I did have it indirectly..potatoes.. white rice... but stopped all that two yrs before BC.

I have added sprouts.. and Kale into my daily diet... collard greens too... all those for the Calcium... I put all in my daily large salad.

I have left stress behind. When I find myself.. falling back into my high stress , controlling type lifestyle... I just start praying ( my belief)... I have become so peaceful over the past few months. I LOVE the feeling. Stress... good or bad.. will not be allowed in my life anymore.

There are no more cleaners in my home like 409... or pine sol... as I am her2 and they link that to environmental.... I have changed over to vinegar and water for most all cleaning. ( Even though dh does most of the cleaning..the fumes are still in the home I live in)...

I will never again spray my yard for bugs or weeds myself... I did that for 22 yrs and always got it on my skin... no more...

I will make sure I stay away from second hand smoke... I never paid much attention to that before, as it never bothered me... but I suppose it could have hurt me too...

So... I suppose my life has changed.. and will change... but I still totally enjoy my life... If I had to give up seafood or veggies... that would be hard for me.. or..if I gave up wine on the weekends with friends.... sad... but I don't.
I think we have to balance.. if we are here 1 yr or another 40... we have to enjoy it... whatever that means for us!

For me... I have to do everything I can... within my happiness level... to fight and win BC. So if, I am one, who gets it back or it turns to mets...I know and my family knows I did everything , in my power, to  stop it.

Thank you Mary Jo for this Thread. I hope it stays active so we can all read and share what each of us are doing. I am going to check into the tea you drink. I drink 4-5 cups of  green tea daily... and I would love to add another. I drink tea all day....:)

Laura

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I gave up wine [WHINE ], I started back at the gym, after a long absence [I was walking daily, but I needed to get back to a more vigorous regime];  am trying to give up sugar - but giving up wine daily made me into a sugarholic!  I am trying really hard to supplant the sugar urges with fruit, so I am down to one cookie a day.   But it is a pretty big cookie.   I am also limiting caffeine to one cup of coffee daily.  I started taking more vitamins and supplements.  Like Estepp, I am trying to find more harmony and less stress in my life.  Finding comfort also in my faith...loving my two grandchildren [who are in this picture with DH and I] and seeking contentment....

I hope to learn more in this journey....this is a great thread....

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Love this Marejo. I am working on "changing" things, so it is nice to come here and read what everyone did. My major change is I stopped drinking soda altogether and cut down on coffee intake and drink TONS of water. I also eat less fried/fatty foods, and eat more veges. ALSO, I work less and enjoy life more............the key to survival and true happiness that "kills" cancer in my case, happiness :) Stress is horrible for the body, and I have learned to not worry about everything...........all things I have no control over anyway. I worried from the time I woke up, to worrying in my dreams. Cancer loves worry so screw it!

Thanks for the wonderful tips, I will check here on a regular basis.

I haven't changed much physically.  Although I am (finally) starting to try to be more active.  We always ate fairly healthy.......or so we thought.  Who knows whats really in the food we buy?

I think it's more head changes for me.  I have no time for people I simply don't like.  Used to hang out with some because I was afraid to hurt their feelings.  I've dropped 'em like hot tomales.  I try to enjoy each day as it comes.  It's not always easy.........but for the most part doable.

I did NOT give up wine or whine.

oh wow I soooo needed to come into here today and read. I am a long term survivor and I dont do stuff right, eating or drinking and definately not enough exercise. However in saying that I decided this year needs to be different and have been thinking about putting a flyer together to get a group of similar people together to see if they too would like to change things. I am considering documenting it all. Like Sharon above I am not going to give up wine or whineeeeeeeeeee, my motto is less whine and more wine, but I do need to cut down. I will keep you all posted.

Since my diagnosis of LCIS in 2005, I found out I have PTSD, and  was getting a new medical  diagnosis every 3-6 months.

I just got a new orthotic 2 weeks ago from my NEW podiatrist, (after my FORMER podiatrist spent 1 year prescribing Do It Yourself Podiatry with a new orthotic - I ended up firing him!)  so I've been able to walk 1 mile 2-6 days a week.  That's more than I've been able to do in 2 years.  (2 years ago I was jogging 4 miles a day.)  I hope I'll be able to return to jogging.  

I cut out soy, and sometimes add flax seed.

I have to identify with sue_blue - I spent a lot of time on these boards.

I was always a healthy eater and did exs as much as able. My only downfall is sugar. I can eat sweats for main meal, i love sweats sooooooooo much. It is hard to give up, so i eat moderatly. I used to drink wine once a week. For the past 6 months, i have had only one glass of wine and one margarita which is not bad. I take oscal, centrum silver, D3 and ofcourse tamox, all my onco recommended. I am thinking of fish oil, but is there mercury in fish oil?.One more thing, after my mother passed away suddenly, i gave up on God. I am back to accept death as part of living, and started praying which has given me peace of mind. I thank God every day for giving another opportunity to enjoy life with my beautiful family and friends.

I also do deep breathing exs(pranayam) almost every day. Believe it or not it gives a boost of energy to work full time and take care of my family.

This is a great site. I come here atleat once a week. I don't write much as i am not a good writer. Thanks.

I´ve been stage IV nearly 9 years now and my onc is still surprised, I`m doing so well every time he sees me. I try to eat healthy, try to walk every day(but it´s hard with bone mets),I drink a few glasses of wine in weekends but mostley green tea and water. I try to enjoy life and my family. I work, but not so much, my husband has cut down working too so he can spend more time with me. We live on a farm, no animals now, ecept a dog and a cat but a beautiful garden that means a lot to me.
I´m on Aremidix and Bondronate but no chemo. I try not to worry so much but that´s the hard job.

My doctor tells me "you must do everything right, just keep on doing what you are doing"

Annaswe (mets, bones, liver, lungs and brain)

I was one of those people who did everything "right" but ended up with a bc diagnosis at 48.  I was vegan for 8 years, not overweight, exercised, etc....

Now I still eat mostly vegan (but have chicken and fish a couple of times each week), I do T-Tapp and walk, walk, walk as much as possible.  I am not taking Tamoxifen because it made me feel absolutely terrible all the time.  I take Brevail, D3, CoQ10, Vitamin C and a good quality multivitamin.  It is really hard to find stuff without soy in it, isn't it?  I've switched to Almond and Rice milk as I used to be a big soymilk drinker. 

Mostly, I try to keep a positive frame of mind (some days are better than others) and use visualization techniques to remain as upbeat as possible.  I also have stopped letting my job overwhelm me.  It is a very stressful job, but with the economy the way it is, I am lucky to have it.  I just try now to not take it home with me.  I accomplish what I can during the day and leave work at the office when I go home. 

No one knows how much time they have remaining on this earth, I just keep trying to be grateful for what I have and for every day I have here.